A Collector's Nightmare
The collection I am proudest of is 723 unpublished poems in the second drawer of my file cabinet. My collection of unpublished books isn’t too shabby either, 5. I’ve got one old rifle and a scope that doesn’t fit it; two Indiana University mugs, seven dirty oil filters I haven’t taken for disposal, and 25 paint buckets containing dried or gummy paint. I have four old computer monitors, three broken keyboards, two dead mice, and two cheap speaker sets. My prize collection of 218 music cassettes lies in a rotting cardboard box in our garage. Yes, to say I am a collector would be a gross understatement.
My latest endeavor is gadgets. I have a Galileo thermometer (a real glass one), a nice ship’s compass, and a brass hourglass. Among some other gadgets: 6 battery-operated alarm clocks, one banker’s lamp (broken of course), one computer keyboard vacuum sweeper, and two (count them you envious critters) CD cleaner devices. Finally, the collection of a lifetime lies on the shelves of a bookcase twelve feet long and eight feet high, paperbacks. Eat your hearts out.
As usual, I have saved the best collection for last. The quintessential collection, the one all humankind wants to have for their very own. I have three (you heard me), four huge boxes of loose bills, cancelled checks, advertisements, and old insurance policies stored in the attic. Lest I forget, I have collected 29 pair of jeans, 18 useless shirts, and 7 pair of underwear that no longer fit. Beat that. I dare you. I double-dog dare you.