I had a friend (still have the friend, though we don’t have regular access to each other anymore) who liked to “show off” how obscure some of his possessions were, possibly to achieve the “wanderlust effect” (i.e. the reaction of “how did you get these here”). Something about the anticipation that his inventory was alien to whoever he showed.
One day, he was asked to bring games and a console and he brought one of those extremely rare knock-off bootleg gaming consoles they sell in Asia, which we’re not even remotely near.
“What the heck is that” asked my other best friend?
“It’s the Mega Duck. I brought CFGP with me too.”
“Why can’t you be a normal Upstate New Yorker? We literally got Playstation.”
“What fun is that?”
It wasn’t some small quirk either. One day he took a long walk and came across a part of the area nobody had been to in decades and took pictures with my camera which he happened to have. Also having hyperthymesia, he came back and was all like “I took these photos of a place that seems like it was out of a fantasy painting and also recognized someone there who was on the missing persons list when I came back”. Like a boss.
In contrast, alas, ever since moving, my possessions have become overwhelmingly mundane enough you’d expect most of it to be in an 18th century post-colonial American home, the exception (if you could call her that), ironically, being my dog who is of a rare breed.
What’s the most wanderlusty thing you own, something that would be the absolute opposite of mundane if in your possession?
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I got no idea what exactly it is besides some sort of decorative mask thing that I got from my Grandpa’s house after his partner passed and their house had to be sold. No idea on backstory or anything.
I have a kaleidoscope for the blind.
One of only 150 or 250 made (I forget which). The artist (Reinhold Marxhausen) got Alzheimer’s in his final years, and is probably dead now. It looks like a metal blob, but the inside is hollow and it has are springs that vibrate and make tones to the slightest touch and heat change. Just shake it and hold it to your ear. It makes different and unique sounds depending on who is holding it, the weather, the air temperature, and so on.
I got it from a kaleidoscope collector, who sold it to me because the small handmade box it came in was damaged in shipping, and it wasn’t worth as much without the box. I keep it in a handmade suede bag.
Edit: I made an Imgur post about it: https://imgur.com/gallery/kaleidoscope-blind-Ab8Xz
I have some computer memory I’m still learning the the right terms to describe. It’s a criss-cross of wires with spinning ferro magnetic beads. I also know it’s not only volatile (the information gone on power down) but destructive (information gone on read). It’s about the foot print of an index card, with a ton of connections on every side, maybe 1.5-2cm thick.
Neat little bit of how it used to be.
Signed copy of “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” by Ian Fleming. Not really worth much. Maybe $60? But as kinda a James Bond fan I think it’s cool.
I have a container of spring water that was left to me by the shaman that collected it
Can’t think of anything too outrageous. I have a 24U server rack in my garage which fits with mm perfection under the stairs.
A round wall plaque of Mao Zedong. My Dad found it buried in a garden he was working on here in the UK. It was in great shape. No idea if it’s Chinese or a copy.
I have a coprolith.
It’s part of my bathroom’s decoration.
I’ve got a small volcanic rock from Mt Vesuvius, a Polaroid Land camera 95A from the late 40s or 50s, and I built a magic mirror (which isn’t that obscure, but lots of people find it fascinating).
I’m currently building a Guzheng out of wood from the cherry tree I used to hang out in as a kid that got destroyed in a fire with only part of the trunk remaining. Maybe only 4/10 interesting but if this were a fantasy setting that’s at least a +2 magic instrument right there for the backstory its got.
i have a replica PDP-11 that i built from a kit. i think it’s very cool looking.
i also have the first version of the espruino. it’s a tiny microcontroller (a computer on a chip) that can only run javascript (the thing you build websites with). and not modern javascript either, the wonky 2010 kind. it’s completely useless.
I went to the Ghibli museum and watched a short while I was there. The ticket to the short was a film strip from one of the movies. I have it framed.
A pre-prohibition bottle of creme de menthe shaped like a giraffe.
It’s a bit higher proof than creme de menthe typically made today, not that you should drink it because it probably has dangerous chemicals coloring it green.
1998 sun micro system graphics workstation with complete driver set and user Manuel’s, original monitor and keyboard
Manuel will be so glad you kept his monitor and keyboard
I won’t even edit that. It’s golden
It’s really great and conjures up a very different story than what you want for.
Chefs kiss
I collect books and have a number signed by people who are no longer with us. :(
One of the Wheel of Time books signed by Robert Jordan.
Martian Chronicles signed by Ray Bradbury.
X-Men #1 signed by Stan Lee.
The early Rocketeer appearances signed by Dave Stevens.
A Contract With God limited edition #33/125 signed by Will Eisner.
Thieve’s World graphic novels signed by Tim Sale.
My buddy has a script from the original broadway production of Beauty and the Beast, signed by Alan Menkin (he wrote the music) and several cast members.
He found it in a Half Price Books for like $5, because nobody had noticed the signatures inside the front cover. Unfortunately, due to the fact that there’s no chain of custody, there’s no way to actually verify that it’s real. After all, anybody with a sharpie and some practice could have made the signatures. But it’s a great conversation piece.
I adore the wheel of time. First fantasy series I ever chewed through (and then waited about 5 or 10 years for publishing lol). Very happy for you, kudos!
