The generosity of strangers :)

St. Lucy's Day - December 13th in Advent

One of my favorite things in my reselling/dealing work is in unexpected emails from strangers sharing information about my items. To me, the above item was a pretty Christmas hanging, possibly of Scandinavian origin. But to someone more knowledgeable than I, it was a lovely homage to St. Lucy's day, a festival of light celebrated in countries around the globe on December 13th, often featuring young girls dressed as angels.

I've benefited from the kindness of strangers countless times. Yes, I occasionally post things on my blog (e.g. milk saver of not so long ago), but most of the time these things go unnoticed. I misspell Cathrineholm and someone lets me know, and tells me more about the lotus design and its designer, Grete Prytz Kittelsen. I have no idea what a painting is, and someone sends me an eBay message letting me know it's a famous landmark in Canada. What a gift!

Funny thing is, I saw a painting on eBay over the holidays of Notre Dame in Paris, France. I recognized it, and was so excited to be able to tell the seller something that might help them sell the painting for more! But I got no response, and the item went for very little :(

Of course I can't possibly know everything about everything (though I typically think I should - le sigh). I love being able to share what I love with other people who also love it. It's a hidden web of vintage lovers around the world :)

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!

Salvation Army fun :)

I thrifted today for several hours. I woke up, got myself together, and got out the door. I had several packages to drop off at the post office, then got some pan dulce for a ridiculous $1.20. One of the stores smelled a little ripe, so I was hesitant to hang around too long. Smells mess me up. I can't handle bad smells. I spent a week at a landfill in Mexico when I was a kid, and I'll never forget it.

I wanted to see some jewelry at the Salvation Army, so I asked the lady next to me if I could look in front of her. She was a large woman, and she and her cart were blocking the whole case. Also, she isn't looking at anything. She's just standing there. So I ask politely, she replies "yes", and returns to staring blankly straight ahead. "Hm, okay", I say, and walk away. "I'm looking!", she shouts. Really, I didn't have it in me to deal with that kind of crazy this morning. I almost cried when I saw a guy, and I was trying pretty hard to act normal.

Last week, at another Salvation Army across town, there were two men in a dressing room at the front of the store. It was early in the morning, but no employees were around. One man was trying on clothing and the other man was making commentary. The door was wide open. An employee walked the thirty yards from the back of the store straight to the man and said, "Sir, you need to close the door." He didn't. "You need to close the door right now." He did. I tried to smile at her, but she's not much of a connector with customers.

Final winner of the week is the eighty-year-old woman trying on a string bikini over her clothing in the aisles at the first Salvation Army. I wished I could have documented that moment and then asked her for an interview. No shame.

Thrift Share :)

I've taken to buying perfume pretty much wherever I go. Sometimes I buy stuff that isn't worth all that much, but sometimes I buy stuff that is worth its freakin' weight in gold. Case in point: This Opium shit from Yves Saint Laurent is like crack for the people who wear it because YSL changed the formula and it's universally panned by critics. Bring in resellers who don't care to wear the stuff and you've got an interesting eBay siteeation.

I love buying bags of stuff, bags of jewelry, bags of perfume. I love the not-knowing, the waiting 'til I get to my car to ravenously dig through it to see what I've got. Of course, I only buy it if I see something in it worth buying, but it's all the stuff I didn't see that really excites me. Then my car and my person smell like ten kinds of cologne and perfume and I take the bag home and spend the rest of the evening researching bottles and how much I should list them for. The thrill is in the hunt, my friends.

My newest thrift store boyfriend is a bearded fellow who swears I look exactly like his friend Megan who works at Ruth's Chris in the kitchen, grillin' steaks. Now he doesn't seem like a guy who would hang out at such a hoity-toity establishment, with the hair and general swarthy demeanor, but he's kind to me, and has yet to totally creep me out, so I'm starting to be friendly back to him, show him what I find, make fun of the broken leaf-blower he has in his cart.

