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37....38....39.... 2005-05-12 This morning I found out something about Francisco that I had not known, even after 15+ years of marriage. I found out that a lot of the time, when we're walking (for exercise) and he seems deep in thought, he's actually counting his paces. Apparently sometimes he'll play a little game with himself to see if he can guess how many paces it is to something up ahead, so he counts them, and in concentrating he looks all pensive. All these years I've been under the impression that he's puzzling out some serious philosophical problem when he's got that face on, and the whole time his inner monologue has been, "17...18....19...." etc. Some deep thinker he is! It delights me that I'm still finding out new things about him, because after all this time you'd think I'd know everything. A few days ago I had an idea which has me in a bit of a tizzy. I was thinking about how when I die I won't be leaving anything lasting behind, and then I was thinking about all the stuff archeologists dig up from other civilizations and how excited people get about that stuff. And Then it occurred to me that there's no reason I couldn't leave something behind that people will dig up in a few centuries, and even if they didn't know I left it, it could at least be something that would intrigue future generations and make them wonder. I was trying to think of what would last for several centuries, and metal seemed to be the way to go, based on what I've seen in museums. So I was thinking maybe I could cast a whole crapload of small bronze things, for burying around the country, but then Francisco suggested lead, because lead doesn't need such a high smelting heat as bronze (and also buying a smelter for lead would be the perfect excuse for him to cast his own bullets), and that sounds good to me. I'm thinking I would want to cast the small lead objects and then seal them with something, to try and keep from poisoning the ground, and I'm not sure what I would cast (would need to have someone make a mold) but maybe tiny penises (a couple inches long). Whatever I cast, I want to make sure it wouldn't be mistaken in the future for some kind of useful product or a logo. The logo thing was why I decided against my original idea of small, lowercase e's. I want future diggers to know these objects served no practical purpose whatsoever, because I think that would make it a lot more of a mystery for them. I picture them saying, "But how is it we found these in so many locations? And these seem like purely decorative objects, so why did we find so many of them in the middle of nowhere?" Stuff like that. Does anyone know anything about materials that would last a long time? I'm not set on using lead or another metal, but I don't know what else could last for hundreds of years without degrading. What about ceramic? Today I had email from the guy planning our class reunion (I emailed him yesterday to say I can't attend, and attached the questionnaire he sent), and though I'm not going, I offered to help him track people down. He sent me a list of people to try and find--any tips? I will of course google, and I'm not afraid of putting ads on Craigslist, but does anyone know of another place to look? If not, that's okay. I'm sure I had something else to tell you, but I don't know what.
come over some time & see me - 2011-02-25 |
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