Watch all my VHS tapes and get rid of them.

That was a goal that I didn’t particularly want to add to my to do list, but because the old one kicked the bucket, and the one we were given wouldn’t rewind (an important function), this goal has stalled considerably. On the up side, it meant 2 clunky old VCR’s out the door.

Now we’ve dug up something that works (hiding in the back of the “closet of technology”, something I really should cull) and I can start weeding tapes again.

I vow to toss at least 5 tapes today.

It’s been months since I weeded out any tapes, although now that I think about it, I gave away two and returned five that we’d borrowed from friends. Today I looked through the kid movies and am getting rid of 3 more (either watched to death or now here on dvd).

So… that’s 10 more out the door. I’ll try to pick up the pace on this one over the next few months.

Because this goal is old and stale and seemingly never ending, I’ll hammer in a goalpost.

I’ll mark this off when I get rid of 43 more tapes.

With things like Humanoids From The Deep (gloriously terrible – oh, and I should return it to Daniel) and tapes full of recorded PBS Masterpiece Theatre shows like Prime Suspect. I got through one particularly good episode before realizing that I didn’t have the other half. Not really a keeper then, is it.

Today I boxed up 10 videos I don’t even feel like watching before they go out the door, they’re just taking up space. And there are 3 I’m going to check out & then toss in the “to go” box too.

Recently this took the form of some wonderfully cheesy tapes of old Star Trek shows. Sometimes ridiculous space pants are very good therapy.

Today is a good day to do some more of this. I’m feeling very low energy. I slept poorly and several friends have called (or written) in the midst of sudden misfortunes. I feel spent. Appreciated, but spent.

I managed to clean the kitchen and sort some old photo albums (woah, nostalgia. I need to scan these), but what I think I need to do now is curl up on the couch with an armload of mystery tapes.

There is now a large bag of 20 VHS tapes (and several dvds) ready to head out the door and back into the arms of their rightful owners… nice.

It’s raining it’s pouring it’s cold and grey and dreary and unbearably wet (if I can be so dull as to discuss the weather). My recent hardcore insomnia kept me up until nearly 7AM again, so I have no energy.

What’s a girl to do when the toddler goes pre-nap haywire with cabin fever and the outside world isn’t an option? Give in to the pressure and find something to throw on the VCR. And what did we dig up today?

INVADER ZIM!! That’s what. My friend Frank made me an extended tape packed with episodes, and it was a huge hit with both of us. We pulled out the Ikea couch-bed, made a nice nest, and ate tiny crisp apples while watching Zim and Gir take on Earth. Perfect.

I fast forwarded through some of these (the remake of Planet of the Apes – Shudder – and What Women Want, because Mel Gibson in pantyhose makes for way too much nightmare fodder), watched Gone in 60 Seconds (eeh…), something with Jason Lee in it (I like Jason Lee) and a few old X-files. I skipped Ghost World (I have the dvd now) and Diana’s funeral (why do I even have a copy of this?).

Everything counts in large amounts…