memories

i just had the most brilliant idea... well, actually - it didn't really go anywhere, so i guess i still have it.

i have been thinking a lot throughout the course of this year about memories. have you ever seen that movie, everything is illuminated? great movie for what i saw, [although i had to leave before it finished]. it really got me thinking about remembrance.

it is the story of a man - he collects things.

nothing extravagant - like stamps, or coins, or old books... thats just another silly hobby.

no, he collects memories. my favorite part of the entire movie was when this guy asks the collector what he is doing... it was something like this.

foreign chauffer guy: "so vhat iss eit you aer choolecting ahnyways?"
[artistic license fully taken advantage of...]

the collector: "memories. things from the past."
foreign chauffer guy: "bhut vhyever vhold youu doo sauch a thaing?"
the collector: "...so i dont every forget."


at this point in the movie, i zoned out for about four or five minutes, just thinking about what he said [and how funny people from... whatever country it was sound.]

he was afraid of forgetting, so he gathered all sorts of trinkets and compiled them together. one thing for every memory.

now - even before i saw this movie, i was doing the same thing. a few years back, i found this red box. i also found some silly trinkets. wristbands from concerts, void disneyland fastpasses, chocolate coins, playing cards... all sorts of treasures. from anyone elses perspective - it is just a box full of junk... but to me - it is my life.

the entire year is in that box, i have stuff from everything. i think i will write a seperate blog with pictures about that year. it was a wonderful year.


anyways - so back to this grand idea that i have. i did this presentation in my history class a few weeks ago where i first person narrated the life of michael harrington - american socialist/author. harrington was a journalist for the catholic worker - and when i was looking for a costume, i grabbed a notepad - figuring it was something practical a journalist might carry around.

after i finished the presentation - i was left with this mighty fine bound journal - and i wondered... 'i guess it makes sense why they carry these. they just don't want to forget things.'

so - after digging through my house for the last 45 minutes, i finally found an adequate journal to fuffil the same purpose. it is one of those little, flip up, one-page-at-a-time kind that you can get for 15 tickets at palace park. i know what you are thinking, "why didn't you just use the book from your presentation, dummy?"

well - it turns out i needed a new chemistry notebook, and that one was far too big to carry around anyways.

this is getting far to elaborated.

basically - i have this new journal. it has this neat picture on the front.

i am going to carry it in my pocket tied to my waste by a string at all times. "but what will you write in it, david?" to answer you, really anything noteworthy. already i have, "my car was locked in the garage just now - but the windows were down... so i climbed in to save getting my keys."

i will be capturing all the significant things of my days from now until this trend dies out - i'm sure i will have plenty to blog about.