Switchblades

I love switchblades. I've loved 'em ever since I was a kid. I loved "West Side Story," "Rebel Without A Cause," and "The Blackboard Jungle." My dad thought that a switchblade would turn you into a juvenile delinquent, and it was tough to get a switchblade in the '60s. I used to buy these cheap, flat, little "Cat" knives and loosen the backspring a little and turn 'em into flick-of-the-wrist knives. The first real switchblade I ever saw belonged to my friend Hugh's dad. He had a black swingguard stiletto in a dresser drawer, and Hugh let me play with it a little one day when I was about 12 or so. Man, I've been hooked ever since. I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Europe semi-regularly in the '80s and I bought a few of 'em and brought 'em back, and I thought my switchblade fix was finally fulfilled.

Nowadays, you can buy switchblades over the internet. There are hundreds of places to buy 'em. There's even a couple of ebay-type auction sites devoted to knives -- mostly switchblades. The history of switchblades is actually quite interesting, especially the Italian stilettos. Now I have about 2 dozen switchblades, and I want more. Some Italian switchblades that were novelty items in the '50s and sold for five or ten bucks now command thousands of dollars.

I'm not a juvenile delinquent or an adult delinquent. I don't carry any of my switchblades. But I just love sitting at the computer or watching television with a switchblade in my hand, just flicking away. It somehow just seems right.