On St. Simons Island I had a car key I used and a house key I didn't. Locked doors were so not island.
The bar-coded paper fobs for store affinity programs outnumbered the keys four-to-one.
When I first arrived in Buffalo I picked up keys for my brother's house and my cousin's house.
My first day at the new job meant a clicker for the garage, a garage key, a building key, a key to our offices and one to my office.
Carrying my key ring in my pocket was no longer an option. The new apartment meant a door key, a laundry room key, an exterior door key, a mailbox key and a floor key.
Now I just lift my key ring instead of going to the gym. I can almost do five reps.
The keys are, of course, virtually identical in every way. Under conditions of bright light, warm sun and leisure I will find the right key every time. Actually I've only run into those conditions once, under all others it takes between seven and 12 tries.
When I was in college ,I heard a self-defense expert advise women walking from their cars to carry their keys balled in a fist with one key protruding between fingers giving you both the key to stab or scratch an attacker and the additional heft of the keys in your swinging fist. If I could get my hand around my collection, I fear I'd be facing homicide charges on the first swipe.
I'm checking out janitorial supply websites to find one of those rings that can segregate the keys by type. Perhaps one day I'll get bored enought to label them.
But by then it will be time to move again.


Copyright 2004 Judi Griggs