I'm looking forward to spending the money I made cleaning up after a wedding to go to the Salvation Army store as oppossed to Needless Markup or Stacks 5th Ave. The store I go to used to be a skating rink so it has nice wooden floors and a big bright (though strangly gray) area where rack upon rack of clothes people have given away can be purchased for a few dollars. Different colored tags are stapled to each item and each item is hung on a hanger with like items. I usually go thru the hangers stopping at a color or pattern that catches my eye and I look at it to see if it is the correct size and whether or not there are stains or tears.
Holes, I mean, not the tears that fall from your eyes as you see what you thought was your future slipping away.
Once in a while I get lucky and find a shirt that still has a dry cleaning tag in the button hole. This is a good find because it's been cleaned and you could wear it home if you wanted. What's really lucky is when you find something that still has tags on it! I always imagine someone buying a shirt or pants for some reason and for whatever else end up throwing it in the giveaway pile. Hey! it happens; you see a shirt and you think "that would look good with those chinos I like" or you buy a shirt and discover none of your ties will match it when you get home.
I used to go a lot. nearly every Saturday. I found a Hand knitted wool sweater from Scottland that is so warm and oversized that I really can't wear it unless the temperature outside is in the Ice Station Zebra range. Mrs Beneldon and I both refer to it as such; "Honey? where's my Ice Station Zebra?" "It's on the second shelf down." "Oh! Thank-you." When I was bouncing between a 34 inch waist and a, well, a few inches more than that, I spent a great deal less on pants than I would have had I not shopped at the SA. Yeah, I used to go there a lot. Lately I have not been able to afford to go there. And now, it's election time and two sets of candidates are stumping for my vote.
I have not been to the salvation army store in many months now. I have a job I drive 42 miles to. I don't have any particular skills or abilities (other than cracking jokes, writing Haiqu's and making a great cup of green tea with milk and honey) and my computer skills are, well, let's just say that I live in fear of management learning they need only to train an orangutang to do what I do. But since I work for an incredibly large financial conglomo approving wire transfers to title companies I think I'm safe for at least a little while.
I don't make a lot of money but I make enough to pay the House bill, all the insurances, my car payment, the electric bill and the Media bill, both my usurious credit card bills and my gas card. My wife pays for her daughter's school stuff (though I did co-sign with her the first two years of student loans)her credit cards and our cell phones plus she brings the food into the house along with tons of cat litter and kibble. Together we make it by. We don't save a lot and we don't eat out or go to the movies (or go out at all for that matter)and we havn't been on a vacation in nearly a decade; except to someplace different with our Youth Mission trip as a volunteer - which is as far away from Work as I can imagine - but, a time where Mrs. Beneldon and I are around pool or pure sandy beachside with nothing to do but "breed"? not so much.
I work and when I go home I can volunteer my time to my community and church. (I'm holding an "Obama Talk" in my neighborhood next Wednesday.) For a guy in my mid fourties I'm fairly heathy for a lefty and I still get to do a lot of the things that spark my interest because of the avocational nature of my volunteer work. I feel I'm blessed with an abundant life even though my retirement fund took a hit (If I were to retire, say, November 1st, I'd still be able to live just as comfortably as I do now until November 3rd instead of November 8th.), and gasoline prices the past year shot well past my $206.54 projected monthly budget allocation. I'm looking forward to the upcoming season as I start to break out my flannel pajama pants and price the plastic for the windows.
Now, if I was told to get a new wardrobe, if I "needed to look good out there" so get a new wardrobe, I could really, REALLY shop til I dropped and come up with all kinds of great and wonderful clothes to wear that would tell the world I'm a success and I could do it for about what's left of the credit I have on my usurious credit cards and the gas card - if I had to. I could buy: four suits; one black, one charcoal gray, one blue and another color; a dozen white button down shirts, a dozen polo shirts and five pairs of khaki pants five pairs of jeans, a dozen casual shirts and ties and shoes. And I could do it for about $500.
Now, if I was told to get a new wardrobe and use this credit card I would ask what was the credit line and shop accordingly but I would still buy: four suits; one black, one charcoal gray, one blue and another color; a dozen white button down shirts, a dozen polo shirts and five pairs of khaki pants five pairs of jeans, a dozen casual shirts and ties and shoes. I'm boring that way. About the only change between my own money and someone else's credit card is instead of scouring the SA's and the Thrfts and Goodwill stores I could buy the stuff all in one mall and for around $2500.
Now if I was told to get a new wardrobe and given a credit card (or allowed a shopper to do all the transacting) without the slightest bit of concern for the cost as seems to be the case with Palin's shopping make-over, I think, I believe I could let that card or shopper lavish me with an equal measure as Palin. After all, someone else is paying for it and those folks I bet won't mind.
Yes, that's what you read, gentle reader, I would probably allow myself to be donned with the finest dudes. Who wouldn't?
who indeed?
(this is where I'd insert the picture of Obama with his feet up on the desk and showing the holes in his shoes. but I'm at work and we can't access personal storage sites like Photobucket - that, and I'm not really all that smart)
Say what you will about the legality of shopping-gate. Rail again and again about how selfish and self centered she must be don'tcha know. Argue back and forth over the duplicity and hypocracy. Believe what you want about our high sounding idealism but when push comes to shove; if I was given the ability to wear what ever the f**k I wanted to without a dime (or any other coin from my Savings) out of my pocket, I'd be happy to exchange my fig leafs for fine leathers - although I can't imagine spending THAT much money on the things that I'd like.
Perhaps that's because I'm a guy who thinks that a man only needs a pair of black shoes, brown shoes, sneakers and maybe some sandals; and, by god, the only way the word accessorizing enters my life is for my car or my treehouse. Or perhaps it's as simple as my lack of any sense of entitlement.
Yeah, Sarah Palin is hot. She's a VPilf and she looks good in all those threads but she's still Sarah Palin. No matter how much gussying up the campaign affords to do, she still is the same woman she was when she ran up Wasilla's debt.
She's still the same woman who believes in charging rape victms for their investigation kits.
She's still the same woman who was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it.
And she still is a disastrous choice for Vice President of the country though perhaps not for the base.
And though I'd be tempted to go all out and spend a LOT more money if it were thrust in front of me than I would normally, and though I understand that Ms. Palin is going to donate the clothes to charity (whoever she is) after the election, I still can't get my mind around the idea of a mavericky team of Average Joes thinking it's a good idea to spend on clothes more than what most people make in a year or two or three to convince us we could have a beer with them.
I don't want to elect a presidential team that I'd want to have a beer with, I want to elect a presidential team who I believe would want to have a beer with me.
I don't get that from McCain/Palin and her new wardrobe. I get that from Obama/Biden when I see his shoes. His shoes tell me he's been working and working hard to make this country great. He's willing to work hard and when I hear the guy wearing those shoes, I hear a guy who knows what he wants and what he stands for and someone who his comfortable with himself and knows what is important to me. When I see his shoes I see a guy who has as much sense of entitlement as I have; in fact, I see a guy who has less. I see a guy who knows what is really important and who is working hard to get not my vote but my support and whom I would work hard for as well.
I'm so glad I(already voted)'m voting for leadership I can look up to and trust. It's a refreshing change over the last eight years from the slow slide into economic oblivian I've experienced under Bush. The hope I feel as I listen to Obama's speeches, and read his plans dries my tears as I find myself believing that the Future is once again a friend of yours and mine.