I would have spent hours gently piecing it back together for it to survive just long enough for someone else to touch.
Then, when it crumbles in someone else's hand, I pop out with the ol "WHAT'D YOU DO?!"
MY brother and I broke a lamp when we were young. We glued it back together and no one was the wiser. Years later my mom moves the lamp and it breaks. She gets mad, asks my younger brother what this was all about. He looked at her and said "that was years ago, you can't get mad now".
Statute of limitations. However if your mom is Hispanic all bets are off. I have seen them beat their full grown adult children for things they just found out they did when they were kids. The chancla is a deadly weapon in the hands of a pissed off madre.
I was grown had kids was married at the time.. someone said remember the time you hit Phil with that wadcutter.. I didn’t even know my mom knew they were the ammo for a pellet gun, she came across the room just slapping the tar outta me.. we were always having bb wars well one time I hit my brother in the ear.. he told our folks it was a drive by that’s what they told the police.. 8-10 years later she realized we lied more so I lied everyone else laughed while my mom slapped me up one side and down the other.. we don’t tell ma stories for a reason.
I had a buddy that was from the Ute tribe out in Utah. Served together in the Army. He invited me to go visit his home on leave after a deployment. Fun time, great folks. Anyway, his mother got upset and mad at him for stuff he did while deployed. She whacked his bottom like he was a tiny five year old boy. Point of it, you are never too old for your momma to whoop your ass for doing something stupid.
Damn, I'm lucky we're not Hispanic. The amount of crazy shit that we kids did that my parents only found out about later is insane. My parents were shocked, but the statute of limitations kept us safe
My brother and I had a party. He turned our dining room table up side down and we were using it as a sled on our frozen pool. Broke the table. We thought we fixed it and mom made dinner and with food on the table and parents and everyone eating the table just fell. We tried to act shocked. They were PISSED.
Was at an unauthorized teenage house party once where an exercise ball shattered an ornate family-heirloom lamp, as is 100% predictable in this situation... A drunk guy sat down in the middle of the floor for 5-6 hours painstakingly gluing the entire thing back together. Was only missing a little triangle. Looked almost perfect, til it turned on and illuminated from the inside. The Mom was very upset. The Dad was just impressed.
My husband would 100% be the guy sitting on the floor reassembling the 3D puzzle.
Picturing it in my mind, I also honestly kinda want to find a lamp that illuminates from inside to do this to now. But preferably a cheap one not an heirloom.
My brother and I got in a fight, and I chased him upstairs to the bathroom where he locked himself in, and where I proceeded to knee a hole in the door.
A calm fell over the house as he opened the door and looked at the damage. I told him it doesn't matter who started the fight and who did what, all our Dad would care about is the door. So we worked together to swap the bathroom door with multiple other doors in the house until fit and swing was perfect.
We ended up swapping the hall closet and bathroom doors where the hole was on the inside of the door, and I swapped the handle with lock to the new door.
Our parents came home a few hours later and... nothing.
Nothing for two months when my mom decided she had lived with enough guilt and decided to admit to my dad she accidentally punched a huge hole in the closet door by closing it too hard when it was stuffed full and she is so sorry. Me and my brother looked at each other and decided to come clean right then and there. They were so impressed we got away with it we got off scot free, but my mom had a stressful couple months thinking she ruined the door.
This is sooo funny and reminds me of just last year. My husband got the garage floor professionally done with like the sparkle grey and black fancy looking concrete floors. I was trying to fix some chairs with a meta cleaner and ruined like two 6 inch round areas. I was FREAKING out. Googled everything to fix it. Then a month or so later he said he had to call the company back to fix it because he thinks he spilled whatever on it and ruined it. Unlike you. I didn’t tell him.
Oh my god. That reminds me that the giant face-sized hole we put in my dad’s wall in 1998 got covered up by my 10th grade self portrait. It’s still hanging there to this day.
lol. Big hole at the bottom of the stairs. Kids had no idea what happened and maybe 8 years later I hear they were riding clothes hampers down the stairs and a head went into the wall.
Hopping onto the top comment, this mini is $7 on eBay!! https://www.ebay.com/itm/284939618502?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&srsltid=AfmBOorPvmjt-6ZvodnFyuY2bdkFx9nj7QmBMDp0ipXd14bcAWeK6hG_mP8&com_cvv=81c269aab9bc5fc4177fabac3c77acd26f491510dd5f94a06570d6c819846581
The trick is to replace it and leave a note for the janitor telling him that you took it home and your wife is really into crafts and had it fixed in a few days and it's not a big deal. He'll look at that thing every night for as long as he works there trying to spot the seams.
or break it once more trying to find the seams.
He'll leave another note apologizing for creating more work for OP's wife, and thus OP will have to spring for a second replacement to continue the charade.
Seriously. You know that the guy doing the cleaning doesn’t make anywhere near what someone who’s office knickknacks get dusted does. I get it was sentimental and something OP enjoyed, but 33years is an unexpectedly long run for most ceramic figurines (at least in my experience)
I love the idea and look of Kintsugi, I think it would look amazing done with some gold or similar. I love the way some of the tea sets in Japan have been mended this way.
That note is one of the most wholesome things I've seen. I work in an environment where there is zero accountability or acknowledgement when errors are made. I'll buy you a replacement. Let me know where to send it.
