Changicide

There are very few things in life whose entertainment value holds up over time.  Classic cinema, sure.  Quality music, yes.  But I'm talking about those things you did as a kid that just seemed awesome, and then you never outgrew.  Those things that, objectively speaking, shouldn't be that fun and yet somehow are.  Coloring your hair with magic markers... microwaving marshmallow peeps... seeing how far you can stretch a thoroughly chewed up piece of gum without breaking it... none of these things retain quite the appeal to adults they held back in the first grade.  One thing that I have always thoroughly enjoyed, and likely always will, is putting change on train tracks. 

There is just something immensely satisfying about squashing coins.  I don't know if its the illusory sense of power, or of sticking it to the Fed, or just that trains are cool and this is one more reason why.  In any case, I take vast enjoyment in the act of coin smooshing.  It's a very simple pleasure, but one that somehow never gets old, even in an age of people going to ever greater extremes in the quest for digital sources of entertainment. 


Who really needs a Wii or a giant television with Netflix and surround sound or computers that have terabytes of games and tv episodes and get used almost exclusively for social networking and watching Youtube? 







Every once in a while, I like to step back and watch a train run over my pocket change.  It's just cool.












There's no denying it.  And then you can do fun stuff with your newly squashed currency!

Like make part of someone's birthday present.  (yeah well, the rest of it will still be a surprise)