Freecycle

[altariel]

Wow, my first experience of Freecycle was something of a triumph. I had an office chair going spare: I posted this morning, my post got through moderation at 17.29 this evening, first response at 17.35, and it was out of the door by 7pm! Grassroots organization in efficiency shock. Surely this is humanity's future?

ETA: Aw, just got a nice thank you note too.

Comments

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Hurrah! All around winning! What will you freecycle next?

[amysisson.livejournal.com]

Love that icon -- what's it from, if I may ask?

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

It's from the original cover of White Boots, aka Skating Shoes in the US, a children's novel by Noel Streatfeild, which is about the developing friendship between two skaters, Lalla, who is the one on the right with the white jersey and bonnet and pink skirt, and Harriet, who is the one on the left. Lalla is rich and Harriet is poor and is learning to skate because she's been ill.

The cover illustration is by Milein Cosman. And here's a link (http://www.whitegauntlet.com.au/noelstreatfeild/ChildFiction/Images/BooksWhiteBoots_dj.jpg) to the cover.

(Edited so link goes to dustjacket, not frontispiece.)

[amysisson.livejournal.com]

What fun! I've read two Noel Streatfeild books, Traveling Shoes and one other (not sure which). I really liked Traveling Shoes.

I just checked my public library system and they don't have Skating Shoes; they only have multiple iterations of Ballet Shoes, Dancing Shoes, and Theatre Shoes. They have two of those on audio CD, which should be fun for the work commute -- and I'm sure I can pick up Skating Shoes somewhere.

Thanks!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Ballet Shoes is wonderful, you are in for a real treat. And White Boots/Skating Shoes too, when you find it. Joint favourite of mine, along with Apple Bough... which I think is Traveling Shoes in the US... the one with the family of four, one of whom is a brilliant violinist, who are as a result moved around the world with their slightly ditzy parents?

[amysisson.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's Traveling Shoes! And the oldest daughter finally puts her foot down a bit about the traveling, because she realizes that her "talent" lies in making a home.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

That's the one! :-) Lovely book.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

I hope you enjoy the ones you've found. I like them both although it's a long time since I've read Theatre Shoes, which I think is known as Curtain Up here. I do hope you find Skating Shoes too.

I am sure they will lovely to listen to on a commute.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

It was great, actively added to my overall sense of well being. I'm prowling the house now looking for things to chuck.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Just so long as you don't get too enthused and free-cycle Jefferson!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Never! *hugs him to me*

[amysisson.livejournal.com]

Oh my! I'd never heard of this, so you just made my day, no kidding! I can't wait to browse this site and get involved.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Isn't it brilliant?! I joined at the start of the year (I knew I was going to be doing some spring cleaning), but I didn't expect it all to be so smooth and pleasant! Shows what the internet can really do.

[lamentables.livejournal.com]

My experience with freecycle has been similar. Most satisfying.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Yes, not only was the house tidier, but I felt good about giving away something to someone who wanted it. Wins all round.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

I'm on Freecycle in Paris - love every bit of it. Gave away my old fax-answering machine, two shopping bagfuls of household linen - sheets and towels I'd never use again - some books, a working screenplay of a friend's movie to a film school teacher, and my old exercise bike which has been so usefully replaced by the City of Paris Vélibs. Gained a halogen lamp now gracing my living-room, a small dust-buster to clean up my cat's litter, a cat lead, and some hand-painted coffee cups. The whole thing is made of win.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'm practically scouring the house for things to offer now.

The Vélib looks like a city bike system that will actually work! Cambridge had a disastrous venture into that about a decade ago. There was no charging or locking mechanism and, IIRC, half of them got nicked, the other half got chucked into the Cam. I don't think it lasted more than a couple of months. Which is a real shame, because this town needs something like that.

[brinian.livejournal.com]

I'm a really big fan of freecycle too. Especially love it for those BIG items like washer/dryers and those really weird ones like skating dresses you'll never use again because you blew out your knee and can't skate any more... Heard the founder on NPR the other day saying someone in his area recently was able to give away a half bottle of black hair color one evening. Now that's a niche market!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'm going to be reading it more frequently now, I think, although I'm trying not to replace the stuff I'm getting rid of!

Heard the founder on NPR the other day saying someone in his area recently was able to give away a half bottle of black hair color one evening. Now that's a niche market!

LOL! There really is a home for everything!

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

I had an office chair going spare

Poor chair! What had you been doing to it?

Ahem. More seriously, Freecycle does seem excellent. I'm half-thinking about sending some stuff there myself (assuming I ever sort it out, of course...)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

What had you been doing to it?

