Permanent Hiatus...maybe

I need either less things to worry about or more time and since no one reads this...and it's literally impossible to stop time to do more things...goodbye blog...

You were somewhat enjoyable while you lasted.

pressure of human suffering...

Have you ever had one of those days...

Like one of those days when you want to curl up with a bottle of Boone's Farm and play video games...

Well I am having one of those. Currently, in Soc 101, (yes, Soc 101, I missed one of those small prereqs), we've been talking about social stratification. I don't know about the rest of you but whenever talking about those people who are down and out in the world, I feel like picking up a bottle of booze and trying to ease my nerves.

I feel the weight of humanity. Does that make sense? The weight of humanity...how can I explain it? We've been around for thousands of years now...and each person has spent his or her life in terms of some sort of progress; be it making shit, writing books, organizing groups of people, whatever it may be, someone has spent quite a bit of time in making or doing whatever it is. I feel it strongly in the library. Hundreds of books with thousands of ideas coming from millions of people. It's a storage center for human lives.

I feel it most whenever talking about those in the lower class in the world. There are billions of them, billions of poor, suffering people who can barely make enough cash to feed their families. It's the sheer amount of suffering that goes on everyday, every minute, every second. It's everywhere. It hurts.

The combined pressure of suffering human activity just beats me up completely and utterly.

I often tell people that I want to save the world. That's because I do, and it's because of that suffering that goes on...that intense pressure that wants me to change this damn world.

Yeah, the topic is quite a downer...but then again, it's just been one of those days.

Monday thrift finds, part 3

So as a continuing tradition, I shall show y'all this weeks thrift store finds. The one thing I tend to collect and search for are men's blazers. I like my jackets. I have one in each color and sometimes in different styles. Recently, I haven't worn them that much out of laziness. Maybe that will change. Anyway, here are two of my favorite blazers for your viewing pleasure.

That's my closet. That Marine jacket in front I got from a military surplus store for about twenty bucks in Columbus. It fits perfectly and offers a different sort of cut than other jackets. My mom always mentions The Beatles whenever I wear it, the whole Srgt. Pepper thing I guess. There's another green blazer in there. That's my Singing Men of Ohio blazer (Singing Men of Ohio, or SMO is Ohio University's men's glee club) I'm only allowed to use it for performances, but once I'm done with college that thing is being used for being ridiculous. Speaking of which, behold my white jacket.



I've never had a significant reason to wear this particular thrift store gem. It's hard to find really good fitting jackets in general. White jackets that fit are almost an impossibility. I find this gem in a poor black Detroit neighborhood.

Strangely, thrift stores in predominately poor black neighborhoods tend to rank higher in men's high-class fashion. That may seem weird. I found that white guys tend to dress in black, navy and brown. Black men on the other hand, takes more risks when it comes to fashion...well at least when it comes to what I find at thrift stores.

Altogether I may have around 6 to 10 blazers in different colors all from thrift stores. I even found an Armani at one for about three bucks. That was a find.

If you decide to thrift, become a specialist and learn the ins and outs of one kind of item. It's a good idea and you find some really rare stuff.

Anyway, I'm out.

Ok, so I lose, Friday is out, Saturday is in...and Ohio thrift

So, I goofed again on Friday and forgot about posting, so I'm gonna do it right now. From now on, I would say that the last postings of the week will be on one of those days, so pay attention. Sorry for the mix up.

Today, I'm gonna cover Ohio Thrift, Inc. Ohio Thrift is a thrift store chain in the Columbus area. Altogether, Columbus has nine of these thrift stores throughout various locations in Ohio's capital.

Almost all of Ohio Thrift's I have been to have been solid thrift stores. They have good prices, often multiple check out lanes and solid selection. Their stores also tend to be on the larger side. Check this out, it's on their FAQ page.

"Where does Ohio Thrift get its merchandise?
Our company purchases its merchandise from numerous sources such as non-profit organizations, liquidators, importers and local manufacturers."

A thrift store without donation centers...that's something new. It's surprising what these random searches turn up.

If you're interested, I would encourage going next Wednesday to one of these things...they have a 1/2 sale the last Wednesday of every month. That's a surefire win in my mind.

It seems to me that almost all cities and towns have local chains of thrift stores. In Athens, where I'm from they have Re-Use which has three thrift stores in the surrounding areas. I've only been to one...maybe I'll visit the others next weekend...hmmmm. Why not?

Anyway, talk to y'all Monday

A quickie on wednesday night...

I don't have too much time to make my thoughts known on this particular Wednesday evening because of that whole being a student thing. So, quickly, here are my two cents.

obligatory photo/being a smartass

So tonight I have to finish my prototype proposal for a magazine editing class. My proposal is called The Idealist, a magazine that hopes to change the world with its ideals, ideas and overall greatness. I bring it up because many times I bring up my ideals with this blog.

I wonder if I live up to my own ideals sometimes. I want to give all that I can to others, it's just that without time and money I have nothing to give except...my two cents...

