Throwing it all away

or "Sing while you purge!"

As you know, I'm tidying up my room after the paint job and it's becoming more of an exercise in letting go.

10.42
Song playing: Aerial - Kate Bush (CD2, the final track...)

Copper bracelets used to be all the rage (they were, shut up!)

Anyway, I brought those two, above, from South Africa in 2003. After a few months, they snapped. I have kept the bits for all this time. Why the fuck?! They're in the bin...

10.55
Song playing: The Big Sky - Kate Bush (from Hounds of Love)

An old contact lens box. Why? Why do I have this crap? It's packed into the side pocket of a togbag so at some point I made the conscious effort to keep it. What a fucken loony-tune.

"Pause for the jet..."

And then - one evening, I'm guessing back at the end of 2003 I remember being out one evening drunk. To show off, I bought a bottle of Cristal champagne that I couldn't afford.

This is a piece of the wrapper.

Yes, it's binned and gone.

11.12
Song playing: Dark Road by Annie Lennox

At some point I went for an AIDS test. I think this happened once, on holiday in Cape Town but there isn't a date to verify this.

As you can see, at the time I was HIV negative. I have no reason to think that this has changed.

Infact I'm pretty sure this hasn't changed. I hope it hasn't.

Yes. Uncomfortable silence. No, I don't have AIDS. I'm not HIV positive. Let's move on shall we...? I don't think I'm going to throw this in the bin.

11.33
Song playing: King & Queen of America - Eurythmics

Look this this present. A drinking game based on noughts and crosses. My cousin gave it to me one Christmas.

The charity shop can have it. I've never used it. What a crap present actually. And that font is Comic Sans, a favourite hate of mine.

It's lucky it's not headed for the bin.

11.57
Song playing: Heart of Rock & Roll - Huey Lewis and the News

Holy shit... this is pre-2003 crap.

My old Mr Video card and Standard Bank debit card.

Why I have I hung onto them? I have absolutely no clue.

There are a few interesting things among my piles of rubbish.

I have kept newspapers from significant events because it's a great way to record history. Here are a few of the ones I have:

Thursday, March 20th 2003: The first missiles are fired as a "coalition of the willing" (don't make me laugh) launches the war in Iraq.

Two bits of news we thought we'd never see... Dubya gets a second term (did anyone really think that John Kerry was going to win?!)

And then, in a TV documentary Michael Jackson admits that he shares his bed with a young boy. Who saw that one coming?

Two massive days in the history of the United Kingdom, one after the other...

July 6th 2005: It is announced that London is to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. July 7th 2005: 52 people are killed and more than 700 injured in a four co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks on public transport.

Here's The Telegraph:

And The Guardian:

And finally, Anna Nicole dies and so does Il Papi.

So where were you when...?

First though, listen, my bedroom is a complete tip. I need to fix it. It looks totally inappropriate.