May, 2005
going way, way ... way back

To a certain unavoidable extent, items found in pockets are pretty much like other items found in pockets. And because just about all of my pockets are full just about all of the time, if I were to find an excuse to exhibit all of the items that have been kept in my pockets, I might be considered a museum on legs. But there really isn't any reason to do that. Once I've displayed a few items, it's a fair guess that the point has been made. Something out of the ordinary is called for in order to once again empty those pockets onto the page.

Is fifteen years something special? As part of our move back home I capitulated to reason, and threw out a number of shirts that nobody would want even as second hand. They'd been taking up space in our closet for ... well, for years. And just how many years became evident when I tried to date some of the items I found in those shirt pockets before disposing of the shirts.

Some items weren't particularly easy to place, but others were rather immediately identifiable.


This particular note was for a planned visit to one of the best "educational television" programs of long ago (or of any time) - Zehu Zeh. The program was taped before older audiences, but via an in with a friend who was teaching sixth graders in Tel Aviv, my sixth grade class was going to be allowed behind the scenes and be given a tour of the set. This note told me whom to ask for, and where we'd later meet the class from Tel Aviv that was hosting us.

And since I know how old those previously sixth graders are today, a bit of simple arithmetic tells me that this was fifteen years ago, thus dating the other notes in that same pocket.

For rather logical reasons, most of what we find in our shirt pockets are slips of paper, but we need something to write with as well. So it's not surprising that I also found some writing utensils in those pockets.


This pen might be considered a collectors' item, though I doubt that it would earn much on eBay. It still has some ink in it, though I don't particularly like the feel of it. On the other hand, I also found a favorite pencil which still seems to fit my hand wonderfully.