10 Crazy Collections That Will Leave You Feeling Uneasy

Some collections are crazier - or more passionate - than others by virtue of how exotic and downright weird they are. I'm not about to judge any of the 10 examples that I'm sharing. I'll leave that to you dear reader.

1. Collecting vomit bags. There's an Air Sickness Bag Virtual Museum that you can find on Google. The top vomit bag collector (for 40 years) name is Niek Vermeulen. 

He has accumulated 6,016 different airline vomit bags. Isn't that sweet?

2. Moist Towelettes. There's a website run by one Michael Lewis who welcomes visitors with these warm words: "Welcome to the exciting world of moist Towelette Collecting." How exciting is it? Google and see.

3. Weird Fortune Cookies. I always thought that fortune cookies were funnier than weird. I stand corrected. Just Google Weird Fortune Cookie Collection and check out their fantastic gallery.

4. Mammal's Phalluses. There's a man who lives in Reykjavik, Iceland who started his own museum after collecting 282 phallus specimens of 93 species and 350 artistic objects related to phallology. If you're a man, the museum is asking you to donate your phallus to the institute post-mortem. Any takers?

5. Condoms. To be clear, we're talking about unused condoms still in their original package. An Italian guy named Amatore Bolzoni entered the Guinness Book of Records with his impressive collection of condoms. He brags that he's been collecting condoms since 1980 and currently has 2,077 of the interesting little packages from Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Far East.  

 

6. Uranium Glass that glows under UV Light. Collecting this special contaminated glassware is unusual and I would not recommend parents/grandparents letting their young charges anywhere near them. They do emit small amounts of radiation.

7. Hot Chili Sauce. The largest collection of hot chili sauce in the world belongs to Vic Clinco who has over 6,000 bottles, including Blair's Million Reserve, also known as the hottest chili sauce in the world. My hats off to the brave souls that not only collect hot chili sauce but also use it on their food.

8. Death Cards. Believe it or not there was a time in Victorian America when morbid stuff associated with funerals etc., were popular. Fancy Death Cards vied with photos of dead people as collectibles. For all I know there are folks collecting these morbid artifacts.

9. Used Band-Aids. Yes, used band-aids complete with dried blood and all are collected by people fascinated by the macabre and medical oddities. As one collector noted, "Each band-aid tells a story of a wound healed, a mishap, or a moment of care." 

10. Belly Button Lint. Don't laugh. Some people take this hobby seriously, saving each piece of lint in jars or containers often categorized by color and texture.

As it Stands, collecting unusual items as a hobby can range from quirky and endearing to bizarre and straight-up gross.

Cold Stories on a Winter Day

Most of America is freezing. Here in Medford Oregon, it's 30 degrees in the afternoon and snowing. 

Looking out my window at the frozen landscape gives me a hint of what it must be like living in Alaska. The piles of built-up snow have rounded the edges of fences and cars. It looks like an alien world outside my door.

Let me state unequivocally that I hate the snow, and winter isn't my favorite time of the year. With that said let's move on to some interesting cold stories. In honor of Mother Nature's icy and relentless wrath, I present to you the biggest blizzards and worst snowstorms in United States history.

                            The Great Blizzard of '88

In 1888 the Northwest was faced with one of the worst blizzards in American history. They called it the Great White Hurricane because it left 55 inches of snowfall in some areas and caused disaster wherever it went. Brutal winds hit Washington, D.C. to Maine causing catastrophic damage. Over 400 people were killed. It was so bad that the people of Boston decided to create the first underground subway system in the country.

The Knickerbocker Storm -1922

On Jan. 28, 1922, more than 2 feet of snow fell on Washington, D.C. The weight of the snow collapsed the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre, killing 98 people. This led to stricter building codes to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.

The Great Appalachian Storm - 1950

I was born on November 7, 1950. A few weeks later on Thanksgiving weekend, as much as 62 inches of snow blasted the central Appalachians. As if that wasn't enough, the area was also beset by frigid cold and intense windstorms. At least 160 people died.

