Homework: Time, Time, Time, See What's Become of Me

So, for this week's homework, Scalzi gives us the following thought-provoker:

Weekend Assignment #23: 100 years from now, your great-great-great-grandchild has been assigned to write a school report on your life and times. Help him or her by putting five things in a time capsule. The five things could include something personal or something that typifies the times we live in. One catch: It can't include a version of your AOL Journal (because that would be too easy, that's why).

Extra Credit: Put something in the box that would believe would be completely puzzling -- something they'd look at and say "What the heck is this?"

I thought about this one all the way home, and I came up with...

 - My "pocket Constitution" from Law School.  I need to put something in that represents my lawyerness, and the pocket Constitution is an easy choice.  An anthropologist with a decent sense of imagination will look at this particularly well-worn copy (as well as the decision to seal it in a time capsule) and infer it meant something to its owner.  It isn't just something to signify, "Oh, she's a lawyer," but also to indicate our country's past, its acknowledged mistakes, and its greatest aspirations.

- A photo of my cat and (perhaps) a few pieces of her furry little coat.  OK, yeah, I love my cat.  And what better way to know someone than to see what she loves.  I'd include the fur sample so that my descendant can touch the same soft fur that I pet daily -- and besides, maybe they will have mastered pet cloning by then, in which case, "here, have some kitty DNA."

- A few of my favorite theatre reviews.  When I'm not a lawyer, I'm a theatre critic.  I would want to put a few of my best reviews -- those that really convey my passion for a particular production -- in the time capsule. 

- My Disneyland annual pass.  Because fun is a big part of my life.  And because I'm certain someone 100 years from now would understand a Disneyland annual pass.  I have no doubt Disneyland will still be standing, although I'm sure annual passes will have gone the way of "E" Tickets and been replaced by an even more efficient way for the Mouse to separate you from your money.

- A little metal puzzle.  I love puzzles.  I think it comes from my love of mathematics.  I keep a few gadget-type puzzles on my desk at work.  They're good to fidget with, and they also serve as a reminder to keep pushing to get a solution -- and if one thing doesn't work, try looking at it from a different angle. 

Extra Credit:  If size is no object, an airport metal detector.  If it is, one of those signs from the airport -- the ones listing all the prohibited items, telling you to take your laptop out of its case, and suggesting you take off your shoes before passing through security.  For many reasons, I imagine that people 100 years from now would take a good look at this routine part of 2004 existence and laugh their butts off.