THUMBNAILS FOR THE PEOPLE!

Squirrels. I was raised by them and became one myself (just check my DMV records). Looking around my domain, it's clear that upbringing has led me to a parallel world, ruled by dust bunnies. Much like squirrels, dust bunnies seemingly assemble themselves out of nothingness to become tenacious entities that refuse dismissal. And photo thumbnails are apparently cut from the same baffling molecular structure. I come across stray thumbnails while researching online every day, and nonchalantly sweep them up with innocent intent (“Come on in, little guy. I might need you for reference. Besides, this is just a cool shot - and too small to soak up any memory”). Right. A week later, they’ve magically multiplied like – well, dust bunnies, or squirrels. I hastily kick them aside while searching for legit images when I’m on the clock. But at quitting time, I’ll take a fond glance over these latest acquisitions before powering down for the night. And when I close my eyes, there they are again. Thousands and thousands of tiny monuments to my obsessive compulsive hoarding disorder (it’s DNA - my people collect nuts), laughing at my weakness as they flash past. Then, at year’s end, I jettison this digital baggage like a spiraling pilot, savor the freedom for a day or two, and the cycle begins again. Happy New Year!

In the spirit of regifting, here’s the 2012 thumbnails that survived this year’s purge. Help yourself. Pass them on to the needy. Collect them and trade with your friends! Just try not to think of what happens to them as they process through my Recycle Bin (God only knows what happens in there, but it’s gotta be horrible), because that’s right where these little fellows are headed, as soon as I post this. Goodbye old pals. Maybe I’ll see your pixelated ghosts out there somewhere on the interweb. I’ll raise an eyebrow in recognition, then coldly move on…

For your browsing convenience, I’ve organized the surviving images into two categories: Street and Strip.

BONUS! Free funtime activity: Most of the people in these shots are at least semi-famous. How many can you name? Click on image to view full size.

STREET (Where Joe Toolbox lives):

STRIP (Professional driver on closed course):

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