Pyrex mystery!

Meanwhile, whilst thrifting...I have a bad habit of finding things mysterious to me and trying to identify them. Yesterday I found this small round clear glass piece of Pyrex, marked "France D". It has a sloped base, but sits flat on the taller rims. It has a semi-circle notch on both sides, opposite to one another, that almost look like ashtray ridges. I've looked everywhere. My best guess is that it's some sort of obscure laboratory part. I'm interested in selling it when I find out what it is. It's my current mystère-du-jour.

I'm sitting in bed eating cinnamon toast and listening to talk radio. It's election day and boy do I not give a flying fuck. I am sick of the constant phone calls, the mail full of glossy attack ads, and the general vomit of political signs all over town. I am done done done. No matter how much I care about the issues, come election day, I usually feel this way. The whole process makes me hate to participate, hate to vote. I'd rather pretend to not care than participate in the orgy of power. That being said, I will step away from the computer and go vote, because I need to shut up about everything if I'm not willing to do the easiest thing available to me.

Cheers to all! Happy thrifting :)

Linking up with Sir Thrift-A-Lot's Thirftasaurus :)

Update: A friendly comment from a reader revealed that this is a milk saver! Thanks readers!

Happy Wednesday!

Jim Henson's Beauregard doll

I'm sitting at my desk in my work clothes (all thrifted - woohoo!), getting used to a new pair of shoes I bought Monday at Salvation Army. I'm super weird about shoes. They have to look just a certain way. I can't deal with anything that's too pointy or I think my feet look humongous. Nevermind that I have friends with larger feet who wear pointy shoes and look fabulous - I look awful. Anyhow, I went out on a limb and bought a pair of shoes that have open toes, but are definitely a little pointy. I'm getting used to them.

I've been thrifting like a mofo, listing constantly, taking tons of pictures. I'm still housesitting, so I have to find new canvases on which to photograph clothing, but I've made it work. Wooden fences look pretty cool as a backdrop with good lighting. I don't think I'll ever be the kind of girl who models for her own store, but who knows? Maybe if I'm still doing this when I'm eighty, I'll have lost all fear - that would be pretty hilarious. All of those types of online shops are typically cute young women and the occasional friend or boyfriend.

Anyhow, I was inspired by Ted Cruz's non-filibuster speech over the past 24 hours. I don't care if I agree with someone's politics - if I see someone who is passionate about something and they do whatever they can to make that visible, I have a lot of respect for them. I respect people with the courage of their convictions; I don't know that I always have that myself.

Peace out yo :)

Human energy.

Martha Stewart Crafts Shape Punch

I've been listening to old political podcasts from late 2011, when the Occupy Movement began, and people wanted to do something, make something happen. People were angry, fed up. I'm wondering where that energy went. I mean, energy cannot be extinguished, right? It's just converted, reintegrated.

Just as solar panels channel solar energy into electrical energy (this is so not my specialty), I wonder where human energy goes, the raw multidirectional energy that we need every day to survive. It isn't as simple as food and water. Human energy is created by human beings - emotional inertia created by need and want. It's what creates change: political change, social change.

I'm starting to wonder where that energy went. It couldn't have gone away, right? People still care, right? My hope is that it has become more organized, gone underground, and people are getting things done.

I dunno. I sure hope things are gonna get better soon.

Maranatha.

Yeah right you're moving to Canada.

I've been keepin' this in the bull pen for today :)

People love to threaten to move out of the country if the candidate of their choice doesn't win the presidential election. Whatever. Seriously? Your life is that tenuous? Your life is so tied to your external environment that you wouldn't survive with a [insert opposing party here] president in the White House?

Well, here's a hopeful note from someone who's lived with less than she's wanted for a fair bit of time. Get over yourself. The world is not going to end tomorrow if you don't get your way (nor will mine - I have feelings too). Take some time today to remind yourself of all of the things that you already have, that comfort you in the bad times, and remind you of how beautiful life is in all of the other times. And maybe eat a cookie.

I'll be drinking beer tonight watching the results, maybe probably disenchanted, and maybe eating some sweet potato fries, because those are sounding pretty good right now.

Peace out mofos. See you on the flip side :)

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!

It's all about the afterlife.

Isn't this SO cute?

They always throw around this term "the liberal elite." And I kept thinking to myself about the Christian right. What's more elite than believing that only you will go to heaven?

Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

Thrift Share Monday :)

 

I've bought several pairs of vintage Florsheim men's shoes in the past month. I was initially looking for a new revenue source, and looked for what brands were selling well, and I noticed that I wasn't purchasing vintage men's shoes. I'd been focusing on women's shoes. Here's a look at what I'd been missing.