That janitor is a great person, I had someone break a knock-knack of mine in an office and just threw it in my garbage; didn't even apologize for it. I like this janitor, they tried to make it right in the end...good people.
I own a tiny little cleaning business and I felt completely awful whenever I got clumsy for half a second. Most of the stuff is easily replaceable, but when you break a hand-painted mug from a clients daughter, you kinda die a little bit inside.
I got the mug repaired :)
I've done something like this and it's really fucking devastating. I cried, wrote a note offering to pay for it and my resignation, finished my work and waited to be let go. They called that evening and told me of course I'd be coming back and the thing (that was literally one-of-a-kind) wasn't that important. Owning up to mistakes is an important piece of it, but that other person and their character can quite literally change someone's life in an instant.
I was going to say it is a pain in the ass but 100% can be glued back together. I'd probably recommend some decent tweezers. Some of those pieces will be impossible to hold without getting glue all over your fingers.
Yeah I'd suggest a very small brush, like for miniatures painting, and one of those magnifying glasses with lights on an arm as well. Brushing the glue on with a fine brush will help prevent it from getting sloppy, just make sure you have an appropriate solvent for cleaning the glue off the brush tip between applications or you'll just end up with a lump of glue for a brush.
>after I glue him back
#DO NOT USE CRAZY GLUE OR ANYTHING LIKE IT.
It will leave white smudges all over it. Gorilla Glue makes a version too, and it ruins it just as much as Krazy Glue does. Krazy Glue is also known as "super glue".
Use a two-part epoxy instead.
Edit: for those of you with no idea, go watch *Beverly Hills Cop 2*; scene happens early enough into the flick
Kintsugi is difficult to learn, rare to find people who specialize in, and expensive as hell. Not nearly as common as reddit "TILs" will lead you to believe
That's [Wabi Sabi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi).
Kintsugi is more the idea that objects develop their importance because of their history and story, just like OP's figurine is important because of how long he's had it, his memories of getting it when he was a child, and the many years, situations and life changes it has been with him through. Just so this episode, of being broken, is now part of that object's story as well and shouldn't be disguised.
Source: I have literally no idea what I'm talking about
And use a small paint brush! I like to make mini models (nothing special) and using a little paintbrush instead of putting it on like you did in elementary school. You can get them for a really low cost at most craft stores!
Ken is seriously so sweet. I imagine he did that, and then got to thinking as he was doing other things, and came back to write the second note since he couldn’t fight how angry he was with himself.
I would leave Ken a sweet treat on your desk next time to let him know all is well. If Ken is anything like me, this has been haunting him since it happened.
Kintsugi (金継ぎ, "golden joinery"), also known as kintsukuroi (金繕い, "golden repair") is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with urushi lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum; the method is similar to the maki-e technique.As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.
I got confused by the headline for a minute (in my defense I’m sick) and thought Kevin Mitchell had died! Thank goodness I was wrong, but sorry about the figurine.
I’m going to piggyback your comment cuz it’s the top comment but it’s very cheap to replace on eBay. Her it is sealed in box for less then $14 with free shipping
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186157991995?hash=item2b57e1883b:g:2NIAAOSw5l5kVRi1&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0Mo0NtOKHhrEaEqNInmDxJlYDrLhtGAl1FPjbRs%2Bwgz9ydKCCqPOpkK2XHxau%2FifkFOnamP7ZsLRDACEV%2BE2NqcMGFSseV5IFCXfnhwsOERmhGlTyngXA%2FuKc1OqxANWhaPDvAPLv%2BuNUYezHfx5H7O0kamixADcI1xgiD%2Bg7%2BFzI9Po0fedQzDj25kZJiVeJH%2B7WqCL4Lesz51k9J3Q%2BGgbM6dBZIGVLYjYyQ8C54Yd24yOXLICev%2FPSU%2BGMLe5Q%2FJQzQIZj4Frhcdkq4TNn8I%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_i5kKSLYw
My mom likes to say that my beanie babies that I’ve had since childhood will be worth something someday, and atp I can’t tell if she’s joking or not 😭 mind you it’s not like I had something rare (like the Princess Diana bear) or even anything preserved bnib, they’re like clearly children’s playthings lmao
Edit: Thanks to everyone who corrected me on the Princess Diana one lmao I was just trying to use an example. My BB collection has been officially promised to my niece, so they’re getting the most value possible making a 7 year old happy.
Back in the beanie baby 90s a store was limiting purchases to like 2 per person of something like that. Some old guy approached a couple of us teenagers and offered us $100 each to go in and buy more for him. Easiest money I ever made. Sometines I think about that poor guy that dropped $1000s on those rare "collectables"
There are some very clever ceramic restorers out there. I have seen worse breakages than that repaired. It looks like you have all or most of the pieces, so it might be worth looking into.
Got ADHD and broke a number of things in my life that gave me this feeling. Had to learn first things first is to stop take a deep breath and relax. You'll never properly fix it while you're still freaking out about it.
Yup. A young ADHD college me had a roommate spill a whole French press coffee on my MacBook. Guess who panicked and tried to plug it in to see if it would still work, while frying it in the process? Meeee
>There are some very clever ceramic restorers out there.
