Hi guys! For my final project, I’ve created a blog for sharing and preserving superstitions about objects from around the world. I’ve gotten a few comments so far, so be sure to check them out. Also, if you know any superstitions about objects that you’d like to share, please do!!

I’m new at blogging (it took me FOREVER to get my blog to look the way I wanted it to) and I can’t figure out how to have posts show up under my tabs/pages instead of just on the homepage. If anybody knows how to do this, please let me know! Thanks!

Here is the link:

http://www.worldobjectsuperstitions.blogspot.com/

For my final project, I’m looking into Scottish superstitions. Scottish people have always been very superstitious, especially when it comes to objects. I’ve been interviewing elderly people who live in Dundee, Scotland, along with reading about Scottish superstitions, then relating them to lives today to see if there are any modern day connections to the old superstitions. (I’m just going to post everything I have done so far!!)

Scottish Superstitions: Still Alive Today?

Introduction

            We like to believe that we’re original people with original and new ideas. We think that we invent so many ideas, traditions, and customs; however, people have walked the earth for over fifty thousand years, therefore ideas and traditions have been around for a very, very long time. Most of the time, we are just recycling or morphing traditions from a different culture or time period into our own cultures. Because our life span is so short, we often fail to realize the origin of traditions we take part in each and every day. Many of these traditions grow out of superstitions— some that are still practiced today, and others that are dead or beginning to become a thing of the past.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, superstition is “a widely held but irrational belief in supernatural influences, especially as leading to good or bad luck, or a practice based on such a belief.” People follow superstitions for their own individual reasons, perhaps because it is what they have learned from the previous generation, and therefore is “right,” or maybe because it gives the person a way of explaining events or actions that are otherwise unexplainable. For as long as humans have been able to record aspects of their culture, superstition has been prevalent and accepted among the people of Scotland, despite their social standing. Some superstitions are specific to a region, while others stretch from as far south as Hadrian’s Wall all the way up to the coast of Caithness in the north. The Scottish might believe in superstitions because of the mysterious Scottish landscape. The waves eerily crash against the shore, the glens fill with mist, and the lochs lay still and murky— adding to the magical feel of the land. It is easy to believe in “powers” that can affect lives.

Although today the scientific fields are exploding with new information about the state of the world, Scottish superstitions are still very prominent. They have spread and morphed and snuck their way into other cultures and changed as the people have changed. Even though people today do not necessarily believe in these superstitions, they are still very much alive and practiced today. Traditions that we happen today can be traced back to superstitions in Scotland, some of which go back thousands of years, because these superstitions have influenced modern Scottish culture and nestled their way into customs and traditions in other places around the world as well .

Beltane

Samhain

            Samhtheine, or samhain, which translates to “the fire of peace,” was a druidical festival held on October 31^st, halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. It was believed that during this night, the veil between different worlds was thinner and it was easier for ghosts to cross into our world. Sprites, fairies, witches and other creatures enjoyed playing tricks on this night. In order to keep their farms protected from mischief, farmers would surround the borders of their farms with lit torches. Today in America, Halloween is celebrated and children dress up in costumes— many of them dressed like the magical creatures that are supposed to play tricks during this night. Americans also hang lights for Halloween, which is quite similar to the torches put out by the farmers long, long ago.

Scissors

            It is normal for superstitions to be about common household objects, since these objects were easily available to the people. If handing scissors to somebody else, you must hand them holding the blade yourself, otherwise you may cut the friendship between you and the person that you are handing the scissors to. If you drop a pair of scissors, it is bad luck to pick them up yourself— you must have somebody else pick them up for you. If you receive a gift that is sharp, such as scissors, you must give the person who gave you the gift a silver coin in return. This is because it is believed that the sharp, gifted object could sever the friendship between the two people. The coin functions almost like you are “paying” for a part of your gift, and therefore it will not cut your friendship. Today in many countries, children in school learn to pass scissors to each other by holding the blade, so that the other person can grab the handle of the scissors and not get hurt. This could be simply for safety, but it could have stemmed out of Scottish superstition about severing a friendship. In addition, many superstitions were about safety (such as it is bad luck to sleep with your head under a beam), maybe because having superstitions encouraged children to listen better than when they were simply told not to do it. Giving a silver coin in return for receiving a sharp gift is still practiced in certain regions in Scotland today. If somebody does give you a coin in return today, it is almost a nice surprise that the superstition is still honored.

