Topic: Are we mentally ill?

[Aaron J Williams]

I was reading through world net daily this morning and found this article:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/03/18/MN5UVJJMU.DTL

It deals with a little-understood condition called hoarding and cluttering, which makes people strangely attached to what most people would consider junk. After reading the article I got to thinking that a lot of us SOHC4 lovers display the symptoms of this condition. On of the reasons I bought my farm was the 6 large barns which I could fill up with hoarded parts and bikes I had collected and would collect in the future. The question that bothers me most is did the SOHC4s drive me insane or did my insanity drive me to SOHC4s?

[kirkn]

Amongst my family, it's known as conJUNKtivitis.

My dad, 3 brothers, a brother-in-law and myself all suffer from it.  We're even passing it on to our kids... 

[Demon67]

Neither mate, it's all the weasels with narrow minds that can't cope with the thought that its useful, case in point in a former manifestation I fixed appliances over a range of 80 miles to the north, 30 miles to the south,and 45 miles to the east, with out question the appliance companies would not always have what I needed to repair the fridge, washer, range, whatever, so I would go to my carefully scrounged and hoarded junk collection and bring forth a solution to problem and the customer would not have to wait for 3 months while the assembly line spat out what was needed, its the same with bikes, A/C etc if you live in a major centre you don't have to rely as much on your junk pile but I bet that at some time your junk pile will save the day where none of the commercial concerns can help. Keep collecting and scrounging.
Bill the demon
PS  its called the Packrat syndrome.

[mystic_1]

Hey now, this thing might come in handy some day.

<twitch>

This is a perfectly good part, it would be a shame to throw it out.

<twitch>

I'll just keep this one as a spare.

<twitch>

You can never have too many of these.

<twitch>

Surely that shelf has room for one more part.





mystic_1

[mark]

I was reading through world net daily this morning and found this article:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/03/18/MN5UVJJMU.DTL

It deals with a little-understood condition called hoarding and cluttering, which makes people strangely attached to what most people would consider junk. After reading the article I got to thinking that a lot of us SOHC4 lovers display the symptoms of this condition. On of the reasons I bought my farm was the 6 large barns which I could fill up with hoarded parts and bikes I had collected and would collect in the future. The question that bothers me most is did the SOHC4s drive me insane or did my insanity drive me to SOHC4s?

It's hereditary... blame it on your grandparents if your parents weren't like us that way.

[gerhed]

In one dangerous subgroup of this ailment,
the collector/horder has little or no regard for the
price of an object if he feels it would enhance the
collection/hord.

[Uncle Ernie]

This thread needs to locked and the poster banned.

[toycollector10]

And what happens 12 hours after you throw out that (insert) bike part, spring, 3 foot length of quarter inch hose, etc etc....?

[number13]

I'm bad, but not "Collyer" bad at least.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collyer_brothers

[Aaron J Williams]

And what happens 12 hours after you throw out that (insert) bike part, spring, 3 foot length of quarter inch hose, etc etc....?

That's when I have to go digging in the garbage because I have a use for it!
My junk collection has saved me many times and even other local repair shops call me asking if I have this or that. I'm so glad I live out in the country and can hide my dementia. 

This thread needs to locked and the poster banned.

You can't punish me, I have a condition!

[firecracker]

This is both sad and FREEKIN' HilARious:

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=830487

Read about the mom, that's the sad part.  Read the comments.  They will make you wet yourself with laughter...

[Aaron J Williams]

Man, that is unreal! I think I'm going to round up a bunch of old books and magazines and put them on feebay.

[nickjtc]

I used to be a hoarder....then I started saying the mantra "If it hasn't been used in the last year it's gone." Works like a charm.

[78 k550]

Oh, I got it bad.

Paul

[Terry in Australia]

I don't get it, with our bikes now well over 30 years old, why would anyone think it a good idea to throw out parts that will never be manufactured again? Man, I have trouble throwing out broken parts, let alone good ones! Ha ha, Cheers, Terry.

[azuredesign]

My wife called me yesterday while I was working and told me she had seen a complete Honda front end while she was picking at our local dump. Our town encourages "recycling" and has built a shed for things that donors consider reusable. Additionally, there is a metals section, as well as a computer section, and more traditional dumpsters for general garbage. BTW, there is also a place to dispose of oil, which is helpful.

I thought about the front end all day, unsure of what model it was from, as after 28 years there are somethings I know it's not worth asking Martha about, although I've tried desperately to interest her in bikes.

