Craigslistin'

Today it’s the lawyer’s office and the end of what has been a pretty roller-coasterish process since December when we put Brian’s house up for sale, and even though we’ve had a few days for it all to sink in, I’m just starting to really accept it now. We’ve got a new house. A new, beautiful house to move into in less than a month!

And so I’m Craigslisting both to give things away, and to find a couple things for our new house. I’m lining up movers, I’m thinking about what can just go in the garbage about now. I’m trying to do this with as little clutter as possible because I want to start clean here. I don’t need to move the files and the old wrapping paper, the wedding dress and the broken mirror around with me anymore. At least I hope I don’t. It borders on a compulsion towards hoarding we don’t have room for at the new house. At least not in the short term while we have to keep the basement free for the renos. We’ll be a little space-tight for the first couple of months, and then all shall even out.

Still and all, it’s time to get rid of some of this stuff.

It’s been awhile since I got into the secondhand furniture and household goods online, and I have to admit I find it highly addictive. Not because I want to buy most things, but because of the opposite reaction which is the wonder at all the ugly furniture that exists out there in the Lower Mainland. Sure, there are some nice pieces, a couple of things I’m even following up on, but 90% of it is ikea or just plain ugly. And I’m not talking about the cheap stuff either, I’m surprised at the horrible fabrics and impractical designs of some of the more expensive stuff listed.

My favourite post by far today is for the six-foot tall metal knight advertised as “a great addition to your decor”. Really? I can only imagine how classy my living room would look with the addition of a man-sized metal statue in the corner. It would be even better, I think if the knight was posed with his sword up in a lancing position, or as though he was about to cut your head off. God damn, some 19-year old boy out in his own apartment for the first time is going to think that’s just the raddest thing ever. I suspect the guy getting rid of it thought the same thing at some point but has now grown up enough to move in with his girlfriend. Getting shagged regularly does require some sacrifice, which means the six foot metal knight has got to go. Fair enough.

What I am actually most fascinated by though is just the sheer volume of stuff that seems to move through Craiglist furniture section in the Lower Mainland. Hundreds of posts per day, refreshing every few minutes to another ten or twenty items. So many people moving. So many relocations and whole apartment sales. So many people upgrading their furniture or selling off a dead relative’s worldy treasures. It’s a bit like the casual encounters section in terms of sheer volume, though much more appropriate for work surfing (I think casual encounters is now actually blocked from my worksite, as are all dating sites) – and people often include little snippets from their lives as they post. “Antique Rocking Chair; Used for both of my children but now they are full grown”, “Sudden relocation to India; Apartment worth of furniture for sale”, “Grandfather recently died; Estate sale”. A little window into the motivation for selling, it helps to bring sympathy to the seller’s side of things.

The posts that bother me the most though, are over in the jewellery section (yes, I admit to wasting some time on Craigslist lately) where beautiful, heirloom pieces are posted for quick sales. Need to pay rent, need to pay for courses, just lost my job. And perhaps none of that is true and it’s all hot jewelery – but just the idea of someone selling their grandmother’s ring in order to make rent or grocery money is pretty distressing. And I suspect there will be more of that as the economy worsens.

I’m hoping out of all of this that I manage to sell off or give away that which I no longer want, and to acquire a small writing table and perhaps a decent wooden highboy for the master bedroom. The trick is quickness on the draw for the good stuff, something that keeps me obessively refreshing as I work on my deadline-project. The eternal hope that Craigslist provides, is getting me through as I wait for our house to finally materialize.