I have no title.

DIY sidewalk chalk is particularly amazing :)

I love this store in Oakland that is dedicated to the ethic of reuse. They cater to teachers and artists, people who might benefit from supplies en masse. I like to buy a lot of envelopes when I'm there, stickers, pins. I've never bought as much as I want though, because I have to carry it all around the city.

I would love to start a store like this in my city, a non-profit dedicated to reducing waste and encouraging reuse in creative ways. There was a composting bicycle service for a few years that also had a worm farm, but for some reason they couldn't sustain it (time, energy, manpower), and they went away.

I wish that I could do it all, compost all the restaurant waste, create a place where people could recycle crayons and hang with like-minded thrifty people. I wish I had my own store. But the rummage sale made me think otherwise. It made me think that I don't have the emotional acuity particular to running/operating a thrift establishment. Or maybe I do, but I would definitely need a partner. I have a friend that I could work with every day and not hate it, but I'd have to import her.

btw, today has not been awesome, but I'm getting into Parks & Rec, so yeah.

Milk Cartons

Vintage "Compu-Mug". I've found others, and they all have fun sayings :)

Cartons are recyclable, like juice boxes and milk cartons, but not all cities offer carton recycling. You can find out if your community offers carton recycling by going to The Carton Council's website. I'm considering starting a petition to my city (I don't know who I'd petition, the city council, perhaps?) to ask them to begin providing carton recycling. I don't know how much it would cost to add that kind of technology, but cities do make money off of their recycling programs.

The school where I work doesn't have milk cartons. They have milk bags. It's really amazing how school cafeterias work. If you're going to change the world, I think you have to start in a school cafeteria, because that's where you'll find the most people.

Anyhow, check the website and see if your city recycles cartons, and if they do, then recycle them!

Poor and marginal

The test of courage comes when we are in the minority.  The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.

 ~Ralph W. Sockman

I was really surprised by some of the comments I got about my landlording posts last week. I admit, I was not very organized in my thinking, and that may have made me come across as judgmental, and I don't like that. I want to affirm that people make mistakes and are not perfect. We are all human, and we all see things a bit askew from how they actually are (perhaps how God sees them). And our skewed views are okay to have. I think the problem comes when we aren't willing to extend a little grace to ourselves and perhaps admit that we might be wrong.

I think it's more important to be flawed and fallible than it is to know everything. I think it's more important to admit being wrong, and maybe not knowing everything, than it is to hold to one's convictions so as to never admit defeat or vulnerability.

I was raised with material possessions. If I made the choice, even today, I could go back to that life. I am poor because I choose to be. And of course, that has become more difficult than I expected it to be, but it's also better than I ever expected it could be. I left a life of plenty, because there was no love, no real unconditional love, and if I have to be poor and marginal for the rest of my life in order to be loved for who I really am, then I will work my darndest to be okay with that.

Peace out mofos :)

Some ideas on landlording, Part 3

Political stalemate?! Ah, the good old days ;)

I probably should have done a good introduction about why this issue relates to my blog, but it's a blog, and we just aren't that organized around here :)

The church is important to me. I wish it weren't, because it makes me even weirder than I already was, but it's just how it is, so I guess I have to deal with it. Honestly, it just makes me less attractive to the single (i.e. unattached) members of the opposite sex. That's really the only reason I feel weird about it lately. I don't want to be marginal.

I think that the church is to be God in the world, that the church is the way that God is humanly present in the world. The church has no walls, or even labels. The church is not Christian, or Muslim. The church is within each of us that affirm the humanity of God, that choose to allow God to work through us to love others, something we are not always humanly able to do (I'm choosing my words carefully here, seminary peeps).

So on that note, the church needs to be active in the world! We need to be solving problems, helping people lead happier, healthier lives, and generally extending grace and peace all over the place.

So currently, I think that involves being a better landlord. I'm a practical girl.

Some ideas on landlording, Part 2

It's so funny to see old headlines; they could be today's :)

So since I live in the Disneyland of foreclosures, buying a house is super difficult. Houses go up for sale, and typically come down just as quickly. In my neighborhood, with huge gorgeous homes, when they don't sell, the price just drops...and drops...and drops. Seriously. It's really sad. On one corner, a "For Sale" sign keeps getting tagged. I flip off the invisible taggers in my head every time I see it. I hate tagging. It makes me so angry. I also hate trash on the road. Dude, this is your neighborhood too! But I digress.