There are way more male resellers in town than there are females. I see these men all the time, sometimes every day, and I know I'm more like them than I care to admit. I don't want to claim them as my peers, what with all the talking about electronics, and jibber-jabbering with thrift store employees about how they run their business. I like to keep to myself, make smart comments occasionally, but generally stay under the radar. These men are not under-the-radar sorts. They're always talking to eachother and just generally gabby. I'm loathe to be besties with these guys. They're just so, I dunno, unpretentious. Listen to me. I'm such a hypocrite.

Linking up with Sir Thrift A Lot :)

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 :)

Thrift Share :)

Vintage Clipless Cycling Shoes from Diadora

I have a new fun Monday activity. I drive about 45 minutes south, into the country towns, where there is a small town with great thrifting. I even did myself a solid and ate lunch instead of what I usually do: waiting until 3 o'clock when I'm done running around for the day. I was pretty proud. I got a veggie burger and fries. The people next to me had chicken fried steak platters with mashed potatoes, etc. When I left, I realized they had smothered gravy and potatoes with raisins across the plate. How did my Oakie family never teach me this? Anyhow, I got some great stuff and had a really good time.

Vintage 1950s Silk Vera Scarf with African Women :)

There was a lady with a toy yorkie in one store, and someone asked her how much she paid for it (seemed like a strange question to me). She answered without hesitation, "$500". Wow.

Hanova of Pasadena Candle Holder - Very Cool

I actually tried a new thrift store, which I rarely do, since they are usually pop-ups with no vision and close just as soon as they started. Anyhow, the place was great! It was cleaner than any other store in town. They didn't have a ton of great stuff, but they had great prices. I actually bought my first maxi dress which goes all the way to the ground (wow, and I'm tall!). I'm gonna wear it today. I'm pretty excited about it.

Please take a moment to read the most recent news about Syria, and consider making a donation to MCC, currently providing direct aid to Syrian refugees.

The big picture.

I'm so in love with this painting :)

I've sold a lot of stuff in the past few days, so I'm feeling really good. For a long time, I've had a goal of selling 50 things a month for at least $20 profit/item, and that hasn't been working the way I've expected it to. My new goal is $50/day, and it's working a lot better. I'm less concerned with individual item sales and more concerned with daily sales. It makes me more conscious of the bigger picture instead of being bogged down in the little things. I don't know if that makes any sense, but it's working for me, so I'm happy.

I tend to get really anxious about little things, and pulled down into things that may not matter in the long term. I'm convinced that little things are the most important things, like how my thrifting impacts the world, and how my riding the train keeps Amtrak sustainable. I don't think this is working for me the way I want it to. I think it's keeping me from bigger things, from having a bigger impact. I dunno. I'm still on my first cup of coffee.

I am surrounded by helping professionals. I'm a seminary graduate. I have a lot of friends who are pastors, theologians, professors, non-profit peeps. I love this. I love being surrounded by people whose mission every day is to make a difference in the world, in the community. This keeps me motivated and inspired to keep going, even when I'm having an off day. I think a lot of these people vacillate between two extremes, the big picture and the small details. I'm realizing, as I write this, how limited I've allowed my life to be, by getting so caught up in little things. Thought for my day, I suppose :)

Please take a moment to read the most recent news about Syria, and consider making a donation to MCC, currently providing direct aid to Syrian refugees.

Bag o' bling: Part 2

A selection of pieces from the jewelry bag

I don't think I'm going to do anything today. In the past three hours, I have already stepped into a sinkhole, plugged up a dog-dug hole in the fence with bricks, and ended a dog fight with a hose. Yeah, I'm a bad ass. I know. Also, I cooked and ate a stack of pancakes.

I'm still thinking about the jewelry bag I bought last week. It was so much fun to go through the thing after I brought it home. I spent most of the day going through it, examining each piece, selecting the ones I wanted to keep for myself. I can't wait to do it again. I unwittingly discovered another thrifting thing I absolutely love. I don't know why I chose that particular day to do it. I'd seen jewelry lots before. I guess I never felt the need to treasure hunt before. It was a blast :)

My new goal is for $50 a day in sales. My ultimate goal is $100/day, but I figured I needed some middle ground before that time. I'm trying to avoid low value items as much as possible, though occasionally I find something that I have to share. Anyhoo, I am at my goal right now for the month, so I'm feeling like a really good reseller. I'm also feeling like a really tired reseller, trying to work as much as possible when I'm able, housesitting all over town, and making sure the dog gets walked and I get exercise. I'm getting it all done, but I'm feeling worn down in general.