AAAARRRGHH!...sometimes I really hate being a student. It's a feeling of going down a dead end path. All I ever wanted is to go somewhere where no one has went, learn something no one else knows and do something great for someone. I can't as of now. Maybe if I keep to my ideals and look to the future, I might get my wish.

Anyway, what a random post...more on actual thrift stores on Friday.

the weekend brings some more oddities and a Friday failing

So, I went to Goodwill this Sunday looking for anything that could catch my eye. Something did.


That, is a picture of my front door, and no, no one has come inquiring on a bunny hug.

Now, my second thought on this particular purchase, (the first being lively snickering) was "what the hell is a bunny hug?" Considering, I now had to give free ones I may as well know exactly what I was doing.

Bunny hugs, could be 1 of 3 things.

1. A type of dance, generally performed during the twenties to ragtime music. Now, I could not figure out what that looked like, though one site compared it to the foxtrot.

2. Canadian slang indicating what most Americans call "hoodies."

3. A very close hug that involves a male's testicles tickling a woman's vagina. (according to the urban dictionary)

Now, what exactly would I give you if you asked for a free bunny hug, something you are now entitled to considering that I have a sign saying I give free ones. Well, I would not give you #3 because I am no man-whore giving my body to anyone wanting. #2 is a no as well considering I don't have enough hoodies to give away so easily, so you would probably receive a little jig resembling a 1920's dance move.

Anyway, if you want a free bunny hug you will have to inquire at my apartment.

On a different note I apologize for not posting on Friday. It was one of those days that doing things was the last thing I wanted to do. If you wish to yell at me, please comment. I need some of those. Comments, that is, comments.

The army of salvation and how it goes salvatin' across the world, kinda, rather I started to ramble

Another great outlet for cheap clothing is the series of stores ran by the Salvation Army (SA). The best SA stores I saw were located in Detroit. Some of the them were huge, as big as Wal-marts and held great choices in everything from clothing to furniture. Their stores play a large part in their overall organization. For example, check this out on their website.

This is the Salvation Army's mission statement, stated at the bottom of their website.

"The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God.
Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination."

Now, I'm not a devout Christian. I got nothing against devout Christians. I bring it up mainly for the fact that I wonder how much religion is preached to those who need the help. Someone who wants a job probably doesn't want to hear how God loves them. Spiritual organizations mean well because God tells them that they should care. What's wrong with caring for the sake of caring?

I feel a shpeal comin' on.

Religion is great. It instills morals to those who aren't philosophical thinkers. It creates order and makes a community out of radically different people. It allows values to be embraced amongst groups of people. It gives meaning to life. Following a purpose-driven life without a guidebook can be difficult. Religion is that guidebook.

Religion has a downside though. Religion has many downsides, especially if those following stop questioning it. My primary problem with religion is that those who follow stop looking around them. Their gaze has turned upward. They start giving glory to God and not to their fellow man. For example, there was this case where a man trained for a marathon so he could help his mentally retarded son achieve something great. The man pushed his son in a wheelchair during the marathon. He did it for his son. People, including the man, gave the event to God, claiming that without him none of this would've happened. I disagree. The man did it. He may have prayed to God to help, but in the end, an all mighty being isn't helping one man and his son.

The way that Christians paint their God is ridiculous. God does minor miracles just for fun and leaves the majority of humanity to languish in bad conditions without food. God is not a logical being. The way they explain is that God is beyond our understanding. God uses God logic, or rather, something close to the logic of a 1st grader. Rather let's praise those around us for great acts.

Let's look down, let's look at earthly events and try to fix those things we can. For those things, that are too big, let's join together and fix them.

Christians have this serenity prayer thing:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

I believe I'm not here for the sake of having serenity, rather let me change all that I can with all my strength for the benefit of all mankind.

Grant me the strength
to accept the few things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to never acknowledge the difference
for the benefit of all.

or something, it's a work in progress.

A thrift store find and the beginning of the second week.

Within the first week of new content, I have an untold spike of people flooding (yes, flooding, damn it!) onto this site.

yes, flooding, damn it!

Actually, what is happening is that my blog is more comparable to a standing puddle that breeds mosquitoes that most cities and towns try to curb because of sudden spikes of people flooding in with a new strand of malaria because no one these days is ready for malaria epidemics. In a far simpler metaphor, it's stagnant.

Anyway, I digress.

What were we talking about? Thrift stores, ah yes.

Today, I shall share with y'all one of the prized finds of my own thrift store expeditions, the painting Phryne Going to the Public Baths as Venus: Demosthenes Taunted by Aeschines...by Joseph Mallord William Turner. Seriously.

Kinda.

Actually I have some reproduction painting done by some Sturman guy in 1977. His version is a lot less detailed and more impressionistic.

Anyway, some of you may be asking...who is Phryne again?

