The Urge To Purge
Filed under: Obsessions - September 25, 2007 @ 8:36 am
God I love purging. To be honest with you, it’s one of the main reasons why I like donating blood. If I had to pick an eating disorder, it’d be bulimia hands down.
I get a thrill when I sit down at my computer and delete files and unused programs. “Are you sure you want to delete these 36 items?” it asks nervously. Fuck yeah!
I love going through a closet, bookshelf, or cabinet and trashing or donating all the crap that accumulates. Give me your garage, basement, or attic.
And omigod my parent’s refrigerator. No matter how often I go in there and clean out that thing, there are multiple jars of condiments that expired three years ago. I like consolidating the three open jars of Miracle Whip into one tangy blob.
Garbage day is like reverse Christmas for me - I never forget to put out the trash because I get off on it so much. I love taking stuff to the curb and knowing that I WILL NEVER SEE IT AGAIN.
I’m reading a book called Garbageland that reveals all the secrets behind the trash industry - it can be as guarded as the meat industry. I’m learning about landfills, recycling (I’m such a recycling slut) and composting (I love worms).
The first thing I did when I moved in with my beau a couple months ago (besides put up my 200+ Pez dispensers and 30 sock monkeys - it’s weird that I’m a purger AND a collector) is sign him up for recycling and start a compost heap out in his backyard. I also threw away most of his shit.
He might be having second thoughts of letting me move in (I also covered his television with a decorative tapestry since the big black box was so unsightly) if it weren’t for all the blow jobs he was getting in exchange.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:03 am
I’m a purgeaholic too. I’ll throw out anything just to throw it out. I don’t save emails, I erase my recent call list and my text inbox every night before bed, clean out my fridge and cabinets every Monday night, and go through all closets and dressers on the 17th of every month.
Why the 17th? As soon as Jake turns whatever month his clothes go up to (3 mos, 6mos, 12mos, 18mos, etc) his closet is overhauled and he was born on the 17th of March. I love rules and consistency almost as I love getting rid of stuff.
It’s madness, and I’m glad to know I’m not alone.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Ooh ooh I don’t save emails either! Or receipts. Being a purger can be challenging when you have a kid - you have to do it when they’re not looking. My kid likes to save every broken crayon and crap toy.
I’m also tempted to make some sort of St. Patrick’s Day comment here, but I’m sure you get that all the time.
September 25th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Purging is bittersweet for me. I love ridding my life of clutter and the less stuff I have the more organized my space can be… but sometimes the purging leaves me asking “what if I could use that?” “what if I do need that?” or worse has me questioning how I could rid myself of that sentimental item or that piece of history. I organized and purged bathroom items tonight in fact. Awhile ago I purged my clothing of what I am bored with or don’t wear at all and had a clothing swap with friends (where were you???). Still there are so many bins of things I just can’t bear to purge.
September 25th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Decorative tapesty is to girly as big black box is to manly. Oh, and all Miricle Whip should be destroyed due to its grossness. Oh, I thought “binging and purging” was what college frat guys do. HA
September 28th, 2007 at 10:04 am
A friend’s dad has this extensive pez collection just like you. he keeps it in the master bedroom and turns the lights out and then shines this high powered flashlight on them to make them glow or something. I have not been there to bear witness to that but i hear it’s kind of bizarre. Do you do the same thing? Apparrently, he still enjoys his reefer. Seems to make sense to me
October 2nd, 2007 at 11:24 pm
You know, when you delete files on your computer they aren’t really deleted (even if you empty the Windows trashcan) The index to the location of the file is the only thing deleted. The files can still be recovered with forensics software.
October 3rd, 2007 at 5:07 am
That’s very interesting. Doesn’t deleting files free up space on your computer? Where does it go? I hope cops never find all the unflattering pics of globby facials and my cellulite-riddled thighs.
October 3rd, 2007 at 5:10 am
The data just gets overwritten. It frees space in a virtual kind of way. However, you can delete those files if you perform a disk check.
October 3rd, 2007 at 8:06 am
cellulite = riddled thighs? Bitch, please.
October 3rd, 2007 at 8:09 am
I only post the flattering pics! The camera flash can be as cruel as florescent lighting.
October 4th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
There are different methods of recovering deleted data. It’s not too hard to get data with 3 wipes. Various places on the web will do for a small fee. Depending on your level of paranoia there are different methods of scrubbing your disks. The Gutmann Method is considered the most secure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutmann_method
The only thing 100% is complete destruction.