Most of those collections listed above were when I was a kid. The owls were also more recent, but in that case I was hyper-aware of keeping it from becoming a collection, lest I become known as the owl collector/enthusiast and start getting it all the time for gifts (note: if you have given me an owl gift I probably liked it, so don't feel bad). My current accidental collection is bell jars. I am obsessed. I just can't get enough. They will be the worst things to move, so I might have to slowly start detaching myself from at least a few of them.
Anyways, after an unfortunate discussion that I had with my dear friend Kerry as I dropped her off at the airport on her way to London, wherein I demanded that she bring me a souvenir and that it not be a keychain (I was joking, but also serious, but mostly joking), she decided to start me a keychain collection. I think it was in large part to teach me a lesson about being bossy or demanding gifts. She pretty much bought me a keychain from every major tourist attraction in London (and probably spent at least $40 doing it). Apparently it was hilarious at the time. And apparently it is still hilarious, because the joke has unfortunately not died.
I have recieved keychains as part of at least two Christmas gifts since then, and random keychain giftings in the interim, including a very dissapointing but still funny package I got in the mail about 2 months ago, with like four keychains inside and a note that said "I'm just house cleaning ". Super dissapointing and also props to Kerry for a good joke.
I'm both sorry and not sorry to say that the London keychains did not make the cut when I moved over the summer. Sorry, Ker. It would have been great if I had them to include in my keychain collection photo below. But, mostly I just wanted to remember the story.
Keychains pictured above include: Camp Evergreen carabiner, two identical Maligne Lake keychains, a zombie zebra (flashlight mouth), my beloved and much-used (partly due to obligation) ear-ring, a TODD SPENCER orange foam surfboard (which will henceforth be for my spare keys), and a Camp Evergreen lanyard (for spare car key). Not pictured are the keychain versions of Big Ben, the crown jewels, a double decker bus, a phone booth, and a few more things I have forgotten. UGH. Enough already, Kerry.
On the other side of collections, you know, the fun and not maliciously revengeful side, artist Lisa Congdon is coming to the end of a year of documenting her various collections. Some of the ones in the early 2010 were really beautiful. I haven't followed much since then, but it's kind of a neat idea. Visit her Collection a Day blog: http://collectionaday2010.blogspot.com/
There is no escape; I will never stop.
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