Thoughts on Knick-Knacks, Paper Stars, and Ferdinand the Whale

 One of many knick-knacks in my room.

I tend to collect some odd items. Various knick-knacks that are basically useless but are part of a growing collection. You could call them geeky, unique, or just eclectic and hip. But I like the odd things in life. Rather than sea monkey's, as a kid, I got something called Triops. Rather than the brine shrimp that are basically sea monkey's, there's a curiosity shop here in Seattle that sells such unique items. So it's no wonder I gravitate towards these interesting pieces to decorate my room and house.

The little plant above, is actually robotic. After pushing a little button on the side of the pot, it responds to sound by moving it's leaves and "nodding" up and down as if it listens to you and understands. Heck, you can even ask it yes or no questions and see it's response. It's called a Pekoppa plant, a "must have" purchase of mine from ThinkGeek. By far one of my favorite things I've bought. Rather than stick with the name, Pekoppa, I call mine Coffee - or cohii (hee) pronounced in Japanese. He's become a writing buddy and staple for when I sit at my computer to write for a long stretch and need a quick, amusing break.

But it's knick-knacks like Coffee that I collect and keep in my room to give me inspiration and surround my laptop with. He makes me feel like I always have a friend nearby.

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I've always liked Origami. And paper stars are pretty simple - more so than cranes. They're something I fold in my spare time while sitting at my laptop hoping an idea will strike - or when I'm rocking to music and need something to do. I feel productive and yet at the same time, can relax because I'm not focused on a "real" task at hand.

Over the years, I've probably made a few hundred. In fact, I generally give them away in little bottles and jars as gifts. They're sentimental and simple, yet can also show that you care for someone because of the hard work put into making a jar full. When I give them to friends, I like to say that it's a small, physical representation of all the fun memories we've had together, and certainly isn't a complete collection.

I have an eighteen count egg carton that sits next to me on my desk where I have colorful paper strips and plenty of spaces to put the completed stars. I hope to make hundreds more for people to enjoy.

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 Chilling on the Denny's menu, Ferdinand the Whale.

Ferdinand is a whale. In fact, he's a coin bank whale with a chipper smile and charming deep blue eyes. He's a little companion I found last summer while out with some friends. We made an adventure into The Salvation Army, and upon wandering the shelves, I found a Barbie!Pink glitter piggy bank, and Ferdinand. Best $2 ever spent.