A CELEBRATION OF ORDINARY THANGS! ALSO, A BATMAN MUG

It might be tiresome to hear about digital media and the opportunities it affords those who are willing to take advantage, but whatever. It is something that has to be said. It's also why digital mediums are so effective for the documentation/celebration/urination of the everyday--the mundane. Being able to tweet pictures and send picture messages through our cellular phones allows for miniature thanksgivings throughout our daily routines. Often times, these pictures are of food, pets, people, and various clothing items that your mom is considering buying for you, although she's worried, because what if it doesn't fit? It is tough to judge without you there, and she knows that you get grumpy when she buys you oversized shirts. I digress. People took pictures of these things before digital cameras and the internet--this is true. But film costs money, and one can't go about wasting such things. So the minutiae of our lives was less preserved. Now, we have an overwhelming surplus of personal recordings; thousands of images, videos, blog posts, and chat histories are on our hard drives as well as the World Wide Web. The ordinary has now been examined, expressed, and shared to the point of inanity. Also, insanity. That doesn't mean that the little things can't be appreciated, or that our affections for these things aren't valid. Sometimes though, less is more. A constant stream of personal information can quickly erode what sentiment there is to be had. Something to consider!

I think a really nice ode to the ordinary is the webcomic A Softer World. Three panel photographs accompanied by little blurbs of dialogue are what makes up this work. The pictures are often of spaces that are easy to relate to, pets in familiar positions, and people in discussion. The words are the sort of sentences you probably have at least once a day--something funny, a snippet of dialogue, a couplet of unusual profundity. The comic isn't one of spectacle. In fact, I think it is a really accessible, human sort of work. One that doesn't celebrate these things outright, but rather presents them in the spirit of celebration. Careful with that link though! I just sent you to the first one, the voice changes a little bit along the way, but profanity and adult themes can abound. You're consenting adults. I trust you.

Now for something of my own.

A MUG ONLY A MOTHER/ANYONE COULD LOVE

Oh, Batman Mug

How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways:

You are a Batman Mug

I would say that is

like,

Number One.

And I am not sure if the rest of the list is numbered.

It is funny that you are filled with change

because, Batman Mug,

I never want you to change.

You stand/sit there

steadfast and immovable, like unto a rock--

or even

the real Batman.

At least in the sense that the real Batman does not move

unless he desires that it be so.

You watch over me

from your shelf above my desk

as if to say:

"What are you doing down there?

Are you watching Justified?

I know for a fact you have homework to do.

Are you even listening to me?

Can I even talk?"

And I just smile and take it in stride.

I know you scold me because you care.

Oh! Batman Mug,

I think I love you.