Multiple DC trips yield excessive purchase

OK, so you know I'm a sucker for a quick 4+ hour drive up to Washington, DC. There's so much to see. There's so much to do. There's so much history involved.

One of my favorite spots is the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. I love going there. It just so happens I'm also a sucker for a Smithsonian gift shop. Well, above the main register at the Portrait Gallery gift shop is this really neato piece of artwork. It's a map of the United States where the states have been cut out of license plates. It's wicked cool. Every time I go, I just stare at it in awe. It's just so damn COOL!

Well, in Seinfeld it was "The Summer of George". So I guess this is "The Spring of Christopher". I've been doing a lot of things that, quite frankly, make me HAPPY. My life has gone down into the relative shitter lately, and in response I've been trying my damnedest to bring up my mood and allow me the happiness that I fucking deserve. So what did I do now?

I called the Smithsonian to purchase this artwork.

The great thing is that the artist, Aaron Foster out in California, will make one personally with each order. Vintage license plates and reclaimed wood from old homes and barns are used. I love it. Sure it's probably way too much, and had I still had a housemate to play conscience for me I wouldn't have jumped in the deep end like this, but like they said in the movie Risky Business, sometimes you just have to say 'What the fuck.' Weeks after my initial call to the Smithsonian, a 60-pound awkward box arrives on the front stoop. And with great difficulty, I get it onto the mantle by myself.

Enjoy: