Bookmarks

What do you use for a bookmark when you read?

The simple answer for some people, maybe most people, is simple...a traditional bookmark.

If that is your answer, you may think this is an odd question. But I for one rarely use a traditional bookmark. And I have borrowed enough books from Ted to know the same is true for him.

I am one of those people that needs to see a paint color on the wall before I can select a color. In fact, I normally need to see lots of colors before I can pick the right one. So, I start the selection process by gathering up a bunch of those paint strips in the paint section of the local home improvement store. It is not uncommon for me to walk out with a dozen or more color options before I pick up a single paint brush. Over the years, I have acquired quite a colorful selection of these paint sample cards.

These little gems not only help me pick the right wall color, I have also found they make excellent bookmarks. They are the right size, sturdy, cost nothing, and seeing them inside a book helps me evaluate how much I will enjoy looking at that color for an extended period of time. Important information to know before it ends up covering the walls in a room of my house.

Ted, on the other hand, tends to use store receipts as bookmarks. In the books I've borrowed from his collection, I have seen receipts from McDonald's, Burger King, and yes, library receipts, used as bookmarks. The fact that Ted can regularly partake in fast food meals and still look like (tall and thin) Ted is frustrating to those of us with a different genetic makeup. But that's not my point here. His receipts make fine bookmarks.

Has me curious, are Ted and I that unusual, or do you use interesting items as bookmarks too? We would love to hear from you about it at twosides2thestory@yahoo.com