ART

Men And The Stuff They Never Get Rid Of

What is it about men and the stuff they never get rid of? Truly, if the only difference between men and boys is the cost of their toys perhaps a subset of that little saying should be that another difference between men and boys is the amount of stuff that men accumulate right from the time they were boys. Truly, the things they refuse to get rid of can boggle the mind.

For example, consider a ski helmet. It may be that this harmless little helmet — sitting all alone in the corner gathering dust and threatening nobody, no person or country, even — was obtained during freshman year of college. Never mind that that freshman year was back when Jimmy Carter was busily running for president, it’s over in that corner nonetheless and isn’t going anywhere.

Most likely, the helmet will turn up in a museum collection on some off-world planet after we finally figure out that hyperdrive or warp drive thingy that all the science fiction movies tell us is just around the corner. It’ll probably be just as dusty and unused then as it is today and as it was over 30 years ago, but it’s a way for man to connect with his past, most would say.

Yet another example of a man and his stuff and why he never gets rid of it is a black sport watch, which is probably packed full of memories. Unfortunately, that sport watch was broken for good during a beer blast after celebrating the Toronto Blue Jays and their World Series win in 1992. The memories of that blast, though, require that the watch remain, if only to keep sending out those good vibrations.

Usually, women who have experience with boys and men understand that this sort of pack rat behavior has some type of visceral significance to most men. Perhaps it’s because men have something in their DNA that almost makes it impossible for them to throw away an object that most women wouldn’t even consider keeping in the same county, let alone household.

Men seem to need these physical objects far more than many women do. Consider a man who grew up as a boy that played a lot of sandlot ball. This man has a cracked black helmet upon his mantle that is almost the equivalent of the Purple Heart medal. The ball hit it one day and didn’t hit him in the head, which means a lot to him, one might suppose, though it means nothing to anybody else.

This is why men tend to make the best museum curators and cultural historians. They look back at history and see nothing but an unbroken line of men, all collecting stuff. Even the pharaohs collected stuff to the ultimate degree and actually tried to take it all with them, including their living servants. Perhaps at some point in the future, an archaeologist will find a watch, a helmet and something to do with snow and scratch her head about what it all means, though any man would be able to explain it all.

Peter Alter, Curator

DADDY’S HERE 1985 PLATE BY BESSIE PEASE GUTMANN CURATOR COLLECTION MINT CONDIT $25.00

MC PHOTO age-520 Sarah Wilson Museum Curator People W Wilson, Sarah $14.99

1975 Press Photo Earl Reinert Aircraft Museum Curator $33.88

Civil War Costume Pattern Simplicity 2881 The Museum Curator 8-14 Kay Gnagey New $7.00

Sewing Pattern – Simplicity 2887 – The Museum Curator – Size 16-24 $5.00

NEW CURATOR COLLECTIONS THE ANNIVERSARY COUPLE DANCING $35.00

VINTAGE 1981 CURATOR A YOUNG MOTHER SEWING MARY CASSATT FINE CHINA PLATE DISH $4.99

1948 Camel Cig Ad Clyde Gordon ZOO Curator Lion Loose $12.50

1939 Field Museum Meteorite Collection Addition The Mapleton Iron Curator Photo $12.23

1968 Press Photo Duane Hall Curator of Reptiles at Brookfield Zoo $9.99

WOMAN WITH A PARASOL, BY CLAUDE MONET, MASTERPIECE SERIES, CURATOR COLLECTION LT $9.97

GREECE! CRETE OFFICIAL CURATOR’S BOOK, 100% COMPLETE ISLAND ARCHEOLOGICAL GUIDE! $39.99

1960 Press Photo Adele C. Weible, Curator $24.00

Curator’s Bond Document Cross County Arkansas 1886 $12.99

sold out CURATOR SHE BIBLE Bridget organic jumpsuit overall romper onesie apc $80.00

To Be a Virginian Where I Grew Up: Paintings By Eldridge Bagley, Jay (Curator/Es $20.68