Please take a moment to read the most recent news about Syria, and consider making a donation to MCC, currently providing direct aid to Syrian refugees.

Mountain fire.

John Singer Sargent Calendar - Mountain Fire (1903-8)

The Rim Fire is still burning in Yosemite, and containment is expected in the next two weeks. Fires have been a part of my life for my whole life. I grew up in Central California. The Sierras are always burning. It's a part of life, the destruction.

I read over the summer that in other states, people burn their dry grass in their lawns and then the grass grows back better. We don't do that on the West Coast. We have bad air, and we're constantly trying to make it better, ride bikes! get a hybrid! commute! These are important things. These things help our children's asthma not be so bad. It's a mess.

Fire is important. It clears up overgrowth. It gets rid of stuff that's in the way. Now I'm thinking metaphorically, not like the crazy boss lady from 30 Rock who kills all of her employees in a "cleansing fire" (sorry, couldn't find a clip). Anyhoo, sometimes it's good to clean up the overgrowth.

Please take a moment to read the most recent news about Syria, and consider making a donation to MCC, currently providing direct aid to Syrian refugees.

No money to burn.

Hmong Embroidered Wall Hanging - I've seen them framed :)

One of my frequented stores has reorganized lately. I was disoriented for a brief moment when the shoes weren't in their usual spot, but I got over it. I found a lovely vintage blue lace dress. It had a matching jacket sold separately, but the jacket had some food on it, so I didn't buy it.

It's a beautiful dress - I might just wear it if I have a nice event to attend :)

This particular store calls their employees/volunteers "disciples", and when they call them for lunch they say, "All disciples, it's time for lunch. Disciples, it's time for lunch." over the loudspeaker, and I smile whenever I hear it. Whenever I'm at the Salvation Army, if I ask any employee how they're doing, they say "blessed". I've heard it so often, I've stopped believing it and started saying, "really?"

I found three beautiful dresses yesterday at another store, and only ended up buying one, a lime green linen dress from Talbots. I'll wear it to work. I've accumulated a whole set of colored linen dresses for work. It's quite lovely to see them hung on my wall (I don't have a closet). I didn't buy the other two, because I didn't have anywhere to wear them, and it seemed inappropriate and decadent to buy dresses I didn't need. Also, I don't have money to burn, so it's really about that more than anything else.

Please take a moment to read the most recent news about Syria, and consider making a donation to MCC, currently providing direct aid to Syrian refugees.

Does failing make you a failure?

Original Framed Oil on Canvas Painting

Today I am considering the idea that failing does not inherently make me a failure. I'm a person who wants to make everything right, do everything well. I don't consider myself a perfectionist. I am capable of letting little things go, and not agonizing over little trifles, but in the great land of "Being an Adult", I am finding that these skills only need to be amplified, strengthened, continually over time. It's not like a plateau we reach, where everything after that is straight ahead without potholes.

Perhaps I never would have identified this as a characteristic in myself, but I have been acting as though I'm finished as a person, that everything should be perfect now that I'm a fully functioning adult. I've been living in an imperfect body, with an imperfect mind, and wearing clothing that is imperfect, even selling things that are imperfect. Yet I have been expecting more from myself than I expect from anyone, or anything, else.

Now I'm going to sit in a pile of my own imperfection and hope it melds with my thrifty self. See you later :)

Thrift Share - Brass Edition :)

Vintage Apple Belt Buckle by BTS - 1978

One day, one completely normal boring day, I found two of these buckles. Two. I've listed them for the highest price they sold for in the past few months, and crossed my fingers. If I sell one, I'm going to visit my friend in Canada. Fingers crossed. I have "Best Offer" on it, so maybe someone out there, somewhere in the big wide world, will want it.

