Happy National Cleavage Day

Today, as you may know, is National Cleavage Day. In some places they’re celebrating by ranking breasts, but other ways to observe include looking at and thinking about crystals, as well as remembering geology.

While we’re thinking about crystals, here’s a short crystal-related “story.” When I was in fifth grade I developed an interest in crystals — on one crystal in particular, actually, an amethyst-type thing that I played with by cleaning over and over with q-tips and a pin. I don’t think I was cleaning so much as eroding it, though, but oh well. In any case, my dad noticed this interest and signed me up for a Gem of the Month Club, for my birthday. The first installation was a delicate, mirrored display rack, and then the gems came at the beginning of each subsequent month with a little plastic stand saying their names — “Lapis Lazuli,” “Tourmaline,” “Pyrite.” Pretty soon I had them all. I never cleaned or cared about them like I did the first crystal, but I did keep them for years, and eventually even brought them to college, although by then it was as a joke.