I'm having a collector addiction problem.
I recently was 'between jobs' for a couple of weeks. I made the decision not to travel, but instead to hang out around the house. My brother finally (after 5+ years) is in the process of moving out, so I'm moving around behind him and cleaning up stuff I've let slide for the past few years - moving some furniture, and most importantly dealing with paper.
I've been extremely depressed the past decade or so. I was at my best last year, during Outback Overflight; since then, I've slid back a bit but I'm still in a better place than I was most of the decade. Over those years, I've been resignedly not coping with paperwork. I've been doing quick passes as mail comes in looking for 'important' stuff and throwing out obvious junk, but the middle stuff - like bank statements, utility bills that I autopay, etc - I haven't wanted to throw out because they have confidential info on them. I've basically been stashing them and promising myself I'd 'deal with them later.'
Well, it's later.
I bought a 12-sheet shredder from Amazon Basics. It showed up last Wednesday. By the end of this weekend, addressing only that paper in the living room and foyer areas of my house, I'd thrown away five contractor size trash bags of paper. This isn't even shredding everything - this is opening every envelope and shredding only the sensitive paper, just throwing away the envelopes and junk inserts. That is a goddamn lot of paper. I've been getting depressed realizing how dysfunctional I was.
On the plus side, I suppose this means I'm making some progress.
Oh, right, the addiction problem. Well, I've made the horrifying discovery that as an American consumer with internet service, I can purchase both firearms and fountain pens - and accessories and supplies for both - from the comfort of my sofa, using my iPad.
Holy mother of Galileo, somebody stop me.
I bought a rifle. Because, uh, rare Finnish manufacture M39 Mosin Nagant, Sako imprint.
Then I found the /r/fountainpens subreddit, began browsing, and realized there is a whole new crop of affordable modern pens. Bought a TWSBI.
Then I bought a pen for a friend, and some new interesting ink (J. Harbin 1670 'Emerald of Chivor'). Then I bought another couple of super cheap pens. Then I bought a NOS Rotring Esprit pocket pen. Then I ordered a NOS Pilot Elite off eBay. Then I bought myself $50 worth of ink (Pilot/Namiki Iroshizuki Yama-Budo and my own bottle of the aforementioned Emerald of Chivor).
Thank life I've started working again. Now if I can just get myself under control.