A lot has been happening in the news with the Corona Virus pandemic wiping out people all over the world. I’d already stopped working at the end of January, so my life hasn’t changed much and I normally self-isolate – which is why I relate so well to introverts. I’m really excited about finally putting my music collection on Discogs. It’s a great distraction from the larger disruption of my elderly cat’s worsening health, which is a combination of kidney disease, heart issues, breathing trouble, intestinal blockage, and possible urinary tract infection.
Cat update
I brought her into the vet’s office a few weeks ago due to the breathing issue, and it really helped on that front. The other issues are long term and will require continuous medications, which have amounted to almost $200 for the two followup vet visits and over $800 for the first one. My mom told me to buy pet insurance before, but I had so much trouble signing up for the one I wanted and just gave up. I’m not sure how much it would help, especially considering my cat’s age and health issues.
Health care is a hot mess in this country, and the pandemic has really proven this. Much richer, smarter and more influential people than me have warned of such a disaster and have been ignored. After several expensive vet visits, I realized caring for pets can be even more difficult. I don’t put a huge priority over my health normally, but in this case, I need to stay healthy to care for my cat. I’m pretty well taken care of despite all this, I applied for Unemployment just before the major lockdowns due to Covid-19 and my mom has helped me pay my cat’s vet bills.
Good veterinary care is hard to come by and I found one in Yorba Linda that’s been very helpful and responded almost immediately to my Yelp inquiry. The one I first contacted didn’t respond until the next day, which in my cat’s immediate health needs was not fast enough. So not to dwell too much on health issues that only really affect me, my cat is doing better though she’s very old and still has a lot of health issues.
I’d love to consider her immortal, but I know her time in this world is limited and this whole quarantine stuff could not have come at a better time for me. I don’t usually get overly emotional, but I tear up just thinking about losing her. I know many friends have lost pets recently and some of them end up needing new ones right away. Having raised her as a kitten to an elderly cat, it would be devastating. Let’s move on to happier things now, shall we?
Discogs Collection!
A friend started putting his vinyl collection on Discogs, which made me decide to put my own collection up. I’ve amassed a large CD collection due to weekly visits to record stores from high school and throughout college, mostly picking up used and promo CDs on clearance. I’d also gotten a handful from my college radio station, a few label’s college reps would give stuff out while I was on the promotions team. I was only with the station my sophomore year (1998-99), but it was fun at times.
Before that, I was a BMG and Columbia House record club member in addition to frequenting the local libraries to check stuff out. Some of my early, more embarrassing hair metal purchases were cassettes, which apparently can be valuable! I also got Janet Jackson and Michael Bolton cassettes from friends as a kid. They’re still gathering dust in the garage. Then there was like 10 years of getting promos from Beggars Group Street Team! I suppose there’s plenty of treasures there I could sell.
Record store shopping was always the highlight of my life, yet working at a music distributor was one of the dullest jobs I ever had. No offense to my ex-coworkers, but it nearly drove me insane. And apparently, it’s hereditary! I can’t relate to anyone who values experiences over a great record collection, and the quarantine life is now the new normal. Being free of possessions sounds amazing at first, but then you have to deal with what? The empty void that is your life? No, thank you!
Books, records, CDs, whatever can bring you just as much joy as experiences – so screw you, Marie Kondo! Not really, she does good work, but I’m not getting rid of any of my valuable junk – though I definitely have other junk to toss. Clothes can be a tougher issue, I get overly attached to some things and I’m not motivated to sell! I have donated in the past, but I’ve felt some of my donations were not appreciated and it wasn’t a small amount!
The harsh reality is that I have too much of almost everything, so if I make any progress at all in any collections – it will be a welcome relief! Clothes is something I love, but I know I have enough. No one needs to remind me of this, they just need to give me a better reason to get rid of it. In the past, I’ve done well on ebay though the listing process is tedious. I think their app has simplified it a little, but not enough. Amazon is actually a lot easier to sell media, they just get a bigger cut.
I was going to follow this up with a rant about former co-workers, but no reason to do that now! No one’s good at taking criticism these days, especially older folks (which was most of them). Maybe I’ll make some funny memes about them… that sounds horribly mean and funny, but I’m neither of those things usually. So, Discogs has really given me a greater appreciation for all my obsessive CD shopping, though organizing physical collections is another story!
I’ve watched shows like American Pickers and Hoarders, and relate so much more to those people who collect weird stuff and can’t throw anything away!