I'm willing to wait.

These Ernest Sohn Design - Brass Coaster

My fourteen-year-old friend and I went rummage sale-ing two Saturday mornings ago, and that pretty much fell flat. Rummage sales have huge ranges. My view of a good rummage sale is a lot of stuff to dig through. Anything less than a lot is a yard sale. When you see a lot, you just know.

Rummage sale-ing wasn't going so well, so we drove to a thrift store to make up for it. But on the way, we saw an "Estate Sale" sign, and it was a special sign made of wood and painted, so it was the real deal. And it was worth it. The house was full of stuff, and the estate sale was being run by a dealer. Every single freakin thing was marked and they weren't taking any offers, so I only bought a few things, but it was a fun place to walk through. Tons of vintage stuff, and hundreds of decorative plates.

Brass mice family - these are the kids :)

I found this little family of mice, two parents and three kids. I found the Ernest Sohn piece nearby. I've heard that bras is supposed to be cool right now. What do I know?

Today is Memorial Day, and I slept in late and now I feel drugged and maybe like I won't accomplish anything for the rest of the day, and I might be okay with that. Anyhoo, when I went to Hawaii a couple years back, I went to the Pearl Harbor Memorial, and the message was "Remember". I kept thinking about all of the people who have died, and all of the soldiers overseas in wars that few of them believe in, and I thought, "What are we remembering? What's the point of remembering if we never do anything different?"

Do something different today.

*Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl :)

Whilst thrifting...

What I saw today whilst thrifting:

1. Two children, in two separate Costco-size shopping carts, abandoned at the back of a large thrift store, parked underneath large shelves, while the adults completely ignored them. One was a baby. The baby was staring at the plywood shelf above him. The two-year-old girl was gnawing on the shopping cart. I wanted to scream at the mother, but I flash-forwarded in my mind to what that would look like, and I walked away.

2. A woman screaming into a cell phone, in between racks of women's clothing, "No! The government will pay! No! You tell her! The government will pay!" I rolled through the options in my mind for what the government was supposed to be paying for, and I lost a good fifteen minutes.

3. A fifty-year-old contractor-looking character, flirting with the busy volunteer behind the register, asking incessantly how old things were, if they were valuable, where they came from, etc. I wanted to say, "Dude! Can't you see she's busy and there are five people in line?!" Dude. She was like eighty years old, and clearly not interested. It was obvious.

A new shop?

Finished Vintage Paragon Stitchery :)

I especially love finding beautiful wall hangings, vintage art for someone to buy and delight over its uniqueness. I've found several small oil paintings that customers have enjoyed. And these things are fun for me to sell, because I know (or imagine) that they will be used and benefit someone with their beauty. I'm high-minded, if nothing else.

Both my Etsy and eBay shops have been cluttered with random things for most of their existence. Yes, I have things that I do more frequently (e.g. vintage ties, mugs, shoes), but for the most part, there is no rhyme or reason. The Recycleista, a thrifty blogger, recently opened a new shop with a specific theme (vintage papers), and it occurred to me that I am capable of doing the same. I too can hone in a little more, make a niche through what I already do, and offer it up to the masses in kind. The thing that has stood in my way has been an insecurity about what I sell, or perhaps an insecurity about myself as a person in general.

Anyhoo, I am thinking about it. It might just mean that I wait until summer arrives fully, or that I develop a better stash than I do today. I think that I'd like for it to be original art (in theory), though items like the above are also quite lovely.

Thoughts?

Goodwill outlet!!!!

Painted fabric - Someday a quilted wall hanging

Last week I traveled to the coast with a friend. My friend had a conference to attend, and I had an ocean to look at from our hotel room. I've been so worn down that I had trouble figuring out what to do with myself with all kinds of free time, so I did a lot of puzzles in the newspaper, and walked on the beach. I'm finding lots of enjoyment lately in crosswords and sudokus. I'm a simple gal.

