Shot

Anyone who's read this blog for any length of time knows that I desire a simpler life than the one I have.  There are many parts I cannot change, but one area I can change is clutter.  There was a time when I thought I was going to be single my whole life.  I had often wondered if I could make do with a van and a gym membership.  But I had a cat and I still believed I'd find someone, so I opted against that lifestyle.  Plus, it would have been harder back then - phones were big, clunky with limited batteries and you couldn't watch TV on them.  Wireless data plans and cell phone charging were hard to come by and there were far fewer 24-hour Wal*Marts where you could park overnight to have access to a bathroom.  

Anyhow, back to my point... uncluttering... I don't know why, but the other day the thought popped into my head "If there was a fire, what would I grab?"  Certainly, the family and the cat, but what kinds of stuff would I grab?  There's a tall dresser in our room that has a few of Lori's collectibles and then a bunch of mine: a few wooden train cars and a who bunch of shot glasses.

I used to collect them when I went on trips.  Now, to look at them, I just shake my head and wonder what was I thinking.  Here's a bunch of simple pieces of glass with something painted on them, made in China and then horrendously marked up.  

This comic ("How to Learn About Someone by Examining Their Possessions," Basic Instructions, 2013-02-28) didn't help.  Well, maybe it did.  

My shot glasses really didn't serve a purpose.  They collect dust and just add to my overall feeling of being overwhelmed by clutter.  So... they're gone.  Donated.  They'll probably sit on a shelf for awhile at 5 for 50 cents and hopefully someone will put them to use.  Before I donated them, I figured they were worth a blog post and practice at lighting and photography.

This shot is unfortunately, blurry.  I used the non-reflective side of a piece of posterboard, held a lamp aloft in one hand and the camera close up with the other.  I was happy with the lighting, but I didn't realize until after I'd wrapped up all the glasses that it wasn't as crisp as I thought.

Top row: Disney's California Adventure, Buchart Gardens (it's been a staple of our Victoria trips, very nice place), Museum of Flight, Miami/South Beach (conference)

Bottom Row: The Hollywood Hotel (DCA Tower of Terror ride), San Diego (conference), Seattle (this is less the exotic distant far-off land now), Seattle, Norwegian Cruise Lines (first anniversary, a lovely trip, would love to do another cruise sometime sans children)

The tall ones... Disneyland old-style logo, Warner Bros. Studio 19 Restaurant (a now-closed Las Vegas establishment), Hard Rock Honolulu (missions trip in 11th. grade), Hard Rock Maui (honeymoon), Hard Rock Hollywood (probably just some lazy Saturday evening with Kevin and the crew... they had the nerve to change the glass design!), Victoria BC (vacation), Pt. Defiance Zoo (one of many, many trips over the years)

And a few more... generic state of Arizona (conference), another Miami one (conference), Washington DC (research trip with Fady and Dexter to McLean Bible Church) and Cheeseburger in Paradise, a place we went on our honeymoon where they were incredibly slow with the soft drinks and it was like 145 that day and then charged me for each one.  Not sure why I'd want a shot glass to commemorate such bad service.

So there you go.  Some people might question if I'm throwing out some memories or nostalgia or saying they aren't important by letting the glasses go, but I'd say, no, I'm just reducing clutter.  The experiences live on in my memory.  There's probably some psychology theory about the glasses being a trigger that helps in memory aid, I guess I could understand that, but I suppose this blog post can serve that purpose now.