Beauty

[just bee]

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@PAlady wrote:

rnmom -  You may want to call the Salvation Army first about the TV.  Some places will not take TV for donations. 

I would hate to see you lug it there and find out they do not take them.

Good luck.

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@PAlady

@rnmom

Alas, this is true.  When we replaced our giant (and I mean giant) TV with a new flat screen, the old TV sat in another room for months and it took up most of the room!

Finally found someone who carted it away.  (I suspect it is sitting in landfill.)  Better-half wants another set to go but as long as the two old ones still work, I will keep them.

[geezerette]

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@just bee wrote:

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@PAlady wrote:

rnmom -  You may want to call the Salvation Army first about the TV.  Some places will not take TV for donations. 

I would hate to see you lug it there and find out they do not take them.

Good luck.

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@PAlady

@rnmom

Alas, this is true.  When we replaced our giant (and I mean giant) TV with a new flat screen, the old TV sat in another room for months and it took up most of the room!

Finally found someone who carted it away.  (I suspect it is sitting in landfill.)  Better-half wants another set to go but as long as the two old ones still work, I will keep them.

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Yep, unfortunately very true.  I donate most of my things to our local animal shelter and they don't accept any electronics either.  Our TVs end up at the recycling center, working or not.

[KaySD]

I'm with you, @just bee, about having a spartan February! But I already ordered the new moisturizer from PTR--I tested it at Macy's and it feels amazing, but is my skin care cabinet empty? No. No, it's not. And I somehow became convinced that ordering a new eyeshadow would be a good idea. Really? Now I have enough of everything for the whole year. Maybe toothpaste and shampoo...next summer...

Sigh. Buying cool stuff is addictive, that's what it is. And I don't like horrible things--I really like skin care, and clothes, and groceries, and gadgets! But it's still addiction, and addiction doesn't yield to good intentions or resolutions. Sometimes substitutions work. Like, I can drink a big glass of water instead of eating a snack. 

The question is: is there another way to scratch this itch? 

[just bee]

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@KaySD wrote:

I'm with you, @just bee, about having a spartan February! But I already ordered the new moisturizer from PTR--I tested it at Macy's and it feels amazing, but is my skin care cabinet empty? No. No, it's not. And I somehow became convinced that ordering a new eyeshadow would be a good idea. Really? Now I have enough of everything for the whole year. Maybe toothpaste and shampoo...next summer...

Sigh. Buying cool stuff is addictive, that's what it is. And I don't like horrible things--I really like skin care, and clothes, and groceries, and gadgets! But it's still addiction, and addiction doesn't yield to good intentions or resolutions. Sometimes substitutions work. Like, I can drink a big glass of water instead of eating a snack. 

The question is: is there another way to scratch this itch? 

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@KaySD

I imagine we could enter a convent in a remote region with no Internet access, but if I have to pass some theological exam first I might not get admitted.  It's not that I lack spirituality; I just haven't signed on to organized religion because I can't commit to the dietary restrictions.  I'm in the camp that believes that God wouldn't have put food on the planet if he didn't want me to eat it.

Philanthropy might be the solution.  Do I want to buy a bottle of salon shampoo or would I rather give that 75 bucks to an organization that supports a cause I believe in?  Do I want to spend the day shopping or volunteering?

I've known prudent, frugal people and I've known misers.  I knew a guy who called to tell me that he had lost his wallet on our date.  He discovered the loss almost 24 hours after the date.  I may have said something like, "Well, you might have noticed sooner if you took it (the wallet) out every once in a while."  The relationship dissolved not long after this.

Maybe we just have that gene that makes us want to part with money.  I am in no way a spendthrift, especially with retirement age looming, but I believe there's economic karma.  What goes around comes around, and if you put money out there it will eventually come back to you in some form.  My Italian grandfather believed that it didn't make sense to be stingy because if you hoarded your money you'd end up giving it to doctors and lawyers in the end.  I guess he didn't want to give them the satisfaction.

So what am I saying?  ___ if I know.

I'm still trying to figure out why I ordered falling in love spritz.  My only contact with the scent was a sale bottle of shower gel several years ago.  It's blackberry.  One reason I parted ways with philosophy was its penchant for berry.  One more berry-scented product and my head would explode.  So why am I suddenly smitten with falling in love?

I was sniffing myself a few hours ago and I was reminded of the old philosophy forum.  This is where we would analyze our motives for collecting multiple shower gels and why a hundred different shower scents was important to us.  And then it dawned on me: I like falling in love because it reminds me of a sloe gin fizz.

