Ole Faithful

Up until last year, I had worn the same pair of soccer shorts for 14 years. I had sown up the crotch several times, but eventually the threads weren’t enough, and I was at risk for showing the world my boys every time I stretched.

I’m writing this entry at my desk, surrounded by a stereo and two speakers that my parents gave me as a Christmas present the year before I went away to college. That was 1998.

I’ve been really cold lately, so I’ve been wearing a tweed jacket that we purchased for my Confirmation when I was 16. My mom promised me that I would grow into it; 16 years later, it almost fits.

I’ve had my TiVo (a real TiVo, not a DVR) for 8 years. It makes a humming sound and only holds a handful of show, but I’m still milking the lifetime subscription I bought in 2005.

Just last week I purchased a new electric razor to replace my old razor, which was holding up well except for the fact that it was no longer cutting my hair. I had been using that razor since my parents sent it to my apartment in Japan as a care package back in 2001.

What do all of these things have in common? If you guessed “sex props,” you’re correct (ever heard of crotchless panties? The soccer shorts used the same concept). You’re also correct if you guessed that they are what I consider to be “ole faithful” items–things that continue to be reliable year after year, even when there are more effective, stylish options on the market.

I’d wager a ha’penny that I’m not the only one who has a few “ole faithful” items. What are some of yours? They’re only eligible if you still use/wear them at least a few times a year.

(Sidenote: I wonder if this could work for this year’s blog tournament. Hm…)

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16 thoughts on “Ole Faithful”

  1. I have 2 Ol’ Faithfuls….

    1) JANE EYRE….I bought it in high school and have taken it with me on every move since. It’s the only book (other than the Bible) that I have with me all the time.

    2) Unfortunately, this OF is MIA. My “Me-maw blanket” was given to me by my Me-maw when I was born. It was a pink blanket with white thread crocheted on the sides. I slept with it every night. I took it on every trip. It wasn’t one of those weird she’s-in-her-20s-but-still-has-her-blankie kind of things, but I loved it because it reminded me of my grandmother. On a fateful trip to Malaysia, I lost a backpack with my blanket it in and I have mourned it greatly ever since. Somewhere in Malaysia Truly Asia, my blanket, patched and threadbare, waits for my return.

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  2. I have a lot of items that are still in my possession even though they were purchased years and years hence, but only a few are still regularly in use. I have two soccer-related mementos that still find their way into regular use. Both are quickly approaching their 20th birthdays. The first is a pair of soccer sandals that my parents bought me early in high school. They’ve fallen apart many a time, but I’ve always found a way to mend them rather than throwing them out. The second is a “World Cup ’94” t-shirt. I had high hopes for Ireland in that World Cup (not sure why), and I think I remember watching the final at your house–Roberto Baggio missed the last PK for Italy to give Brazil the victory.

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  3. I’m still using the same clock/radio/alarm clock I started using in high school. It’s analog, and the alarm setting is on a dial so you can only set it at 10 minute intervals, but it’s battery powered which was the selling point. You just have to set the clock about 20 minutes fast and then alarm is pretty close to where you want it. It’s 20 years old and hasn’t broken down yet.

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    • Oh, I also have a clock/alarm clock that I have been using since ever. I think it’s at least 15 years old and still counting. One time the battery is so old that it leaked stuff and I thought it’s the end of it. But no, it survived. I cleaned it, put a new battery, and runs like new. 🙂 Best clock ever!

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  4. Wow, you both have me beat with 20-year-old items. Quite impressive.

    Ansley–I’m not sure that comfort objects quite clarify for “ole faithfuls,” but they certainly are nice, aren’t they? I still have my koala–she’s older than I am.

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  5. I often have a hard time throwing away or getting rid of stuff– especially clothes when there is nothing wrong with them, so most of my dress pants (that I wear to work every week) are between 5-8 years old, and have probably been hemmed or button resewn on multiple times over the years.

    There is a special shirt that I’ve kept around since 1996, which isn’t something I’ll ever wear in public now (since it is screen-printed with an event I attended in junior high), but regularly wear it as pajamas or to lounge around the house. In places it’s pretty threadbare, so it probably really needs to be retired, but every time I try to get rid of it something keeps me from doing so.

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  6. By the way, is this the first time you’ve actually used the tag “entries I hope my mom doesn’t read,” or are there a bunch of other things that you’ve tagged this way? (If there are, I haven’t noticed…but I think it’s a great tag.)

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    • Ha ha…yeah, I just invented that tag last night. Although really, other than the line about sex props, this is an entry that Mom would enjoy.

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  7. Hell, I could write a really boring book on “ole faithful” items. If anyone was interested in reading about 78 different items I’ve been nursing for years, that is. So I’ll just hit a couple highlights. I purchased my favorite Cards cap during my freshman year of college. And I still have and wear a Beatles shirt and a Dylan shirt that I bought my sophomore and junior years of high school, respectively. We’re talking mid-nineties, if you’re scoring at home.

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  8. I have an old “boom box” from 1994 that’s still in perfect condition! I received it as a Christmas present when I was in 7th grade. It has an AM/FM radio, a tape deck, and a CD player. CD’s were just beginning to get really popular around that time, so it was very exciting to have both a tape player and a CD player in my stereo, to help with the transition. A few of the CD’s that I got soon after the stereo (which I also still have and listen to) include: Ace of Base “The Sign”, No Doubt “Tragic Kingdom”, Alanis Morissette “Jagged Little Pill”, Mariah Carey “Daydream”, The Wallflowers “Bringing Down the Horse”, and Spice Girls “Spice”. (A little embarrassed about that last one!) I love listening to my boom box and these old CD’s because they really take me back!

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  9. I’ve got a nightstand that I bought back when I was 18. It’s been with me at every place I’ve ever lived, save for the year I spent in the dorms. Bedrooms sets have come and gone, but it’s managed to stick around. I’ve also got a coffee table and side table that I purchased about 10 years ago. I don’t have a spot for the coffee table right now (it’s in storage), but the side table is still earning its keep.

    I could go on for a long time about clothes and shoes. Given that my feet stopped growing when I was 12 or 13, I’ve held on to a lot of shoes for longer than most people.

    My parents finally replaced their microwave a few years ago, after I was certain it would blow up the neighborhood before too much longer. They’d received it as a wedding gift in 1976. They still have their washer and dryer from that time as well. My brother and I also took our favorite cereal bowls when we moved out. It doesn’t match any of my other dishes, but it holds just the perfect amount of cereal!

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