Friendly Bit of Advice #5: I'm About to Trick You

Bought: 30" x 36" Picture Frame
Price: $12
Place: ARF Thrift Store

I'm not tricking you on purpose.
That's a lie.
No it's not.
Yes it is.
Just kiddingjustkiddingjustkidding.


You're confused. Now we can just ignore the fact that you thought I got this Degas poster at a thrift store and point out instead that I got this frame which is a providential fit at the thrift store.

Backstory:
I was going through all of my mom's old pictures and posters, hoping for some unsuspected find, when I found this Degas poster.
Apparently, my parents had bought it for me back in 1989 when the Degas exhibition was showing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But alas, they kept putting off getting it framed.
Twenty-one years later...
It still wasn't framed but was just rolled up under my mom's bed.

So I decided, "Hey. This is MY poster. I want it in MY room. And I want it to be framed."

Idiot.

Come to find out, it was going to cost me almost $200 (WITH a 50% off coupon) to get it framed, since it apparently is some weird size.
Dear Framers...I hate you.

Well, I come home from a disappointing frame search, and my mom just casually mentions, "You know, down at the ARF store I saw a frame that looked like it was really close to that size and it was only $12."

Yeah right, mom. Like you can just eye-ball this poster and know the exact size. I'm so sure.

A few days later, I come home, and the frame is sitting in my room with another poster from a different exhibition at the Metropolitan still in it.

I popped open the back (found about a dozen spiders inside) and fit my poster in it.
Only 1/4" off on the sides. Like that's going to deter me.
Nearly perfect fit.
You can still see the other poster peeking out a bit from the sides, but it just looks like I meant for that to happen. (Which, duh, I like, totally did).

Fine, mom. You win this round.

Point:
Listen to your mother when it comes to picture frames.

Friendly Bit of Advice #4: Book It

Bought: Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud
Price: $4.98
Place: Half Price Books

Today, dear reader.

Today is the day we expand our definition of thrift store.

Today is the day we turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the thrift store purists and purposefully irritate them by including used book stores in this blog.

We will not be stopped!

Today will be seized!


Back to the point.

I just started my Spring Quarter at school and, as usual, put off buying my books until I first checked the library, amazon.com, and Half Price Books for my ludicrously overpriced text books.

It is the latter location that we will be discussing today.

I know it's not a thrift store, but all of the books have been used and are sold at a discounted rate. Therefore, I'm including it.
What are you gonna do about it?

Here's the point:
There is absolutely no reason for you to ever buy a book new (unless it's a brand new edition or a workbook).

Reason 1: How many times are you going to read through it? Once? You're paying $30 for a book you're going to read once?

Reason 2: You sometimes find hidden little treasures in the books. Now I'm not referring to the chocolate-y goo on the front of my Understanding Comics. That was just disgusting-but also easily removed.




"I, Mrs. Louis Fucci give my permission for Maureen, my daughter, to have her hair colored by Revlon Products."

Mrs. Louis Fucci







Bought: The Holy Barbarians by Lawrence Lipton (Yes, that is James Lipton's father).
Price: $12
Place: Alibris










In conclusion...












You never know when you could get a free Personal Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut.
And before you even ask, yes, I was part of Book It. And yes, I do still have my- not one, but two- buttons somewhere. And yes, that feeling welling from deep within you is jealousy.

I guarantee that buying some used books will make you feel better. If that doesn't help, try buying a Pizza Hut pizza.
I'm just saying...