Handselling

            Handseling, as defined by the Scottish National Dictionary, is “’A gift bestowed to commemorate an inaugural occasion, event or season, e.g. the beginning of the year, the first visit to a friend’s new home or the commencement of a new undertaking, the wearing of new clothes, etc., with the idea of bringing good luck to the recipient”. When a baby is born, family and friends put a piece of silver in the baby’s hands the first time they see him or her. It is thought that doing this will allow the baby to be fortunate and never go without money in his or her lifetime. How the baby receives these coins placed in his or her hand is very important. If the baby grabs the coin tight, he or she will be stingy with money. If he or she lets go of the coin quickly, he or she will love spending money. The practice was extremely common in the 1950s, and was practiced for hundreds of years before that. Proof of this lies in Robert Burn’s There was a Lad, which makes reference to hanselling after birth with the line “Twas then a blast o’ Janwar’ win’ / Blew hansel in on Robin”.  Today, it is a typically a fifty pence piece that is placed in the hand. In Margaret Bennett’s book Scottish Customs from the Cradle to the Grave, she records hanselling events taking place in Lilliesleaf in 1990 and in Dundee in 1992. The two women whose babies had been hanselled commented on how it was still quite a common tradition in Scotland to bring the baby fortune in the future. Hanselling can be related to children receiving pocket money, which were usually coins. Good children have received money from their parents to keep them from having no money, just like how handselling happens so that the baby will never be without money. Up until recently, since we are becoming a cashless society as people use money electronically, pocket money was given to children in coins, many of which were silver. Pocket money teaches a child how to handle money, and this echoes the handselling.

First Footing on Hogmanay

            First-footing is another type of handseling. In the New Year, Scottish people “first-foot” one another, which means to be the first into somebody else’s home. The first-footer must bring a gift into the home to bring good fortune for the coming year. It is even luckier if the person bringing the gift has dark hair instead of fair hair. This most likely developed because of the fair-haired Vikings invasion of Scotland in the 8^th century (therefore, a fair-haired person would bring you bad luck in a first-footing). When first-footing, if you gift a lump of coal, the home will never be cold for the whole year. First-footing still happens today in Scotland, with common gifts being whiskey, shortbread, and chocolate. Many people in countries around the world also bring gifts to each other’s houses when they first see each other in the New Year, although it does not always have a specific name and it is not necessarily specifically to bring good luck. In Scotland, first-footing is still very common and although most people don’t fully believe in the superstition, it is still done and talked about.

Teeth

            Today, we are very familiar with the tooth fairy who leaves us money under our pillows in exchange for our teeth. Usually, the tooth is put in a small container hidden under the pillow. This highly resembles an old Scottish superstition about lost teeth that is supposed to bring a child good luck and strong teeth. The first tooth that a child lost was carefully rolled up in a sheet of paper lined with salt and hidden in a hole made by a mouse.

A superstitious ritual is also performed for teething babies. A “teething bannock” is made— in silence— from oatmeal, butter, and cream. When it cooled and hardened, the teething child would play with it until it broke. A small piece of the bannock was then placed in the child’s mouth, along with everyone else in the room. It was believed that teething pain would disappear almost instantly. Although this is not made today, cultures all over the world use teething rings to soothe a child’s gums when he or she is teething.

Umbrellas

            In Scottish superstition, it is terrible to open an umbrella inside someone’s home because this will bring bad luck to the family who lives there. This may have come from when umbrellas were used as protection from the sun. Opening an umbrella inside may have been seen as insulting to the sun, which was considered to be like a god long ago by the Druids in Scotland thousands of years ago. This superstition is very much alive today, probably because we’re constantly using umbrellas! It is a common superstition still in the English speaking world.

Howdies

            A howdie, an archaic Scottish term for a “handy woman”, is a midwife and the person who looks out for the soon-to-be mother. She makes sure that certain rituals concerning superstition are carried out. Before the baby is born, the howdie unties all knots in the mother’s clothing and unlock all the doors and windows in the house to make the birth have no complications, turn over all mirrors so that the baby’s soul won’t be captured, and to give the mother a Rowan berry herb concoction. The Rowan berries are from the sacred Rowan tree, and are therefore believed to provide protection against mischievous fairies and the Evil Eye. After the baby is born, the howdie pours whiskey into the baby’s mouth to protect the baby from these two predators. In addition to this, every woman who is present during the birth must take three spoonfuls oatmeal to bring the baby strength and good luck. (**relate this to traditions done today***** maybe relate to godmothers or traditions surrounding good luck for birth).

Cradles

            Fairies in the Scottish superstition love to play tricks. It is believed that they often will try to swap the human baby with a fairy baby (a Changeling). Until a baby gets baptized, it is at risk of this. Therefore, a baby’s cradle should be made from rowan or oak and be put together with iron nails. These materials provide protection to the vulnerable child. (***relate to today***). Cradles for a baby were often borrowed instead of bought new (for protection for the baby and good luck). There are also two very different superstitions about rocking an empty cradle. One Scottish rhyme goes, “If you rock the cradle empty, then you will have babies plenty.” However, others believed that rocking an empty cradle was a terrible thing to do and could lead to the death of the child. (*****)

The Wedding Day

Works Cited

Bennett, M. Scottish Customs from the Cradle to the Grave. Edinburgh: Polygon 1992.

