Baby, lay down your arms...

A case for the iPod. Never-opened Star Wars figurines. Display case for Joe Montana autographed football.

These are all things I don't have. I don't buy things to protect stuff. I find it ridiculous. I bought the iPod to use it, not to save it forever untouched by human hands, unmolested, pristine, clean, and white. No, I'm going to drive it into the ground. I'm going to play the hell out of my music, whenever, wherever I can.

Collectibles? The word means nothing to me. Toys are meant to be played with, footballs are meant to be thrown, caught, kicked, and generally roughed up. I find no joy in sterilized objects set apart, encased. The joy is in using them for their intended purpose.

Utility is a necessity. I've destroyed something like seven watches since I started wearing them in eighth grade. I've never had a fancy watch. I need watches with scratch-resistant glass or plastic faces. I need watches with canvas bands, or tough, durable leather bands. I don't lead a rough life, I lead an unconcerned life. The watch is there for the time, and otherwise it's ignored. My watches get bumped, scraped, crushed and worse in the course of a day.

This is why I can't have nice things. I've recognized, though, that nice things won't last, and so neither does my desire for them. Well-built is more important than "cool looking." Well-engineered is more important than expensive (though very often they go hand-in-hand).

Book bindings should be creased. Pages should be dog-eared. Hat brims should be bent; jeans ripped and faded; shoes should be muddy; clothes should be worn until they are worn out. You shouldn't go through life without any scars.

-Tom
recommended downloads
Pearl Jam, Love Boat Captain, Brain of J. and Soldier of Love