1989 Detroit Michigan Dunbar Museum Curator Dorothy Aldridge Wire Photo $9.99

(278E) The Ex-men, The Curator – DJ CD $4.72

Simplicity Pattern #2881 SZ KK 8,10,12,14/New The Museum Curator. $5.99

Simplicity Pattern #2881 SZ KK 16,18,20,22,24/New The Museum Curator.Civil War $5.99

Ernest Lanigan Baseball Historian Sportswriter Curator HOF Signed Autograph TSL $49.99

T-Shirt Mens Black Curator $19.99

1937 photo Dr. Walker Greenleaf, Curator of the De $9.99

1956 Press Photo Milwaukee Museum Robert Curator USA $27.88

Angelic Curator (Common) NM Card Urza’s Legacy Magic the Gathering x1 $1.38

Limited Edition Rob Sauber Collector Plate “The Christening,” Curator Collection $7.99

1980 Press Photo Jim Conway Curator Historic Fort Wayne $13.88

1971 Press Photo Ellen Sharp Curator Graphic Arts $13.88

1986 Press Photo Richard Biliatis Curator WSU $13.88

The Curator Collection LTD Happy Dreams Bessie Gutmann $23.00

1984 Press Photo Dr.Donald Softley curator $13.88

Curator Collection Plate Charlotte Becker The Awakening $9.99

1984 Press Photo Suzanne Folds McCullagh Co-curator with Richard Brettell $24.88

1984 Press Photo Doctor Margaret Mead Ethnology Curator Natural History Museum $24.88

The New West. Jan.-March 1986. Charles A. Guerin, curator., Colorado Springs. Co $34.83

And On The 8th Day God Created CURATORS Coffee Mug in Metallic Colors T-ShirtFrenzy offers over 30,000 designs on tons of products to offer millions of variations. You can search our store for something for everyone on your gift list or shop for yourself (our personal favorite). Please contact us with questions….

And On The 8th Day God Created CURATORS Mug for Coffee / Hot Beverage (choice of sizes and colors) T-ShirtFrenzy offers over 30,000 designs on tons of products to offer millions of variations. You can search our store for something for everyone on your gift list or shop for yourself (our personal favorite). Please contact us with questions….

Being a Curator is not for wimps Occupations Mug (Green, Ceramic, 11oz.) $11.99 This Curator Mug has undergone extensive quality control before reaching you. We have over 10 years experience in selling products on the internet. The items are created by us and are even customizable! Just contact our great customer service for any questions….

The Sound Gallery, Vol. 2 $15.98 27 track U.K. import. Scuff on disc will not affect play. Not the U.S. Scamp label release, but U.K. import with the same tracks….

Bywater Dance $10.07 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed….

Sounds of Purple Martins 1982 recording with two brief bands featuring Dr. Hardy giving “introductory remarks about martins” and “a brief lesson in martinese,” with the majority of this LP featuring “sounds of the martins, continuous.” Cover art painted by Robert M. Mengel, Ph.D., Professor of Biiological Sciences and Curator of Birds at the University of Kansas….

National Treasure [Blu-ray] $9.98 From Jerry Bruckheimer producer of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN comes the definitive NATIONAL TREASURE. Get closer to the edge of your seat with the 2-Disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray of this thrilling adventure starring Academy Award(R) Winners Jon Voight (Best Actor COMING HOME 1978) and Nicolas Cage (Best Actor LEAVING LAS VEGAS 1995) as Benjamin Franklin Gates. Since boyhood Gates has been obsesse…

National Treasure [UMD for PSP] $14.99 National Treasure UMD Movie From Buena Vista…

Managing Information – Animal World : Lisa Stevens Zoo Curator [Meet the Mentor Video] In each Meet the Mentor Video, real-world mentors model the literacy skills they use every day and set meaninful examples to inspire children. ISBN: 0590548778…

Inova N-X0MT-WT XO Lithium Powered Flashlight with 4-4/5-Watt LED, Titanium $25.95 A flashlight is an essential tool and functionality should never suffer for the sake of design. The INOVA X-Series is an example of one of those rare productofferings that effectively combines brilliant engineering and bold looks in a highly purposeful package. Ruggedly constructed and beautifully finished, theX-Series started the LED flashlight revolution. Today, the X-Series is still recognized …