Bogle, Lara. “Scots Mark New Year With Fiery Ancient Rites.” National Geographic. National    Geographic Society, 31 Dec. 2002. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.             <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1230_021231_hogmanay_2.html&gt;.

“Customs and Superstitions.” Clan Henderson Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.             <http://www.clanhendersonsociety.org/&gt;.

Lane, James. “The Importance of Pocket Money.” The Huffington Post. N.p., 27 June 2012.          Web. 18 Apr. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/dr-james-lane/pocket-money-the- importance-of-pocket-_b_1624582.html>.Scottish National Dictionary

Lynch, M. The Concise History of Scots. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2001.

MacLean, J. P. An Epitome of the Superstitions of the Highlanders of Scotland, Together with a     Selection of Books Pertaining to the Subject,. Franklin, OH: n.p., 1917. Print.

McLeish, William. Personal interview. 19 April 2013.

Norrie, Rhona. Personal interview. 16 April 2013.

This pin was donated to special collections by Richard Hasbrouck in 2006. It was presented to a member of his family back in 1891.

In a dainty plastic bag in Sojourner Truth Library lies a beautiful golden pin on a chain. It is not a white gold— it is a yellow gold, either due to what it is made from or because of over one hundred years of exposure to the sunshine and oily hands. The pin is small, measuring ½ inch tall by ¾ inch wide. It is shaped like an open, hardcover book. In delicate cursive script, “After Labour Reward 1891” is engraved onto its surface. “After” and “Labour” are on the left page, and “Reward 1891” is on the right page. The pin, although solid, is well designed like a book, and the “pages” are not flat- they have a slight curve to them which makes them more realistic. Twenty six small, golden loops attached together connect the book to its pin. The chain is four inches long, and the needle is about 1 ½ inches long. The needle section of the pin is not purely a pin plated in gold, in the middle it has a swirl to it, as though it was taffy that somebody had decided to twist. Like a sewing pin, this pin has a small golden ball at its top.

Along with the pin in the collection was a sheet saying that the pin was presented to either Charlotte E. Reeve or Laura Hasbrouck. However, in the Auld Lang Syne yearbook, the classes from several years around 1981 are listed. Each class has a “slogan.” The graduating class from June 1891’s slogan was “After Labour, Reward.” There are twenty five students in this graduating class. However, only Charlotte E. Reeve is listed in this graduating class, so it would make the most sense that she was the student who was presented with this pin, not Laura Hasbrouck, because this pin was presented to the graduating class, and Laura Hasbrouck is not one of the twenty five names on the list.

This is significant to New Paltz history because it represents the growth of our university. ***

If our bodies were corporations, our brains would be the big bosses in crisp black suits that hold all of the power and make the executive decisions. Our brains are so powerful— they determine our outlook on life, how we interact with the world, and how we think about objects. Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and its functions. Psychologists have scrutinized the relationship between people and objects for many years since objects play such a significant role in our society. Even thousands of years ago, before items were easily available to many people, groups of humans used the environment around them to create objects that had some sort of purpose, either for enjoyment, survival, or simply to make life easier.

So what is so fascinating about our minds when it comes to objects? Each individual perceives the world around him or herself differently, which leads to many perspectives on objects between different individuals, families, communities, and cultures. If one specific object could travel around the world and meet every culture on our planet, it would be treated in hundreds of different ways since many cultures would view the object in unique ways from another culture.

Because the mind is so complex, there are thousands of topics psychologists can study in relation to objects, including differences in cultural views on objects and materialism, attachment to objects in adults and children, and consumer psychology. Through study of these topics, psychologists have been better able to understand how the human brain works and explain why humans act the way they do towards objects.

Through researching worldviews on objects and materialism, psychologists have discovered that because cultures are so diverse, many cultures find it terribly difficult to understand other cultures’ views on objects. For example, in 1848, Native American culture was extremely different from the settlers of European descent. Over 300,000 Europeans flooded into California to look for gold, because in their culture gold was a source of wealth. However, in Native American culture, one did not become “wealthy” from obtaining objects like this. Gold had no value in their lives. Because their culture placed no emphasis on the value of gold, some tribes believed that the gold must have been a supernatural deity, since they understood and believed in the supernatural. This was the only way that they could “understand” the settlers’ obsession with gold. When we don’t understand the way another culture thinks about an object, we often project our own values and beliefs onto their thinking because it is the only thing that our mind can truly understand.