The first night, I wandered around a super cool vegan-friendly grocery store, looking for dinner, only to realize that our hotel room's sole cooking device was a microwave, so I got some tacos nearby instead. I'd never had vegan tacos before (with grilled veggies). They were just okay.

Vera Marai Nightgown

The next day, I woke up to a wonderfully bright sunny day with the ocean steadily crashing on the beach far down below us. There were a lot of gulls of various sizes near the hotel. I imagine they were flying around. Some of them made crazy weird noises around sundown. I lived with howling monkeys. If there were a contest between groups of animals for weird nighttime noises, the gulls definitely wouldn't win, but they'd have a decent showing.

Anyhow, after I did some newspaper puzzles (all whilst watching Law & Order), I decided that the thing that I would actually enjoy doing would be to go thrifting. So I got out the phone book and made a plan. Obviously there weren't descriptions, so I just had to go off names. I really wanted to dig, so I looked for really dirty places. I don't know what sounds especially dig-worthy in a thrift store moniker, but I suppose I knew it when I saw it.

Pflatzgraff Norway - Cruiseline pottery

The first store I went to was a fund-raising store for the Catholic school in town, staffed with who appeared to be mothers of students. It was trying to be boutiquey, but it didn't have the je ne sais quoi that I'm always looking for. I like people who just go for it. If they're a place for digging, they own it. If it's a place that's trying to be antiquey and appeal to a higher class of customer, they own it. Anything in between is unappealing to me. I'm picky that way. I know when someone is being authentic. I'm brilliant that way.

I don't know why I picked a Goodwill store to put on my list of three (the maximum number I was willing to travel to in a strange city before needing to return to home base and eat lunch). But after the first store, I wasn't feeling hopeful. All of the Goodwills in my city are whitewashed and boring. I go when I need a fix, perhaps like Diet Coke addicts with a generic brand. But I've heard, in online thrifting lore, that not all Goodwills are like this, that there may be different ones out there, so I was willing to look.

Old football trophy - Sadly unmarked :(

It was a strange "suite" address, so I wasn't sure what I would be looking for. I drove around a large shopping area looking for it, only to drive away after a single lap. Even though it didn't look like any retail stores were beyond that particular area, I trusted my trusty address/map discernment earlier in the morning, and turned towards the questionable industrial section.

After a quarter mile or so, there were a bunch of people milling about a particular parking lot. There were some construction workers, yes, but there also appeared to be some non-working folk. Suddenly, I saw it. The Goodwill Outlet sign. I may have screamed or cried out some version of "Hooray!"

For the hydroponic gardener in us all...

After parking, I was cautious. What does one do at a thrift outlet? Are there cultural norms? Should I have a box with me? Gloves? Hand sanitizer? What if there are no helpful signs? What will I do?!

Old Speed Ball Font Book from 1952

Well, as all carbon-based life forms have found (I think), I looked around to see what other people were doing, and I did likewise. It didn't feel like what I expected it to feel like. It was smaller than I had imagined. But as I began looking, and digging, it hit me that I could find any number of things, that I would really get to "find" things. It was a fun hour.

There were clearly regulars. Who knows what people do with all of the things they buy there. The woman in front of me at the cash register bought $180 worth of stuff. I paid $8. The load was as much as I could carry, and food needed to be in my near future. The guy at the register (totally cute), weighed the clothing that I had, but charged me for the other items individually.

It was a dirty venture. If I'd known where I'd end up, I'd have better tools in my car. I don't like to use "antibacterial" products in general, but I appreciate water-free-hands-cleaning post-thrifting. I need to get on that. Maybe I need a car toolbox. I know. I know. This is old hat for most people, but I'm a bit bad on the planning side, so I'm slow to plan ahead. But after it was all over, I was so happy and warm and fuzzy. I felt like I'd gotten a cosmic gift, just for me. And now I want more outlet adventures! I'll let you know...

Pat Robertson on thrift.

Saint Mark the Evangelist - Felt and plastic printing plate

So Pat Robertson, the ever exciting host of The 700 Club, has joined the thrifting world by encouraging the rebuking of evil spirits from all secondhand sweaters. I can only imagine what horrors I've unknowingly brought home in my hundreds of thrift encounters.

