Benefits of having a giant crack in my trashcan lid.

I have many recently formed opinions on what I refer to as the Great Query Contradiction. But they’re still cooking in the pot known as my brain. 

I also have recently formed opinions on – you guessed it- the Giant Crack in my Trashcan Lid. (It’s not really a crack anymore. In fact, on the front left side, it’s more of a jagged hole.)

I do not have a sleek, smooth, urban, polished, Pottery Barn trashcan. (And any other adjective you can throw in there. Does Pottery Barn sell trashcans?)

I have a regular plastic trashcan. Off white. With a lid. Not a fancy lid, you know, the kind that flips inwards, so in case you are carrying trash or something like trash, it’s okay, you don’t have to worry about it all falling to the floor. And not the kind that you step on a pedal so the lid flips up. Very convenient modern inventions both of them.

But no, I have to manually lift up the lid of my trashcan with my hand. Yes, I know, prehistoric. Sometimes, with my hands full of, well, trash. I can trace it all back to the fact that I should have put a fancy trashcan on my wedding registry, but back then as a starry-eyed bride, I had many more interesting things to fantasize think about, than trashcans.

List of problems resulting from a manual trashcan lid.

1. When I lift up the lid, it often falls back behind the trashcan, causing an annoying crash, especially after the thousandth time.

2. To compensate for this lid malfunction, I push the trashcan up against the wall, so the lid doesn’t crash to the floor. But over the years, this has left a line of grime on my wall, which is fine if I never move the trashcan.

Okay, so the list is short. But, I’m the kind of person that adjusts to small annoying things instead of doing something smart – like buying a new trashcan.

Back to the crack. It started small. But then it grew. A small piece of it chipped off. Annoying. Yes. But then, a big chunk ripped off, and I knew I needed to buy a new trashcan. And I will, when I make the trip to Target 45 minutes away. But, I’ve adjusted again.

Benefits of having a jagged hole in your trashcan lid.

1. Most of the time, I don’t need to even open the lid anymore. I wipe off my kitchen table and flick the left over fruity Dynobites    Raisin Bran flakes into the hole. Kinda easy if you ask me. No pedal to push or lid to flip.

2. The lid is not hitting the wall as much anymore, leaving less grime.

3. The lid is not crashing to the floor as much, if at all.

When will I buy a new trashcan? I’m sure you don’t care.

And, I have no idea how to connect this blog post to my writing life. Any ideas? And what kind of trashcan do you have?

9 Responses to Benefits of having a giant crack in my trashcan lid.

  1. Heather Kelly February 10, 2010 at 3:22 pm #

    It sounds like the crack has greatly improved the trashcan situation. I find it ironic that you want to buy a new trashcan because the situation has improved. I would think the crack would lessen the immediate need for a new trashcan.

    In fact, I think you should get a patent and sell the darn things. Everyone should have a trashcan with a crack in the lid!

    We’re getting a winter snow warning as we speak. It’s a bit silly–we’re only supposed to get 8 or 9 inches. Are you getting the snow up there?

  2. MG Higgins February 10, 2010 at 4:05 pm #

    Is the pressure of writing cracking your lid? That’s all I’m coming up with this early in the morning. Our lidless trash can is in the cabinet under the sink. It’s horrible but no one ever sees it.

  3. Laura February 10, 2010 at 4:33 pm #

    Heather – yes, we’re getting snow. But I’m not sure how much we’re supposed to get. And I was thinking of patenting it. I’ll make millions. I’m sure.

    MG – My plan is to invent the invisible trashcan, that only appears when you need it. Then no one would see the giant crack. 🙂

  4. Tina Lee February 10, 2010 at 6:15 pm #

    What about invisible trashcans where you can see all the trash inside but not the ugly crack? And this totally applies to writing, because you want the reader to see your contents and not the form holding it all in place? I’m trying. You might have to tweak this to make it work.

  5. Laura February 10, 2010 at 6:53 pm #

    Tina Lee – Ooh, I like it. Good one.

  6. Kristen Torres-Toro February 11, 2010 at 4:46 am #

    Ha! My new apartment has the flip kind. I’m still getting used to them. :0)

  7. Laura February 11, 2010 at 1:13 pm #

    Kristen – I don’t know what kind my next trashcan will have. I’ll have to do some shopping. I won’t like though, until I get used to it. 🙂

  8. Debbie February 14, 2010 at 2:49 pm #

    I will buy you a fabulous new trashcan….that is the least I can do for the most amazing sister in the world.

  9. Laura February 14, 2010 at 8:13 pm #

    Thanks for stopping by, Debbie. 🙂

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