 Psychologists have also learned how different cultures view materialism and possession and which countries are the “most” materialistic. The United States seems like the most “materialistic” culture, since we are obsessed with making and spending money. However, according to a study conducted by Gülitz and Belk, there is a country that is more materialistic than the United States— Romania. It is interesting to think about Romania as a materialistic nation (since many people only think of Romania in reference to Dracula and Frankenstein). Romanians desire many household objects that we take for granted or don’t even consider having want for. This view may be because there was a debt in Romania, which led to rationing on many items. When we are denied something, psychologists have found that we tend to desire it even more.

 Happiness is really the one thing that human beings desire above all else. Through study of humans and their objects, we can learn that having more objects does not necessarily make us happier. Take Graham Hill, for example, who was miserable while surrounded by thousands of fancy objects, but is now incredibly happy leading a simple life with much less “stuff.” We live in a material world, and we are surrounded by people and advertisements telling us to buy, buy, buy! We tend to feel that if we just buy one more object, we will be happier. Companies take advantage of this belief, and have created an entire field called Consumer Psychology. Psychologists are hired by companies to tweak their advertising to make their products more appealing to consumers. However, the happiness we feel from purchasing new things is only temporary, and we soon discover that having more does not necessarily bring the happiness we desire. This can be seen through attachment to objects, which many psychologists choose to study. Attachment to objects has become such a big problem in our world today that there are psychologists that specialize specifically in excessive attachment such as hoarding.

As much as 5% of the US population has an unhealthy attachment to objects, and 4 million people in the United States are hoarders. Hoarding has recently been placed under the spotlight with the new TLC show, “Hoarding: Buried Alive,” which follows the struggles of hoarders trying to part with objects that compromise the health, happiness and order of their lives. Although these people have lots of stuff, they are not necessarily happier, and their quality of life is both low and unsafe. Psychologists have studied hoarders to find that they keep, buy, and treasure items because they feel they will need them in the future or they truly believe it has sentimental value to them. Understanding the psychology of hoarding objects has helped psychologists and a hoarder’s family members to be able to help the individual clean out his or her house and keep from hoarding again. This is very important because understanding this could help change up to 4 million people’s lifestyles, making their homes safer for them and their families.

Attachment to objects is more frequent than most people think. In fact, 70% of children are attached to a particular childhood toy or blanket. Psychologists have developed the attachment theory, which suggests that people attach to objects in order to compensate for perceived unreliable close relationships in their lives.

Objects are a huge part of our environment as humans. In order to understand the mind, we must begin to understand how we interact with objects and what effects they have on our lives. For better or worse, material things surround us. The key to happiness is to understand which objects are helpful or harmful to our mental state and how their presence influences the way we think and behave.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

“Filling the Void.” Hoarding: Buried Alive. TLC. 18 April 2010.

This television series shows various cases of hoarding. The types of materials hoarded vary from clothing, yard sale items, garbage, animals, and food. In most cases, there is a tragic event that triggers hoarding. In all cases, the lives and well-being of the hoarder and their family are compromised in the presence of so many objects.

Ger, Gülitz. Belk, R. “Cross Cultural Differences in Materialism.” Journal of Economic Psychology 17.1 (1996): 55-77. Web. 31 Mar. 2013.

http://www.provost.bilkent.edu.tr/guliz/economic_psychology.pdf

A study is conducted to examine various cultural differences in views towards materialism, possession, envy, non-generosity, and preservation. Results show that consumers from affluent Western countries and consumers from less affluent countries are not more or less materialistic than one another. Results also hint that the most socially and economically dynamic countries show the highest levels of materialism (Romania, Ukraine). Surprisingly, The United States does not have the highest level of materialism.

Hill, Graham. “Living With Less. A Lot Less.” Sunday Review: The New York Times. The New York Times, 9 Mar. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/opinion/sunday/living-with-less-a-lot-less.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2

A young man shares his story of how materialism consumed him. He came into a great deal of money by chance, and found himself living lavishly with an abundance of clothing, furniture, and motor vehicles. He later finds that life with less objects is more freeing and results in happiness and appreciation.

Morris, Steven. “Why children become to attached to toys and comfort blankets”. The Guardian. The Guardian, 8 Mar. 2007. Web. 31 Mar. 2013.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/mar/09/psychology.uknews

A study is conducted to test if children are more likely to choose an “original” toy that they cherish versus an identical toy that is brand new. Results show that the majority of children that came in with a toy or blanket they were attached to were likely to choose their original toy, rather than the new “duplicate” of the toy. Psychologist Bruce Hood suggests that children often anthropomorphize certain objects and give them an essence that cannot be duplicated.

