Broken Happy Face = Sad Face

A piece of history broke last week. My yellow smiley face bowl, after holding countless servings of cereal, broke in my dishwasher during the rinse cycle. It cracked loudly while I was in the midst of a monotonous reading assignment. This, of course, was reason enough to put down my book for a quick inspection (I'll use any excuse to momentarily hide from my homework).

As soon as the door was lowered I was confronted with the bad news: broken yellow pottery. My smug friend would no longer keep me company as I ate my morning milk covered flakes. I whispered, "man down" as I removed the sharp pieces of ceramic and put them into the trash can. The other soapy dishes remained silent, too scared to say their condolences.

While I own many bowls, this particular piece of dishware had sentimental value. A few years ago, while living in college dorms, I frequently searched the dumpsters for any reusable items. While most would consider dumpster diving to be a bit unorthodox, I, on the other hand, found the entire process exciting. Lifting the lid and jumping into a dumpster full of unknown and possibly reusable items always seemed like a worthwhile way to spend the evening. One lucky night I found a box that not only held my smiley face bowl, but also: 14 new AA batters, a working computer mouse, clothespins, hangers, and two coffee mugs. Finding these objects put me on an instant dumpster-high that lasted three days.

My dumpster diving habits stopped as I've become more finically stable. But, if anyone is looking for free dishes, I'd highly recommend rummaging through your local dumpsters. :)