I noticed that a state agency here in Oly had way cool posters for various facets of their work. I learned that the posters were available to the public and I e-mailed my request, asking for a copy of the latest and also of anything from past they had available.

I got a remarkably friendly e-mail back, stating that the recent poster was in the mail to me, but that alas, various unnamed co-workers has several days prior thrown all the past posters away. My correspondent also wrote that I could come watch him shoot his co-workers at 3PM the next day if I wished.

I e-mailed back and suggested that my correspondent teach his fellow workers the meaning of the word "ephemera" . This was meant as a jest, idea being that if the workers only knew how ephemera can become quite valuable and desired, perhaps they wouldn't be so quick to toss things.

I assumed that this was the end of the e-mail correspondence. But I got yet another e-mail today, the state worker wrote that it had taken 10 minutes to find out what that word "ephemera" really means, and that "it's a pretty good word!!!". Also with the news that enough yelling had happened that probably the co-workers would keep their mitts off of collections of past printed material.

I see this all as a mostly win win situation. I'll get my poster, a state worker learned a valuable word, and perhaps my new found appreciation for the ephemera of life has been shared.