Thrifting with me

Hello dear readers :)
These past two weeks have been emotionally rough. I could barely eat or talk. But I finally made it out of the house, got some fresh air, ate something delicious, and let life wrap around me like a hug.

First things first, let me show you my gorgeous new nails. I had them done and they made me feel so pretty. I got tons of compliments at work, which honestly gave me a little confidence boost.

My soundtrack: Ivrenette Botto and African jazz
While I wandered, I listened my playlist called Ivrenette Botto and some beautiful African jazz tracks. Pleaseeee listen to Girma Bèyènè !!!!!!!!

Bags
I started with the handbags section. Everything was arranged by color, which looked really nice, but I didn’t find anything I liked. The Coach bags were overpriced, going for $50 to $70.

CDs and vinyl
Then I headed over to the audiovisual section, my personal favorite. I love browsing through CDs and vinyl records. I always find little gems in that area.

Recently I finished reading Music Is History by Questlove and it opened my eyes to so many layers of sound and culture. One of my favorite chapters was about Motown and its powerful influence on music and American history.

I found Tapestry by Carole King, which I’ve weirdly been listening to a lot lately. Especially It’s Too Late and So Far Away.

I also found some classical music CDs and vinyls. My favorite was a Tchaikovsky collection, which I’ve been playing nonstop this week. I think he might officially be my favorite classical composer.

Then, something I stumbled across a homemade mix CD from a 2001 pool party. The year I was born. It opened with the Powerpuff Girls intro theme, had songs like Lady Marmalade and All for You by Janet Jackson, and ended with the Powerpuff outro. I bet that party was wild. The CD even listed the BPMs of every track.

I saw 1100 Bel Air Place by Julio Iglesias, his first album recorded mostly in English, released in 1984. It features duets with Willie Nelson and Diana Ross, and was a huge hit in the U.S.

I also spotted Music Box by Mariah Carey, her third studio album from 1993.

Books
I usually love hunting for classics. If you’ve checked out my Goodreads, which you totally should, link here, you’ll get a taste of what I like to read.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much this time. But I did find The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, divided into six books. Volume 3 was missing, but I still took them. Funny enough, just last week I wrote a draft blog post about Hamlet and his indecision, though I didn’t publish it. I love when the books and music I consume start connecting in unexpected ways. It makes me feel like the world is whispering back to me :)

I found a Bell & Howell Super 8 camera for $9.99. I’ve seen about 10 of these in this store, but I’ve never dared to buy one. I know all the ins and outs of analog photography now, even how to fix lenses, but I had a bad experience with a roll recently and I’m still not over it.

I’m not ready for trial and error with Super 8 film. Plus, this model wasn’t great. If it had been a Bolex or a more modern Canon 514XL, I wouldn’t have thought twice.

Precious trinkets
I love checking out the trinket section, especially the Precious Moments figurines. This time there weren’t many; maybe I got there too early. But I did find the cutest Christmas-themed Siamese cat salt shakers. So adorable :3

I waited about 40 minutes before heading to the clothing and shoes section. I saw Ferragamo, Vera Wang, vintage gold-label Victoria’s Secret, Ed Hardy, Carhartt but nothing I needed, and nothing in my size that took my breath away.

For some reason, I can never find the women’s t-shirt section in this store. It’s a mystery.
I took another walk through the book and music sections, and I’m glad I did. I found comic book packs for $7.99, each with nine comics inside. I picked the one with the best-looking covers. They ended up being authentic 1980s comics. I read them all. They’d make a great gift or a cool addition to a coffee table.

At the register, I asked to see the cameras behind the counter. Nothing exciting. A few Olympus, Fujifilm, and Canon point-and-shoots marked up to $75. A Pentax missing a part for $45 — wild, since I bought a perfect one from the same store last year for just $3.

The digital cameras were missing batteries and priced between $30 and $45. And they always rush you; you have to wait in line, and only once you're at the register can you ask to see what's behind the counter.

They keep all the "designer" stuff back there too Supreme, Balenciaga, Chanel, Louis Vuitton. And honestly, I could tell some of the Louis Vuitton bags were painfully fake, being sold for hundreds of dollars.

But hey. One day I’ll get lucky and find a Fendi Baguette or a Vivienne Westwood bag sitting out of place. Or maybe camera number 8 for my collection. I already have 7. The next one has to be something special.

Thank you for coming along
Thanks for reading and wandering with me.
I ended the day with a book and a quiet moment to myself.