I Swear I'm Not A Pack Rat, Really

I'm not sure if this picture goes with this post, but I thought it was cuter than actually putting a picture of a real rat here. Humor me and go with it.

I have a Saturn. It's a mid-sized car with a moderate sized trunk. It's not quite what my friend Ashley calls a "mafia trunk," but it holds more than you think. I'm not a pack rat, I just don't have enough time and hands to unload things so they stay where they are until I can't take it anymore. Here is a partial listing of the things you'd find in my trunk right now...don't worry, I already took the bodies out....

1) A new 4-foot purple tinsel Christmas tree in the box to be used in my classroom. I couldn't resist it. Later, I'll post about the silver tinsel tree from my youth.

2) An expanded folder that has truly been expanded with scrap paper to be used in my classroom that was saved by my friend, Kathy B., whose child was in my class for the last two years. Paper (or lack thereof) is a major issue to teachers. If I could just figure out how to get more.....

3) A box full of "stuff" to be used in my classroom store. Again, my friend Kathy B. cleaned out her trunk and house and donated a bunch of small toys and trinkets that my kids will love. If I could only get them out of my trunk and into my classroom.

4) Assorted rags that David put there to be used during the odd emergency. I don't think I've touched them in like 2 years. If you could see them, you wouldn't touch them either.

5) A spare tire and a jack. Now technically, this stuff can be found under the lining in the trunk, not in the trunk space but I'm listing it because to get to it, I'd have to take everything else out of my trunk.

6) Another somewhat large box of "stuff" for my classroom store from my friend Kathy B.

7) A bag of unopened pine shavings to be used for my class pet. Snickers, the guinea pig, isn't doing so well, so I may be taking this back to the evil Wal-Mart to get my money back.

8) About five 2 liter bottles of assorted sodas for the Bunco game I'll be co-hosting this Wednesday. These are always good times. It's a big thing here in Mississippi. I think just about everyone belongs to at least one Bunco group.

9) A Cappe's Kitchen cup. My house is outfitted with plastic cups from assorted eating establishments in town. This particular cup size is my favorite. Not too big, not too small...just right.

10) A Disney tote bag full of children's books about spiders and bats. This is left over from a presentation I did for one of my graduate school classes. Again, these items need to be returned to my school library. If only they had legs and could walk themselves.

11) One large maroon, blue, and white umbrella. Don't ask me how I'm supposed to get the umbrella to use it during a rainstorm...but in case I figure it out, I'm ready.

12) Some old Wal-Mart receipts. These things are as evil as the Wal-Mart bags and the institution itself. I swear these things multiply when I'm not looking.

13) Five Diet Mountain Dew sodas attached to a 6 pack ring. Before my acid reflux got bad, I'd have one of these at school to get me going. Now that I can't have them, they just sit there.

14) One sharpened pencil that must have migrated from the front section of my car where there are about 10 pencils in the cup holder. I stick these in my hairdo during work and then find them later when I'm driving home.

15) Pine straw. This stuff is everywhere. I think that if you live in Mississippi, you must have this stuff in your trunk or somehow attached to your wiper blades. Since I don't have any pine trees near my house or where I park my car (home or at work) I have no idea where this stuff came from.

It seems like a lot doesn't it? My trunk must be bigger than I think because I can also get a week's worth of groceries in the trunk while also toting home my rolling backpack and additional school bag. I think my car's trunk deserves some award...if at the very least I deem it "mafia sized."