I was thinking recently of the weird things I used to be obsessed with as a kid. It was nice to reminisce and I miss those things. Being an adult sucks. There isn't time to think about fun things or be obsessed with the silly ones. We have to worry about bills and work and how tired we are from life. Then there's the whole technology vortex thing. We didn't have those distractions as kids. We liked what we liked, regardless of if anyone else agreed with us or how different it made us. I've had some random obsessions over the years. I'm surprised I actually had friends at all. How did my family put up with it? So, here are some things I can actually remember. I've noticed that I've actually forgotten some until the memory is triggered by something. So, here we go....
1. Egypt. I don't know why. Since I was young, I loved everything about it. I would read books and watch movies and go to the museum over and over again. There was this excavation kit that I bought once. It was a massive clay rock thing that you had to chisel away and uncover artifacts from. I still have them. It was the most fun I've ever had and I always look for it when I'm in a toy store or a museum gift shop. I would happily excavate it again. I also used to play this online Ancient Egyptian game called Senet. I think I found it on the CDRom Encyclopedia my aunt had. I used to play it for hours when I was at her house. I miss that too.
2. The Encyclopedia. There was a set at my grandmothers house from the 1970's. I used to pick a letter and rifle through the book trying to learn different random things. I loved looking at the pages of Flags from around the World. We inherited that set which brought my obsession closer to home. I read it. The whole thing. I wish I had a set now, I would read it all the time. I love the encyclopedia. And don't try to turn me onto that online crap. Book form all the way.
3. Rocks. I had totally forgotten about this one until I went to the Natural History Museum in London. There was one room with rows and rows of rocks. I was instantly transported to a time when I would just look at my stones and try to name them. I would collect rocks that were different. Sometimes ugly, sometimes beautiful. Maybe it was the fact that no two are exactly the same that drew me in. Maybe it was the fact that some can only be found in one specific location in the world or that some take great effort to uncover. I collect seashells now. From every beach I go to. I have shells from Santa Cruz, CA, Tybee Island, GA, Venice Beach, CA, Norwalk, CT and some from around New York. It's something I do. Just embrace it.
4. Birthdays. I'm not sure if it's the birth dates that I'm obsessed about or the numbers. I used to make LISTS of people birthdays trying to find trends and similarities and patterns. Like, do two people who share the same birthday also share similar personality traits? It was bizarre. But it's what I did. I knew every one's birthday and got really excited when I found that more than 1 person had the same day. Now, I have facebook to notify me when it's someones birthday. I can't remember a single day. I'm surprised I know my own...
5. Books. That's ones still going strong. I feel like I read more than most kids. I love books. The way they smell, the way they feel. My dad had a pretty big book collection. I used to flip through them all the time. I remember reading about Alexander the Great and different artists and Birds from different regions of the United States. I've acquired my own collection now. Of which I've carried from place to place over the years, stubbornly refusing to get rid of any. I would gladly throw out shoes and clothes before I got rid of a book. And the ones I have gotten rid of, I usually regret. I sold my textbook for the Brain and Behavior class I had cuz I needed money. I've regretted it ever since. I've wanted to look up things all the time and then realize, oh yeah dummy you got rid of it. And believe me, I've looked for it on line. It's no where. It was such a good book....
6. Maps. This goes hand in hand with my obsession of the world and other countries. I don't know where I got that from. No one in my family cares about the rest of the world. I think it's fascinating though. I love learning about different cultures and people. I decided from young that I was going to be exposed to as many languages as I could. 5 so far. I collect maps. Road maps, country maps, world maps. I love maps. That's probably why I love playing Risk so much (even though I can only find someone to play with me once a decade). I keep a map on my wall and mark all the places I've been. I love the satisfaction of putting a pushpin on places. Maps make me happy.
7. Foreign Money. Again, this goes with my 'I love the world so much' obsession. I'm not sure how it started but I have a collection of money from all over the world. I'm also not sure where and how I've acquired all of it, but I have it. I guess I figured if I couldn't go to all these places, I could at least have a little piece of all the countries. Here's my riches:
England: 16.35
Canada: 35.43
Euros: 5.05
Greek Drachmas:203
Israel: .10
Dominican Republic: .80
India: .25
Mexico: 3.10
Germany: .60
Nicaragua: 1.00
Panama: .05
Philapines: 2.00
Uruguay: 5.00
France: 2.00
Australia: .11
Ecuador: .25
Bermuda:.25
Bahamas: .01
I also have a 100 coin of something in some unidentifiable Asian money as well as 3 coins that I cannot identify for the life of me. I am also pretty sure that in one of these countries, I am a millionaire....
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