Before I get to my family simcha roundup post (and thank you to guest bloggers), we interrupt this blog for an important and insightful posting into the dark recesses of Jameel's psyche.
Oscar (tm) can't possible be me.
I'm not usually grouchy.
Oscar doesn't have a yellow smiley photo-shopped onto his head.
And yet...my wife and I had a discussion last night about one of my habits.
The "collection" habit.
As a kid, I had dozens of collections; Israeli stamps, coins, bottle caps, comic books, science fiction books, Hardy Boys books, plumbas** (I bet I was one of the few kids on the planet with a plumba collection), my MASH scrapbook, Star Wars scrabook, BattleStar Galactica trading cards, my electric train set (HO and N scale)...and a few other odd things thrown in, like my microscope, telescope, and erector set.
Since we live in a finite-sized home (with no basement), the amount of collectible stuff I can retain is not unlimited, and our topic of discussion last night turned to...another collection of mine:
Nekuda magazines.
Nekuda is a monthly publication of opinion and discourse, mostly pertaining to the communities in Yehuda and Shoron, but not limited to them. I have over 13 years of them in a box in our home, that my wife said is simply a waste of space...and they should be thrown away. I'm having a difficult time accepting it, and don't want to part with them.
Mind you, I agree with my wife; I don't really need 15 years of magazines, but there is so much valuable historical and cultural information in them; photos, stories, and reporting during a critical time of historical importance to the settlement movement, that I can't easily just throw them out.
I guess I'd be able to throw them out or give them away after going through them and scanning in all worthwhile pictures....but I don't know when I can do that. Do you want this collection?
Any ideas?
Are you a desperate collector?
A spouse of a desperate collector?
**From Wikipedia on R' Yaakov Yosef, Chief Rabbi of New York.
Although Rabbi Yaakov Yosef fought a losing battle in the kosher meat and poultry industry, he managed to achieve some notable accomplishments, including the hiring of qualified shochtim, introducing irremovable seals ("plumba") to identify kosher birds, and setting up Mashgichim to oversee slaughter houses. He also took an active role in the first yeshiva on the Lower East Side, Eitz Chaim, which had been founded in 1866 (and was the forerunner of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary).
Wherever I am, my blog (and collection of stuff) turns towards Eretz Yisrael
I'm not usually grouchy.
Oscar doesn't have a yellow smiley photo-shopped onto his head.
And yet...my wife and I had a discussion last night about one of my habits.
The "collection" habit.
As a kid, I had dozens of collections; Israeli stamps, coins, bottle caps, comic books, science fiction books, Hardy Boys books, plumbas** (I bet I was one of the few kids on the planet with a plumba collection), my MASH scrapbook, Star Wars scrabook, BattleStar Galactica trading cards, my electric train set (HO and N scale)...and a few other odd things thrown in, like my microscope, telescope, and erector set.
(My Star Wars #1 Comic book in mint condition)
Since we live in a finite-sized home (with no basement), the amount of collectible stuff I can retain is not unlimited, and our topic of discussion last night turned to...another collection of mine:
Nekuda magazines.
Nekuda is a monthly publication of opinion and discourse, mostly pertaining to the communities in Yehuda and Shoron, but not limited to them. I have over 13 years of them in a box in our home, that my wife said is simply a waste of space...and they should be thrown away. I'm having a difficult time accepting it, and don't want to part with them.
Mind you, I agree with my wife; I don't really need 15 years of magazines, but there is so much valuable historical and cultural information in them; photos, stories, and reporting during a critical time of historical importance to the settlement movement, that I can't easily just throw them out.
I guess I'd be able to throw them out or give them away after going through them and scanning in all worthwhile pictures....but I don't know when I can do that. Do you want this collection?
Any ideas?
Are you a desperate collector?
A spouse of a desperate collector?
**From Wikipedia on R' Yaakov Yosef, Chief Rabbi of New York.
Although Rabbi Yaakov Yosef fought a losing battle in the kosher meat and poultry industry, he managed to achieve some notable accomplishments, including the hiring of qualified shochtim, introducing irremovable seals ("plumba") to identify kosher birds, and setting up Mashgichim to oversee slaughter houses. He also took an active role in the first yeshiva on the Lower East Side, Eitz Chaim, which had been founded in 1866 (and was the forerunner of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary).
