I mean, I love the grand ones as well - another state! A new place! Seeing old friends in new cities! But sometimes just getting out and prowling about a new part of your city, or revisiting a corner or a street that looked like an intriguing spot to linger though you hadn't the time that one afternoon, or a little cafe where you once spent a glorious afternoon but just never made it back. I like to think that the variety of small and large, familiar and new, of activities you love to the very core of your being and the ones that are brand spanking new ... that variety makes excellent terrain for exploration, both new and old.
And of course, one of my favorite haunts to return to are thrift shops. I mean, it's like coming back home and constantly finding a new spot in the attic that you haven't gone through yet, you know? [We don't have an attic, but I'll pretend I grew up in a home that had one, like I used to imagine] Besides, I find thrift shops relaxing in a way that "retail therapy" never is. I mean, you never know what you'll stumble across! You never know what will make you laugh, or sigh from nostalgia, or raise your eyebrows with the "wow" factor, or make you so excited you stampede through the store with your elbows out and a fistful of hangers flailing in all directions. And, as my friend said, thrift stores can really be a nice cross section of society, all wandering in and out for various purposes and reasons, slipping quietly by one another in gentle proximity.
Unexpected finds. More recently I've been on the hunt for plaids and other mens shirts, but this trip we definitely scored in the book department. Lisa also spotted a book on noses and the rain boots pictured above, which she wanted to gift her boyfriend as a joke in celebration of 18-months-of-coupledom [they got together while working on a project for the US Census, he's sensitive about his nose, and he bikes everywhere in San Francisco]. Then we decided that maybe he would never let her come visit me again and let us wander into thrift shops if she kept bringing him joke gifts like that, so we desisted [actually, we think he would love it and would encourage her to come visit me again, but it seemed a little silly to haul all of this all the way across the country when there are probably perfect joke gifts in Berkeley thrift shops, just waiting to be discovered.]
I did finish sewing something while I was away from the computer, will show it as soon as I upload the photos!
4 comments:
I love thrift shops!!! And I agree it is much more fulfilling than typical "retail therapy" -- for me, it's all about the thrill of the hunt and the playfulness that appears when the bars of high cost and the expectation of perfection are eliminated.
Can't wait to see your sewing project :)
Hi Jessica, that was a really lovely post, small and big adventures alike are important to keep your brain fresh! Thanks so much for your comment about my recent sewing predicament. That's EXACTLY how I feel, you really hit the nail on the head. You definately have to separate 'I want a new pretty thing to wear' from the process of sewing. Thanks again, your empathy is gratefully received. x
can't wait to see it :)
You're right, a thrift store trip is rather anthropological and there is no way to predict what will be there on any given day. Have to admit though, I have never seen a nose book.
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