part 33

Things that keep Melissa alive

Part 33: Other people's junk

I have enjoyed a good thrift store for as long as I can remember.  I think it started when I needed to find cheap jeans to wear to girl's camp.  Enter Savers.  Nothing gets you mentally ready for a dusty, dirty, girl's camp experience like trying on dusty clothes in the Savers dirty changing rooms.  The extra bonus is, if you don't wash the clothes before heading off to camp, you can be ahead of the rest of the girls by already smelling bad when you arrive.  I found this a useful strategy for getting my own corner of the cabin.

The last few years, I will stop by a DI or Savers whenever I see one and walk straight to the section with drinking glasses.  I have been collecting vintage painted glasses for a while and even though my collection is up to around 35-40 glasses, I just can't stop.  I mean, what if one of them breaks?  Or - what if the perfect painted tumbler is waiting for me at Savers right now and I miss it?!

I started feeling silly just looking for one thing every time I went into a thrift store, so I decided to also collect kitchen chairs.  But, it turns out I'm really picky about chairs.  I have only found 3 chairs to add to my collection so far.

Lately, I have also added paintings to my list of items I browse at the thrift store.  As a graduate in Oil Painting, I have become lazy and decided to just start using other people's landscape paintings to paint on top of.  So much less work!  Total thrift store paintings found so far: 1.

Last Saturday morning, my family brought to my attention that I'm forgetting about garage sales!  I suddenly became paranoid about all the good things that were probably sitting out on someone's sidewalk waiting for me right then!  I quickly looked up garage sales on KSL and hopped in the car.  After visiting 4 garage sales that only had old clothes layed out on blankets, I returned home a much more jaded and pessimistic garage-saler.  Why have a garage sale if all you plan to sell are clothes and VHS tapes?  Donate, people!  Part of me is tempted to just give up now and go back to a strict thrift store diet.  But, if there are any seasoned garage-salers out there, give me your tips.  What am I doing wrong?

If you're out garage-sale/thrift store site seeing and find one of these 3 items, let me know!  Help keep Melissa alive.

part 32

Things that keep Melissa alive

Part 32: the funny (part 2)


There's a lot of different kinds of funny, I find.  I talked about funny books already.  But what about funny internet?  Or funny tv?  I rediscovered Jay Leno's Headlines yesterday.  They are both!  I might have had a hard time stifling my guffaws in my office.  There was lots of coughing... and clearing my throat.  Here's a sampling:

Does constipation make you deaf?

 Makes the colonoscopy all worth it

 Well NOW you have my attention!

 I hope they ate it before the cement hardened!

I like it when the weather channel tells me how I should feel

 There you have them.  If you're ever bored with lots of internet to spare, might I recommend heading over to Jay Leno's site and checking out the headlines!  Nothing like laughing at other people's mistakes to keep you alive.