day 32 of 365

We used to play a game when I was younger where you write your name and the name of your secret (or not-so-secret) crush on a piece of paper. Your cross out the letters that the two names have in common, and then calculate your relationship status based on the remaining number of letters in each name. The end results were easily manipulated so that it would come out however you wanted by using a person's full name, middle name, nickname.....whatever worked. The goal was to have it end up with the two of you walking hand and hand into the sunset together, and living happily ever after.

If only connections were that easy. I'm sure we could each fill up a drawer in this old card catalog with the failed connections we've made. The trick is to file them away and move on. There's a sunset waiting out there somewhere.

Do you want to create your own altered card catalog photo? I did this one using picnik, but picasa or photoshop would work just as well. I'll be posting an unedited version of this photo on my flickr page for your free use. All I ask is that if you do use it you'll link to the original and post a link to your resulting photo. I'd love to see what you do with it!

PS: This card catalog used to house the maritime card files of historian and author Henry Crocker Kittredge. The cards have been moved to our library's archives, but the catalog has such character that we keep it in our historic research room, along with other wonderful treasures.