Thursday, November 06, 2003

Sidewalks are for Regular Walking

Continuing with a theme of “crap I found lying on the side of the road,” and lacking the focus or time to work up a presentable post for tomorrow morning, here’s a transcription of my notes from a few weeks ago of the stuff I found on the sidewalk.  All the the below-referenced items truely were laid out along about 10 feet of sidewalk on 14th avenue between Geary and Anza or Clement.  Seeing it all displayed in the bright sunlight, I just felt I had to catalogue it.  Now I know why.

* Console TV (a big one, too)
* 2 fridges (full sized)
* VHS VCR
* 4 more televisions (not console style)
* Steamer trunk
* Suitcase (hard-sided)
* Vacuum cleaner
* 2 typewriters (electric)
* 6 computer monitors
* Toaster oven
* Kitchen table
* Sink

These items made a merry diorama along the grassy verge under the acacia trees.  Someone had taken care to place every object in a clearly identifiable relation to other objects like itself as well as to other types of objects and the amalgamation of all the objects as a whole.  I walked around the display, writing down its constituent parts and marvelling at the modern world.  In some countries that console TV would house a family of 7.  In some countries these discarded computer monitors would be turned into construction materials or automotive parts.  In some countries that sink would be hospital equipment.  I live where someone artfully arranges it all in a trash boquet, a streetside still-life, there but to improve my aesthetic experience.  I was almost grateful, but goddamn it, that’s a lot of garabage.  And none of it seemed like much fun, even to a veteran shard-scrounger like myself.  I’m just saying it wasn’t as great as a collection of random garbage might sound like it could be. 

And a prize to the first to tell me who said the title to this post, to whom, and why.