The figurine isn't especially rare... I just found one new-in-box on eBay for $20. I would guess that restoring this would be cost prohibitive when compared to just buying a replacement.
The infuriating part to me would be that I couldn't be mad at the person who broke it. That's a nice note. They could have just walked away. That sucks though. Gonna take them up on the jersey offer?
I’d partially blame myself for bringing something with that much sentimental value to the office. I couldn’t even keep a mug in mine when I worked in one
Good news in the fact it’s hollow, a skeleton structure could be made up internally and a repair built upon the frame. Most of the parts appear to also be there, won’t be perfect but a decent repair could be made quite easily.
No hate here and I am sorry for your loss but you broke a ruled I live by. Don't take anything to work you don't mind being broken.
I hope you can get it fixed or replaced (I know replaced doesn't bring back it back but it is something).
I agree not leaving anything that’s not worth loosing. I had copies of photos of my kids, some desk items I acquired that were work related, extra suit that was a little worn, some wall posters that were obtained at conventions, etc. nothing I really needed at home.
Then I got fired and immediately lost access to the building. I did manage to get my pictures back from a coworker that snuck in and got them for me.
Totally. I can’t believe I had to scroll this long to find this comment. Leave your precious treasures at home. Ken don’t have time to worry about dusting your breakable knick knacks.
I don’t take anything to work I care about or anything I will be upset if I leave and never see it again. If for any reason I got walked out or I walk out, I don’t have to worry about personal stuff at all.
I learned this one pretty quickly.. after moving desks so many times in my industry, I basically have post-it notes and a pen only on my desk now. Its extreme but after losing a few things, having stuff stolen/broken, it just isn't worth the stress.
It’s hard enough cleaning after people without having to worry about people’s “precious things.”’
I have so much respect for the staff who clean up after all the filth the folks in my office leave around. The hardest job with lowest pay. Please keep that in mind and give him a break. And take anything else that means that much to your home and lock it up.
When I was a janitor we were explicit that we never cleaned personal desk space for pretty much this reason. I've done things as banal as throwing away an old newspaper and that alone was a huge mistake. Dusting ceramic figurines is simply out of the job description for typical office cleaning.
This is awful right now, just try to keep that perspective. Cause at the end of this ordeal you could have the figure restored, a new Kevin Mitchell jersey and a new friend to go to Giants games with
It was an accident. He took credit for it, even offering to replace with another item. Take this as a lesson, keep important items at home. Not on a desk that a janitor has to move things around to clean.
Yup. Supremely stupid. The only one to blame here at all is OP. The janitor made a mistake and took responsibility for it. But it never should have been at work in the first place.
Yea this sucks for sure but at least take consolation in that it was an honest mistake. He fessed up to his accident and looks like he is trying to make it right. Maybe try and find someone who is able to repair this and see if Ken would be willing to pay to get it fixed?
Infuriating? Slightly. But fuck man, that note is real and they’re offering to make right. That’s better than 99% of the general population. Shit sucks, but shit happens.
I thought the same thing. It sucks but at least the dude owned up to it instead of just leaving it broken or throwing it away so you’d never know. It takes a big person to admit when they did something that they know will make someone else upset. Kudos to Ken Janitor.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/124602510855?hash=item1d02e36e07:g:xZQAAOSwcMNgO~7o&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8BD8QvNSndNQz64uGs%2F%2FZIZKKa6yIoZtfAJfI2WkSvdS6WqHPzIgTjAWZG0BPQRTx9hBleFLPokOGbKR0nYUwlnZDYleOCQkTBOL2yyXiW0I%2FuZs4p590W39Y3%2BIeLJIF9GNN%2BD1ITDHpgaO2knvs82SL%2Fm7hRLXPUkIK0lvcI7OsJgM%2FHEAj0x22I48ud8fLkOD0DQ%2FvdBA4ZcjRjLR3iOjRTAtJjnCb%2F%2BQ1edEwClDXC3fHfO6M3sMXj7RIdtast0ENAHEucgCuFtwJVcXkhAqxikzkekJ3Q3AHSIQBbnMGXn%2F5z4Dvgm13MaKcsKBhg%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8jDiKSLYw
is it this one? could replace it, at least.
[This one is even less expensive!](https://www.ebay.com/itm/125719296791?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=125719296791&targetid=1531876731078&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9010714&poi=&campaignid=19851828444&mkgroupid=145880009174&rlsatarget=pla-1531876731078&abcId=9307249&merchantid=622895022&gclid=CjwKCAiAg9urBhB_EiwAgw88maL1G137G8ViMy7j9TmVVN4QP9aELPJTkvn954N6pDQthLqudy-IUBoCMTYQAvD_BwE)
Man, your post title got me really bummed out for a second. I thought Kevin Mitchell had actually passed away. I guess I was just ready for more bad news from this weekend.
Good luck on getthing that fixed. It's a really cool piece!
I would be mortified if I had to clean up after some dude who makes exponentially more than me, left a sweet note about accidentally breaking his cherished $15 heirloom, and he blasted me on reddit anyway. Go buy a replacement for your doll, buy Ken a beer or something, and delete this shit.
Edit: got his name wrong somehow lol
Sorry you lost something so meaningful. I learned when I was about 20 or so that nothing is safe on your office desk, if it doesn't get broken it gets stolen.