Taylor, Steve. “The Madness of Materialism.” Psychology Today: Out of the Darkness. Psychology Today, 10 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/out-the-darkness/201203/the-madness-materialism

Briefly discusses the European view on gold in the 17th century and the difficulty Native American’s had understanding why the Europeans valued it so much. The author discusses different explanations for materialism, and ultimately suggests that we feel the need to accumulate wealth and materials as a means of alleviating our inner discontents.

CAPTION

Printed in the weekly Poughkeepsie Journal on September 5^th, 1810, this runaway slave notice from one of the most prominent New Paltz families advertises the reward for the return of their slave, Harry. Slavery in the North, though thought to be much less brutal than in the South, was still prominent, and living conditions were detestable enough that slaves were still desperate to run away.

DESCRIPTION

On an off-white page in the Poughkeepsie Journal newspaper lies a rectangular announcement nestled amongst “for sale” and “wanted” advertisements. Atop the eggshell colored paper made from discarded cotton and linen rests crisp, typed words printed in ebony ink announcing a reward for runaway slave Harry from New Paltz, New York. It then describes Harry’s general physical appearance, the items he took with him, and states the company that he ran away with. The inked letters are stamped inconsistently in pressure, with some letters having a bolder, darker presence on the page. Some letters are almost illegibly soft and blurred, maybe due to over two hundred years of survival. Although there is no title, the first four words are printed larger than the rest, begging your eyes to keep reading about the reward and Harry. All 158 words are an unformatted, standard text, except for five words located approximately ¾ inch from the bottom of the advertisement— “widow of David Hasbrouck deceased.” Even after 203 years, the advertisement is still smooth to the touch and legible for all those who desire a snippet of New Paltz slave history.

PROVENANCE

The newspaper containing this slave runaway notice was distributed out into the mid-Hudson Valley region. It is unknown how many prints were made; however, newspapers during this time were better equipped to survive than later newspapers because when papers began to be made out of paper, they were quick to deteriorate. This newspaper was most likely owned by a white resident. This specific ad survives today, and is now located in the New York State Library in Albany, New York.

DATE OF CREATION

Although some slave runaway notices were posted in the paper more than once, this advertisement was only placed in the Poughkeepsie Journal one time, on September 5^th, 1810. Because the newspaper was not a daily newspaper until the Civil war, the notice itself was written sometime within the six days before the 5^th of September. Because it is dated September 3rd, we can assume that this is the day that it was written.

NARRATIVE

The view of the mountains comforts me in these troubling times. My name is Harry and I formerly lived on Butterville road, with a fantastic view of Paltz point located to the west of my residence. Many would find this home ideal— a medium sized stone house, measuring 40×35 feet, with eleven windows. But life for me on Butterville Road was dreadful. Why? My home wasn’t my home by choice. In fact, it wasn’t even really my home. I was enslaved to Mary Hasbrouck.

 Days have passed since I ran away with my friend Caesar, although we’re still in the New Paltz area. My life has not been the way most people from different parts of the world probably imagined it to be. I heard tell that many people believe that cruel treatment of slaves only happens in the South because the North has abolitionist feelings. However, this is not the case. New Paltz is situated in New York—a Northern state. You might believe that people here hold antislavery views. I can say without hesitation that this is not the case.

Take a look at my runaway slave notice posted in the Poughkeepsie Journal. Although I’m a human being just like anyone else, I’m painted as inferior. I’m referred to as “remarkably well spoken,” as though it is surprising that I would be able to speak civilly and respectably because I am a person of color. I ran away from the Hasbrouck family, a founding family of New Paltz who signed the New Paltz patent. They are very prominent and influential in the community, and are therefore promoting discriminatory views that degrade people of color. Slavery is an acceptable part of New Paltz, a place that I have been forced to call home.

Many people do not realize that life as a slave in New Paltz has not been easy. Every prominent household has at least one slave. Let me tell you about the Hasbrouck family. Although they put out this notice to capture me, the Hasbroucks have more than enough money to hire someone to work for them instead of promoting slavery. March Hasbrouck’s mother-in-law, Wyntje Deyo, is one of the wealthiest residents of the community and David Hasbrouck (Mary’s deceased husband) inherited all of his father’s land in Ulster county.   

So why is Harry’s slave notice significant to the history of New Paltz? “Harry” mentioned that people in that time might think that slavery was only cruel in the South, and this is true of today as well. We are blind to so much of our history. In school, we learn about slavery in America and the abolition movement that took place in the North. Yet, we never stop and think, what about right here? What about this very street I’m walking on? Were people here against slavery? Were blacks filled with terror when walking through the streets of New Paltz? It’s easy to convince ourselves that New Paltz was a community against slavery since it is located in New York, a state in which many abolitionist movements took place. However, this is not entirely true. We learn from slave notices like this one that New Paltz was heavily involved with slavery and believed that blacks were inferior.

