Allow Me to Collect Myself SoCS

Is collect calling even a thing still?

After rewatching both Deep Space 9 and Star Trek: The Next Generation last year and earlier this year, we have better comms tech than their stupid badges — though the audio was always good. Plus, why did they always have those dinky-ass hand-held flashlights when exploring a dark place? FFS, you’re own a space ship that makes food from air and you don’t have a more powerful mobile light source?!?!?!!?

Um, anyway.

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “collect.” Use the word “collect” any way you’d like. Have fun!

Thanks, as always, to Linda G. Hill for the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt.

I collect a variety of things: clutter, extra chins (down to about 1 and a half or so I think), cats (4 cats was a LOT more sane with a slightly larger house and with another pair of hands), and, intentionally, books and toy soldiers (and the occassional action figure).

The clutter collection goes without saying. My efforts at housekeeping are often desultory and I tend to chaos and entropy. I should probably try a house with no flat surfaces, as flat surfaces seem to be magnets for a wide variety of assorted crap — books, cat puke, dust, the thing that I picked up and wanted to move somewhere else but got distracted and now it’s been on the blanket chest (my coffee table) for 2 weeks.

Sigh.

I love the cats, but I’m not sure how crazy cat ladies do it. Four is . . . . a lot. OTH, it’s kinda like children. When you have more than one, they can go off an entertain themselves sometimes. And they all have their attention spots, even Macleod, who did his once/month LOVEMENOW in bed as I was waking up this morning.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love books. Needed new workout shoes, especially now that the left one I have is working on a pinky toe hole identical to the gaping hole the right shoe has had for a few months now. It was past time to get another pair in November. Of course had to stop by BAM on the way to UA. Two more to add to the pile, along with a new Oxford American (great magazine) and HBR that came today.

I do love my toy soldier collection. It ranges from high-end, museum quality pieces that Lauren and Casey should be able to sell to fund a nice vacation when my ashes retire to their lard tin to ragged plastic soldiers I’ve had since I was 9. It’s a random mix of American Civil War, knights, Mongols, pirates, vikings, and anything that’s caught my eye over the years — including a hula girl, one of my favorites.

As I’ve got my finances settled and only one final large house expense (roof), looking forward to adding to my collection in the coming years, though I’m not sure where I’m going to put them all as my curio cabinet is getting damn full. Which is an excellent “problem” to have!

Not sure what it is about miniatures that I love so much, but I always have. I half-think it’s because of Meme. She had a bunch of random miniatures spread around the house — I miss that house — that I always liked looking at. One of the things I took from Meme and Pawpan’s was her shelf of miniature animals — little ceramic ducks, dinosaurs, bears, etc. I have them on the bookshelves in my office and they make me happy when I look at them.

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At this point in my life, I’ve just decided to fuck it and lean in. I enjoy these things, whether a high-quality collectible or my Funko trifecta of Wallace, Gromit, and Shawn the Sheep.

Aaaaaand that’s my allotted time.

This edition of Stream of Consciousness Saturday brought to you by Tom Petty and (sometimes) the Heartbreakers. Two of my favorites:

I love a good dozen Tom Petty songs, this one might be my favorite he’s had a hand in.