My First Keychain

May 1, 2026

The Key of Dreams by Rene Magritte, 1930 - a four-panel canvas where everyday objects (an egg, a shoe, a hat, a candle) sit each in their own frame, mislabeled with words that don't match (the egg is captioned 'the acacia', etc.) - Magritte's word-image dissociation game — René Magritte, *La Clef des Songes* (The Key of Dreams), 1930.

As you might guess based on the blog's vibe and (best) list, I love surfing. A few years ago, I remember I was namorando 🇧🇷 a specific surfboard. (In Portuguese, namorar literally means to date someone romantically. But Brazilians also use it for an object you covet. You're flirting with it, pining, picturing your life with it. The double meaning is the joke.) It was a red one with a thunderbolt on it. It resembled the superhero Flash's outfit. Just like Spider-Man (who struggles to pay rent and approach girls), Flash is also a nerd. For obvious reasons, I like nerd superheroes!

Ok, so, because of nomad life and moving to Canada I ended up never buying that board. To be honest, I don't think I've ever owned a proper surfboard as an adult. I would always rent or (cough cough) share a board.

Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth, 1948 - a woman in a pink dress sits on a vast dry field, looking toward a distant gray farmhouse on the horizon - the entire painting saturated with longing and the unattained — Andrew Wyeth, *Christina's World*, 1948.

Years later, I went to a keychain-arts workshop and decided to make a tiny replica of that exact board. The one I had namorado and almost bought. I was making it as a gift, but ended up changing my mind.

A handmade surfboard keychain, painted red with a yellow lightning bolt

Unfortunately, the fin broke. So it looks more like a vague Flash reference, without the clear surfboard silhouette.

I'll keep the keychain surfboard, then.