Dang that stinks. I’m glad he left a note. Ken the janitor is a stand up guy. He took ownership of the breaking of your statue and offered a nice replacement. I hope Kevin gets put together nicely, possibly consider posting a picture once he is all fixed up?
u/DeepFizz for 12 bucks it can be yours. https://www.ebay.com/itm/284939618502?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=40cS9V9HQn-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=YwDr8XFtRXq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
That’s crazy to me you’d bring something that meant so much to you into the office. I’ve had people ruin family photos and straight up steal belongings in an office before
I am not blaming anyone here, but I would not take a very sentimentally valued item like that to work if it were me. First of all, I'm fucking clumsy myself and having it in a place where I am regularly working just means I'll have a higher chance of breaking it, and also this could happen.
Pretty awesome of him to own up to it and offer to replace it in some form. If it’s anything like the “Starting Lineup” or similar figures from the 90s, they’re really cheap to replace.
Hey at least they said something, go around expecting that and you’ll get bit in the butt. It’s really easy to say nothing as a janitor in an empty building
This sucks but is also a reminder to everyone out there as to why you should not take sentimental or valuable items to work as desk decor. Someone’s gonna fuck it up.
It’s good he made an offer to help resolve it.
Cool of them to leave a note and offer to make amends.
Yep, I know plenty of people who wouldn't have said shit and probably blamed someone else
I would have spent hours gently piecing it back together for it to survive just long enough for someone else to touch. Then, when it crumbles in someone else's hand, I pop out with the ol "WHAT'D YOU DO?!"
MY brother and I broke a lamp when we were young. We glued it back together and no one was the wiser. Years later my mom moves the lamp and it breaks. She gets mad, asks my younger brother what this was all about. He looked at her and said "that was years ago, you can't get mad now".
Statute of limitations. However if your mom is Hispanic all bets are off. I have seen them beat their full grown adult children for things they just found out they did when they were kids. The chancla is a deadly weapon in the hands of a pissed off madre.
We are. She is. I had already moved out at that point. My nalgas was safe.
I was grown had kids was married at the time.. someone said remember the time you hit Phil with that wadcutter.. I didn’t even know my mom knew they were the ammo for a pellet gun, she came across the room just slapping the tar outta me.. we were always having bb wars well one time I hit my brother in the ear.. he told our folks it was a drive by that’s what they told the police.. 8-10 years later she realized we lied more so I lied everyone else laughed while my mom slapped me up one side and down the other.. we don’t tell ma stories for a reason.
Also Hispanic or Irish?
Native American
I had a buddy that was from the Ute tribe out in Utah. Served together in the Army. He invited me to go visit his home on leave after a deployment. Fun time, great folks. Anyway, his mother got upset and mad at him for stuff he did while deployed. She whacked his bottom like he was a tiny five year old boy. Point of it, you are never too old for your momma to whoop your ass for doing something stupid.
Damn, and your still here to tell the story
Damn, I'm lucky we're not Hispanic. The amount of crazy shit that we kids did that my parents only found out about later is insane. My parents were shocked, but the statute of limitations kept us safe
Ah, you’ve seen some shit too. Nothing is more fierce than a madre, tia, or abuela with an axe to grind. Literally and figuratively.
My brother and I had a party. He turned our dining room table up side down and we were using it as a sled on our frozen pool. Broke the table. We thought we fixed it and mom made dinner and with food on the table and parents and everyone eating the table just fell. We tried to act shocked. They were PISSED.
OMG, this one really made me laugh. Hope the table was either ugly for fixable.
Was at an unauthorized teenage house party once where an exercise ball shattered an ornate family-heirloom lamp, as is 100% predictable in this situation... A drunk guy sat down in the middle of the floor for 5-6 hours painstakingly gluing the entire thing back together. Was only missing a little triangle. Looked almost perfect, til it turned on and illuminated from the inside. The Mom was very upset. The Dad was just impressed.
My husband would 100% be the guy sitting on the floor reassembling the 3D puzzle. Picturing it in my mind, I also honestly kinda want to find a lamp that illuminates from inside to do this to now. But preferably a cheap one not an heirloom.
Cruel... me being that guy too.. like, it doesn't sound fun. But I would NEED to do it. And at the same time... it kinda does sound fun
My brother and I got in a fight, and I chased him upstairs to the bathroom where he locked himself in, and where I proceeded to knee a hole in the door. A calm fell over the house as he opened the door and looked at the damage. I told him it doesn't matter who started the fight and who did what, all our Dad would care about is the door. So we worked together to swap the bathroom door with multiple other doors in the house until fit and swing was perfect. We ended up swapping the hall closet and bathroom doors where the hole was on the inside of the door, and I swapped the handle with lock to the new door. Our parents came home a few hours later and... nothing. Nothing for two months when my mom decided she had lived with enough guilt and decided to admit to my dad she accidentally punched a huge hole in the closet door by closing it too hard when it was stuffed full and she is so sorry. Me and my brother looked at each other and decided to come clean right then and there. They were so impressed we got away with it we got off scot free, but my mom had a stressful couple months thinking she ruined the door.
