Time capsules

 

I will confess to being spoiled. Unlike most people who have to face the daily stress and time-waste of a morning work commute, I have the luxury not only of usually-wonderful-weather, but a very short walk to work. And I’m not taking such luxury for granted! I love the fact that I live so close to the office, and that I also have the opportunity to embrace the morning breeze and sunshine.

As part of my jaunt, I pass by the old Santa Ana courthouse. A beautiful red brick building erected in the Richardsonian Romanesque style (thank you to my architecture-geek hubby), this landmark to a different time graces the city. Yet, many of the passer-byers who ooh and aah over the magnificence of the structure may not notice a medium-sized stone near the northeast corner walk. On the stone, a small plaque marks the location of a time capsule – not to be opened until 2089. Every day that I pass by the marker, my mind begins to wander. Unfortunately, there’s no way that I’ll be around by the time they crack open said capsule. So this leaves me no choice but to wonder what is inside.

I think the last time I gave thought to time capsules must have been in the mid-80’s. And at the time, we all thought ourselves to be at the height of technology. “Put everything on a floppy disk!” was a very common idea for leaving information for the future. Well… maybe not. All of 20 or 30 years later, good luck even finding a machine that can read one – much less finding anybody who remembers how to use such things. So… perhaps an object of dated-technology is not the best thing for a time capsule. So… what is?

Well, assuming that said time capsule is waterproof (not always a good assumption), here is a little list of ten things I would include in a time capsule outside the courthouse:

Today’s LA Times. Why? Well, just in terms of having a daily snapshot of the world, the newspaper is often the best. Whether it be the candid, the silly, the dated, the stupid, it reflects the here and now – today – as it is.

The Joy of Cooking. Why? Because it is one of the most basic and foolproof (for today) glimpse of cooking in the current age. As a cookbook and old-time food geek, I am fascinated by how much recipes and tastes and interests change over the ages. I cannot help but think that in 100 years, there will be another cooking geek who looks at such thing as a treasure of a bygone age.

A mid-level bottle of brandy or scotch. Why? Because in 100 years, it will be 100 years old! Duh!

Some sort of Disney souvenir. Why? Maybe just to be silly. Or maybe just to point out that regardless of time or age, we all need to be reminded that there is a place to be at peace and happy.

A packet of heirloom tomato seeds. Whether they live dormant for 100 years or not, in 100 years we might have enough technology to be able to bring such things back. And who knows if non-genetically modified foods will even exist by then?

A cellphone. Just so in the future they can laugh at the idea of having to carry around such a thing long before the days of having chips implanted.

A medical book. I would like to think that in 100 years, they will be able to look back at the days before various breakthroughs and ponder how in the world we managed to survive.

Some sort of strike-down Prop-8 bumper sticker. This will help future generations remember that at a time, civil rights had to be fought for, and they weren’t simply a given.

A watch – stopped at the precise moment that the capsule is closed. Why? It would look really cool in the future display.

A photo and a lock of hair. So that they know that I was there.

So… how ‘bout you? What would you put in a time capsule?