effective

gone are the days when my siblings and I had to play silly alphabet scavenging games to keep ourselves occupied during long trips in the family van (such as when dad refused to take us home after church and instead made as many wrong turns as possible, all in the name of exploring the countryside).

now our vehicle is equipped with a DVD player.

unfortunately, I in the passenger seat am only able to enjoy the soundtrack of Pirates of the Caribbean and not the entire film.

as the illustrious Captain Jack Sparrow repeatedly demanded the return of his effects and his hat with each suspense-filled turn of the plot, I pondered what items I might demand, if I happened to find myself in comparable situations.

things that came to mind:

notebooks
box of pens and pencils
camera
favourite sandals

these are the things with which I daily attempt to change the world. in my current position they are all very disorganized and rarely on hand when I want them, but they are my effects. well, except for the sandals. I suppose they would be my version of Sparrow's hat. i'm not much of a hat person. though if I had a hat like his, perhaps I could be converted.