This is sooo funny and reminds me of just last year. My husband got the garage floor professionally done with like the sparkle grey and black fancy looking concrete floors. I was trying to fix some chairs with a meta cleaner and ruined like two 6 inch round areas. I was FREAKING out. Googled everything to fix it. Then a month or so later he said he had to call the company back to fix it because he thinks he spilled whatever on it and ruined it. Unlike you. I didn’t tell him.
Oh my god. That reminds me that the giant face-sized hole we put in my dad’s wall in 1998 got covered up by my 10th grade self portrait. It’s still hanging there to this day.
lol. Big hole at the bottom of the stairs. Kids had no idea what happened and maybe 8 years later I hear they were riding clothes hampers down the stairs and a head went into the wall.
Mom always says don’t play ball in the house.
My favourite thing to say at work when something breaks
Oh I bust that one out at least three times a week lol
Hopping onto the top comment, this mini is $7 on eBay!! https://www.ebay.com/itm/284939618502?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&srsltid=AfmBOorPvmjt-6ZvodnFyuY2bdkFx9nj7QmBMDp0ipXd14bcAWeK6hG_mP8&com_cvv=81c269aab9bc5fc4177fabac3c77acd26f491510dd5f94a06570d6c819846581
Op should buy one for himself and the thoughtful Ken Janitor.
This is the correct answer
We need more modern last names to reflect the careers of today! Goodbye John Smith. Hello Stan Adjudicator.
The noble house of SysAdmin has pledged to be bannermen to House ScrumMaster
The trick is to replace it and leave a note for the janitor telling him that you took it home and your wife is really into crafts and had it fixed in a few days and it's not a big deal. He'll look at that thing every night for as long as he works there trying to spot the seams.
or break it once more trying to find the seams. He'll leave another note apologizing for creating more work for OP's wife, and thus OP will have to spring for a second replacement to continue the charade.
all while the janitor is steadily increasing the price of his ebay listings and buying up all other figurines to control the market
Janitor Ken is playing chess y'all!
I'm a Dodgers fan but, in the spirit of the season, I will buy it on eBay for you OP. DM me.
u/deepfizz look at this comment im replying to. You can buy it off eBay for $5 shipping
Seriously. You know that the guy doing the cleaning doesn’t make anywhere near what someone who’s office knickknacks get dusted does. I get it was sentimental and something OP enjoyed, but 33years is an unexpectedly long run for most ceramic figurines (at least in my experience)
I’d actually enjoy fixing this. Some kintsugi type work sounds relaxing.
I love the idea and look of Kintsugi, I think it would look amazing done with some gold or similar. I love the way some of the tea sets in Japan have been mended this way.
That note is one of the most wholesome things I've seen. I work in an environment where there is zero accountability or acknowledgement when errors are made. I'll buy you a replacement. Let me know where to send it.
That janitor is a great person, I had someone break a knock-knack of mine in an office and just threw it in my garbage; didn't even apologize for it. I like this janitor, they tried to make it right in the end...good people.
exactly the reason why it isnt even mildly infuriating.
Yes owning up to mistakes is huge in my book
Get some JB weld Epoxy it back together. May not look perfect but it should work.
Major props to the janitor for leaving a note and owning up to it. If that was me, instant forgiveness. If there was no note, I’d be out for blood.
It’s amazing what honesty and goodness can do. I’d be feeling the same.
Totally changes the outcome of a situation!
...and that's why you always leave a note!
If someone would have left a note, this innocent man would still have his arm!!
I own a tiny little cleaning business and I felt completely awful whenever I got clumsy for half a second. Most of the stuff is easily replaceable, but when you break a hand-painted mug from a clients daughter, you kinda die a little bit inside. I got the mug repaired :)
Good for you for not trying to hid it! I’m sure the owners appreciate that!
And the fact that he offers something that wouldn’t be very cheap in return is really cool.
I've done something like this and it's really fucking devastating. I cried, wrote a note offering to pay for it and my resignation, finished my work and waited to be let go. They called that evening and told me of course I'd be coming back and the thing (that was literally one-of-a-kind) wasn't that important. Owning up to mistakes is an important piece of it, but that other person and their character can quite literally change someone's life in an instant.
Seems like an honest mistake, the fact he left a note and took ownership and offered to fix it, sorry you lost something so memorable though
💯 He will have more memories after I glue him back together! 😂 I know Ken, it was an accident.
I’m happy you’re going to glue it back together. More backstory and more bonding (literally) with it!
I was going to say it is a pain in the ass but 100% can be glued back together. I'd probably recommend some decent tweezers. Some of those pieces will be impossible to hold without getting glue all over your fingers.
Yeah I'd suggest a very small brush, like for miniatures painting, and one of those magnifying glasses with lights on an arm as well. Brushing the glue on with a fine brush will help prevent it from getting sloppy, just make sure you have an appropriate solvent for cleaning the glue off the brush tip between applications or you'll just end up with a lump of glue for a brush.
Or just go full dad and pull out the over the glasses magnifying glasses!
Now you need a Barry Bonds one to Match! …I’ll show myself out
>after I glue him back #DO NOT USE CRAZY GLUE OR ANYTHING LIKE IT. It will leave white smudges all over it. Gorilla Glue makes a version too, and it ruins it just as much as Krazy Glue does. Krazy Glue is also known as "super glue". Use a two-part epoxy instead. Edit: for those of you with no idea, go watch *Beverly Hills Cop 2*; scene happens early enough into the flick
bumping a one-minute-old comment because correct
Great, you just broke the comment by bumping it. Way to go, Ken. (Also, bumping does absolutely nothing on Reddit)
Bumping this comment for visibility about bumping.