I've found that good photos are key to selling vintage shoes. The more photos, the better. Remember how much you appreciate the experience of touching the items you buy in a store. I think that research is key here. The same shoe can be listed, but only one sells. Why? Sometimes, it's just dumb luck. But most of the time, in my humble unlearn-ed opinion, it's because of the research that goes on before the item is listed.

For example, I found a website with all of the Florsheim styles and their names. Of course, now that I want to give it to you, I can't find it for the life of me. It's okay though, because I looked through 500 styles and didn't find the one I was looking for.

I have really started to pay attention to how I personally react (thought-wise) to how people are dressed. It ain't pretty. I have less respect for people who aren't dressed well, regardless of who they are. It got me to thinking that school uniforms are pretty important. When you feel good about how you look, you act differently. The social concept of dress is important. In Brazil, you did not go out, "into town", without your best clothes on, ever. How often do I walk out of my house looking less than my best? I haven't washed my hair in five days.

In sum, you'll feel better with a nice pair of long-lasting shoes.

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl.

Throw away government?

 

Election season makes me crazy. Living in the US means that it's pretty much always election season. Somehow it's the norm for everyone to put their energy into candidates, instead of their communities. Millions of dollars are spent by individuals who believe that their candidate will make their life better. But what has government ever done for you? Has it given you a hug when you were tired and sad? Did it make you a sandwich when you were hungry? Did it give you a place to live when you were homeless? Or did it mostly just flap its gums telling you to pay attention to it?

How about this election season, you make a conscious choice to invest in your community, so that next time election season rolls around, you care less about who might get elected, and more about what you're doing to bring positive change in your community.

Dogs should come in pairs.

Training a dog is hard work, especially when the dog has not been treated well or has been living in a chaotic situation for a while. The dog is hesitant, and the new owner is hesitant. The dog bites in fear, so the owner strikes it. And soon the cycle begins again...

It's difficult to treat animals, specifically dogs, well. Dogs are vulnerable because they are small, and they have no prefrontal cortex, so they are easy to manipulate. It's so interesting to me that some people have been making a deal out of Mitt Romney's treatment of animals. What makes dogs so special (besides the fact that they're pretty freakin' cute)? Why are we not raging against the establishment that allows millions of cows to lay in their own fecal matter each day? Why are we not raging against the establishment that tells us we are safer because all of our meat gets washed in ammonia? Why are we not shouting it from the rooftops? Why are we not all acting for change?

That's my spiel for the day. I like my new dog. I don't love her yet, because I don't really know her, but I'm working on it. This week will be a test of how we'll get along, because I'll be in and out during the day, and she'll be alone sometimes. I think that dogs should come in pairs, but I need more time before I can get another, and I don't think it's a good idea to put more than one person and one [small] animal in my apartment. I only have so much space to walk.

Who wants to model for me?

This is how I feel about my apartment right now. There's no room for me.

There's a thrift tore in town that is explicitly Christian. All of the workers have to say that they are "blessed" when greeted. It's frightening in a way. The only way that I feel cared for in the environment is when the workers stare at me because they haven't seen a woman in a while, and then say "hello" a few too many times. Anyhow, I saw like at least a dozen one-piece pantsuits there today. For some reason, I see them all the time, and I'm really scared to buy them. I don't think that I'd be able to sell them, and then I'd feel dumb. How weird is that? I buy dumb things all the time!

I have tried to stay away from clothing as much as possible because I am not a model, and I have no desire to become one. I also only have half of a body form, so it isn't much help with large pieces. For example, I have a vintage wedding dress sitting in a basket somewhere that I haven't listed because I haven't figured out how to make it look good (Note: It doesn't exactly fit me. I am too large in one particular region). I've considered getting a model, but what would I pay them, and how would I ask, and could I take good enough photos to make it worth the process?

I'm gonna go sleep on it.

I'm boycotting California

 

So this rash of commercial boycotts, led by conservative Christian groups, has got me thinking. What would Jesus do?

Let me do some research [Research sounds, coffee drinking, and sleepless nights].

Well folks, I've reached an unfortunate conclusion. It seems that the Christian scripture suggests that Jesus wanted us to love one another, to even sacrifice for one another, even those we have trouble loving. This is not good for the overall argument. I am fine boycotting commercial establishments like JCPenney and Toys R Us, but how does one move out of state, or for that matter, a rapidly changing country? Canada is worse. Mexico is ruled by the cartels. South America, Europe, and on and on; where does a well-meaning conservative girl go?

Africa is the last of the holdouts. Or maybe East Asia.

We're being overrun, people. See the signs.

Ah, the good old days...

Genuine politics -- even politics worthy of the name -- the only politics I am willing to devote myself to -- is simply a matter of serving those around us: serving the community and serving those who will come after us. Its deepest roots are moral because it is a responsibility expressed through action, to and for the whole. - Vaclav Havel