BS: What's your important stuff?

Subject: What's your important stuff?
From: Caitrin
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 01:57 PM

Well, I've got another scholarship essay topic on which I wanted to hear Mudcat answers.
If someone were to visit your house, what things should he or she see to find out about your personality?
I said:
My books
My bulletin board
My Cartoon wall

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Ed Pellow
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 02:02 PM

The rubbish (trash) that I put out would probably say quite a lot...

Beyond that, books, CDs, newspapers etc would give you a fair insight

Ed

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: MK
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 02:03 PM

The bookmarks in my web browser.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 02:17 PM

The other people and animals living there, and how we treated each other.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Ebbie
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 02:22 PM

My books, instruments, computer bookmarks, my friends... Hey, I think Mudcateers are a lot alike!

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: wildlone
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 02:31 PM

Instruments,Books,Record collection,Antique Silver,Motorcycle's,Camera's lets just face facts I am a Magpie.
I nearly forgot the English Civil War and Napoleonic re-enactment clothing and living history stuff I own.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 02:44 PM

The twins, our books and the kitchen. In that order.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: GUEST, Another conscience....
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 03:23 PM

Wife, kids, music and worthwile contributions to the Mudcat

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: kendall
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 03:26 PM

what they would see whould depend on who they were..

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: GUEST, Another conscience....
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 03:29 PM

How true kendall, how true.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: GUEST,Ickle Dorrit
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 03:37 PM

My drinks cabinet.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Mooh
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 04:49 PM

Books, magazines and other periodicals, recordings, instruments, children, state of cleanliness, pictures and photos and stuff on walls and about, my date book, tools and toys, the garden, pets, clothing, bathroom cabinet...

The wear on my boots, the age of my car, the contents of my sink, my basement storeroom, the taste and smell and sight...

The mail, e and otherwise...

The clothesline...

This is your life, Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 05:16 PM

Everytime I visit a new house, it's the books, the music and and the decor that I look out for in that order. The books and music are part of the person and travel with them. The decor is changeable, but if a person cares about their surroundings more than themselves or others, then the books and music are usually completely different to those I would have, or just not there.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 06:28 PM

You would be falling over books, nintendo games, bikes and kids at my place. Look at the pictures on the wall too.. Ships mostly. I wonder why? LOL Yours, Aye. Dave

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 06:51 PM

They wouldn't have to visit my house to find out about my personality. It goes with me wherever I am. That's a glib answer, but it's meant to say that the "things" say a lot, but what I am and who I am are something that could shed all those things and still be intact.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 07:30 PM

Oh yes, the mess...

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Mbo
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 07:56 PM

Look at my CDs and tapes. Look at the hundreds of songs I have in my folder file, spanning many genres. Listen to what I sing. That's who I am.

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Sorcha
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 09:59 PM

My whole house. Don't our homes reflect our peronalitites? What we keep, what we throw out,what we collect? And let's not forget the outside---what plants do you have? A (shudder)spotless garage? I say all of it--where I live is what I am.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Mbo
Date: 01 Apr 00 - 10:18 PM

Ha ha, I guess you're right, Sorch! The dining room in my apartment is piled with all kinds of art junk...wood scraps, clay, paper, cans of polyester resin, various finished projects....the signs of an art student! Then again my room has tapes and music thrown all over the place...music lover! Not to mention all the Celtic stuff,...and the religious paraphernalia, and the sports stuff....

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Caitrin
Date: 02 Apr 00 - 12:49 AM

Yes...my CD/record collection needs to go on the list, too. It's just harder to say exactly how that reflects my personality.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: rpm
Date: 02 Apr 00 - 12:58 AM

I like Barbara's answer, but with a twist. Like dorothy in Oz "There's no place like home". ( Throw in the kids, books and heaven help us the music...) Bob

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Escamillo
Date: 02 Apr 00 - 01:15 AM

I'll quote Kendall:
"what they would see whould depend on who they were.. "
- My business partner: The lack of a good carpet and good furniture, the lack of a good bar and the lack.......etc
- My customers (systems): my desk and PC equipment
- My son´s friends : the refrigerator
- My mother : the kitchen
- My friends: our books and CDs all over the walls, and my wife's plants all over the books and CDs and the rest.
- A social assistance visitor: a big TV, computer equipment with large color monitor, two big loudspeakers, more than 1 square meter per person, good WC, hot water installation and two fat dogs.
Un abrazo - Andrés

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: roopoo
Date: 02 Apr 00 - 01:31 AM

Along with the books, which my husband says are taking over, I would have to say the "eclectic collection" of old and new. The lounge walls are covered in pictures ranging from aerial photos of the village to antique prints of folk traditions. My husband calls it a mess! There would have been the beer mats all over the kitchen walls too, but I am finally getting aroung to decorating! I have a friend who says she likes to visit because she never knows what she'll see next. Usually it's my doughcraft work area: table, paints, varnishes, modelling tools (I'm an ex-art student,Mbo!) which is gradually covering the computer, floor and a lot of the books in flour! I won't mention my garden, but as a member of the Cottage Garden Society cursed with a very small plot... "eclectic" comes into play again!

