I thought nothing could keep me from my collection.
Streamliner
At your service.
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
The Criterion Blu-rays were the best.
Beautifully designed, special features for days, films that always looked immaculate.
There were other collections I sought out too: Warner Archive, Kino Lorber, Olive Films.
I was, in no uncertain terms, a hard-media junkie.
It helped that she shared some of my obsessions, like our love of vinyl.
Towering bookcases in our apartment were statement pieces of furniture.
Excess clutter was collateral damage.
Our mailman once told Kate that I was keeping him in business.
I think he was joking.
The convenience was undeniable.
Things changed as 2018 became 2019.
It began when I was laid off from my culture-critic job, which Id held for 23 years.
(Maybe I wrote about too many Criterions.)
Afterward, she moved to East Texas, about three hours away, to be with her parents.
I moved from Dallas to Houston to start a new job, visiting her when I could.
Everything that really mattered in my life love, work, stability had been shattered.
All those Blu-rays, records, books?
Stuff I accumulated along the way.
How had it ever been?
The months and years got away from me.
Last July, Kate died.
Slowly, though, I started to get better.
I began to write and work again.
I gave myself permission to once again enjoy things.
I could hear Kate telling me it was time to get back to business.
Meanwhile, Ive been sharing a house with ten other guys.
Cool things, yes, but just things nonetheless.
And so I stream.
Old movies (I got around to my every-few-years viewing ofThe Godfather, on Amazon Prime).
New TV (Im a big fan ofHacksandMare of Easttown).
Professional research (Im currently immersed in Black Westerns).
Its all there, and I feel no need to own it.
Kate used to read books about decluttering and minimalizing all while living with a media hoarder.
And turns out it is oddly liberating being cut off from these things I devoured so greedily.
I miss the life those things were part of.
Sometimes I even miss the creature comfort I associated with my stuff.
That simplicity means more than ever as I have a go at pick up the pieces of my life.
