Thing-in-my-room of the day: the raisin. Sitting on my desk, looking down at me, is a ceramic California raisin playing an electric bass. The raisin is purplish-brown with lavender eyelids and a bright red mouth. He's got little white gloves and pale green sneakers. His bass guitar is bright blue.

What I really love about this thing is that it's very obviously handmade. I got it at the Salvation Army store up in Watertown. My only query becomes: where is the mysterious South Dakotan sculptor who bothered to craft an eight-inch grinning raisin?