Thursday, June 18, 2009

Six Uninteresting Things I Love

I got tagged by my friend K. to name "Six Uninteresting Things I Love." Not so easy! Naturally things I love are interesting to me, and discerning what might be considered uninteresting in general seems a little tricky. 

Here's my list:


The house I grew up in after my family and I moved to the U.S.




The morning coffee I drink when I'm at home (AND the particular mug I like to use for it, which has on it a snowy Christmas scene with a dusk-blue sky in the background).



Children's art. I'd quibble with characterizing children's art as categorically "uninteresting;" I actually think it's very interesting. But then again, I took a whole course on it in graduate school, so I guess you can't go by me. I think love of children's art might strike some as similar to the fascination of watching a sleeping child: very enjoyable if it involves one's own, but otherwise, no doubt, singularly dull to most folks. I happen to think my son's cats are fabulous, though. :)



Notebooks and journals. Empty ones. Filled ones. Old ones. New ones. Love 'em.



Supplies. School supplies.  Art supplies.  Artisans' tools.  Pictures of artists' supplies. This is Kyoko's reed-making stuff; other examples of images I've enjoyed perusing include those of old medical kits, dancers' pointe shoes, a row of cellos just waiting to be played, writers' desks...that kind of thing.



Storefronts and doorways. This is the French book shop at Rockefeller Center.


(These are K.'s six things. You can find more examples of beloved "uninteresting" things at Simply NaturalSixpence and a Blue MoonMimi Charmante, and Beach House.   Anali has a variation of this up on her blog too - "Six Unimportant Things That Make Me Happy.")

This meme got me thinking about personal taste. What accounts for it? What possible brain mechanisms could there be to cause one individual to like the color turquoise while another prefers chartreuse? 
There's certainly nothing rational about our aesthetic loves. I'd like a biophysical or biochemical explanation for how (and why) they develop. Our appreciation of beautiful things is one facet of human experience that makes me want to thumb my nose a bit at all the rationalist and reductionist explanations medical people bandy about when it comes to the human mind.  Click here for an article entitled "Our Brains Are Not Us" which reflects on this in greater depth. (Hat tip to Daniel Goldberg, author of the Medical Humanities Blog, for the reference.)

If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged to share your own six uninteresting yet beloved items.  :) 

Just in time. There goes my beeper again...

7 comments:

modernemama said...

me too for the supplies - I love the possibilities inherent in the unused pencils, paper and notebooks - and the French bookstore as well not least because it smells so good.

ShrinkingDoc said...

I LOVE the cats. And blue is my favorite color.

Isn't it true that the house you grew up in is always special?

Lisa Johnson said...

I love those cats too! I also love looking into shop windows and doorways. And thanks for the shout out! ; )

Margaret Polaneczky, MD (aka TBTAM) said...

I love kids art - we've kept quite a few of my kids masterpieces framed and on our walls for years. I'd take it over most anything else.

Also love notebooks. (Never write in them though, just love them)

Nice post.

Sixpence and A Blue Moon said...

I think it is impossible to find 'uninteresting' things.:) I love your list.

I think there is something magical about the houses we grow up in, they are sprinkled with magic dust.:)

Notebooks are just the greatest, I keep one in every room and every purse - never know when an idea, quote, or something funny is going to pop into my head or happen.

Thanks for your comment on my blog.

Unknown said...

Hi T. Thanks for the mention!
I normally only read decor blogs so it was really lovely to come over to your blog and read some of your beautiful, thoughtful posts. I had a lovely time.
Hope you enjoy your weekend.
Catherine

K. said...

Wonderful list!!! I also LOOOVE my children's art but left it off thinking it was too interesting...Your son's cats ARE fabulous!