'eating is a small, good thing in a time like this'
-raymond carver
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
on secondhanding it
My family is giving secondhand Christmas gifts this year. Two years ago we made Christmas gifts. A fairly successful venture, despite Jessica's mixed CD. Last year we gave books. Another qualified success, given my immediate downward spiral via Twilight series.
Secondhand gifts are complex. They unearth a lot of sensitive subjects. What objects of used clothing make a person squeamish? Does mom know that Mossimo is a brand sold in Target? Is it wrong to cut the Mossimo tag out of a cute blazer so that no one has to know? Does Jamie consistently lie about her shoe size? Does Dad need a black silk kimono? Would that shirt have caught my eye if it wasn't Marc Jacobs? Why did I bid on the painting of a ship in the silent auction at the Central Avenue thrift store? Should I buy everyone housewares? How would Jessica fly home bearing the head of an antelope? At what point is buying Dad another large picturebook a very bad idea?
If nothing else, we're opting out of the system this holiday and opening the door to a whole new level of honesty. And, yes, Dad needs a black silk kimono.
Secondhand gifts are complex. They unearth a lot of sensitive subjects. What objects of used clothing make a person squeamish? Does mom know that Mossimo is a brand sold in Target? Is it wrong to cut the Mossimo tag out of a cute blazer so that no one has to know? Does Jamie consistently lie about her shoe size? Does Dad need a black silk kimono? Would that shirt have caught my eye if it wasn't Marc Jacobs? Why did I bid on the painting of a ship in the silent auction at the Central Avenue thrift store? Should I buy everyone housewares? How would Jessica fly home bearing the head of an antelope? At what point is buying Dad another large picturebook a very bad idea?
If nothing else, we're opting out of the system this holiday and opening the door to a whole new level of honesty. And, yes, Dad needs a black silk kimono.
The Precious Object
The Cesar Pelli library in downtown Minneapolis has an inspiring exhibit showing now in Cargill Hall through early January. A bold mix of diversity and brevity. Definitely worth a trip through the stacks. *
*this exhibit may contain used band-aids
*this exhibit may contain used band-aids
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
good fortune
A year ago I picked up a fortune cookie that someone had dropped on the sidewalk. The wrapper was still intact. I ate the cookie. My fortune read:
You will find your solution where you least expect it.
I tucked it in a clear compartment of my wallet and regularly wondered to myself where I would least expect to find the solution. Never mind that I didn't have a problem that I could pin my finger on. I would enter unlikely places or scenarios and think to myself, 'well, isn't this an unexpected place to find a solution.' Not the point. Answers are everywhere. In a handful of crackers, gracing the tab of my tea, on the sides of buses, in the conversations I pretend not to listen to, in nature- all around us. They will find you.
You will find your solution where you least expect it.
I tucked it in a clear compartment of my wallet and regularly wondered to myself where I would least expect to find the solution. Never mind that I didn't have a problem that I could pin my finger on. I would enter unlikely places or scenarios and think to myself, 'well, isn't this an unexpected place to find a solution.' Not the point. Answers are everywhere. In a handful of crackers, gracing the tab of my tea, on the sides of buses, in the conversations I pretend not to listen to, in nature- all around us. They will find you.
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