The slave runaway notice is significant because we gain insight into the different worlds between slaves and a wealthy family such as the Hasbroucks. The notice shows us how few possessions and clothing the slave owned, making him easily identifiable to others in the area. The detailed focus on the slave’s attire and possessions shows that New Paltz took the capture of slaves seriously. Although we may be naïve and think that New Paltz was a safe place for people of color, New Paltz must have been terrifying to live in if you were black. There was mistreatment and hatred towards blacks.

RESOURCES: ******

Downey, Meg. “From the Bill of Rights to IBM.” http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/services/aboutthejournal.pdf

Hello fellow object enthusiasts! This is Eirinn and Maggie and we wanted to share with you some of the objects that we encountered yesterday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (if you haven’t been, we highly recommend going!). After talking about objects so much in class, we were able to “see” so much more about the objects and we ended up being intrigued by “stuff” that probably wouldn’t have caught our attention in the past.

The first object that we would like to share is this golden clock (maybe about two feet tall). It’s very sad that the art of clock making is almost extinct now that we have turned digital. In a few generations, it’s possible that the whole idea of a clock will just be something to look at in museums. It just wouldn’t be the same to have a fancy, golden digital clock! Every section of the clock is detailed- covered in tiny designs. It’s hard for us to even imagine someone spending hours and hours each day for weeks just to make one clock. And try to imagine having this clock sitting on your desk! It’s just so elegant.

This picture is a close-up of a guitar. We were both amazed by the tiny details not just on the outside of the guitar, but on the inside as well. You can just barely see the carvings inside the hole— it’s funny to think that so much time and effort was spent on a part of the guitar that can barely be seen. This shows that the design of the guitar was very important. We wonder if it was even played, or if it was purely for aesthetic pleasure.

This beautiful chest reminds us of a wunderkammer. It is fun to imagine what might have been in all of those drawers. If only we could go back in time and snoop through this chest when it was being used! Every single drawer has a detailed image in gold— it’s absolutely incredible. Even the keyholes are intricately detailed.

And last but not least, (inspired by Charles Ephrussi) a ridiculously extravagant bed! We both love this bed (possibly because we both wanted canopy beds when we were ten years old and unfortunately never got to have them). The Victorian rooms at the museum were our favorite. You could stand so that you could pretend to be a part of the room. If only we still had beds like this today!!

So next time you’re in the city, check out the Met. It really is fantastic!

For a brief introduction to the town of New Paltz, I thought the Wikipedia page did an okay job. It did have a decent amount of categories to look through, although I feel like many of them could be expanded. One thing I felt was missing was the general “feel” of the town. New Paltz definitely has a “feel” and this is part of its appeal. I especially get this when walking down Main Street. I almost feel like there needs to be a description of Main Street because it is such a main part of the town and in my opinion it is very cute with all of the local businesses and small stores.

I need to comment on the fact that the village area of New Paltz is only 1.8 square miles. That’s tiny! I was curious so I looked at my town’s Wikipedia page… my town is 49.6 square miles! Also, just from looking at my town’s page, I’m seeing many things that I think could be included into ours. On my town’s page, it includes local landmarks in a bullet pointed list and traces back each building’s/landmark’s personal history. I’m sure that there are several historic landmarks in New Paltz that have a fascinating story, so it would be interesting to include this on the page.

The culture section of the New Paltz village page does not do the town justice at all. It mentions “big” events such as “Memorial Day Parade” and the “Halloween Parade” and these are such standard events that most towns have. The culture definitely needs to be described and expanded more. The culture section focuses on events, and there is so much more to culture than just “events”.

Also, I think it’s very strange that we have a sister city in Japan. According to Wikipedia, a sister city is “cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.” I’d like to know how we came to get a sister city in Japan, and what exactly goes on between the two cities to promote cultural and commercial ties. It would also be interesting to see if any of the old newspapers mentioned in this wiki page are still around somewhere. Maybe they’re in a museum or an archive? It would be fun to try and track them down!

SUNY New Paltz would have some crazy stories on its wiki page (such as the events from November 1997). Although this page was more interesting than the New Paltz village page, I still think that the cultural feel of the school is missing. I want to know more about the bell tower. Maggie brought it up one day and I’ve never stopped thinking about it since then. There must be some sort of history to the bell tower!

