back in the days when i was 8 or 9, i used to wake up extra early so i could kiss my mom goodbye before she was off to work her strenuous 12 hr nursing shifts at the hospital. those same shifts, for years, helped to pay the mortgage of this house, clothe us 3 boys who are now men and put food on the table.

this entry isnt about to get all sappy however.
during those early mornings, i would catch all sorts of t.v.

often, for some reason, i was drawn into paid programs for whatever idiotic product showcased at the time. there was the miracle blade where the guy cut a steel toed boot and then a tomato followed by his witty one liner, "you can even fillet the fillet". there was the juiceman (which we have in my house btw..i bought my mom this juicer for mother's day this year and it's da bomb, baby!), the bun and thigh master, a handful of get rich quick schemes and also motivational tony robbins videos to name a few.

i was exposed to all of this at that age.
the side effects? who knows? did it alter my brain chemistry during development?
that might explain everything.

one product that sticks out in my head is the sandwich maker by a company that i forget. eventually, after that paid program aired, we bought it and enjoyed it for 2....3....84+ consecutive times until we got sick of it. like some of the other fad machines our family bought into, it entered the kitchen's graveyard where legendary appliances are placed in desolation only to be forgotten.

today, my mom is retired. this morning, my mom came home from her daily walk and fitness class with shopping bags in her hands. it was the usual; some toilet paper, hair brushes, baking tins and other household basics. one bag had a sandwich maker! i was quickly reminded of my childhood -- watching the paid ads early in the morning, eventually seeing the sandwich maker in my own house and enjoying whatever delicious recipe my mom could think of.

being the 'save money/save the environment' kind of guy i am, my immediate verbal reaction upon seeing the newly purchased sandwich maker was to tell my mom, "we don't need it. return it..we have one!"

"we do? where is it?" mom questioned.

after looking all over the kitchen graveyard i couldnt find a trace of the old sandwich maker. it wasn't even behind the old brita water filtered pitcher where i was positive it would be!

i wonder where it could be. was it stored in the garage due to lack of space? was it thrown out?

maybe, just maybe it was resurrected somehow.

realizing it was no longer with us, i took back my words and pleaded with my mom to keep her new sandwich maker.
this time, we won't let you go. i promise.

mmm i can already envision it.
i smell grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast tomorrow.

sandwich makers - not just for trailerpark homes anymore; now for modern, contemporary suburbia and future young professionals alike.