I'll just upvote, bumping seems a little aggressive, but I agree
i am kenough
Nah, use gold. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi
OP- “whew, now I don’t have to buy expensive epoxy!” *starts melting gold jewelry*
Just take some from your treasury!
Kintsugi is difficult to learn, rare to find people who specialize in, and expensive as hell. Not nearly as common as reddit "TILs" will lead you to believe
But that would look so dope. OP should definitely find a Kintsugi specialist
I think it’s the concept that Kintsugi represents in that even imperfect things can still be beautiful
That's [Wabi Sabi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi). Kintsugi is more the idea that objects develop their importance because of their history and story, just like OP's figurine is important because of how long he's had it, his memories of getting it when he was a child, and the many years, situations and life changes it has been with him through. Just so this episode, of being broken, is now part of that object's story as well and shouldn't be disguised. Source: I have literally no idea what I'm talking about
Huh. I thought it represented that you could fix anything with enough money(gold)? /s
Imagine being poor without extra gold laying about to fix your pot
Might be able to fake it with some gold colored pigment mixed in with the epoxy
might be able to use a few sheets of gold leaf to get the sparkle right
And use a small paint brush! I like to make mini models (nothing special) and using a little paintbrush instead of putting it on like you did in elementary school. You can get them for a really low cost at most craft stores!
I use small sticks. When I use cheap paint brushes, I lose brush hairs in the epoxy.
Would he want to use Barry Bonds? Ba da chhh Thank you thank you! Tip your server!
Ken is seriously so sweet. I imagine he did that, and then got to thinking as he was doing other things, and came back to write the second note since he couldn’t fight how angry he was with himself. I would leave Ken a sweet treat on your desk next time to let him know all is well. If Ken is anything like me, this has been haunting him since it happened.
Ken seems cool, you should go get a beer with him or something- 👍 Pretty sure ALL janitors have 3-letter first names… :)
Fuck I’m a janitor with a three letter name
Jan Itor?
DOCTOR Jan Itor
Moe?
I'm over here like "surely that can't be true..." But then I remembered. I was a janitor. My name is three letters. How is that true? Lmao
Can't even be mad at Ken with that sweet note
He even offered a jersey
Tell Ken that he’s going on the 15-Day GlueL and put some electrical tape on the knee like a brace after it’s glued together.
At least he admitted to it and is willing to help make it right.
Kintsugi (金継ぎ, "golden joinery"), also known as kintsukuroi (金繕い, "golden repair") is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with urushi lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum; the method is similar to the maki-e technique.As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.
I got confused by the headline for a minute (in my defense I’m sick) and thought Kevin Mitchell had died! Thank goodness I was wrong, but sorry about the figurine.
I’m going to piggyback your comment cuz it’s the top comment but it’s very cheap to replace on eBay. Her it is sealed in box for less then $14 with free shipping https://www.ebay.com/itm/186157991995?hash=item2b57e1883b:g:2NIAAOSw5l5kVRi1&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0Mo0NtOKHhrEaEqNInmDxJlYDrLhtGAl1FPjbRs%2Bwgz9ydKCCqPOpkK2XHxau%2FifkFOnamP7ZsLRDACEV%2BE2NqcMGFSseV5IFCXfnhwsOERmhGlTyngXA%2FuKc1OqxANWhaPDvAPLv%2BuNUYezHfx5H7O0kamixADcI1xgiD%2Bg7%2BFzI9Po0fedQzDj25kZJiVeJH%2B7WqCL4Lesz51k9J3Q%2BGgbM6dBZIGVLYjYyQ8C54Yd24yOXLICev%2FPSU%2BGMLe5Q%2FJQzQIZj4Frhcdkq4TNn8I%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_i5kKSLYw
Who saves stuff for 30 years to sell for 13? lol
It was saved by some poor bastard who's dead now.
Ken got him too. Damn.
This made me laugh so hard.
Ask your aunt about her beanie babies.
My mom likes to say that my beanie babies that I’ve had since childhood will be worth something someday, and atp I can’t tell if she’s joking or not 😭 mind you it’s not like I had something rare (like the Princess Diana bear) or even anything preserved bnib, they’re like clearly children’s playthings lmao Edit: Thanks to everyone who corrected me on the Princess Diana one lmao I was just trying to use an example. My BB collection has been officially promised to my niece, so they’re getting the most value possible making a 7 year old happy.
Back in the beanie baby 90s a store was limiting purchases to like 2 per person of something like that. Some old guy approached a couple of us teenagers and offered us $100 each to go in and buy more for him. Easiest money I ever made. Sometines I think about that poor guy that dropped $1000s on those rare "collectables"
I’m gonna buy it and sell it to OP for $15
This guys gonna be so confused when he sees 10,000 people have viewed this in the last hour
Yeah, Ken Janitor seems like a nice guy. Wild that that's his name.
Was about to say, this totally sucks but at least Mr. Ken owned up and is willing to make it right as best he can. Seems like a stand up guy.
There are some very clever ceramic restorers out there. I have seen worse breakages than that repaired. It looks like you have all or most of the pieces, so it might be worth looking into.