Why I want to smell like a sloe gin fizz I do not know, but right now sloe gin is clearly something I need in my life.  Am I drinking sloe gin?  No.  So maybe spraying something on myself instead -- a substitute, as you say -- is a good thing.

[KaySD]

@just bee, I like your style. Maybe buying things is the substitute for OTHER, more harmful, addictions. Kinda turns the whole thing inside out! This reminds me of a little poem with an analogous idea, by the Danish poet Piet Hein (quoted as closely as I can remember):

The human spirit sublimates 

the impulses it thwarts--

A healthy s-x life mitigates

the lust for other sports.

Wait, what? 

I love finding things that are especially beautiful or useful or perfectly suited to their purpose, and I love buying them if I feel they are a good value, i.e., a bargain. I love wearing or using or looking at them if they meet all these requirements. Otherwise, they don't stay around long. So, shall I just enjoy that and be excited that I'm not another kind of junkie?

As for your spritz, who says you don't need a fragrance that you feel happy and energized by? What could possibly be more important than that? 

[just bee]

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@KaySD wrote:
 

I love finding things that are especially beautiful or useful or perfectly suited to their purpose, and I love buying them if I feel they are a good value, i.e., a bargain. I love wearing or using or looking at them if they meet all these requirements. 

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@KaySD

When I was younger I surrounded myself with the superfluous.  Things that were unnecessary, but I liked them.  I couldn't walk out of a card shop without a stack of artsy greeting cards.  I framed many of them.

Now, of course, I realize that I don't need a lot of the items that catch my eye.  I have become much more practical and I find myself asking: "Do I love this enough to dust it every day for the rest of my life?"

But if it is an item that makes my life better, easier...  I like having the tools to manage my day-to-day existence.  Those basic white plates and bowls we bought are a constant thrill.  They look and feel right.  I even enjoy washing them.  The perfect blend of practical and aesthetically pleasing.

You mention purpose.  Items should have a purpose.  Sometimes that purpose is to be attractive on a bare wall.  Sometimes it is a higher purpose.  The item helps me accomplish a task.

These items are priceless.  Like the portable Gulpy water dispenser for the dog.  Great invention.  The apple corer/slicer.  The electric tea kettle.  My Walkman.  (Did I hear a snicker?)  My Alegrias.

I think we just rationalized the ___ out of this.

[geezerette]

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@just bee wrote:

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@KaySD wrote:
 

I love finding things that are especially beautiful or useful or perfectly suited to their purpose, and I love buying them if I feel they are a good value, i.e., a bargain. I love wearing or using or looking at them if they meet all these requirements. 

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@KaySD

When I was younger I surrounded myself with the superfluous.  Things that were unnecessary, but I liked them.  I couldn't walk out of a card shop without a stack of artsy greeting cards.  I framed many of them.

Now, of course, I realize that I don't need a lot of the items that catch my eye.  I have become much more practical and I find myself asking: "Do I love this enough to dust it every day for the rest of my life?"

But if it is an item that makes my life better, easier...  I like having the tools to manage my day-to-day existence.  Those basic white plates and bowls we bought are a constant thrill.  They look and feel right.  I even enjoy washing them.  The perfect blend of practical and aesthetically pleasing.

You mention purpose.  Items should have a purpose.  Sometimes that purpose is to be attractive on a bare wall.  Sometimes it is a higher purpose.  The item helps me accomplish a task.

These items are priceless.  Like the portable Gulpy water dispenser for the dog.  Great invention.  The apple corer/slicer.  The electric tea kettle.  My Walkman.  (Did I hear a snicker?)  My Alegrias.

I think we just rationalized the ___ out of this.

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👍🏻

You still have a working Walkman?  Oooh, I am so jealous!

[just bee]

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@geezerette wrote:

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@just bee wrote:

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@KaySD wrote:
 

I love finding things that are especially beautiful or useful or perfectly suited to their purpose, and I love buying them if I feel they are a good value, i.e., a bargain. I love wearing or using or looking at them if they meet all these requirements. 

---

@KaySD

When I was younger I surrounded myself with the superfluous.  Things that were unnecessary, but I liked them.  I couldn't walk out of a card shop without a stack of artsy greeting cards.  I framed many of them.

Now, of course, I realize that I don't need a lot of the items that catch my eye.  I have become much more practical and I find myself asking: "Do I love this enough to dust it every day for the rest of my life?"

But if it is an item that makes my life better, easier...  I like having the tools to manage my day-to-day existence.  Those basic white plates and bowls we bought are a constant thrill.  They look and feel right.  I even enjoy washing them.  The perfect blend of practical and aesthetically pleasing.

