Old vs. New

[syncopated_time]

I was just in the kitchen brewing a pot of iced tea when something occurred to me.  I was thinking about my sugar bowl (tea -> sugar) and how it matches the set of dishes my parents gave me when I moved, and how those were the dishes I grew up eating off of.  It seemed to me that I much more enjoy having old, handed down things -- my parents' dishes, my great-grandmother's cast iron skillets, my grandmother's framed prints -- much more than I enjoy having brand new things.  I enjoy things that have a story behind them, that are both functional and that have some quality of lore attached to them.  Maybe that's why I'm so loathe to let some things go.  The idea of having something, of using something every day that is not only useful but that has a history that reaches beyond me... I find the sense of connection fulfilling, more so than with something perfectly functional that I've only just purchased.

In other news -- I won my unemployment hearing quite handily today, considering the other guys didn't even show up.  I've staved off disaster for a few more weeks at least.  ;)

In other other news, I was chopping jalapenos tonight for soup and got jalapeno juice under my thumbnail.  It burns terribly.  However, I am now warm and full of jalapeno corn chowder and home made cornbread.

Life is good.