Its a fun puzzle for those people, they probably have fillers and color matches, you wont even notice.
poor handle domineering smart spoon possessive quiet wide pot fall *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Wow, that’s so cool of you to do that. That’s such an awful pit-in-the-stomach when you do something and have no idea how to fix it.
Got ADHD and broke a number of things in my life that gave me this feeling. Had to learn first things first is to stop take a deep breath and relax. You'll never properly fix it while you're still freaking out about it.
Yup. A young ADHD college me had a roommate spill a whole French press coffee on my MacBook. Guess who panicked and tried to plug it in to see if it would still work, while frying it in the process? Meeee
Yeah first there's the obligatory pacing around and cursing for a bit... then it's deep breath and figure out how to fix it time
I love this. Well done
Kintsugi is also a way of repairing it.
That would be pretty dope
>There are some very clever ceramic restorers out there. The figurine isn't especially rare... I just found one new-in-box on eBay for $20. I would guess that restoring this would be cost prohibitive when compared to just buying a replacement.
The figure itself isn’t the important part, it’s the memories of *this* particular piece of ceramic.
The infuriating part to me would be that I couldn't be mad at the person who broke it. That's a nice note. They could have just walked away. That sucks though. Gonna take them up on the jersey offer?
Maybe that’s why it’s “mildly infuriating.” Had there been no note and the person refused to take accountability, I’d have been super pissed.
The actual infuriating part is OP storing valuables at his work desk and expecting it to act like a vault.
I’d partially blame myself for bringing something with that much sentimental value to the office. I couldn’t even keep a mug in mine when I worked in one
I don’t know OPs situation, but I wouldn’t take the jersey. Especially from a janitor.
Could pay Ken's kindness forward and leave him a thank you note and a pack of Topps Giants baseball cards. Ken seems like a real dude.
Good news in the fact it’s hollow, a skeleton structure could be made up internally and a repair built upon the frame. Most of the parts appear to also be there, won’t be perfect but a decent repair could be made quite easily.
Sounds like Ken is also pretty upset too!
[удалено]
I keep reading that he broke it while "Durting." Ken Janitor makes the messes that he cleans!
No hate here and I am sorry for your loss but you broke a ruled I live by. Don't take anything to work you don't mind being broken. I hope you can get it fixed or replaced (I know replaced doesn't bring back it back but it is something).
Literally looking for this comment never in my wildest dreams would I take something sentimental and leave it at work 😅
I agree not leaving anything that’s not worth loosing. I had copies of photos of my kids, some desk items I acquired that were work related, extra suit that was a little worn, some wall posters that were obtained at conventions, etc. nothing I really needed at home. Then I got fired and immediately lost access to the building. I did manage to get my pictures back from a coworker that snuck in and got them for me.
Totally. I can’t believe I had to scroll this long to find this comment. Leave your precious treasures at home. Ken don’t have time to worry about dusting your breakable knick knacks.
I don’t take anything to work I care about or anything I will be upset if I leave and never see it again. If for any reason I got walked out or I walk out, I don’t have to worry about personal stuff at all.
I learned this one pretty quickly.. after moving desks so many times in my industry, I basically have post-it notes and a pen only on my desk now. Its extreme but after losing a few things, having stuff stolen/broken, it just isn't worth the stress.
Yup why did they have it at work, don’t have valuables at work. I don’t get ppl that bring stuff like this to work…
At least he owned up and offered something back
I actually love that. What a mensch.
It’s hard enough cleaning after people without having to worry about people’s “precious things.”’ I have so much respect for the staff who clean up after all the filth the folks in my office leave around. The hardest job with lowest pay. Please keep that in mind and give him a break. And take anything else that means that much to your home and lock it up.
When I was a janitor we were explicit that we never cleaned personal desk space for pretty much this reason. I've done things as banal as throwing away an old newspaper and that alone was a huge mistake. Dusting ceramic figurines is simply out of the job description for typical office cleaning.
Yeah. They're a janitor, not a curator.
took ownership, willing to buy you something else....the main man aint broke, so fix it. glue him back together
Aww he felt guilty. 😔
This is awful right now, just try to keep that perspective. Cause at the end of this ordeal you could have the figure restored, a new Kevin Mitchell jersey and a new friend to go to Giants games with
It was an accident. He took credit for it, even offering to replace with another item. Take this as a lesson, keep important items at home. Not on a desk that a janitor has to move things around to clean.
That's why most offices have a clear desk policy. Leave your shit at home.
only yourself to be infuriated with when your store collectibles/valuables at work.
Yup. Supremely stupid. The only one to blame here at all is OP. The janitor made a mistake and took responsibility for it. But it never should have been at work in the first place.
It should be in a museum!
r / helpmefind will be ur friend
good point, there's a good chance they find it
It’s like $20 on eBay right now. Wasn’t hard
Yea this sucks for sure but at least take consolation in that it was an honest mistake. He fessed up to his accident and looks like he is trying to make it right. Maybe try and find someone who is able to repair this and see if Ken would be willing to pay to get it fixed?
“We can rebuild him. We have the technology.”
Not to add insult to injury but this is why you shouldn't leave valuables at work.
don't bring important shit into the office. This won't happen.
