Monday Musings...
Okay, so I DIDN'T watch the Oscars...but it seemed predictable enough, did it not?
Mo'Nique won because she's black, director Kathryn (same first name spelling as my Mom) Bigelow won because she's a woman, The Hurt Locker won because it WASN'T a "sci-fi" movie (but is being blasted by REAL EOD men for the manner the movie depicts these individuals), and the multi-gazillion dollar making CGI movie Avatar won because (as usual) it had the best "special effects"...oh, and Star Trek (the remake) won for best makeup (geez, with aliens all over the place, who'da thuink THAT, hmm?). Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges were pretty much no-brainers for the win, too.
So there 'ya go...all in a nutshell. And pretty much PC to boot.
To be honest...haven't seen a single ONE of these movies, but I did get Star Trek on DVD for Christmas...should watch that one of these days. I may consider getting some of them on eBay when they become cheap enough.
I'd much rather watch some of the GOOD (old) flicks...ones with more substance than explosions...the kind with character and plot development out the butt, instead of contrived and predictable writing.
And the actors and actresses of the old days were fantastic!
I mean...c'mon now, who ELSE but Bogie and Bergman could you imagine in CASABLANCA, eh?
Let's just hope no one mucks about with the "classics"...we've seen enough remakes as it is, and with dismal results.
Which brings me to my next "topic"...and that is COLLECTING.
Everyone collects something...that's a given.
And I'd bet every one of you could give me a laundry list of things you have collected over the years.
I used to collect comic books...and I still have a rather large collection, all nicely preserved in wrappers with backboards to keep them as pristine as possible. The sheer COST of them today prohibits me from furthering my collection, but I will spring for a special issue now and then. I mean, it's not like the old days, when you hung out at the local drugstore, waiting for this month's copy of Spiderman, or Fantastic Four, or Superman, or Green Lantern, right? They have evolved far and above the "quaint" pricing of TWELVE CENTS.
Now, it's more like a couple DOLLARS a pop.
But that's only ONE of a seemingly infinite number of items one can collect.
I also used to collect matchbox cars...and gave them away (stupid me), as well as the classic 12 " tall G.I. Joe stuff (I think one of my cousins wound up paying his way through college selling all that off...LOL).
If I had TODAY what I gave away as a teen, I'd be a much wealthier individual.
At least some relatives and a few orphanages made out like bandits.
I collected Garfield plates, Star Trek figures, Japanese animation toys, paperback movie novels, and have a nice collection of favorite movies.

That's the beauty of collecting anything...it's personal.
I've know people who collected Hummel figurines, knives, NASCAR items, Indian artifacts, antiquarian books, coins, stamps, guns, automobiles, farm equipment, dishware, diecast cars, road signs, beer steins, beer cans, matchbooks, shot glasses...and the list goes on and on.
Whatever you can think of, someone is probably collecting it (or them).
And it's personal. It speaks to people about people.
It defines who we are, what we've come to cherish in life, and what we would like to pass on to future generations.
And much of it is steeped in Americana.
It tells so much about this nation, and yet, speaks to the individual.
I knew people that collected pennants from different states, and another collected those tiny spoons from all the states they visited.
Many people collect DISNEY memorabilia, and we all know that is PURELY AMERICAN.
Others collect old tools from the pioneer days, Civil War items, and even Revolutionary war artifacts.
And most all of us had some relative serving in WW2 that brought home something, even if it was a photo album (which my Dad left to me) to chronicle the events during those times. Same can be said for The Korean war, the Vietnam war, and the war in the Middle East.
Some people collect police memorabilia, while others collect firefighting items, such as helmets.
To each his (or her) own, right?
I know of people who are railroad buffs, collecting things from a particular railroad and a particular time. It's getting harder to find such items these days, as all those smaller, individual railroads have been gobbled up by some huge railroad, of which there are but a handful these days. Others recreate those great days of rail in miniature, and that type of collecting is out there as well.
But there is one thing separate yet equal to every single collector out there, and that is the personal memories we enjoy from life itself.
We "collect" memories of people, places, and things throughout our entire life, and it's then we realize that the human brain is indeed, a remarkable storage device. It's our file cabinet for time.
Those of us lucky enough to have taken pictures or the old 8mm home movies, or (in my case) "slides", have found a means by which we can preserve and cherish those times...those memories...those people and places that obviously meant something to us.
So, you can see that even if we don't seem to have collected anything that other people might want to buy, trade, or sell, we DO have something that becomes irreplaceable (to us), and a way for our future generations to know and remember who WE are...and were.
Think about that the next time you find yourself at some flea market, or even if you're rummaging about in the basement, garage or attic.
You are a collector...whether you wanted to become one or not.

Enjoy it...embrace it...cherish it.
Have a great week, make a difference today, and...
Stay safe out there, America.