Spinning around like a mad banana!

Give it a go: you feel good for clearing stuff out and good for giving someone something they want. Win-win.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a wonderful idea! The house is still packed with bits of D's stuff that we've failed to get rid of, so it will definitely come in handy.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I think that's a really good idea: part of the idea is to make you feel good about giving things away. I bet there's a network in your area.

(How's the cooking coming along?)

[muuranker.livejournal.com]

I have been feeling bad about the rowing machine which ExMemSec drove (along with other stuff) to the amenity in York.... And here we have a set of weightlifting equipment (clearly the previous residents in our two houses had completely different lifestyles to us, for whom unpacking 5,000 books is exercise enough, thank you). So I will try and find someone who will find them useful.

Not that the rowing machine is landfill: it's on its way to becoming a can of spaghetti hoops. But rowing machines staying rowing machines is much better, in my opinion.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

A shame you're not closer to here: I miss the weightlifting stuff I was using in the US.

[muuranker.livejournal.com]

Well, if we could come up with a way of getting them to you ....

I have decided to wait until Friday to list them (oddly feel rather nervous about being home alone when they are picked up). Are weights pretty much weights, or anything special I should say about them?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I suspect York is probably just a bit too far away: it's not like they can be easily posted! But thank you.

I'm hardly an expert on this kind of thing, but (assuming these are dumb-bells) I think I'd want to know what the range of the different weights was, whether they came in pairs, whether there was anything fancy like the kind of weights you can attach to your ankles. But I'm sure if anyone has any questions they can ask you in email.

(I think you're perfectly right wanting someone else to be in the house when they're picked up, btw; I felt a bit odd giving my home address to a complete stranger, and was glad mraltariel was home. But the guy who picked them up was incredibly nice.)

[muuranker.livejournal.com]

They are at wome (Woking) rather than yome (York), and are two dumb-bells and a bar-bell (eek, too much knowledge, as far as I'm concerned!) If you know anyone who is going to Eastercon (or indeed, you can pick them up from Coventry), they are yours.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Sorry to be so slow responding, I've had a hell of a week. Thank you for this, I'm incredibly grateful for the offer, and I'd happily take them off your hands.

I'm going to be at Eastercon, and while I'm coming by rail, a friend will be travelling back to Cambridge by car and I think he would be willing to take them if he can fit them in. How big is the bar-bell?

[muuranker.livejournal.com]

At Yome at the moment, and kit is at Wome, but the bar-bell is, I think, about 1.5m. I will also let you know (when back at Wome) what the weights are. All seem Blessed Heavy to me!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

That will be absolutely brilliant, thank you very much :-)

[muuranker.livejournal.com]

1m 55!

If it will fit in our Lupo, it will fit in any car. Not _strictly_ true - the Lupo can take an amazing number of display stands, but remarkably few collapsed house-moving boxes.

[muuranker.livejournal.com]

I picked up the message!

Will see you tomorrow, I guess.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

See you then!

[owlfish]

When I had 24 hours to dispose of the last of my Toronto furniture - big things - I turned to Freecycle, and they were all collected within a few hours. Magic! If a very spammy list in terms of volume.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Wow, that is good going! Yes, it is extremely busy: I have it on web only and read every couple of days, which almost certainly means I miss stuff, but as I'm in declutter mode at the moment, that's probably for the good.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Wow! I don't think Freecycle ever registered on my awareness till now. I've signed up with my local group, which seems to be quite active, and I expect I'll find plenty of uses for it as I de-clutter.

My sister, avventura1234 works as a deconstructionist, taking whole buildings apart and recycling them. I think that's part of the future of humanity you mention. It has to be!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Oh, enjoy Freecycle!

I'm quite in awe of your sister's job: intellectually creative and physically active. And presumably one gets to knock walls through and so on, which can only be tremendously satisfying.

[six-old-cars.livejournal.com]

Freecycle has worked well for me too - I've given away several old PCs (yes, really!) and cupboards full of jam jars. Some people are so nice about it too, giving stuff in return, like the lady who came to collect my last box of jam jars and left some home-made jam and chutney for me :)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Aw, that is so in the spirit of the whole thing!

[metamorphosa.livejournal.com]

Ooh, all you lovely people offering things on Freecycle! I'm the person on the other end - I received four lovely new plants from there, and a pile of books.

I also managed to get rid of two of those solid concrete block cycle stands that I found in my garden, through it, too.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Ah, I didn't think about doing books. I've got a charity shop lined up for those, though.