As it has for many years, this little bottle – with its pretty orange tincture – sits atop my sink.

I am a complete sucker for things that appear in multiples. And it turns out that many of my photographs chronicle this little obsession. Stay tuned for more.

Manhattan’s Chinatown is chock full of food and vivid street life. But it’s also a bastion of oddities and small treasures. These instructional rubber acupuncture models are part of that trove. Rounding out the selection of teaching aids is a cow, a horse, a dog, a miniature foot, human figures (both male and female), as well as a smaller ear and more. You can purchase any of these online here. Or, better yet, get yourself downtown and have a person-to-person transaction at my favorite Chinatown pharmacy, the Lin Sister Herb Shop at #4 Bowery.

I was more than a little surprised when I inked up these antique French stamps. I was fully unaware of the anatomical detail prior to purchase. Furthermore, what in heaven’s name were these used for?

Russia has been in the news a lot recently. In that spirit, here are a few items I picked up in a stationery store years ago while on a nutty trip to the Russian Far East. The plaster shapes are educational tools used to teach perspective drawing to young students. The fans feature diphthongs. A sort of Russian fun-with-phonics. And the lesson book – well – as one can see, it’s unlike what any 4th grader in NYC has on their desk.