The Blizzard of '78

On Feb. 5 a nor'easter broke snowfall records in Boston (27.1 inches) and Atlantic City (20.1 inches). Throw in hurricane-force winds and coastal flooding for three straight days. An estimated 100 people lost their lives.

The Storm of the Century - 1993

I still remember when the great cyclonic storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico in March. As the storm progressed up the East Coast, it began to snow in regions as far south as Alabama and Georgia. The snowstorm stretched from those Southern regions into Maine and even Canada. Affected areas were battered with unseasonable frigid temperatures, power wind gusts and up to 60 inches of snow. At one point every major airport on the East Coast was closed. About 318 people lost their lives despite the storm being predicted several days in advance. It's known as the deadliest American storm of the 20th century.

The Great Blizzard of 2003

On Valentine's Day to Feb.19, the Great Blizzard of 2003 swept across the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. Every major city from Washington, D.C. to Boston was covered in an enormous blanket of snow, with many areas getting up to two feet. Airports across the Northwest suspended flights and shut down operations completely, while New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia transformed into icy ghost towns as residents hunkered down against the bitter cold. There were 27 deaths.

Snowmageddon - 2010

In February of 2010, two blizzards - one on Feb.4-7 and one on Feb. 9-11 - hit within days of each other. I'll never know how they came up with the name Snowmageddon, but it wreaked havoc across the country, icing down roads in New Mexico and shutting down the federal government in the nation's capital. The massive storm led to transportation shutdowns and power outages and killed 41 people in the U.S. and Mexico.

Snowzilla - 2016

It seems like as the years ago pass, we have sillier names for snow events. I mean...Snowzilla. Really? It paralyzed the entire East Coast. Snow fell in the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, and Georgia. The death count was no joke, however. 55 people lost their lives.

December 2022 North American Winter Storm

The most recent storm raged on from Dec.21 to Dec.26. Here we go again, another dumb name for a snowstorm was the North American Winter Storm Bomb Cyclone that weatherman excitedly reported on. It was so widespread that 60% of Americans felt it's deadly effects. As a result, 106 people across the United States and Canada lost their lives.

As it Stands, it's time to have a mug of hot chocolate and be thankful you're inside because Baby It's Cold Outside! 

Enter the World of LARPs

  Ready to have some fun? I just found an activity that has become popular in the last two decades - Live Action Role Playing (LARP) - that transports you to other worlds for days.

Let me be clear. Role playing activities have been around forever in America and around the world. What I'm talking about today is role playing on steroids for four to six straight days. Total immersion into fantasy and historical worlds designed to challenge your senses and reality. 

Renaissance Fairs have been popular worldwide for a long time, but they only scratch the surface. Visitors are encouraged to wear theme clothing but it's not necessary and there are generally staged shows - knights jousting and stuff like that.

Now compare that to a recent Medieval LARP in Texas last year where hundreds of people bought tickets and agreed to immerse themselves, (they sign a contract) in the themed activities. There's numerous LARPs out there. One of my favorites is... 

                          WASTELAND WEEKEND  

When you arrive at the LARP location you are given an identity and tasked with different challenges that take you all around the huge, themed park over the course of four days. Themed food is offered throughout the different sections of what feels like a movie set. Authenticity is encouraged and is even rewarded with prizes.

I highly recommend going to YouTube and watching past LARP events to really get the complete picture of what's going on. I watched one that was Mad Max themed and was in awe of the vehicles the participants built for the event. You really feel like you're in a movie or another world.

The whole concept is centered around escapism which doesn't surprise me because so many people (of all age groups) are dissatisfied with the world around them. The LARPs are a reflection of other realities created by innovative and twisted minds that want to share their visions with like-minded individuals. LARPs are held all over the world with each one sharing different themes that attract thousands of adventurous souls.

As it Stands, what's true is people throughout the ages will always go to any extremes for a good time. Think ancient Roman gladiators fighting for their lives to entertain a bloodthirsty audience.