Guest Photos: One Husband’s “Useful” Containers
I received a few photographs from a guy we’ll call “Jay.” He wanted to share his stock of “useful” containers. Before I go any further, I’m going to post Jay’s photos here:
Now that you’ve seen them, my first question is: Do these containers look useful to you? My initial thought was “Oh, those look like babyfood jars.” It’s always a pity to toss glass babyfood jars because they do seem like they should be useful for something, but really, they’re not. Not even at all–this is pretty indisputable, no? Especially these babyfood jars, as they are great in number, yet all are empty. Read Jay’s exact words:
“Here’s a couple shots of my useful containers. As you can see, when they’re in a box, it may be hard to tell them from junk. But if you pull them out and organize them, you can plainly see that I have a system, and I have carefully amassed a collection of containers based on important attributes that make them really useful.
Also, these pictures don’t show the useful containers that are already filled with interesting or useful stuff. Of course, I suppose when they’re filled they’re no longer useful.”
Let’s discuss this for a moment. Did anyone catch that last sentence? Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Did Jay just say that the containers become useless when they actually store stuff? I am so confused, I’m not really sure what questions to ask to clear this up. Also, I wonder what “attributes” Jay meant by “attributes that make the containers really useful.” I mean, I see that they have attributes like big, small, see-through, plastic, etc. Uh, I’m just not clear on how the attributes transform them from junk into necessities. Maybe I should ask Jay’s wife. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Good one.
No seriously, I am sure she’s really thankful that Jay is storing these containers, especially the eight or nine HUGE coffee containers–because she knows they’ll be available the moment she’s in a pinch. I am sure that she isn’t at all concerned about the space they take up, or how they look really messy, or how Jay is kind of a packrat (because he obviously IS NOT a packrat in any way, shape, or form).
In case you need containers, here is a link to Home Visions–they have STORAGE solutions, as well as MOTHER’S DAY GIFTS on sale right now:
April 14th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I might concede the coffee cans, but the empty tin cans? What are you going to store in those? bacon grease? Rusty nails? Bubonic Plague Starter Kits?
April 14th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Good point, Miss Thystle. And, even if yes, how many of theme would one really need?
April 14th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Jay had spent a lot of time in not only saving these containers but also in cleaning and categorizing them. He seems to be a very organized person from laying out the containers on the table like that and I see his point about the containers outside the box.
I do some cooking in the kitchen and those containers would come in handy for a number of things. If I understand Jay’s “important attributes” correctly, glass are great for storing perishable things like food and liquids. The small neck ones would be good for homemade dressings and sauces while the straights be good for making pickled snacks, small glass containers are great for seasonings. The large coffee containers are great for dry food like pasta, sun dried mushrooms and shrimps. The tin cans are good for growing small plants, spare garage parts like nails and screws, children school projects (make sure to remove the sharp edges). Ones with metal lids are great as replacement containers because they don’t break like some plastic flip-tops. They are equally useful for outdoors as well like camping and picnics when its nice to have a small container of oil, salt, sugar, pepper for example.
Jay was playing with words in the last couple of sentences. The containers are “useful” because they can fulfill a purpose. However, their “usefulness” has been fulfilled if it contains lemonade. Since its full of lemonade, it cannot be “useful” for anything else. That is probably the best that I can explain it… hope it makes sense to others.
Just out of curiosity, does Jay have a technical profession?
April 15th, 2008 at 5:22 am
I love this guy! See? He gets it.
(Graphic design. And I never, ever cook. But the small ones are swell for pollens - ever looked at pollen under a microscope? Beautiful.)
April 15th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Yes, LazyHusby, you have a good point there–Jay obviously spent a great deal of time accumulating this stash….Attributes–very clear. Definition interpretation, not so clear, but I think I get what you are saying (just not why one would see it that way). You are saying “useful” = “can be used.” However, “full” = “can no longer be used because already in use.”
I’m still tempted to debate that “useful = already in use, or immediately useable.” But NO. I’m here to learn, and I am learning. This is all that matters.