First Post

I told myself that I wanted to start blogging my thrift store adventures because it had something to do with urban archaeology, with the mysterious flotsam of modern life, that I was on the vanguard of preserving a valuable and under-researched subculture. I even wrote up a long, boring thesis on the topic...

But the real reason is so I can justify my obsessive need to comb the thrift stores of Southern California by showing you (whoever's out there) photos of the cool stuff I see. That way I buy less, the mess factor in my apartment does not reach critical mass, my fiance doesn't clobber me for bringing home the wretched refuse of our mass culture , and I actually feel like I'm contributing to society in some small, nearly anonymous way.

If you have demented sense of humor and an interest in other people's garbage then you just might have as much fun reading this as I have exploring the thrift stores. And look at it this way : You get to avoid all the icky smells, screaming babies, sticky merchandise, non-air conditioned spaces, creepy customers, equally creepy sellers, and the dual bad sensations of "I should have bought that/ I shouldn't have bought that" as you drive away.

So what will you see at this page? Basically:
1. Unusual or interesting thrift store ephemera in its natural habitat (a thrift store).
2. Weird stuff seen on the way to or from a thrift store.
3. Examples of mid-century modern architecture, usually in the vicinity of a thrift store.
4. Any other stupid-ol' thing that no one but me cares about.

I bid you welcome...