The Don Maslin Software Archive

[Tom Jennings]

On Sat, 14 May 2005, Vernon Wright wrote:

> I AM NOT SUGGESTING ACTION AT THIS POINT. I AM
> SUGGESTING A DISCUSSION WITHIN THIS GROUP (WHERE DON
> SPENT MOST OF HIS ONLINE TIME), FOLLOWED BY A GROUP
> DECISION TO BE IMPLEMENTED. (For that purpose, I will
> be turning on individual messages instead of the
> digest
> form in which I read this group.)

It's cause for serious personal reflection -- are you a 
packrat (as Don apparently was) or a collector?

Packrat syndrome is serious, the cliche is a house filled with
bundled newspapers and magazines stacked to the ceiling, that
falls on the elderly 'rat, killing them, etc.

This actually happened to the owner of the house some friends of
mine bought. The guy have one million (1e6) antique railroad items
(as inventoried by the club he belonged to post-death).

It's not very funny; he was in ill health, lived alone, told no
one what he had, etc, some thing happened to him as he was
arriving home [he got hurt in some way I cannot recall], stumbled
in his house, piles fell on him, his family found him a few days
later but he died from his injuries.

This is essentially what Don did. I know someone else with
packratitis. I suspect it's rampant in this list.

Make a goddamn will or just an informal letter, give a copy to
your spousal unit/family/friends/enemies, post it on your website,
whatever.