mouldy

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: JamesJim
Date: 03 Apr 00 - 01:34 AM

You can't tell much by lookin' - but just let me open my mouth. Jim

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Magpie
Date: 03 Apr 00 - 07:34 AM

I don't know what visitors would notice. As stated before, different people would see different things.
I see a half-eaten chocolate bar on the bedside table, some not-yet-finished knitting projects, heaps of books all over the shop (not enough space in the bookshelves), umpteen quilts given to me by my mother (no garage), a couple of guitars, a ton of whistles, my son's bicycle, some pieces of furniture made by my father, various toys, stacks of CD's and a wall covered with photos of my son.
From looking at my home, people would either think I am a complete slob (maybe they're not too far off the target), or they would think I'm a busy, easygoing mother with tons of hobbies and interests.

Magpie

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Magpie
Date: 03 Apr 00 - 07:40 AM

And from reading my last post, they would KNOW that I'm a lousy proofreader. I keep my SON'S BICYCLE in my livingroom because there's no garage. I wouldn't keep my mum's quilts anywhere BUT in the livingroom.

Magpie

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 03 Apr 00 - 08:22 AM

In our house the books and records, CDs, cassettes, piano rolls probably sum us up, but they fight for space with my wife's collection of hippos in all sorts of media and rather a lot of (not empty) bottles. If visitors see me wallowing on the sofa perhaps it begins to make sense...(Mud, mud...)
RtS

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: GUEST,aldus
Date: 03 Apr 00 - 08:30 AM

My Books, My Music and My Garden...Medieval art and music, and of course my family. I also love the ocean, birds and animals. My old Gibson guitar is a source of great joy as is an old Merlin banjo. And then there is Bach..... I just love Bach and Martin Carthy.........!

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: canoer
Date: 03 Apr 00 - 08:59 AM

They'd have to see our messy non-fashionable house, guitar & music stand prominently featured; my roomful of labor-history, labor-politics books upstairs; the beginning-watercolor-student pictures about; the back porch crammed with camping and canoeing gear; and the basement with the power tools and car mechanic junk. And the gloriously large green back yard. Then they could make their polite excuses, and flee.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Clinton Hammond2
Date: 03 Apr 00 - 03:32 PM

Number 1 would be wife if she was back in town yet...
My cat...
My tapes/CD's...
My books...
My instruments...
My chainmaille works in progress...
My runestaff...
The smells from my kitchen...
My homebrewed mead...
My Hnefatafl board...

{~`

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Bert
Date: 03 Apr 00 - 03:44 PM

I think it's comforting to see so many of the following in your answers...

Mess, books, animals, bicycles, instruments, art materials and projects and even a cartoon wall.

No wonder I feel so at home on the Mudcat.

Bert

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Caitrin
Date: 03 Apr 00 - 04:04 PM

I hadn't really thought about mess, either. I think I may have to go back and re-edit this essay!

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 03 Apr 00 - 04:40 PM

Although I completely agree with Kendall's answer,
what I am told by those who come visit my place is that it really feels like a home.
I guess it is not just what you see in someone's place that matters, but how you feel while you are there is also important too.

Little Neo

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Bert
Date: 03 Apr 00 - 05:39 PM

Right on there Little Neo.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: GUEST,Wavestar
Date: 03 Apr 00 - 11:35 PM

I would have to say, books, posters, my book of lyrics, quotes, poetry, etc, unusual / mediaeval clothes, random furs, skeletons, paperwork, etc...

I remember when I was in high school, I was given an opportunity to do a display that was to incorporate stuff that I felt symbolised me - things from my room, that would give my fellow students a look at a person from their things, without their name... I put in lots of colourful, bright things, silk, ribbons, flowers, books, poetry, stuffed lizard, my dagger, my Bible open to Psalm 8, rocks, shells, etc... I got many very surprised reactions when people realised it was mine, because I hung with the crowd that was considered 'Goth', wore a fair amount of black, and was 'scary'... people realised then that they had no idea who I really was.

Funny, my friends weren't surprised in the least.

-J

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 17 Aug 01 - 03:04 PM

CD collection, every folkie I have met has been really nice, so if I go to somebodys house and see some folk CD I think it is a good sign :-)
Does anybody remember that program with Loyd Gossman, where he went to peoples houses, and had to guess who lived there.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Justa Picker
Date: 17 Aug 01 - 05:40 PM

If my house caught fire and total destruction was imminent and I had 5 minutes to evacuate, the only things I'd grab would be the kids, wife, cats, guitars and 2 back-up CDs that hold all business and personal data. Everything else is expendable and replacable.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: RangerSteve
Date: 17 Aug 01 - 07:50 PM

My books, records and CDs, Musical instruments, police and firefighter memorabilia, the clutter.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: CarolC
Date: 17 Aug 01 - 08:07 PM

I'm such a work in progress, I gave up on trying to make my place look like it belongs to me a long time ago. There is no rhyme or reason to anything that is to be found here.