I must leave, and cleanse my home. Peace out :)

Making friends :)

I can't wait to sell these boots! They're really cool :)

So now, around town, I feel like a wise old thrifter. I have seen so much. I have patience. I have an appropriately furrowed brow (oh dear, this expression will age me quickly). I am the best thrifting resource you will find, if you only have the time to look around and see if anyone is paying attention to you. I am present. I am smiling. And yes, that color would look great on you.

I used to hang my head and mumble, say "thank you" and never attempt conversation. But something in me has changed over the past year. I think my life has smoothed out to a more steady pace, and I'm able to take moments, full minutes in fact, to speak to people, look them in the eye and talk to them. It's been a trip, really, because it has made my thrifting hobby into something I do, not just because it gives me mindless time (which I need on a daily basis), but it also gives me social time to talk about nothing of any importance. I don't have to give a lot. I can just be me, and enjoy the experience, and smile and let go of the heavy burdens I often put on my own shoulders.

So maybe I'm endearing, and that makes it easy for people to talk to me. Or maybe I'm weird and eccentric, and I don't stand out much (let's all remember fake baby lady from a few weeks ago). I don't know what people think, because sometimes I'm wearing my normal clothes, and sometimes I'm wearing my professional clothes. Maybe they call me something like "weird tall lady" :)

Anyhow, I'm having especially enjoyable times thrifting lately :)

"What the hell does she sell?"

Serious, hard core, Sanita Danish leather clogs with wood bottoms - Booyah.

I get asked this question all the time. And every time it happens, I dig deep into my brain, and think, "What the hell do I sell?"

I get caught up in the routine of it, I guess, the buying, the cleaning, the organizing in my small space, and then the shipping and then the bill paying. Ack! There are a lot of steps, and it's no wonder that I get lost in the busyness of it all. So I'm evaluating my purchase/selling history, in an effort to define what I do, share my extreme lack of wisdom, and continue to move away from my brooding into a lighter mood for the holidays.

1. Milk glass/Fire King Mugs with Words/Pictures (blank ones don't sell as well)
2. Genuine Danish clogs
3. Vintage sewing patterns
4. SO many boots
5. Vintage Vera Neumann linens and scarves
6. Starbucks city mugs
7. Vintage heels, usually colorful and fun
8. Crewel and Embroidery kits
9. Vintage or artsy ties
10. Belt buckles

I especially thank Apron Thrift Girl and The Recyle-ista for keeping me up to date on what is selling, and inspiring me to look for new and interesting things in my own corner of the world.

Peace out mofos :)

The Atkins Diet

I hope this doesn't cost me readers.

You know how they tell you that the healthiest stuff at the supermarket is on the perimeter, and if you stick to the perimeter, you'll be okay?

Yeah, that's my new rule for thrifting. A quick sweep of the room, three pairs of shoes, and I'm out. I've got this thing down to a science, people. I could do it with both hands tied behind my back and a crying baby. There's always a crying baby.

Peace out.

Everything is okay. I'm not insane.

Thrift store oil painting - there's just something about it I love :)

I had a less-than-wonderful day yesterday. Maybe it's the pending end-of-the-world. Maybe it's the fog, or the rain, or the fiscal cliff. Maybe it's the holiday season. Maybe it's the last month of unnecessary and expensive medical tests. Maybe it's female hysteria.

Whatever it was, it was something I'd done before, and something I'll do again. So I went and hung out with my favorite teenagers and the dogs. I went to bed early. I left work early. I wandered my favorite thrift store until Bruno Mars came on the radio and I had to flee. I took pictures of inventory in my driveway. I made jokes to make myself laugh. I reflected a wee bit about the source of my bad feelings. I listened to talk radio and Madman Across the Water. I did the things that make me feel better, bit by bit.

So that's life sometimes, and it's okay, to be sad and a little crazy sometimes. I'm probably a little crazier that most people, but I'm pretty fond of myself most of the time.

Hope all is well with you. Peace out mofos :)