This is something that I wrote last Thursday or Friday and never posted. It’s kind of long and rambling.
So yesterday I wrote a million thank you cards, and was highly proud of myself. I got them all sorted out and addressed and put my return address stickers on it, then found that we have no stamps. What a shame! It’s ok though, the hard part is done, and I could use more stamps anyway. Hopefully I’ll have time to get some today, or maybe Mom’ll get some.
We had the last bit of my graduation celebration last night. It was amazing. We had spaghetti and Costco corn and sourdough bread and Lauren made a cake for Mother’s day for Mom and Grandma. The food was excellent. Then my family gave me their graduation presents. Mom and Dad are getting me a set of Corelle dishes and Faberware pots and pans when I get to Cleveland, which is awesome. I was planning on getting just some cheap dishes from a thrift store, but I get real stuff! Bethany got me an amazing cactus with huge spikes and purple flowers which is really cool. The other girls got me a sleeping bag, which is also really cool. Well, they gave me options for sleeping bags to buy for me and I chose the one that I wanted. It’s a North Face 20 degree rated one. It’s blue and black. It was between that and the Mountain Hardware 32 degree one. Everyone says that Mountain Hardware is so amazing, but I think the North Face one was a better deal, and it has a lifetime warranty too and the Mountain Hardware one was a really boring color. So anyway, soon I will be a camping fiend.
I looked other camping equipment online, and I found a few tents that look nice. I found a mini tent just like the one that my parents have that looks pretty good. It’s nice and sturdy and doesn’t weigh too much, so I think it’ll last a long time. I still need to look at REI to see if they have anything cheap, but being REI, I doubt that they will. I also looked at stoves and Therm-a-rest mattresses and water filters. I think I can get all of the above items with my money from presents, so that is the plan. I may wait to order them until I get to Cleveland though. I’m sure they have sporting goods stores there too, so maybe I could find something without ordering it.
Today I’m going to Spiderman 3 with my sisters. We’re going to a matinee. I hope it’s enjoyable.
Tonight hopefully I can start getting my quilt that I’m going to make all planned out. I think I want a queen bed, because I’m always hitting the wall and making my sheets fall off of my twin bed. So I need to make a big quilt. My idea is to take all of my T shirts from high school and probably a few college ones and make a big crazy quilt out of the designs on them. I’m thinking I may put a flannel backing on it to make it nice and cozy. Only problem with that is that I’m not sure how well flannel wears. I don’t want it to wear out too quickly and I’ve never really made anything out of it. Any way, all of this must be determined soonly and then I have to make it this next week. The plan is to buy any fabric I need tomorrow. We shall see.
Brands are obnoxious sometimes. Sure, some brands are known for their quality. BMW comes to mind. They make good stuff, and you pay to get something that will last. However, I have some friends (names will remain a secret) who seem to need to get the very best brand of everything. I don’t think that that is necessarily useful or good. First off, how high quality does your average cookie sheet need to be? Personally, I believe it has to be relatively flat, and conduct heat well, and not flex too much when you pick it up. You don’t have to buy a top of the line cookie sheet to make delicious cookies. In fact, you could probably do it with just some tin foil if you were dedicated enough. Pants. How good quality do my jeans need to be? I’d like them to last a while and fit well. I don’t think that I should pay more than 20 or 30 dollars for a good pair of jeans that’ll last me two to four years. Buying ones that cost twice that much is just not going to gain anything from their life. Skis: I have skis that have seen better days. They’re a little ugly, a little beat up, very much not stylish, but guess what. I am a pretty decent skier, and they get me down everything, and I ski fairly quickly and very ungracefully, but that’s not the fault of the skis. I could spend 900 dollars on a pair of skis. These were 50 and I will ski just as well on them. The list goes on and on. I think the shorter list is the one of items where I think that buying a brand or something more expensive may actually matter.
Shoes. It is worth it to buy sturdy sensible shoes that will last for several years. You can spend 15 bucks on a pair of sandals at Walmart and they’ll last for three months and not be comfortable, or you can spend 70 on a pair of Tevas that are on sale, and they’ll last for three or four years. This is worth it. However, I do not recommend buying expensive shoes unless they’re on sale. I am utterly pleased with my Tevas, Doc Martin dress shoes, and Soloman everyday shoes. Running shoes are a different matter, because they have to be replaced more often, but again, get quality or you will be injured.
Cars – Don’t buy an American car unless you think you need a truck or van. Even then, you probably don’t unless you have a big family or horses. Also, don’t buy a Kia no matter how cheap they may be… Buy used cars that are quality.
Things that you will keep forever – In my family’s case this is everything that they don’t eat. In other people’s cases, this may be furniture, kitchen stuff, or tools. It’s almost always cheaper to keep what you have than buy something new, so you might as well spend a bit more to get something a little nicer to start with than buy a whole new item after you get tired of the first one.
In pursuit of cold work 