Well, here ya go...according to Wikipedia...Her real name was Mnesarete (Ancient Greek Μνησαρετή (commemorating virtue)), but owing to her yellowish complexion she was called Phryne (toad), a name given to other courtesans. She was born at Thespiae in Boeotia, but seems to have lived at Athens. She acquired so much wealth by her extraordinary beauty that she offered to rebuild the walls of Thebes, which had been destroyed by Alexander the Great (336 BC), on condition that the words destroyed by Alexander, restored by Phryne the courtesan, were inscribed upon them. The authorities turned down her offer. Wikipedia article here.

If you go lower, see also...sex magic. I can't make this stuff up.

The Demosthenes part involves the great orator of ancient Athens, Demosthenes being taunted by his political rival, Aeschines. The taunt consisted of mainly "Yo' mom's a whore", and the subject became a great pre-impressionistic masterpiece.

Isn't history engaging?

Comparing the industries of thrift: Goodwill

In an effort to better understand the thrift store system, I present to you the companies that create these cheap havens. First up, we got Goodwill Industries International, Inc.

Goodwill in general has pretty solid thrift stores. All in all, Goodwill stores are a bit pricey but most have dressing rooms, something needed most of the time if you are a perfectionist and generally enjoy well fitting clothes. The best thrift store in my hometown happens to be a Goodwill.

Almost all thrift store chains are doing something good with the money they make. Well, at least they profess to. For example, check this out...

Goodwill Results 2008

• People served through employment and training programs: 1,525,451
• Workforce development services provided: 10,490,787
• People who earned a job with Goodwill’s help : 172,317
• Estimated total earnings of people who earned a job with Goodwill’s help: $2.3 billion
• Personal and family support services provided: 18,534,362
• Total revenue generated by Goodwill organizations: $3.28 billion
• Total revenue spent directly on programs: 84 percent
• Total number of donors (includes repeat donations): 64.4 million
• Total number of retail stores: 2,324

Revenue Sources

• Retail sales: $2.16 billion
• Industrial and service contract work: $597.2 million
• Individual/corporate/foundation support for mission services: $61.1 million
• Government support for mission services: $392.49 million
• Other revenue: $46.5 million

These numbers are provided by Goodwill on their website hither.

Goodwill tries to help people get jobs, get training for jobs, sell things to people who need jobs and generally be a good corporation to get people back on their feet. Pretty solid.

Check out those numbers under revenue sources. Retail sales equal $2.16 billion. That's a crap-ton of money coming from retail sales. Now I don't know if that equals only thrift stores or not but damn! Let's say it did for simplicity sake. Now the company has 2,342 retail stores. Crunching some numbers and the average Goodwill retail store makes $900,000 in sales. It makes me want to start a thrift store. This video on the other hand says that the average Goodwill makes $200,000 to $400,000. That's probably more accurate than my quick math, so the retail sales probably include something else I don't know about.



Check that out. Well done, Goodwill, Well done.

Christmas edition and the capitalistic nazis that control it

Christmas used to be the bee's knees. Seriously, it was freakin' awesome. I got toys and video games and things to hit people with. For one night, my parents gave me anything I wanted because God said so.

But I got older. I don't get toys anymore.

Even if I did, I've become such a freakin' cynic that I would think they were just a waste of money. No, that's wrong too. I don't care about money so much. It's just that this holiday is just too much of a materialistic culture flaunting all the crap it has. We don't mean to flaunt. It just happens.

Christmas is the ultimate holiday of the capitalist. Even the American image of old Kris is from old Coca Cola ads.

Santa is way too excited.

Every year, I hear the Christian radio talk about returning this holiday to Jesus. HA! Christmas has been grasped by everyone who sells things and will not let go. It's the holiday that plays on people's want not to be a cheapskate because its for someone else. Well, it doesn't work on me. I'm a cheapskate no matter what. The love of an overweight pervert in a red suit isn't goin' to change nothin'.

I just wish that Christmas would grow the fuck up already and realize that maybe it could become a great holiday for giving...to people who really need it. I'm guilty of not doing it. But, I wasn't expected to either.

By the way, what the hell is this?!



Keep your dirty money-grubbin' Disney hands off my Scrooge!

Bah-Humbug!!

I screwed up so I apologize and I hope that the three of you can forgive me.

I've learned that I have two potential states of working: all or nothing. I can only get things done when I'm doing things all day. If not, I will sit around all day and ponder on maybe getting something done without actually doing anything. All or nothing.

Hence, no action going on for December. I didn't do anything that I wanted to accomplish during my winter break. In fact, I did almost nothing except sit on my arse and ponder some ridiculous great mysteries.

vampires or zombies?

With that in mind, I apologize for being a general slacker in almost everything I do. In that regard, I now pledge to pay attention to this blog. I pledge to thrift all the more and to share with y'all what the hell I picked up. I will write more. This post, although on a Tuesday, will now declare that I will try to write every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I will follow such a schedule religiously from now on. If not, so help me God.

I did not write about Christmas. I did not write about the holidays. I almost have the time to write about it now. But not now. Why you ask? See above paragraph .