Tue 19 Sep 2006
Oh Look, Something Shiny
Posted by thenextstopwillbe under Whatnot
It’s been said that you officially have a collection once you have three of something. If that’s true then I officially have a collection of construction debris.
It started out innocently enough, on my way to work one morning I spied something on the sidewalk that I regretted not picking up. I really wish I could remember what it was, I just remember it was cool. Anyway, as I continued on my commute that day I came across two 5 1/2″ stainless steel bolts with self locking nuts sitting next to the curb all nice and shiny like. My regret over not picking up the first item forced me to pick the bolts up and carry them into the office with me. They took up residence on my desk as a lonely suburb of the menagerie.
They didn’t remain alone for long. The Museum where I work has a lot of construction going on right now. One day in the hallway I found a large construction nail. Common sense would say leave it there or at the very least dispose of it properly but no, I bring it back to my office and it joins the two bolts.
At this point I should mention that even though I’m a handy guy, I have absolutely no use for these items. I’m just the type of person who can’t ignore an interesting anomaly while walking around. I must act and so far that action has been to pick up whatever it is and take it somewhere. Example.
Today marked the official start of the collection. Again at work, I was on my way to the bathroom and found a zip tie just laying on the ground plain as day. And again, I’m compelled to pick it up. What is wrong with me?!?!
The story has a somewhat happy ending though, the collection was shortlived. I actually found a use for the zip tie almost right away. I installed my keyboard and mouse on an under desk tray and I used the zip tie to tidy up the wires. Now I just have to figure out what to do with two giant bolts and a large nail. I should also look into the mental health concerns of not being able to ignore stuff on the ground. On second thought, that sounds expensive and picking up stuff is less costly and more fun.
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September 20th, 2006 at 9:16 pm
Well, dear nephew, I have an explanation for your compulsion. It’s genetic. I too pick up a certain item that was dropped and evidently not worthy of the owner stooping to pick it up. It may look like a worthless coin to some but I feel sorry for the little fella. It’s like it was tossed aside because as a single coin it is not worth zilch however I figure I’ll add it to my collection & before you know it I’ll have 50 of them which is the equivalent of purchasing a diet soda from the soft drink machine at work. It’s still the best buy going….only 50 cents! Wow, what a deal.
So don’t feel silly, others may have your same habit for whatever reason but may be a bit shy about coming out of the closet with it.
September 20th, 2006 at 9:19 pm
I don’t know if I did something wrong or not. I’m trying to submit my previous comment…help!
September 21st, 2006 at 9:26 am
you didn’t do anything wrong, the first comment from any new commenter has to be approved by me. i know you’ve commented before so maybe you used a different email address this time so the software didn’t recognize you. once i approve your first comment then any future comments will post immediately as long as you continue to enter the same email/name.
it’s funny that you pick up coins because when i lived in texas, it was my personal policy to pick up every penny i came across. needless to say it’s not very practical and possibly bio-hazardous to do that in nyc.