Thrift is the new black.
I was driving back from an outing with friends today and drove past the Goodwill store. I’ve lived in this town for over two years and while I try really hard to shop local, I’ve never ventured in. Today, I had a couple moments to spare and remembered a friend who went in a couple weeks ago and was met with a fantastic sale on sweaters, just what she had walked in to find.
My mom spent a fair amount of time in thrift stores when I was a kid. She loved bargin hunting. I sided with my dad, and found the process tedious and a bit embarrassing. There was a brief period of time in high school when I flirted with the goth crowd and spent my Saturdays trolling the vintage stores between Central and Harvard Square, but I never found anything remotely appropriate.
I didn’t have a goal today, I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but I was curious. Would I find something worthy of the hunt?
Within minutes, I found the waterproof children’s mittens that had evaded our search. Poor Alex has spent the winter with mismatched mittens and was loosing that at a rapid rate. Tonight, I’ll attach a string to these new ones, thread them through the coat sleeves and hope they last two weeks.
As I was browsing the women’s rack, a very lovely man announced to the store that for the next half hour, all pieces of clothing were only $1.49. What? Did I hear him right? I had my hand on a pair of pants and wasn’t sold, until I heard the announcement . I grabbed the pants, added another pair, three shirts. I browsed the rest of the store, contemplated a fondue set but decided not to clutter up my cupboards.
I noticed that my current pocketbook has been shedding it’s pleather coating and stopped at the purse bin. After a moment or two, I found a styling brown leather bag and added it to my stash. I had just moments left before the sale was up and headed to the check out counter.
As the cashier was ringing up my bounty, I looked around and the shop was packed. There were people in every aisle, their arms laden with clothes. My grand total, $8.50.
Thrift is clearly the new black.
is isn’t about a whale
ok, maybe it is.
I just woke up to find out we’ve been gifted with a snow day. This is why I live in New England, you don’t get snow days in the south. The children won’t let me go back to bed, so as I sit here drinking my morning coffee, I realized my day is a blank slate. Our post-Christmas tidying means I am somehow sitting in a clean home, my syllabi are in a holding pattern, waiting for approval from the powers that be, and my next bookclub book is sitting in the post office, waiting for delivery.
If there was ever a day to start Moby Dick, it is today. But (there is always a but, right) I’d also love to spend my day knitting in front of a fire. The two aren’t incompatible, thanks to the wonders of the internet and a little site called Librivox. Libravox keeps a repository of volunteer-recorded audiobooks that are in the public domain. I’ve subscribed the the RSS feed for Moby Dick and am downloading it into my I-Tunes podcast stream right now, one chapter at a time.
Long time readers of this blog know about my love for podcasts. I’ve downloaded podcasts to help me run a 5k, practice yoga, keep on top of new media and keeping up with my knit sibs. Thanks to Librivox, I’ve listened to Edith Wharton and Louisa May Alcott, and today, I’ll spend the day with Herman Melville and Edgar Allen Poe.
What are you doing with your snow day?
No resolutions
I’m not banning anything this year, but after a conversation with my friend Monique on New Year’s Eve, I realized there are a few things I’d like to do in 2009.
In no particular order, here we go:
Read Moby Dick
I’ve got a bit of a 19th century whaling fetish, I’ve done the museums, read many books, but somehow have missed “the” book. I have three versions to choose from, one old and hand illustrated, one new with no pictures and one on my i-phone. No excuses. This will be the year.
Bloom @ Amy Stevens Online
I’ve always had a side consulting business, but this year, I’d like to take it to the next level. Put together a business plan, build out a website and begin to seek out more work as an audience hunter.
Climb Mt. Greylock
I’ve done most of the trails on my side of the mountain, but I’ve yet to make it to the top. It would be wrong, once the road is open, to hike down and walk home, and claim to have hiked the mountain, right?
Celebrate a birthday with some sort of splash.
I’m turning 40 this year, and I’d like to think that my 40s will be my best decade yet, so preparing myself for that milestone. I’d like to do something big to mark the occasion, a party? A trip to Krirpala ? Or maybe just climb to the top of Mt. Greylock?
I may need a reminder, so if you see me, ask me about the big whale, will you?