Evidence that once I had a brain (or that I knew how to use it!)
I’ve been decluttering and shredding my way through 5 years of taxation records and contracts and all sorts of other evil papery things that were lurking in boxes that I did not even realise I had. I thought I’d been pretty thorough in paper control apart from “a box or two” until I got both kids off to school and had time to open that scary cupboard of mine.
My poor old shredder keeps overheating. At least now I have discovered it actually has “duty cycle 2 mins on 4 mins off” written on the bottom so I know to set my timer for 2 mins of shredding before taking a break so I’m getting through it faster than I was for the entire week preceding today. *shame*
This sort of paper accumulation is the direct result of having kids. A sort of knock on effect. You have a baby, a large proportion of your life then goes to the care and entertainment of said offspring. Necessitating other areas of your life being pushed to the side. Regularly throwing out old papers after their taxation use-by date being one of them.
Bag four of HOW MANY ?
But what has made me smile, and at times cry is the things I’ve found.
Once upon a time I was able to complete my own taxation return, back when I only had to claim self-education expenses and some other simple things, however the bit that really stunned me was that I was able to work out what my Medicare levy was, what my estimated refund would therefore be, and I was 100% correct. My god, I can barely count to 100 these days before something or someone interrupts me and I can’t remember what I was doing.
A copy of payslips with my address in a foreign country written on them. Intrigue!
Some hilarious and beautifully written pieces of TAFE homework. I even wondered if “publicist” would be a possible career choice until I thought it wouldn’t be fun at all because you’d be trying to put a spin on someone else’s evil doing or silly products that you don’t agree with people wasting their money on, LOL.
Photographs from before DH and I were engaged. Tee Hee!
A print out of a very funny e-mail thread between BFFL and myself concerning arrangements to sleep on the floor of my empty flat and go nightclubbing. OH MY GOD I USED TO HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE!!! Oh those were the days! Dressing up! Outrageous Shoes! Cute Handbags! Makeup! Champagne! I think Loud Music is the only thing I still have these days!
Letters and postcards with exotic stamps from good friends and people who were friends but have been lost in the mists of time. I’ve decided to keep the stamps I’ve cut off and turn them into decoupage on a wooden box. The wooden box will be something to do with writing I think.
But the most amazing thing is that I am now starting to have ideas about a possible business I could start, and what sort of things I need to consider and research before I take the plunge. Wow this is amazing.
And the pink panel of the hexagonal quilt is finished. I’m pinning together what’s probably going to be the last panel! End is in sight!
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring, there goes the timer. Time to start shredding again!
FrangipaniDreamz 