This urn really is a fascinating mystery. It appeared in an antique shop in Angus, Scotland in the 70’s. And yes, when I say “appeared,” that’s really what I mean. The shop owner walked into his store one day and there it was, sitting on the counter as though somebody had snuck in at night and left it as a present. It was hand painted, because on one side there are several little flaws in the brush strokes. It appeared delicate and precious, so the store owner decided to keep it in the store to see what would happen to it and if he could figure out where it came from. Its true origins are unknown to this day.

A week later, my mum was not very happy. The family was taking a day trip to Glamis castle and she couldn’t go because she had to take her O-Level exams that day at school. Her mum, Dorothy, felt bad for her and decided to get her a gift while in the town up by the castle. Dorothy came across the antique shop and went inside to take a look.

She bought the urn, without noticing that inscribed on its underside was “McLeish”— which happens to be my family’s last name. It’s almost like the urn was a “lost thing” trying its best to come back to a McLeish owner.

Although urns are usually associated with holding ashes, they are often used for decoration as well. My mum placed the urn on her bedside table and it lived there in Dundee for over twenty years. It made the cut for the move down to England and claimed a spot on the kitchen counter. It held Tetley tea bags.

Many of our possessions couldn’t come with us when we came to America. For some reason, this urn was chosen to accompany us. It traveled across the ocean by boat, along with our other possessions, while we flew to New York. I claimed it as mine, even though it wasn’t given to me. I didn’t actually do anything with it— it just sat in my kitchen by our table. But it was mine.

 Then it accidentally became a jello bowl.

I had my first bone graft done and I couldn’t eat anything solid. I was very out of it and wanted jello. Somehow, I thought I had grabbed a regular bowl to make my jello in… but I had grabbed the urn instead. It made a marvelous jello bowl because my cats (Smokie and Smirnoff) will eat anything, and if I leave any food uncovered, they will lick it and stick their paws in it and get it everywhere. This was the perfect jello bowl because I could eat it on the couch, then when I wanted to fall asleep, I could simply put on the lid and save it for later, without having to worry about my troublesome cats getting into it. The urn remained a jello bowl for three years and served faithfully through several more face surgeries.

Now, the urn looks like a proper urn, sitting on a table in my living room, in between two plants, with a picture of my grandmother Dorothy in front of it. If you look at it, you’d assume that her ashes were inside. But the urn holds something much, much different.

I used to try to keep my cats out of the urn to keep my jello safe. But now, the urn holds their fallen whiskers. Have you ever felt a cat whisker? They’re fascinating. They’re thick at one end, almost like plastic, and then taper to a thin, delicate point. When I first found one, I didn’t think I’d find another. I wanted a good place to keep it, so I put it in the urn. Now, it holds a whole collection of over forty whiskers, all from Smokie and Smirnoff. I don’t know why I keep them. It’s a little weird. I’ll definitely be a crazy cat lady when I’m older.

But the urn story gets even weirder. We now have two urns that look like this. The second one came in the mail. My grandad had found it on his doorstep. This one also has “McLeish” written on the bottom. So the McLeish urns remain a mystery. I don’t think we’ll ever know where they came from or how they were made. If only I knew an urn maker- maybe he could help figure out when and where it came from. It’s surprisingly hard to find out urn manufacture information on google! However, I think this makes the urns even more fascinating. Sometimes it’s nice for objects to come with a lot of mystery.

A coin is tucked inside a letter on my bookshelf. It’s no ordinary coin, although it measures 1.5 cm long like a common American penny and weighs about the same as well.

The surface is brown and faded with chipped, bumpy edges. No evidence remains of its former bronze brilliance. A darker hue of brown lines its edge like it has been charred. The coin appears delicate from hundreds of years of existence, as though you could scrape away the design with one easy swipe of a nail file. Its surface is dull, and will never be shiny again because its thin, bronze top coat has been worn away with time. On one side lies the goddess Pax, raised out of the coin to emphasize her importance, with “Perfect Peace” inscribed around her in Latin. Although damaged with time, her figure is still visible, along with a large staff held in her hand.  The other side is a bumpy blur, although it once held a glorious, shiny depiction of Constantine I. This side doesn’t even look like a coin; if it was lying in the ground, it could easily be mistaken for a flat, bumpy pebble.           

It has been sitting in various places in my room since March 10^th, 2005. It’s forgotten most of the time. However, this coin is rich in history. It lived before the Twin Towers were attacked. It survived before the Great Depression. It even lived before the Norman Invasion of England in 1066. “How did it end up in your room?” you may wonder.

Here is its story.