You mention purpose.  Items should have a purpose.  Sometimes that purpose is to be attractive on a bare wall.  Sometimes it is a higher purpose.  The item helps me accomplish a task.

These items are priceless.  Like the portable Gulpy water dispenser for the dog.  Great invention.  The apple corer/slicer.  The electric tea kettle.  My Walkman.  (Did I hear a snicker?)  My Alegrias.

I think we just rationalized the ___ out of this.

---

👍🏻

You still have a working Walkman?  Oooh, I am so jealous!

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@geezerette

Do I ever part with an object?  Why, yes I do have my original Walkman and I was wearing it today when the world's greatest dog and I went out walking.

I must look ridiculous, too, because I wear headphones with a ridiculously long cable that I have to manage with a grocery store twist tie.  I imagine people drive by and assume I'm a relic.  Then again, most people probably have no idea what those headphones are attached to.

Speaking of dogs... how's the girl?

[geezerette]

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@just bee wrote:

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@geezerette wrote:

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@just bee wrote:

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@KaySD wrote:
 

I love finding things that are especially beautiful or useful or perfectly suited to their purpose, and I love buying them if I feel they are a good value, i.e., a bargain. I love wearing or using or looking at them if they meet all these requirements. 

---

@KaySD

When I was younger I surrounded myself with the superfluous.  Things that were unnecessary, but I liked them.  I couldn't walk out of a card shop without a stack of artsy greeting cards.  I framed many of them.

Now, of course, I realize that I don't need a lot of the items that catch my eye.  I have become much more practical and I find myself asking: "Do I love this enough to dust it every day for the rest of my life?"

But if it is an item that makes my life better, easier...  I like having the tools to manage my day-to-day existence.  Those basic white plates and bowls we bought are a constant thrill.  They look and feel right.  I even enjoy washing them.  The perfect blend of practical and aesthetically pleasing.

You mention purpose.  Items should have a purpose.  Sometimes that purpose is to be attractive on a bare wall.  Sometimes it is a higher purpose.  The item helps me accomplish a task.

These items are priceless.  Like the portable Gulpy water dispenser for the dog.  Great invention.  The apple corer/slicer.  The electric tea kettle.  My Walkman.  (Did I hear a snicker?)  My Alegrias.

I think we just rationalized the ___ out of this.

---

👍🏻

You still have a working Walkman?  Oooh, I am so jealous!

---

@geezerette

Do I ever part with an object?  Why, yes I do have my original Walkman and I was wearing it today when the world's greatest dog and I went out walking.

I must look ridiculous, too, because I wear headphones with a ridiculously long cable that I have to manage with a grocery store twist tie.  I imagine people drive by and assume I'm a relic.  Then again, most people probably have no idea what those headphones are attached to.

Speaking of dogs... how's the girl?

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She's as happy as a pig in mud the last few weeks...she has a new little brother. Yep, the very last thing we need around here is another dog, but apparently we now have one. He was a drop-off that followed the old geezer home one day and stayed. The monster dog fell instantly in love. He became her favorite chew toy. It's hilarious, a true Mutt and Jeff picture. She, at 90+lbs., absolutely gorgeous with a pedigree a mile long and the most obnoxious personality I've ever seen. He, at a mere 16lbs.--he appears to be a Shih Tzu/Jack Russell cross of some kind--with a face and body that belongs in an SPCA commercial and the most humble, eager-to-please attitude.

It's a trip. We'll see how long it lasts. Or rather, how long WE last.

[just bee]

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@geezerette wrote:

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@just bee wrote:

Speaking of dogs... how's the girl?

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She's as happy as a pig in mud the last few weeks...she has a new little brother. Yep, the very last thing we need around here is another dog, but apparently we now have one. He was a drop-off that followed the old geezer home one day and stayed. The monster dog fell instantly in love. He became her favorite chew toy. It's hilarious, a true Mutt and Jeff picture. She, at 90+lbs., absolutely gorgeous with a pedigree a mile long and the most obnoxious personality I've ever seen. He, at a mere 16lbs.--he appears to be a Shih Tzu/Jack Russell cross of some kind--with a face and body that belongs in an SPCA commercial and the most humble, eager-to-please attitude.

It's a trip. We'll see how long it lasts. Or rather, how long WE last.

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@geezerette

Oh my goodness!  I hope the affair lasts and they're both happy.  How come it's always the ones who choose you that are such treasures?

Is the cat getting a break?