Procrastinet

The Compulsive Collection of Bouncy Balls

filed under: Dadditudes

Max cycles through obsessions with totem items (much, actually, like his Daddy's Weekly WANT ITs) on a week-to-two-months cycle. A couple weeks ago it was a book, before that it was his Pooh figurines. Now it's his ever-growing collection of bouncy balls.

For over a month now, we've been unable to pass a hi-bounce ball dispenser without buying a couple. The collection is up to 51 or so, depending on how many are currently under couches. He's named every single one of them, and gets very cranky when we get the names wrong. Actually, we've named some - which tend to me the unimaginative names like "Golden" or "Pink Swirl," and he's named others, which have astonishingly strange names like "Two Eret." WTF?

Here they all are, with names appended (sadly, in this picture they're packed compactly enough that the scope of the collection is minimized). Welcome to our world. Because this wasn't dorky enough to begin with, the balls are displayed in chronological order.

Back row (l. to r.): Zebra, Orange Baseball, Basketball, 8-ball, Twin (the other "Twin" has gone missing), White Multi-Color, Black Multi-Color

Second row: Greeny, 11, Golden (lately "Pink Golden" as there are three others), Check, Chalk, Psychedelic, Stripy I

Third row: Splatter, Tek, Bouncier 8, Pink Swirl, 11, 11, Stripy II

Fourth row: Green Golden, Super Golden, Pink Golden (yes, another one, so much for differentiating), Kooshy, 1, 3, Blue Swirl

Fifth row: 15, Two Eret, Booger (!!), Tu Dandy, Texas, Tu Tu, Circus

Sixth row (SIXTH ROW?!): Cinnamon, Orange Swirl, New 8, Taggy, Yellow Psychedelic, [Unknown], Sherbet (the cause of much strife as Daddy fights for proper pronounciation)

Seventh: Lime Swirl, Eyeball (small Eyeball, hiding behind big Eye Ball), Mosaic, Hot Pink Swirl, 3, 12, Daddy (which Daddy found at the Bowery Poetry Club)

Large Format: Astronaut Ball, Eye Ball (which lights up and appears to levitate).

I think it's safe to say that we are, as a family, out of our minds.

Here are the balls deployed at the playground, standing for roll call:

The upside is, we've gotten over a months worth of enjoyment, with hours of active playtime each day ("Mommy, come play ROLL CATCH wif me!" is the refrain of the moment), for a running total of $15.

Posted by rjt at December 5, 2006 09:54 PM