Let’s zoom back almost two thousand years to the Roman Empire. During the rule of Constantine the Great, this small bronze coin was made in the 18^th year of his rule, around 324 A.D. Constantine was the first emperor to become a Christian (he thought that God would help him conquer more people) and therefore changed the history of all of Europe for the next thousand years. This coin was around for the beginning of a new kind of world as it passed from hand to hand over the years. It was called a “follis,” which is like our modern day penny, so it most likely passed through the hands of commoners as they went about their days selling fish in the marketplace, buying bread, paying back loans, and losing money in bets.

At some point, it fell into the ground— possibly slipping unnoticed through someone’s fingers. It lay there, squished into the soil, for much longer than it probably expected to, undiscovered for centuries. Countless people walked over it. The dark ages came and went. Kings and Queens rode by and peasants trudged over it. Genghis Khan and the Mongols stormed over it as they invaded. Vikings passed by in their boats. All were unaware of the small piece of history that was waiting to be discovered.

It was only recently that someone happened to look down at the right spot and pick it up. It was found by an archaeologist who was exploring the world from one end to the other.

This archaeologist was Mr. Bill Reilly, who became a middle school teacher several years later. He inspired minds like no one else could and created a passion for learning. His students had the craziest assignments (building life-sized catapults, making episodes of “The Daily Show”, turning school hallways into a museum for the community to visit)— and even those kids who were frequently suspended or hated going to school couldn’t help but look forward to his class all day. This small “follis” snagged a spot in his ancient coin collection, which students year after year observed and passed around while learning about ancient Rome.

I loved Mr. Reilly. What an interesting man he was! And he had fabulous stories from all over the world to share. I spent many hours after school with the coin in my palm, imagining epic battles, creamy togas, and vast empires. For my 12^th birthday, Mr. Reilly gave me the coin. I loved it to pieces. It sat for a while in a white tin with other coins I had been collecting, until one day I realized that the tin just wasn’t its home. It wasn’t supposed to be with other coins. It was too special. So it sits inside the letter that Mr. Reilly gave me on my 12^th birthday and it’s been there ever since- relocating to different spots in my room whenever I clean.

I think what I liked most about having this coin in my possession was that it was a secret. I had my own little piece of ancient Rome and nobody knew that except me (and Mr. Reilly).

My life is kind of like this penny. Although I won’t be around for as long, history is being created around me and I am experiencing “time.” I’m going to experience wonderful and horrible events! One day, what is happening right now will be a story in a young child’s textbook. We’ll be referred to as “Ancient New Yorkers!”  I keep this penny around as a reminder that all time is precious— and that history is still being written each and every day.

When I was four, I wanted to be a ninja- mostly because I wanted to be just like my older brother Robert, who had started martial arts two years before. I’ve always been a shy person. I would stand in the seating area of the dojo, watching the class and following along. My Mum kept asking me if I wanted to do the class. “Nope”, I’d say, shaking my head.  Yet every night I’d beg to get taken along to class with Robert and I’d follow along with the lesson. Then at home, Robert and I would practice in our living room, and he would correct my stances and my techniques. Eventually, we reached an agreement- I would enroll if my Mum did as well. That Monday, I started class… and never stopped.

I love my belt. It’s got my name in English on one side and my name in Korean on the other. However, the Korean is completely incorrect. For some reason, I absolutely love that. It makes it perfect.

My belt is an identity. I don’t have to be shy when I wear my belt. In fact, it’s almost impossible to be shy when it’s wrapped around my waist. I’m not exactly sure why it has that effect on my personality. It may be because I know I’ve worked hard to get it, therefore I feel “worthy” when I wear it. Perhaps it is because people see me not as an ordinary girl, but as a role model. Whatever the reason, my belt is a source of confidence.

In addition to confidence, my belt has given me another identity: a teacher. I have been teaching four to six year olds with my Mum since I was twelve years old. At first, I didn’t know how to teach at all. I didn’t even know how I would approach teaching an art form. But now, eight years later, teaching is my passion. I love planning fun classes for my kids. And somehow, they always have the funniest things to say. One thing unique about my belt (which some martial artists might look down on) is that it has an orange piece of tape wrapped around it next to the four stripes. It was put there three years ago, by a four year old named Donald. Every two weeks, my kids get a stripe. Each stripe of tape on their belt represents a certain skill such as balance, jumping, basic moves, respect and honesty, and more. We focus on a certain skill for two weeks. I had finished tying on all of the orange stripes of tape, and ended the class. Before I left the floor, Donald ran up to me, gave me a huge hug, and said “Eirinn, you’re my favoritist instructor ever!” He grabbed my belt, and put his own orange stripe on my belt.  It has been there ever since- for every competition, every test, and every class that I teach. I can’t bring myself to take off the stripe. It reminds me that I have the ability to be a positive influence. Also, it simply gives my belt some character. Some martial artists may not like it, but it makes my belt “mine.”