I've begun to wonder what motivation a person could possibly have to rent property to other persons, other than to make money. And if houses are hard to buy, even though mortgages are cheaper than rent (!), renters can then get stuck in bad situations with no way out. Landlords have no motivation to make different choices, to adequately care for the property, regardless of whether these are individuals or larger corporations, unless some outside entity decides to give them some. I think that there should be some sort of license that people are required to achieve and maintain in order to rent out property. The license would demonstrate that the individual(s) is able, willing, and knowledgeable enough to care for the property at a basic level, and has shown him or herself capable of maintaining the property over time.

We need more public shaming. We need more people willing to say, "Dude, check yourself. The way you're treating your renters is dehumanizing." Seriously, renters get screwed. They have no power, and those with power have no motivation to change negative behaviors. So I don't know who I'm talking to, but if you have an idea, let me know. I'm just ranting here for my own benefit. I do love the sound of my own voice.

Some ideas on landlording, Part 1

I found a bunch of old Atlantic Monthlys last week.

My neighborhood is not always a pretty place. There are lovely homes, and well-kept yards on one street, but move over a couple streets, or even a few miles away, and you'll see homes with yards look more like mini-landfills than yards. I don't think that these homes are lived in by the homeowners. I imagine, due to the nature of the neighborhood, that they are rentals.

Are there laws that require landowners, or home-owners, to keep their property clean? Do cities spend more time faulting renters for the state of the property than they do the owners? In my city, a few years ago, the police attempted to create better neighborhoods by fining people who had property with major blight. The campaign ended quickly when the neighborhoods rebelled against the police, and owners were cited as problem-makers who bought property, raised rent, and never cared for the property itself, but law enforcement did nothing. A lot of the homes were Section-8, which was a problem on its own because the owners were abusing the system and neglecting the property. Many owners lived out of state, or were "property managers" with no personal ethic to care for the property.

I once lived in a lovely apartment complex (and it was a decent-sized complex), where there was an on-site manager who lived on-site, and the owner came regularly to deal with maintenance and landscaping issues. I always felt very cared for. It was old, but it was not neglected.

How do the powerless affect change in the powerful? Stay tuned for Part 2.

Saving $ @ thrift stores - Part 2

A textbook on etiquette - PhD reading material :)

A couple thrift stores in my city have used Groupon as an avenue towards bringing in customers. At least, I imagine it brings in new customers. I think this is more profitable in advertising than it probably is in actuality, numbers-wise, but I'm beginning to think (based on my own behavior) that a lot of those Groupons don't ever get used, and then the store pockets the profit. I'm all for it. If you paid for something you then never used, that's on you. Sorry folks. I've done it myself, then hang my head in shame. I usually don't buy these things, because it just doesn't make sense to me. There's a time limit, and thrift is not a predictable activity. I'm not much of a gambler, although reselling is always a gamble.

One of these same avant-garde stores has a bag sale every couple months or so, where you purchase a bag of clothing for $10. When I first started doing this, I filled the bag full to the top. But now, I just get the things I want. I don't need to be bringing home things I don't need, or will never sell. I think a whole lot of people use these weeks to stock up on merchandise, but they don't look like online sellers. They look like full-time yard salers (yes, we have those in my neighborhood). No matter what, the cashier gives me a weird look when my bag isn't bulging, but it's still financially positive for me. I just have learned to buy less over my past year of reselling.

Having a super-small space has really helped me to learn to take in less merchandise. It saves me time when I'm not trying to sell things that will never sell, and it helps me not go crazy stepping over inventory in my living room. Also, I have a couch now, and I lie on it and read, so I think this strategy is really serving me well in the long run.

To do list :)

Things to do in the near future:

1. Become less fearful of actual human contact
2. Give couch to friend's friend who needs a couch
3. Get comfy chairs for living room
4. Kill all weeds in backyard (never gonna happen)
5. Fill holes in drywall
6. Finish year-end paperwork for good
7. Wash car, inside and out
8. Trim bush outside front door
9. Install outdoor shade
10. Organize inventory (constantly happening)

Geysers are big.

Yellowstone postcards from 1931

Oh wow. I've gone off the deep end. I've lost track of the words that are coming out of my mouth, and my mouth has taken on a life of its own where it operates without the presence or direction of my brain. Bad times, my friends. I am in trouble.

Bipolar disorder runs in my family, and I have only ever run on the severely depressed side of the mood spectrum. I've been having a lot of different weirdness going on in my body, and I'm not feeling like all is well, or as it should be. Tomorrow is a holiday, and I work all day on Tuesday, but I'm calling my psychiatrist as soon as I can. Whatever is happening is abnormal and not at all okay. Maybe it's nothing; maybe it's just a ton of anxiety, but I am not going to let it continue.

