October 1, 2023 - The Catch of the Day

 Ever wonder what the most expensive thing in a thrift store could be? Wonder no more. We had this get left on our doorstep this last week:

If you have no idea what this is, it's a telescope--a Celestron Polaris 8X50 to be specific. We're asking $499 for it. Right now, it's the most expensive thing in the store. Why would such a thing wind up in a podunk desert burg? Why indeed?

It turns out the Mojave tends to be one of the Dark Sky locales left on the planet (when you're not near a city like Barstow, Victorville, or Las Vegas). Sometimes folks who live under dark skies (places with relatively little light pollution) decide to spend money on something like this to see if they can find a ring of debris around Uranus rather getting another big screen TV to see what crap is to be found there. It all makes sense, and you don't need a subscription to cable or a streamer.

It's been on the floor for a few days now. Lots of lookers, but no takers. The people who look at it are old white men or bored kids who were dragged to the thrift store by their moms. As for the kids, once they find out there's nothing to see in a telescope perched inside a building, they go and mess with the plushies and plastic guitars in the toy section.

I don't know if $499 is a good price or not. But if can't move it, it goes to some wholesale junker I imagine. Thrift store managers don't negotiate--they just don't have the time or energy, so don't bother them.

The weather in our part of the desert has moved into Chamber of Commerce and realtor heaven. The high was around 70 today with a gentle breeze blowing, some clouds, and lots of sun. 

Hope you're having a great time yourselves.

Love,
Pops

It's Been a While, But I'm Back (hopefully)

 Hello there!

It's been a long time since there was a post on this blog. I know nobody is out there, but I need a daily writing regimen to re-cultivate good habits.

I no longer work at "Malibu Community College" so I won't be posting any daily pictures of the Pacific Ocean. My venue has changed drastically to the southern Mojave Desert. People here call vast sandy areas "playas" (beaches), but there's nary a drop of surface water to be seen anywhere.

I decided to take a job in my small town at one of the thrift stores run by a local charity. I suppose they're not as nervous as my previous employer in being mentioned in blogs outside of their control, but I'll keep them anonymous, though some of you may figure them out.

I thought it would be fun to just post the occasional weird thing that people donate to recycle within the neighborhood and beyond. That's it. If anything profound occurs to me, I suppose I may write it down, but let's see what happens in this space.

I came across this ladies tee-shirt. Being a floor stocker and general clerk, I had to decide where it went. It went into ladies short-sleeve shirts, among the white shirts with color pattern. Where would you wear this? Casual settings only I imagine, and not to job interview.

Well, we're off with a bang with this one.

 Have a wonderful rest of your September dear ones!

 Love,
Pops