The MITRE Desk Clock

This Blog has been quiet for a while. This Relic represents the reason this blog is back to life.

I Retired!

The excellent folks at MITRE gifted me with this engraved desk clock as a reward for my years of service.

I will miss the people there.

--It's a MITRE Box!

The Bop-It

This Relic is a small Bop-It toy.

I got this Bop-It at my friend Bob's 40th birthday party.

Bob was one of the creators of the Bop-it and was giving them out as party favors!

--Nice work Bob!

The Ice Viking

This Relic was a gift from my friends Cynthia and Brian. It is thick and heavy and I am afraid of dropping it not because it might break but because it could do some serious damage to my toe.

The photo does not do the thing justice.

When it is in the light it throws haunting colors all over the room.

--It looks like it's made of ice.

The Squishy Cartman

While I was working at Infodata Systems Inc I stole this Relic many times from a co-worker. She would steal it back. But not until I squished him many times.

When she left the company and I found it on my desk the following Monday.

--I always think of Cynthia when I see him.

The Bop It

You guys know what a Bop It toy is. That's right, it's a Relic! You probably have one in your house somewhere.

My friend Bob invented the thing.

I went to his 40th birthday party and stole this party favor!

It's a mini Bop It!

--I love making Bob Scream!

The Winged Bear

This Relic was given to me by my friend Leslie when she left Infodata. We worked together there for years. Lots of Movie nights and campouts and beers!!

It is very incongruous in the den on shelves full of odd looking, often kinda creepy Relics.

I think of her when I see the bear.

That is a general theme with with the Relics in my collection. A memory trigger.

--That or their Arcane Magical Powers!

The Potato God

Spud the Potato God

This petrified spud was discovered behind the stove at Chazbos house in Fredonia NY.

It was quickly deified as Spud the Potato God. Mostly because at the time it looked remarkably like Richard Nixon.

We drank a case of beer with Spud that night. 

--Soon after he went to Australia with me.

The Two Ball

It was the winter of 1980.

It was a different world. We would go to various local bars on various drink special nights. We were are The Field House that night just outside of Batavia on Rt.5.

That night I was there with Jimbo, Chaz, Jer and Tom when the fight broke out. I didn't see who started it but it spread to the whole bar like wild fire. Jimbo and I were still sober and we realized it was out of control to the point that the cops would be there in just a few minutes.

We managed to drag Chaz to the door before the woman at the pool table hurt him real bad. We were slowly exiting out the back of the lot into the trailer park as the State Troopers were rolling in.

We made our escape into the snowy night.

That's when Chaz realized he still had this pool ball in his hand. He had grabbed it off the table as insurance in case that woman had a biker for a boyfriend...

--I have had this Relic ever since.

The Calthrop

This Relic came into my collection in 1976. It was given to be by my friend Ray Clark (RIP 1981). He gave me a half a dozen of these.

This is made out of steel and about an inch tall. It is very heavy. Ray got about 20 of these from his older brother that worked in a machine shop. They were used in a giant tumbler, like a rock tumbler. Metal parts were put into this giant cement mixer looking thing, to get all the rust off and polished. I never knew what they were actually called. We called them Calthrops because they really hurt if you stepped on them.

As teen age boys we thought these would make wicked projectiles. One of these would be as good as a Ninja throwing star!!

My friend Ray died in a motorcycle crash in his early 20's. It always reminds me of him.

--It reminds me of the days when we were imortal Ninjas.