I’ve intentionally structured my life in such a way that I almost never have to drive anywhere. I live in an urban neighborhood, within walking distance of stores, the post office, and bus lines to anywhere else in the city. I’m self-employed, and thus my commute involves getting out of bed, going downstairs to make coffee, and coming back upstairs to work. I usually only take the car out once a month, to do all of my “big shopping” in one trip.
And I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this arrangement. Having grown up in the worst sort of Southern California suburban hell, and later having lived in a small city where I still had to drive to get to everything, not being car-dependent has been a liberating experience. When I was in the Bay Area last month I was excited at how much public transit had expanded and improved since I last lived there; getting around was so much easier than I remember it being 15 years ago (I didn’t have to wait an hour or more for the 26 Valencia! Amazing!) that I’ve actually given thought to going car-free when I move back.
But for now, I’m still among the wheeled, and today I decided to go wild and drive all the way to Renton (ooooh!) and go to Ikea.
(Okay, actually, I had to go to Ikea, because all the little pegs that hold my bookshelves up? Are missing. They are in a Zip-Loc bag somewhere, but where? Hell if I know. But now that I’ve bought replacements, I am sure to find them.)
All I intended to buy were those pegs, but hey! They had the work table I’ve been long-thinking about buying, and it was on closeout–down to $69 from $129. Just last night I was in my studio, thinking, “I really could use a new work table in here…” and now I’ve got it.
I ran a lot of other errands, and then as I was headed home on I-5 got an unambiguous message: “Go to Goodwill.” (And when I say “message,” I mean “voice in my head,” speaking loud and clear. Yes, do I hear voices in my head. Yes, I do what the voices tell me to do. No, I’m not crazy–not if we’re judging by the results of doing what the voices tell me to.)
I don’t normally go to Goodwill or other thrift stores, these days. I used to shop there a lot when I didn’t have much money, but as I’ve become more prosperous, and my self-concept has changed, I’ve grown pickier about clothes and self-presentation and–perhaps most importantly–how I’m going to spend my time. And spending hours digging through racks of clothes in hope of finding bargains isn’t as profitable a use of my time as it used to be. But having been told to go, I did. Why not? I wasn’t in a hurry and didn’t have to be anywhere.
Besides, the last time I followed the prompt and went I scored a very nice vintage Singer sewing machine just like I’d wanted, in perfect working order, for $17.50. (Her name is Maud, which means “mighty in battle.”) Oh, and an orange merino sweater that still had Nordstrom tags on it, that is my current favorite. So who am I to argue? I just do what the voices tell me.
Anyway, I scored. I’d been meaning to buy a new jacket for months, and my t-shirts have been getting ratty, and I promised my mom a few weeks ago (after buying the Singer) that I’d keep an eye out for another vintage workhorse machine in good condition. And for $50 I got a really cool anorak (that my 16-year-old mod-punk hybrid self would have killed for), eight t-shirts, and the sewing machine.
The sewing machine had a pink tag, so just for today it was $1.29. It’s a Dressmaker–some weird brand that I can find almost no information about, and no pictures of this particular model (and I can’t even find a model number on it). My best guess is that it was built in the ’50s, maybe even the early ’60s. The lid for the carrying case is missing in action, and the base is shot to hell. But it’s a well-built little machine with nice, smooth action, and once I got it home I realized that mechanically it’s pretty much a clone of the Singer I bought. Better yet, it still has the bobbin case, so I don’t have to try tracking down parts for this Mystery Machine. It also takes Singer needles just fine.
And for $1.29? See, kids, this is why I listen to the voices in my head.
I’ll clean it up and oil it and give it some minor adjustments, and once I’m sure everything’s working correctly I’ll offer it to my mom. Several years ago, she paid over $1200 for a very nice, very complicated machine with programmable stitches and al kinds of extra features on it–none of which she ever uses. And most of her sewing is upholstery and home decor, which is too heavy-duty for her current machine. So I think she’ll be very happy with this one, and knowing her she’ll be absolutely thrilled that I only spent $1.29 on it (because my mom’s even crazier for a good bargain than me).
At any rate, that was my big adventure for the day; I made it home just as it started to sleet (which was great–I hate driving in that stuff), and now I’m going to go downstairs and clear space for my new work table so I can put it together.
