Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Letting go

There are a few ways in which Alan and I differ. Being able to throw things away is one of those areas. Alan has a stuffed leather wallet whose seams are worn, ripped, and whose capacity to stretch and bulge has been exceeded. It's not that he doesn't want to buy a replacement, au contraire. He has a brand new, soft leather wallet sitting in its original box in his closet as we speak. It's been there for two years maybe? He won't throw the old wallet out until it can no longer serve its purpose.

This holds true for other things: 1) Jeans. Holes in the butt are perfectly acceptable. In public even. 2) T-shirts. Same as jeans, except t-shirts can become so ragged that the collar and armpits are disappearing. 3) Yogurt. Everyone knows the expiration date is only a suggestion, right? 4) The Paper Trail. Nevermind that we're technology advanced enough that we should be mostly paperless. Surely those bank statements and Jack-in-the-Box employment stubs from 1990 will come in handy during an IRS audit someday.

I can almost understand some of that. But carrying this around for nearly a year is beyond my comprehension:



It began with the card having a couple knicks and cracks in it. Eventually it finally split down the middle; hence, the scotch tape that's been there for several months. My theory is that Alan likes the attention it brings when EVERY SINGLE CASHIER makes a comment about it. He claims that isn't true. But those of you who know Alan, know that he can have a conversation with everyone he encounters and actually enjoy it.

The inevitable is about to happen, however. The card expires in 10 days. :-)

2 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Craig and Alan must somehow be related.

I do take the liberty to help Craig part with such things.

jo said...

He is so much like dad, its scary.
Dad is keeping himself busy. He goes to campus with me 3x a week. He works on house projects in his spare time. He gets invited on weekend adventures and I occasionally cook for him. Hes got it pretty good (though he compares every stupid dish I make to your amazing cooking). And so long as he keeps all the crap he can't bear to throw away in his room then I like having him around. He has been here ALOT though. I think he is leaving sometime in late October. Does this put me in the running to be sainted? :)