“Things may happen and often do to people as brainy and footsy as you”― Oh, the Places You'll Go!
How many of us received Dr. Seuss's Oh, The Places You'll Go! as a graduation gift? I got mine after high school, I think. For graduation from residency, My Awesome Parents (MAP) gifted me a piece of personalized artwork with each state in which I got my education: Maryland (K-12), Missouri (BA), Illinois (MD PhD), and Pennsylvania (residency). Each state is made of words about the state written in a different primary color. So Maryland has crabs, Missouri has the Ozarks, Illinois has deep dish pizza, and Pennsylvania has the Liberty Bell. When I opened, I knew exactly what I wanted to do to personalize it further. I hopped on RedBubble and found transparent stickers with objects associated with each state. I actually ordered more than would fit so that I would have options; the leftovers will probably end up on travel mugs (then maybe I won't lose them as easily!). Below you can see the work in progress. For Maryland, a black-eyed Susan with the Maryland flag at the center and a crab with the state glad didn't make the cut; I chose the Old Bay spice box from McCormick's and a fancy, mosaic blue crab. I thought about fried ravioli or the Washington University in St. Louis seal but settled on the facade of Brookings Building (looks like a castle) and the silhouettes of two lindyhoppers. For Illinois, I left off the Block I for the University of Illinois in favor of the Alma Mater statue; and I put a painting of Louis Armstrong up in Lake Michigan for Chicago and the blues. And for Pennsylvania, I put a golden Cathedral of Learning for the University of Pittsburgh at the center and made the difficult decision to leave off the Mr. Rogers trolley in favor of the Duquesne incline, for reasons of space. Oh! And I ordered a "Made in Texas" QPC code, for obvious reasons. I was momentarily stymied when I discovered it was *exactly* the same size as the frame I picked up at Michael's, but a few trims with scissors cut it down to fit nicely. I'll hang the finished product either in our bedroom or, when I get one, my office.
I would not have guessed the UPC code.
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