10 Hoarding signs

If you walked into a hoarders house you'd recognise it straight away:

1. Newspapers-piles of them
2. Leaflets/flyers
3. Books
4. Multiple of the same possessions always at least two TV'S
5.VHS/VCR tapes- some will even have mould on them. Some electronic devices won't even work
6. Pieces of technology nobody wants: type writers, floppy disks
7. Cardboxes -even empty ones because you can never have enough.
8. Receipts- they're everywhere and never disposed of, not in any order, if your lucky in carrier bags.
9. Paper bills in carrier bags
10. Furniture-lots of furniture which does not match in any way. Every surface is covered.  There are many sorts of chairs but these probably have something on them so there is nowhere to sit

hoarding:a media fascination?

I came across an excellent article on the BBC news page : The Rise of Hoarding by Sophie Robehmed in response to the channel four programme.It appears with our materialistic society hoarding is to be rising and confirms what i had already concluded is a culmination of genetic and environmental factors. Whether TV programmes about hoarding is a good idea:

"watching compulsive hoarders may make spectators feel fortunate that a parent, a partner or even themselves do not suffer such acute symptoms."
So i guess if i show my dad some of the programmes he'll think "oh im not that bad as he can walk through room as opposed to slide under the door frame (like the chappy on channel four so i don't need to worry." As long as the programme does not depict the hoarder as a circus clown and treats it with the same sensitivity as a disease or symptom that i think it has achieved its goal of informing the public and somewhat reassurace to people who are suffering from it.

The article goes on:

"Clinical psychologist Dr Simon Rego at the Montefiore Medical Center, New York, who specialises in anxiety disorders including hoarding, believes such programmes are both a blessing and a curse. "
The positives are that they shed light on a condition that affects a lot more people than you think, which can lead to an understanding, and eventually, better treatments for the sufferers," he says.
"On the negative side, what we see is certainly some of the most extreme examples with hours of footage edited down to draw the audience in like any other entertainment show. So ultimately, viewers don't get the full picture of what can go on with this condition."

I don't want to copy and paste the whole article which is concisely written but recommend you read it and the comments at the bottom of the page which make an interesting read,if you're anything like you'll be nodding in agreement.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16299670

2012 resolution

I can't believe i started this blog just over 2 years ago so i think its time to review and reflect. I will be looking back at last years resolution:
out of it? Know is the time to look back and reflect, take stock, make plans and ACTION!

One major thing happened-i moved out from hoarders home. Secondly could not write on here as i do not have internet connection.Thirdly i got quite ill- don't want to share on here.


 That BBQ DELUX 3 HUGE box sets- got rid of them- well actually we used them for a family BBQ and it now sits in my new garage


1.BE more organised with storing MY belongings- it sets an example-This year i have got better at this.I have my own filing system, organise most of my families letters and even clothing BUT this has lead to me putting things in the wrong place, and when i got ill everything went to pots so 2012 RESOLUTION number1- Encourage sibling independence in their own organisation.


2.REFUSE TO BUY BOOKS-borrow from library! I barely had time to read this year so this is an easy one to stick to but i what will do is review every 3 months what books/leaflets i don't need. I will buy second hand books.


3.continue to persuade to dad to get rid of useless books-who needs a book on idioms from 1956 or "A dummies guide to Windows 95"-nobody wants them! apart from a computer book antique collector? (if one exists)  Getting there- need to think of more tactful ways of helping dad

4.Continue to state how the book collection is causing extra dust mites- This year dad statrted shifting his books to the living room and so this is really impacting on everyone. FIND frightening articles to share with my dad


5.what junk does not belong to mine should not be in my room-however small or large. ACHIEVED!!SO i will change this to if make sure i don't become a hoarder- if i have not used something in the last 12 months get RID of it.



6.sell/donate any of my junk and encourage others ACHIEVED. CONTINUE with this



7.write every month ANY ACTION taken and RESULTS achieved . NOPE i think every 3 months is more reasonable but more regularly on blog


8. ALL goals to be SMART specific,neasurable,....

I can't think of any other hoarding related resolutions. Do you have any specifics

channel four:Obsessive compulsive hoarder

Well its good to see the British media not falling behind in exploring hoarding as a documentary.
21st December the British public was able to have an insight into the home of Britains most notorious hoarder. Mr Wallace has actually found some unwanted fame in the past when he won a courtcase against the village neigbours who wanted him to clean his garden.
What i like bout the doucmentary with the sensititvity with which it was filmed although i think it may have been a health hazard for the camera crew!
There were parts that i recognised  for instance when came to throwing something away. My mum even recognised some stick that he had which also have- i  can't remember what it was for. My dad has newspapers too but mostly books.Our entrances to rooms are not on the same scale as Mr Wallace but i thoguhe we do have mirros lined against the walls on the floor
Also  didn't anybody else think the landscape Gardener, man who does he sound like? ..Ricky Gervais!

It did have an annoying ending- it did not tell us of what happened a couple of months after his clean up operation, or even one fo those announcements screens that are shown after programmes "if you have been affected by wha you have seen then you can contact thefollowingfor help and advice"...oh wait no thats on the BBC usually after Eastenders (British soap).It wasn't clear if ther was going to be a follow up episode.
Anyway i don't want to harp on about it but strongly recommend you watch it on 4 on demand and it is online till 18th January.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/obsessive-compulsive-hoarder/4od

SO as you know my dad has lots of books,CDs, floppy disks and lots of old technology. He slso some CD's with 90's pop music NSync anyone? well i have seen this website advertised (UK) for cashbee. They give you money for your old belongings and even give you free postage.  You jsut type in the barcode and it till tell you how much hey'll give you.So the CD's were worth about 21 pence. but i'm still going to try it out.So can you:
http://www.cashbee.co.uk/

BOOKS THE LAST CHAPTER REVIEW

So with the intention of inviting my dad to watch the below mentioned  programme i failed to consider that my dad had a very long working day and he had already dozed off by the time it was on air.
I found it bizarre the woman who sniffs books all day and  records this-surely this must be a health hazard. I recall back in my sutdents day at the time of swine flu was declared an epidemic; librarians handling books with latex gloves.Sniffing books all day is surely going to make you more prone to catching microbes.
Anyway the programme was rather long  but informative. E-books appeal to me they are convenient and lightweigh, though i am worried about the damage it may cause to my already short sightedness.The programme presented by Alan Yentob also extends on to artificical intelligence.
He spoke to an author who ate his novel!I found the second  half very interesting form a historic point of view and as for the expresso book-can't wait to see one here.
Books:The last chapter is available online until 28th December. Not sure if non-UK residents can access it:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01871m9/

"Books-the Last Chapter?"

One of my first blogs was about the rise of e-books and the possible redundancy of physical books. There is a programme on BBC One tonight at 10:35pm and i am going to make my dad watch it.No actually i think its best if i watch it before my dad, in order for me to have my arguments ready in case there is something in there which justifies my dads book collection (which has engulfed the living room).
 Not everyone will be able to view the programme but there are some fantastic links on the programmes website about the future of books:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01871m9