That being said, if you have any kind of mental health issues/diseases/conditions, please know that there are always people willing to hear you. Whether it's a suicide hotline, or a teen crisis line, or a domestic violence hotline, people want to help you. Sometimes all we need to do is reach out from the frenzied clutter of our brains and tell other people that we need help, and we gain a new chance at freedom. So I'm gonna do that, before things get worse, while I still have a chance of turning this train around.

Welcome back Selena :)

Vintage Vera scarf from the late 1950s

Welcome back to another edition of "Thrift Share Monday", a post where thrifting finds are shared with the thrift world at-large.

This vintage Vera scarf has been sitting in my storage for maybe six months. I haven't listed it, because every time I look at it, I think, "This isn't in good-enough condition to sell", but then I don't get rid of it. So today, I am listing it, and we'll just have to see what happens.

Coach purse

My first every Coach purchase. We'll just have to see what happens. Oh dear, I just said that. It's pretty much my new philosophy on life. It's hopeful, but not too deranged. It's mature without being a pain-in-the-ass. Oh wait, I think I am being a pain in the ass. Shoot.

New in package - unopened - So cool

I found this embroidery kit listed for $120 on someone's non-eBay site. I often wonder how people do when they set up their own online shops that are not affiliated with a larger entity. I know there are lots out there. I just don't think I have the kind of name recognition to go off on my own, nor do I particularly want to.

I've been thinking about closing my Etsy shop. It doesn't make very much money (I'm gonna go check on this statement right now). Well, it made $1100 last year, and $550 so far this year. Maybe I'm expecting too much. I don't know. I guess I am frustrated because it means that every time I purchase something, I have to decide where it would fit, and lately I have not been thinking about my Etsy shop at all. Does it even have a purpose, or a theme? What is it? I can't answer these questions, so I'm wondering if it's time to close it down in favor of putting all of my energy into my eBay shop, which I love and enjoy.

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl :)

"The Grape Harvest"

Based on a mosaic of a Millard Sheets piece in Southern California

After a party last night, I'm in a weird place in my head. I spent some time this afternoon wrapped up in my hammock. My friend helped me put it up this morning. Everything is better with my hammock up in a tree. How have I gone five years without it?

I'm having this sudden insecurity brought on by the online dating thing. Suddenly it matters what I say and what I do, and how others perceive me. It's why I'm so bad at interviews, but great at my job. There's something inside me that just shuts down when I know I'm being watched and judged. I wish there were a cure, but there isn't. It's a big part of who I am, and a large reason I put forward a strong sense of self most of the time. I'm afraid of being watched and being found wanting.

So I recycle things that have been discarded by their previous owners. In doing that, I challenge the world to tell me that it's trash. I don't believe it's trash, so how can you? I approach myself in the same way. I'm a bad ass. I dare you to say otherwise. Most of the time, I'm okay. But it's also why I haven't interviewed in over a year. It's my ultimate fear so I find every way I can to avoid it. But now I'm in a place (back to dating again) where I don't want to be avoidant. I want to put myself out there. But the fear is palpable, and in some ways, paralyzing.

I'm going to have a talk with myself right now, see if we can get this all sorted out.

Peace out.

Productive day!

I was so productive today. I put together my brand new printer! And I used it!

Last weekend, I bought a Brother laser printer, a shipping scale, and sheets of printable labels. Now I will be more productive during the week because I won't have to spend so much time at the post office. When the printer came to my house, I got ridiculously happy and jumped up and down. I've just been walking around with a big grin ever since.

Before the printer set-up, I cleaned my toilet. And before that, I went to a workshop on Human Trafficking. At some point during the afternoon, I took a long walk with the dog, and worked my brain hard thinking about my senior paper.

It was a very productive day.

Brainstorming an Island Getaway

 

I am graduating in four months and have not gotten any further on my senior paper topic and subsequent thesis statement. Instead, I am dreaming of planning a post-graduation trip to an island escape over the summer. The following are the possibilities thus far.

1. Vegas baby!
2. Nicaraguan bed-and-breakfast on an island only reached by canoe
3. Go to the nearest airport and buy a ticket to a far-off destination...
4. Somewhere wonderful in Canada where lots of people would love to hug me
5. Columbia! Where I am guaranteed a place to stay with awesome people
6. Switzerland! Where I will most likely have a place to stay
7. Portland. Plenty of friends there with open arms
8. Your single brother/uncle/cousin's abode in a off-the-beaten-path village in Chile?

Send me your suggestions. We have time to brainstorm.