the awesome/terrifying freedom

i have had an ongoing contest with one of my best friends, emily. the contest has lasted since 1988, when we were in junior high and both of us were traveling a considerable amount. we both decided that we should see who could find the worst piece of tourist crap ever made. thus, over the years came the exchange of such choice items as:

a highly flammable ashtray in the shape of a monkey made from coconuts, purchased in greece.
beer cans cut and shaped into a small helicopter, purchased in vietnam.
sand and glue molded into the shape of a unicorn, purchased in panama.

well, emily and i hadn't seen each other for years - she'd been in japan teaching and working, but has recently moved to nyc. we hung out last night, and she pulled from her pocket a small box. i'm posting only a picture of the box, because my battery died before i could take a picture of what was inside. and let me tell you it's horrifying. and emily may have just won the competition once and for all. in fact, the sight of the thing probably killed my battery. so, as a teaser, here's the box.



until i get my battery recharged, you'll just have to imagine the terrors that lurk within.