9 lives swiss

my swiss army knife has been with me forever. it's one of those things that i always take with me -- on every trip, on every move -- and although it's not a family heirloom or particularly valuable, it is one of my favorite posessions. a jacki heirloom, i guess.

due to all this moving around with the trusty knife in tow, and also due to what seems to be a consistent failure to keep sharp objects out of my carry-on luggage, the knife and i have had many near-misses. we have almost parted ways at least four times. and this is in approximately ten years of ownership. i'd better start showing it some more love and attention; it only has four lives left!

the first time i lost the knife, tami had it for maybe a year. i don't even think i knew that i'd lost it, and if so i may in fact have been happy about it. it started out its life #1 as a gift from an ex, and perhaps at the time it still had that nasty "ex" feeling to it. anyway, tami handed it back to me one day to my surprise. life #2.

i think i managed to hold onto it for a good while after that. it wasn't until two months after sept. 11 when i ambled through bangkok airport security with the knife in my hand luggage. those lovely people put the knife in a plastic baggie and checked it right there at the metal detector. in los angeles it nonchalantly slid down the baggage carousel like the jetsetting gadget it truly is. life #3

at this point, i am fairly attached to the little bugger. so it was with extreme stupidity before a flight in august that i carefully ensured that knitting needles could be brought aboard, double-checked that there were no liquids or gels in my bag then strolled through security with the knife in my purse. the good people of manchester, new hampshire were kind enough to let me go find my bag and remedy the situation. i had tears ready to go; an invented tearjerker involving a deathbed bequest of a favorite relative in my head. no need. life #4

well, this brings us up to saturday afternoon. ever the useful tool, the knife currently holds only pair of scissors in the house. so there were about five of us using it to create sukkot decorations at the pre-party. suddenly and without warning, the knife disappears into thin air. not wanting to make a big deal, and confident it would turn up, i reluctantly grabbed some steak knives to use in lieu of scissors. it was only the next morning, after thoroughly cleaning up from the party that i realized that the knife might truly be gone.

how can this be? after everything, to disappear without so much as a strip search by an airport rent-a-cop? what an anticlimax! should i cry? or just deny? sure enough, an hour went by and simon texted to announce that he has the knife in his bag. sigh of relief. life #5.

why do i love this knife so much? well, besides its obvious utility there is the simple fact that we have been together so long. and the tools are slightly ridiculous: the hook? the awl? i mostly use the scissors. truthfully, i've used all of it (ok except the damn awl) and now i'm so attached to this thing it would be devastating to live without it.

what other silly objects am i emotionally bound to? i'm not too materialistic, but here are some other trifling objects i would have a hard time living without:

• my sarong (playa del carmen, mexico, 1998)
• my greek sandals (athens, 1998)
• green dartmouth hoodie (hanover, 1995)
• ziebenshlafer artwork (hanover, 1999)

and that's it? everything else you can have....

today's question: what one object would you take from me, if you could have your pick?