So I just started reading Even Cowgirls Get the Blues which, strangely, is the first Tom Robbins novel I've ever read. I've had a copy of the book floating around my bookshelves for the past several years and I'm trying to read stuff I already have before I buy any more books. Anyway, I picked up the book and was surprised to find it annotated. I found it hard to believe that I would have bought the book with anyone else's writing in it. But then I remembered--this particular book was NOT one that I had bought for myself. It was a gift. Given to me by Greg Goekjian as a spontaneous congratulatory token when he found out that I had been accepted into my current PhD program.
Then I started thinking about how truly weird it is that I have G's personal copy of Even the Cowgirls Get the Blues. Clearly, I thought to myself, this is one of the strangest things that I own. This has inspired me to consider other strange things I own. Here is a list of my top ten items:
1) The aforementioned copy of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.
2) A "Danielle Steele Book Club" mug. If you ever get a hot drink in this mug while visiting my casa, you know you are special. It's my personal favorite.
3) A framed and signed picture of Tom Selleck, in his Thomas-Sullivan-Magnum-the-IV days. Leaning against the famed red Ferrari, wearing the famed short shorts. This was (along with many of the other items in this list) a gift. But one that was based on an unfortunate misunderstanding. I can't bring myself to get rid of it though.
4) A "Scorpions Across America" tour tee shirt. I wish I could say that someone gave this to me because of an unfortunate misunderstanding. The truth is, I bought it for myself.
5) A pair of size 11 Grumpy slippers that are almost impossible to walk in.
6) A Barnes and Noble nametag that belonged to an actor who has most recently turned up in No Country for Old Men.
7) Not one, but two, Hello Kitty toasters. (One doesn't really work, but I can't bring myself to get rid of it either.)
8) A complete set of one-of-a-kind greeting cards featuring each of the 12 engravings from the Salvador Dali edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, handmade by Dr. Awesome.
9) The book A History of Orgies. This one was a gift, despite what you might have expected.
10) A certificate for "Most likely to become a sixth grade teacher," awarded unanimously by my own sixth grade class.
2 comments:
1. It's so interesting that you should mention G. Goekjian giving you something weird. Just the other day I was reminiscing about my french class. Didn't G. Goekjian give my french teacher an odd gift also? Did I ever tell you that he served me some sort of savory mediterranean foodstuff at some sort of savory mediterranean festival?
2. What?
3.Again: what? Why have I never seen this? Why does this not surprise me? What other secrets do you have?
4. Heh heh heh.
5. Ahem. I believe these are the slippers I gave you?
6. I looked this up! Huh. Didn't he go see Survivor, and he told you that everyone left after they played 'Eye of the Tiger'? I've been trying to figure out who that was. Poor Survivor.
7. Maybe you can make them into earrings.
8. That is awesome. Dr. Awesome is totally worthy of his name.
9. Who gave this to you? What was the occasion?
10. Boy, did you show them.
Ok, this will blow your mind. The Magnum picture? It was given to me by two people--and one of them was your French teacher.
You have the world's most amazing memory. I'm not sure if that Survivor story was from the actor, or from Nick (you remember Nick, right?). Anyway, as I remember it the story goes that this person when to the Survivor show and when they came out on stage everyone shouted "Eye of the Tiger" for so long and so loud that the band was forced to quit their set list and play the song. And then everyone left.
I've always thought that was sort of a sad story. What is wrong with me? I actually expend emotional energy on things like feeling bad for Survivor.
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