Boxing Up Memories

The last few days have been spent in a sea of boxes, bubble-wrap, clothes to keep, clothes to donate, clothes I wish fit but assuredly don't, and lots and lots of memories.  As such, the apartment has become a bit more difficult to navigate, both physically and mentally.  Mimi's adapting well, though.  She's turned the house into her own personal obstacle course.

Sumie and I have been married a little over 5 years now, but we've known each other for nearly 14.  With moving from California to Japan, then to NYC, and now back to the west coast, each item still with us is a reminder of a step in the journey we've taken together.  Boxing up my stereo today was a complete mini-trek through my life, so far, with Sumie.  Here's a component-by-component recap:

1. ADS 710 Speakers:  I purchased these late '70s beauties from a family friend shortly before I met Sumie.  They are not the most accurate, but they sound faithful, human, and warm.  I'd finally found what I was looking for in a speaker.  Now if only I could find a girl... 
2. NAD AV713 Amplifier:  Purchased from "Sounds by Dave" in Chico also shortly before I met Sumie.  I now had the amp and the speakers, but no one to share them with.  
3. Mirage 12in Subwoofer / Invisible Speaker Cable:  I bought these about a year after meeting Sumie, along with a pair of rear-channel speakers, and they were her first experience with my audio "habit."  I was attempting to take my system to the next level by turning it into a home theater.  Was I also trying to take my relationship to the next level?  Perhaps.  But, as I have learned, purchasing audio equipment is generally not the best way to impress your honey.  In fact, it's rather one of the dumbest. 
4. Elekit TU-878 CD Player:  This was a Christmas/Birthday present from Sumie, given to me almost 10 years ago.  It remains the only piece of audio equipment Sumie has ever bought for me (yes, I had wanted it that much.).  As the name implies, this CD player came as a kit.  A serious kit.  You start off with a blank circuit board and a bag of transistors, capacitors, and diodes and apply liberal doses of solder and patience.  The instructions were all in Japanese so, before she gave it to me, Sumie had translated the entire 20+ page manual (I have no idea how long it took her).  That she had thought of this meant even more to me than the gift itself (as proof to this, I still have the manual!).  I locked myself in my shabby apartment and spent a full night, the following day, and then, after getting a few hours rest, the majority of the following night putting it together.  By 3am I was done.  I plugged it in and, naturally, nothing happened.  I immediately called Sumie, despite the time, and was in tears.  I felt like I had failed her.  She reassured me that we'd find a way to fix it and, after hanging up, I prepared for sleep.  It was only then that I noticed that my soldering iron was still hot.  Eventually my brain won out over the late night and long hours to determine that I had plugged in the soldering iron instead of the CD player.  I switched the plugs and the little bugger fired right up.  I immediately called Sumie (who was probably getting a bit annoyed at this point) and shared the good news with her.  This little CD player is the only piece of my system that I will never, under any circumstances, part with.  
5. Luxman LV105 Amplifier:  I love this amp for two reasons:  First, it is a "hybrid" amp - half tube amp and half solid-state - which gives it a very warm, but also very accurate sound.  Second, I bought it nearly 10 years ago from this odd man in a grungy recycle shop in Japan for about $50.00.  Perhaps the best deal I've ever made and it was all done in Japanese!
6. B&W 303 Speakers:  These are currently in storage, where I think Sumie prefers them.  I purchased these from a little audio second-hand shop in Japan shortly before I met Sumie for a date - our first in over a week.  In doing so I learned a valuable lesson: never greet your date with a giant pair of speakers, particularly if your plan is to carry them around with you the entire evening.  I don't care how good the speakers are, or what kind of deal you got, trust me, it will make the wrong impression.  
7. Music Hall MMF-5 Turntable: Finding this table required months of research, as well as a high-speed lunch-time journey to Brooklyn, but it has been well worth the investment.  Sumie and I have been listening to vinyl for about three years now and, I'm happy to say, that she prefers it to CDs!  I love my turntable because it's been the only item that has sparked even the tiniest glimmer of audio snobbery in my otherwise "Whatever.  I can't hear any difference." wife.  
8. KEF Reference Speakers:  These are the ones I wrote about in my post "One Man's Garbage."  They sound fantastic, are relatively rare, feature a cool design, and represent the pinnacle of my dumpster-diving success in NYC.  They'll always remind me of our time in NYC and the many, many walks Sumie and I would take together through the city streets.  

Now, my components are beginning to come full-circle.  Here's Mimi helping me pack my NAD Amp, purchased 12 years before she was born.  I think she has pretty good taste in audio equipment for a 13-month old.  Who knows, maybe someday it will power a pair of speakers in her own room?

But it wasn't just stereo equipment that brought out the nostalgia.  As we emptied closets and disassembled toys, memories flooded back while new ones were made.  Here's Mimi buzzing around the house with an old cap of my Grandfather's that my Grandmother gave me.  It's not Russian.  The emblem is, I believe, for the society of engineers.

Taking apart Mimi's play house was also an event.  We purchased it for her last Christmas and it has consistently been one of her favorite toys over the past 6 months.  She plays with it at least once a day.  As Mimi helped me disassemble it, she kept trying to open the windows, ring the doorbell, or turn on the porch light.  She quickly found that it was dead (just for the time being, Mimi).  But she didn't just turn away once she realized something was wrong.  She kept with it, almost like she was attempting to resuscitate the little house.  Mimi's still young, but I think today I saw a little empathy in her.  I think she actually may have felt sad for her little house.

Mimi was, however, pleasantly surprised by the rediscovery of her Halloween costume (it still fits) as well as the fun new play space created when we pulled out the sub woofer from the entertainment center.  Hmm, maybe we'll have to keep that one open for her once we get to SF.

The day had been a long, but productive one.  To finish, we met up with the renal fellows from Sumie's nephrology program for a great little farewell dinner.  Fajitas and margaritas were served.  And consumed.  We then trekked over to the park near our house, the time already pushing 8:30, and gave Mimi a few pushes on the swings.  It turned out Mama wanted a go as well.

I can't say that I'm looking forward to finishing up our packing - let alone the unpacking once we finally find a place in SF - but I have enjoyed taking a few trips back in time with Sumie these past several days.  I can't wait until Mimi's a bit older and we can share them with her.

Steve