Wherever I am, my blog (and collection of stuff) turns towards Eretz Yisrael
19 comments:
As for RJJ, (the Rabbi, not the supposed school of education) "his funeral was one of the largest in New York, attended by more than 50,000 Jews. Unfortunately, it was partly marred by a public disturbance in which a number of people were injured.". When I was in high school, rumor was that the Jews managed to dump a few of the German protestors off of roofs.
I'll pass on the Nekuda magazines. But should you decide that you've got no more room for the Star Wars comics, just say the word and I'll come take them off your hands in a jiffy...
i own a dog of the israel-canaan variety (which i truly believe translates to some form of "not so smart")who on occasion on long summer shabbat afternoons vomits up anywhere from 2-4 chicken tags, usually on our carpet. while i certainly don't want the nekuda magazines, my dog might be interested in your plumba collection.
thanks for the description of what nekuda is .. i never knew but it was in my dad's library..
i say see if nekuda offers their archives on dvd/cd and then you can chuck the originals and purchase the archives in a far smaller format if you really really want them. (think of it as compression) For me, usually it's enough to know the data is still accessible, i don't need to own it.
b'hatzlaha!
yitz: Nekuda isn't archived on the web or on DVD... (sob)
bec: there are somethings I just wont part with. ever.
Lurker: The comics are an investment :)
ymedad: never heard that one before. Thanks! (You should add it to wiki)
I'll take the plumbas
Plumbas?!?!?! Gross! Though sometimes I wish they'd use plumbas here and not the piece of paper they wrap around the chicken leg that I find almost impossible to get completely off. :)
Donate the Nekudas to the library at work? That's a joke, son. But seriously, there must be SOME library that will take them ... And no, I'm not volunteering mine. :)
No Baseball cards? What kind of kid is that?
Is there a library or museum that would be interested in your magazines? Maybe contact a few university libraries...?
Dump them in your shul's library or your kids' school libraries.
Wish I could take you up on the offer, but given our current locations...
Glad to see you have some time for blogging again, however little it may be.
I used to collect plumbas when I helped my father in his butcher shop. Now I collect metal disks that museums give out to show you've paid as you look at the exhibits. When I come home I put them on the ears of Pluto and other stuffed animals. It keeps my collection and gives the stuffed animals nice earrings.
Get a trach bag and throw it out. Throw it all out! Our family has a problem, I think its a "collector" gene. Actually, Mrs Mukata first introduced me to the term when you were "collecting" long lost relatives. :-) Trust me, you wont miss it, it will free up lots of space in your house, and it will be motivation for others to do the same. Just think of how many people dont make aliyah because of all their "stuff". There are libraries for a reason!
you can keep your nekudah, but i'll take the plumbas from rjj.
http://agmk.blogspot.com/2007/04/violent-balabustes-and-tuition-crisi.html#links
the time is clicking on your response to this comment :)
(did you see my response at jacob the jew?)
"Nekuda isn't archived on the web or on DVD"
well now you have something to do with all your free time!!!
The problem with libraries is that frequent usage by the DTC family tends to lead entire wings paid for by overdue fines.
funny about the RJJ story - someone was just talking about it last week in the DTC home but it was the Irish who stoned the crowd of mourners so the "throwing Germans off the roof" sounds a bit off, but you never know.
DTC and YMEDAD:
it was the irish who attacked the jews. specifically workers from the Hoe printing machinery factory on grand st. this was nothing new, as the workers routinely harassed and attacked jewish funerals that passed by en route to the ferry. what was different this time was that the (irish) police joined in the melee and attacked jews. for an essay on the subject by leonard dinnerstein, see the reference in the link i give above.
DTC:
"The problem with libraries is that frequent usage by the DTC family tends to lead entire wings paid for by overdue fines."
i never use the library because it is cheaper for me to buy the book rather than pay overdue fines.
I find the male/female hoarder breakdown interesting - from what I've seen, the stereotype seems to be that the man is the hoarder and the woman is the one insisting that things be thrown out (which seems to be your case).
If that's so, then I guess I'm the exception - I'm definitely the hoarder (though not a collector per se), and my husband is constantly after me to throw stuff out (mostly papers that might be really important to me someday). Someone should do a study...
OMG I'm exactly the same way. I still have my Star Wars comic book collection, my train set, my Matchbox Car collection (my daughter was kind enough to catalogue my obsessive/compulsive tendencies here.
I can't wait to see your train set.
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