a multitude of things

I like to think of myself as a very practical person. I never understood the faux pas in giving a vacuum or blender as a gift. As said practical person, I also never understood the idea of collecting--be it baseball cards, Precious Moments figurines, or Longaberger baskets. Sure, as a kid I had my sticker collection and even a few garbage pail kids cards to boot. But as an adult, my thought is more--where is the practical sense in having a multitude of the same thing? Puh-leez. Just more crapola to dust.


***Disclaimers***

#1 Please know that if you happen to be a collector--I am not judging you. It just ain’t my bag. It is your duty to do what makes you happy, and if collecting civil war memorabilia gets your juices flowing, by all means, knock yourself out. Just don’t expect me to go gaga over it.

#2 I’m sorry to say, but if you ever gifted me with such a collectable it has long since been recycled via good will, a garage sale, or the much disdained re-gift (don’t knock it, it’s green).

Imagine my surprise then when I discovered I was indeed a collector--albeit, of practical things (okay, I can understand you might think I’m somewhat biased on the notion of practicality, but it is my blog so dems da berries).

My collections…
*110 candles in my house (not in boxes, but out in candle holders)
*356 cookbooks (including a few I have loaned out to some friends)
*8041 fonts (used in all my moonlighting gigs, campaign flyers, b-day invites, etc.)
*23 throw pillows (a gal has gotta be comfortable)
*50 pairs of black shoes (no, you can’t call me Imelda)
*146 bottles of nail polish (77 base colors, 69 sparkly, and yes absolutely necessary and practical when you have Flintsone feet--yes that HS comment still rings in my ears)
*11 silver rings I wear at all times (just fingers and toes--Leo’s wrath still isn’t worth it)

Looking at these numbers helps me to realize why this country is in such a state of economic distress. It is simply ludicrous. I’m going to do my part to try and put a stop to it (not the fonts tho, I get those for free).

I hereby am making a vow to seriously decrease my retail therapy sessions (if I was already past menopause I’d go cold turkey, but I know my hormonies too well). Now, the fact that I’m heading out on an overnight shopping trip here soon might appear a skosh contradictory, but I look at it as more of a test (not to mention an opportunity to reconnect with my old pal the Captain).

Also, Mount St. Garage Sale (whose basecamp is in my basement) is either going to be used in a fundraiser at work to help an orphanage in Bulgaria, or it is being taken to goodwill. I can’t stand the thought of profiting off of excess goods I don’t need when people are struggling so hard to make ends meet.

I hope this hasn’t given you the wrong idea that I am a money spending oinker. I am still koo-koo for cocoa puffs frugal, in my own way:
*Rabbit ears for 10+ years (I’m not paying to watch TV!--at least until that dang transition happens)
*Thermostat in dead winter gets a high of 62 degrees Fahrenheit for a couple of hours every day, then sinks back to 50 degrees before I go to bed (why heat the house when I’m at work? plus, I can always blame the extra pudge on ‘layering’ to stay warm)
*The blue box college dinner still graces my plate now and then--it is the cheapest..errr..uhhh…cheesiest.
*Pro haircuts, happen on a yearly basis at most (I’m in the process of trying to get it long enuf for locks of love while still keeping it shoulder length for me...just about 3” to go…) Dye jobs are either by moi or Nanner.

So there you have it. That's my plan, what's yours?

Konbanwa (see, that Japanese class is already paying off...)