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"A Home for My Treasures"

True to my 'local style' life, this weekly journal entry is on "Hawaiian Time."

I could make a million excuses for not starting it last week like I was supposed to, but instead, I'll concentrate on meeting my weekly deadlines from now on.

I've been really busy with moving. My boyfriend and I will be moving in to a little cottage off 6th Avenue in Kaimuki in November. So we have two weeks to pack up and clean our apartment in McCully.

It's absolutely amazing how much junk I have accumulated. It's even more amazing that, no matter how much I clean, things seem to get messier. I have things that I don't really need-a whole trash bag of stuffed animals, another one of cute cushions from Japan, and a laundry basket full of purses. I have textbooks and lecture notes from my days at UH, and an entire box of books from Rainbow Books that I can't bear to throw away, even if I bought them at half-price.

Then, I have my "collections"-a whole assortment of nasubi, or eggplant things, shotglasses, Japanese kokeshi dolls, and Snoopy stuff. There are "mini-collections"-McDonalds beanie babies, and tons of other toys that I got from frequenting fast food joints (just for the toys, you know.) And, there are things that I just "need"-pens, papers, stamps, craft supplies, and shoes. I would take pictures for you to see my "treasures," as I like to call them, but they're all packed away in recycled banana and apple boxes from Times Supermarket that my sister used when she moved two months ago.

Now, that's my stuff. Of course we both have to move all the furniture-two TVs, a loveseat, the bed, computer, printer, scanner, stereo, microwave oven, two dressers, tables, shelves, clothes, and whatever else is hiding under all the mess.

Besides moving, there's cleaning. This past week we cleaned the bathroom, and started the kitchen. Next week, we're washing windows, and scrubbing the screens and the floors under the stove and fridge. Then, the pros are coming in to do the carpets.

There are a million phone calls to make to change our mailing address and phone number. Right now, I have called just 7 of the 40 magazine companies, banks, organizations, etc. on my list. My goal was to call a couple of them a day, but-It's the same "Hawaiian Time" concept!

It wouldn't be exciting if I didn't need something that was already packed away. So far, I've had to search for the Ziploc sandwich bags, gift wrapping ribbon and the refill cartridges for my printer.

I'm not grumbling. Actually, I love it. I've moved so many times that my brother calls me the "professional packing queen." Last summer he came to Japan to help me move back home after two years, and I taught him some of my secrets. (I shipped over 50 boxes home.) I'm proud to hear him say that he's becoming a great packer, since now he has to pack up every summer before coming home from college in Colorado.

Hopefully our new place will be big enough to fit all our stuff. Poor Kyle has to keep his clothes in a quarter of the closet, and his work shoes in the car. Maybe it will fit the boxes of stuff I'm still keeping at my mom's house in Hilo, and still facilitate my shopping habit!

But first, I need to clean the old place and find homes in the new one for all the "treasures!"