Wednesday, November 16, 2011

I Mean I Really Love That Thing

Are you familiar with the Tervis Tumblers? I swear, this is not a paid post but it totally should be, because I have a significant and meaningful Personal Brand Relationship with Tervis Tumblers and I strive to be a Thought Leader in this area. Ooh, and I just saw on that website that the 16 oz. size comes with a handle now!

Okay, so these are these plastic cups that don't sweat, whatever. I have a set of six of them, and they're basically the glasses we use all day long now. Though I have six tumblers, I have only one snap-on travel lid. It is red. And by some unspoken understanding, nobody in the house uses it but me. I make a to-go coffee in the morning to fortify me for the preschool drop-off, I take a glass of water with me to my workout, and I've even been known to take a travel cocktail out of the house in my Tervis tumbler. That travel lid enables a non-stop beverage party.

Yet I only have one. Sometimes I can't immediately lay a hand on it and it takes a moment to find it. When my eyes alight on its red contours, hidden in the top rack of the dishwasher or in a drawer, I feel glad. It is just a piece of plastic, but I feel fondly towards it. That travel lid is my sturdy and good friend.

Twice now, TWICE, I have stood in a store where Tervis travel lids were sold, on the brink of buying another lid. It seems like a smart and prudent idea, in the moment, to double my supply of lids and perhaps avoid the pain of needing it and not having it. The way that parents of babies who use pacifiers strive to distribute NUKs in an even layer all over the house.

But I have picked up the new lid, held it, and put it back on the rack. Twice I have done this. My fear is that, once it is not a unique object that some dedicated portion of my brain keeps track of, but is a duo of identical objects, I won't pay attention to either one and they'll be clutter and I won't have a lid when I want one.

Is this, like, Brain Science? Or just my weirdness? I'm going to say that it is science. Please someone come along with a relevant citation, kthx!

It makes me think of that old nugget about how a man with one watch always knows what time it is, but a man with two watches is never sure. Oh yes, it's exactly the same.

Are there any unique objects in your house that you feel this way about?

My sister's post today is far more interesting and is awesomely about how her brain works. You should really read that post instead of this one.

(Too late, heh.)

11 comments:

Allison said...

Yes - it's exactly like that with reading glasses. I have about 10 pair, so I don't really pay attention to them. However, the one pair that I really really like, I keep track of.

Amy said...

I totally know what you mean! Once you have more than one, you relax about knowing where it is. (But I still think you should buy another!) hey--you could buy it and then have Matt hide it from you!! Cause that wouldn't be weird at ALL.

I do that thing with the Nuks! The covering the house w them! But you knew that.

puncturedbicycle said...

Becky, among your considerable talents is this ability to identify a significant but previously undiscovered wrinkle at the interface of logic and desire.

If you have two of these, I predict that your joy in life will increase; if you have five, you will struggle to find one. Either way, you will identify one as your favourite and that one will disappear.

My head is exploding.

Camp Papa said...

"... a significant but previously undiscovered wrinkle at the interface of desire and logic". Where has this phrase been all of my life?

melondonkey said...

I think it was Thoreau who said "try to make things as simple as possible, try to make things as simple as possible, try to make things as simple as possible" or something like that.

What you described is actually my number one guide in buying clothes or almost anything. I always think about how much it will affect how much I wear or use my other stuff rather than how much I will use the new thing. I usually feel a sense of loyalty to things I already have and hate the idea of betraying them.

However, when it comes to pens, I'm still divided on this one. Even the best pen is impossible to keep track of if you have only one, and I have come to see the wisdom in dumping of large quantities of cheap pens in strategic locations.

Lisa Lilienthal said...

I agree with the reading glasses comment -- same thing. I tried buying like 6 of the plastic cheaters and distributing them around the areas where I would need to read (desk, kitchen, bedside, purse was my theory) and now I can usually only find the blue ones. And hey - where you find Tervis lids (I could use one as mine is gone gone gone)

Kelly said...

I hope the Tervis people read your post and start making a PITCHER!!!! Hear that people??? Come on!!

Rick Dakan said...

You know I live only like ten miles or so from the Tervis headquarters, right? If you need anything...

Stephanie said...

Um. EXACTLY. When I moved back in with my parents (after graduate school. I don't want to talk about it) I had an Aladdin screw on top travel cup and it was PERFECT. It was my constant companion everyday. As soon as my mom caught on to the gloriousness she went out and bought (at least) 6 knock offs. I sometimes use a knock off if I can't find my original or it isn't clean. But that's a rare, sad, lonely day. YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST.

Anonymous said...

Yes, my moleskin little black planner and silver Cross pen are two objects that I never lose and would be utterly lost without. Question re: tervis tumbler. Do they absorb odor or stain? I hate using plastic bottles that have held something other than water. . . they smell odd to me. maybe tervis has a magic liner.

Dilem*mama said...

I often preach from the gospel of Tervis.
We have color-coded Tervis tumblers on our motorhome - one for each of us and solo cups for guests.
For home, we have clear tumblers. I have one pink travel lid that is OFF LIMITS for everyone else. It never occured to me to buy another travel lid for home. hmmmm. What to do? What to do?