If I had to choose what would be the most important things to save in the event of a fire, I guess my Italian accordion, some pictures, and maybe some of the artwork I did back when I did artwork.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Spud Murphy
Date: 17 Aug 01 - 10:39 PM

It's all here on my desk............somewhere?

But when we lived in Alaska back in the 50's a friend of ours invited us to dinner one evening and we had to hold our plates on our laps because there was a thirty horse Mercury Outboard under going a major overhaul on the kitchen table. His wife was a forgiving lady, rest her soul!!

Spud

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Goody2Shz
Date: 17 Aug 01 - 11:04 PM

Y'know...I had a couple of friends who lost everything in the horror of what was The Oakland Fire. And I do mean everything.

One of them was working on her doctorate. She had taken a sabbatical to go to Europe to do research, and her thesis was on her computer.

Everything was gone. All she had left were the clothes she was wearing when she barely escaped uninjured.

When I asked her how she felt, she responded with "It was only things. Things can be replaced." "AND, I get to start all over, gathering new momentos and trinkets."

I gained a whole new perspective on what my life is all about, and a world of respect for my friend.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Blackcatter
Date: 18 Aug 01 - 01:10 AM

Greetings all,

It would be easier to list things that would do little to help them understand who I am ... acturally, that's not true - even my choice of dinnerware, towels, etc. that says something about me.

On another tack - have you ever visited a friend's home for the first time and when you find that they have very few books and/or music, do feel disappointed?

pax yall

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Mudlark
Date: 18 Aug 01 - 04:21 AM

The outside is as important as the inside...water gardens, bird feeders, good fencing for the dogs, a thriving garden, blooming plants spilling over the porch and lots of comfortable chairs for sitting and picking and singing.... Inside, books (everywhere), music selections (all over the place) and insruments, abstract paintings, oddball collectibles, kitchin walls covered in pots, pans, green plants everywhere....dog hair everywhere. If this interested party was really snoopy they could also find out quite a bit about me from my email logs as well (eek!).

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: gnu
Date: 18 Aug 01 - 08:12 AM

Work boots at the front door. Bodhrans on the walls. The furniture I made. Music collection. Office jammed with engineering texts. My books, historical and humourous. Tools of all description, all HD, none of that happy weekender crap. Hunting and fishing gear. Fridge with leftover take-out and beer... hey, vices are part of one's personality, no ? A poppy on every lamp.

Mudlark... good point. 4X4 pickup. Hulking utility trailer I made from an old pickup. Old travel trailer with the plumbing torn off. ATC with scabbard. Tools of all descrptions in my barn. Withered flower beds... God made them, he can water them, or find me another woman who likes gardening. A large deck with lots of chairs... the neighbours like Celtic music too, I think... I hope. Not one damn tree... I've got a wood stove and I don't like to rake leaves.

Gee, when I read that, I guess I AM a good ol' boy.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Peg
Date: 18 Aug 01 - 09:39 AM

books (way too many and some of them a bit scary to the untried eye), folding screens with many pre-Raphaelite images painstakingly decoupaged on, assortment of mermaid images on bathroom wall, surfaces covered with magical items like chalices, antlers, statues, coral, natural objects, kitties, vintage clothing, vinyl record collection

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: DancingMom
Date: 18 Aug 01 - 08:54 PM

Well, they're not "stuff", but they're treasures: KIDS EVERYWHERE, my four and all their friends, all ages and sizes running amok. In the kitchen, at the computer, playing their instruments in the living room, teenagers wrestling in the yard. Included in this mob is our much-loved black Laborador Retriever, who seems to have forgotten that she's a dog.

There's an herb garden in pots on the front porch(when it's not being knocked over by the wrestling teenagers). Family pictures. Well-worn handmade quilts and tablecloth. An enormous CD and old LP collection. Nursing texts, spirituality books and cookbooks stacked everywhere. And never-ending clutter. Sharon

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 18 Aug 01 - 09:13 PM

My spare room. It screams of "me"ness. The Celtic knotwork on one wall, the "wall o'bodhrans", the bookshelves covered in all sorts of books, right on through every little piece if floor, window, wall coverings, and furniture and furnishings. S'all me! The rest of the house has little smatterings of me, but this one space is mine all mine.

Subject: RE: BS: What's your important stuff?
From: WyoWoman
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 02:30 PM

All of my artwork, posters, photos, etc. have some personal significance to me. Nothing is actually worth much, but either the photographer or artist was a friend of mine, or someone I interviewed and they signed their poster for me, or, in the case of my Georgia O'Keeffe posters, I worked for an organization that used her images for their posters and the posters remind me of the people I worked with and the wonderful work we did there.

I have photos of my family and friends all over the place and they matter hugely to me.

And my music, of course, and my computer that is the repository of so much of my life. Maybe I'll go now and back up some files ...

ww