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New Toolbox
Feb. 19th, 2006 01:33 pmMy Dad was always a firm believer in self-sufficiency. From the time I was a tiny girl he taught me how to be handy: how to wire a lamp, how to paint furniture and walls, how to correctly use a hammer, what various tools were used for, and how to connect up my own stereo.
He gave me my very first toolbox for Christmas when I was 20 and getting my first apartment. The toolbox was steel, had a bright red tray inside, weighed (empty) around 5 pounds, and was fairly small. He also gave me a large starter kit of tools: screwdrivers of various sizes and types, a level, a hammer, lots of fasteners, pliers, wrenches, a tape measure, and a hand drill with a few different bits.
He lectured me sternly about loaning out my tools ("people forget where they got them, and you'll never see them again, trust me") and then offered to always help me with any project.
Over the next two decades, I ignored his advice about loaning stuff out, learned he was completely right, replaced a bunch of stuff, added to my collection of tools, bought cool gizmos, and generally used the heck out of the damned thing.
Last week I bought a brand new, plastic, shiny toolbox. It's black, with a black tray inside, and has little yellow details. It's a lot bigger than my old one, weighs almost nothing when empty, and holds almost all of my tools with ease. It's nice. Generic, but nice. I'm sure Dad would have approved.
But it's not the same.
He gave me my very first toolbox for Christmas when I was 20 and getting my first apartment. The toolbox was steel, had a bright red tray inside, weighed (empty) around 5 pounds, and was fairly small. He also gave me a large starter kit of tools: screwdrivers of various sizes and types, a level, a hammer, lots of fasteners, pliers, wrenches, a tape measure, and a hand drill with a few different bits.
He lectured me sternly about loaning out my tools ("people forget where they got them, and you'll never see them again, trust me") and then offered to always help me with any project.
Over the next two decades, I ignored his advice about loaning stuff out, learned he was completely right, replaced a bunch of stuff, added to my collection of tools, bought cool gizmos, and generally used the heck out of the damned thing.
Last week I bought a brand new, plastic, shiny toolbox. It's black, with a black tray inside, and has little yellow details. It's a lot bigger than my old one, weighs almost nothing when empty, and holds almost all of my tools with ease. It's nice. Generic, but nice. I'm sure Dad would have approved.
But it's not the same.
