Behind every freelancer is a great mug. Your mug leads a life of quiet, selfless service, and it's time to give it its 15 minutes of internet fame.

Every mug has a story: Who gave it to you? Why do you love it?

We asked our freelancer friends for their mug stories, and we hope you share yours with us too. E-mail us a photo of your mug plus your name, occupation and website to lvanthoen@freelancersunion.org and we may feature you on our blog!

Today's mug comes from Peter, a writer and beer mug enthusiast from Syracuse, NY.

Name: Peter A. Ensminger
Occupation: Medical Editor and Writer
Web site: http://home.roadrunner.com/~geomanagement/ensmingr/
My Mug Story: I "acquired" my first beer mug (pictured) from a pub in Glenrothes, Scotland when I was 16 years old. Thus started my collection. I have since acquired beer mugs and glasses from Belgium, Germany, Peru, Nepal, Tanzania, and many other places. The glass shown holds 1 imperial pint (1.2 US pints) and is covered with "dimples". According to Martyn Cornell, "the light shining through a pint of bitter in a dimpled glass is the beery equivalent of the windows of Salisbury or Chartres."

Thanks, Peter!