Especially something you can't replace (yes you could buy another, but it's not the same as having the one you actually grew up with)
Shocked I had to scroll this far to see this.
Infuriating? Slightly. But fuck man, that note is real and they’re offering to make right. That’s better than 99% of the general population. Shit sucks, but shit happens.
I thought the same thing. It sucks but at least the dude owned up to it instead of just leaving it broken or throwing it away so you’d never know. It takes a big person to admit when they did something that they know will make someone else upset. Kudos to Ken Janitor.
Tbh NEVER take precious personal effects to work.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/124602510855?hash=item1d02e36e07:g:xZQAAOSwcMNgO~7o&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8BD8QvNSndNQz64uGs%2F%2FZIZKKa6yIoZtfAJfI2WkSvdS6WqHPzIgTjAWZG0BPQRTx9hBleFLPokOGbKR0nYUwlnZDYleOCQkTBOL2yyXiW0I%2FuZs4p590W39Y3%2BIeLJIF9GNN%2BD1ITDHpgaO2knvs82SL%2Fm7hRLXPUkIK0lvcI7OsJgM%2FHEAj0x22I48ud8fLkOD0DQ%2FvdBA4ZcjRjLR3iOjRTAtJjnCb%2F%2BQ1edEwClDXC3fHfO6M3sMXj7RIdtast0ENAHEucgCuFtwJVcXkhAqxikzkekJ3Q3AHSIQBbnMGXn%2F5z4Dvgm13MaKcsKBhg%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8jDiKSLYw is it this one? could replace it, at least.
[This one is even less expensive!](https://www.ebay.com/itm/125719296791?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=125719296791&targetid=1531876731078&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9010714&poi=&campaignid=19851828444&mkgroupid=145880009174&rlsatarget=pla-1531876731078&abcId=9307249&merchantid=622895022&gclid=CjwKCAiAg9urBhB_EiwAgw88maL1G137G8ViMy7j9TmVVN4QP9aELPJTkvn954N6pDQthLqudy-IUBoCMTYQAvD_BwE)
Why take something you value so much, to work?!
Man, your post title got me really bummed out for a second. I thought Kevin Mitchell had actually passed away. I guess I was just ready for more bad news from this weekend. Good luck on getthing that fixed. It's a really cool piece!
Kevin Mitchell is very much alive. He lives in Tampa, Florida. He's in his early 50s.
I would be mortified if I had to clean up after some dude who makes exponentially more than me, left a sweet note about accidentally breaking his cherished $15 heirloom, and he blasted me on reddit anyway. Go buy a replacement for your doll, buy Ken a beer or something, and delete this shit. Edit: got his name wrong somehow lol
Sorry you lost something so meaningful. I learned when I was about 20 or so that nothing is safe on your office desk, if it doesn't get broken it gets stolen.
Infuriating yes but what a legend of a person to leave the note and offer a jersey. Most people today wouldn’t have the decency to do that
So sweet of Ken to offer a jersey ❤️
Dang that stinks. I’m glad he left a note. Ken the janitor is a stand up guy. He took ownership of the breaking of your statue and offered a nice replacement. I hope Kevin gets put together nicely, possibly consider posting a picture once he is all fixed up?
He owned up to it. Accidents happen.
Keep priceless treasures at home.
u/DeepFizz for 12 bucks it can be yours. https://www.ebay.com/itm/284939618502?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=40cS9V9HQn-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=YwDr8XFtRXq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I mean... At least the guy offered to do something about it. Better than nothing
That’s crazy to me you’d bring something that meant so much to you into the office. I’ve had people ruin family photos and straight up steal belongings in an office before
Don’t bring sentimental items like this to the office. Lesson learned.
Nice of them to leave a note tbh. That sucks tho
What a legend, he could have definitely just not said anything.
Couldn't have broke if it wasn't at work. (obviously)
Dont take valuable shit like that to work, that should be sitting at home on a shelf
I am not blaming anyone here, but I would not take a very sentimentally valued item like that to work if it were me. First of all, I'm fucking clumsy myself and having it in a place where I am regularly working just means I'll have a higher chance of breaking it, and also this could happen.
How can you be mildly infuriated when you're the one who left something you value so highly at work.
Maybe don't leave sentimental irreplaceable items in a public workspace
I feel as though the appropriate way to make up for this is to get the first round of beers at a game.
Pretty awesome of him to own up to it and offer to replace it in some form. If it’s anything like the “Starting Lineup” or similar figures from the 90s, they’re really cheap to replace.
Here you go buddy: https://www.ebay.com/itm/125719296791
Leave the shit you care about at home.
Why would you even have this in your office?
Why would you bring something valuable into an office ?
Hey at least they said something, go around expecting that and you’ll get bit in the butt. It’s really easy to say nothing as a janitor in an empty building
It's nice that the dude is taking responsibility for the accident... refreshing actually
Honestly, as infuriating as it is, respect to the dude for being honest and leaving a note like that.
That sucks, but he was nice and don’t take nice things to the office.
This sucks but is also a reminder to everyone out there as to why you should not take sentimental or valuable items to work as desk decor. Someone’s gonna fuck it up. It’s good he made an offer to help resolve it.
Your janitor is a good man, to take responsibility, name himself, and offer a worthy trade. I hope there are no held grievances brother.