It has been pouring here heavily for the last 24 hours, but I am up bright and early so that I can stop at the dump on my way to work. I could be lying in bed with my wife, but no, I have to go to the dump. Do I have a problem?? The funny thing is, I already have en extra 750 front end!

[troppo]

I don't get it, with our bikes now well over 30 years old, why would anyone think it a good idea to throw out parts that will never be manufactured again? Man, I have trouble throwing out broken parts, let alone good ones! Ha ha, Cheers, Terry.

but terry i thought that was an aussie thing because it always takes soooo long for anything to get down here (or at least thats what i tell SWMBO when she complains about the my shed )

[Terry in Australia]

Ha ha, well I was talking to a mate on the phone two nights ago and he was saying how his wife and her brother were going through my mates garage while he was at work, and when he got home his wife said that her brother suggested that they (his wife and her brother) give my mate a couple of thousand bucks if he throws out all his "junk"?

My mate was really hurt by this, like me, he likes to sit in his garage with a coffee or a beer and admire all of his old stuff, he's got a CB750, GS1000, Montesa, Moto Guzzi, Panther (which I want) and even an MV Agusta, but to his wife and her accountant brother, it's all just junk.

So he then countered with, "Well if I give you a couple of thousand bucks will you clear all your junk out of the house?", to which she apparently replied, (tearfully) "But I don't have any junk." He got up, walked out to his garage and called back, "And neither do I!" Cheers, Terry.

[gerhed]

Ha ha, well I was talking to a mate on the phone two nights ago and he was saying how his wife and her brother were going through my mates garage while he was at work, and when he got home his wife said that her brother suggested that they (his wife and her brother) give my mate a couple of thousand bucks if he throws out all his "junk"?

My mate was really hurt by this, like me, he likes to sit in his garage with a coffee or a beer and admire all of his old stuff, he's got a CB750, GS1000, Montesa, Moto Guzzi, Panther (which I want) and even an MV Agusta, but to his wife and her accountant brother, it's all just junk.

So he then countered with, "Well if I give you a couple of thousand bucks will you clear all your junk out of the house?", to which she apparently replied, (tearfully) "But I don't have any junk." He got up, walked out to his garage and called back, "And neither do I!" Cheers, Terry.

Sounds like this could get serious--I've been there.

[jevfro]

You should have been there at my last move... On about the 4th truck load (Big trucks, think 16' uhaul) I was ganged up on and the ppl helping us (mostly my wifes friends) started asking "you're never going to need this are you?" and "what the hell is this?" type questions.  Unfortunately the houses PO left a huge dumpster and whenever my answer wasn't fast or good enough in it went... I went out and tried to dig everything out that I had to have and then hid it.  I still am looking for things that went into that dumpster... pisses me off!

[74cb750]

My last move 5 years ago....had little room for excess parts...like Kawasaki/yamaha/suzuki exhausts etc etc and threw  out everything I could not fit in the garage or the shed.

Now I am down to about 60 bikes and some parts. Sometimes I think I hoard too much, and will probably be throwing out all the mopeds first....but I have to say, the wife has never hasseled me about this habit.
peace,
michel

[nickjtc]

I suppose that if you can afford it, and do not have a convenient storage facility/barn/hangar on your property, the answer is to find a cheap rental storage place. Let's face it, the supply of parts for the bikes we like will dry up eventually, so the stuff we call 'junk' now might be quite valuable in the future. If only there was some way of finding out how many of a certain bike/model are still in existence... to get an idea of potential demand for bits in the future.

Of course, if the bike is a 'high popularity' model like the Norton Commando, then there is still a ready supply of parts being made by the OEM so hoarding bits might not net anything in the long term. Having said that, I suppose there is always someone out there who wants to by original 'old' stuff. I've been replacing bits and bobs on my Commando with stainless, and then flogging the original items off on eBay. It's interesting what people will pay for an original bolt, spacer or what-not.

[mikedialect]

And what happens 12 hours after you throw out that (insert) bike part, spring, 3 foot length of quarter inch hose, etc etc....?

I just dug through a garbage can yesterday because I threw a part out the day before and I needed it!

[fuzzybutt]

i may be a bit of a packrat but that lady is bat#$%* crazy.

[firecracker]

i may be a bit of a packrat but that lady is bat#$%* crazy.

That's exactly the kind of reaction that makes me laugh out loud.

Thanks!