It’s the stupidest thing but it irrationally makes me happy: a washcloth I bought in the DMZ that had DMZ cut into the terry cloth..
I don’t use it, I just have it out where I can look at it and be happy.
A picture of Secretariat winning the 1973 Kentucky Derby.
A local charity would put prints, photos, or similar for sale in a business I patronized. Maybe the supermarket; I don’t recall. Anyway, it was a silent auction, and the art was usually rock bands or sports stars. This time, it was Secretariat winning the Kentucky Derby, signed by Ron Turcotte, Secretariat’s jockey in that race.
On a whim, I filled out the auction slip, with what I considered to be an absurdly low amount. Absurd or not, I won the auction, and now Secretariat winning the Kentucky Derby, with Turcotte’s autograph, hangs on my wall. And I love seeing it every day.
I recently bought a Travel Sax 2.
Great fun, and actually really useful.
Absentmindedly assembling stuff is my zen space. Every now and then I’ll go buy a bunch of those laser-cut wooden model kits or DIY electronics kits.
They’re less time-consuming and require less effort than real models, and aren’t as expensive as something like Lego (so when I finish them and think “wtf am I supposed to do with this” and throw them in a closet or give them away I don’t feel too bad.)
Wow, they are remarkably cheap !
Yeah, Lego assembly is definitely theraputic for me; as you mention, though, sets can quickly get pricey. In search of something more affordable I tried jigsaw puzzles, but they’re really not the same thing at all (and don’t work for me). I might have to try one of those wooden models!
The one I looked at said no glue is needed, which is perfect – but it also said it comes with wax and sandpaper. How much “extra” work is needed for one of these things (and where does the wax come into it)?
I’d been looking at something like this book nook kit, but it seems like it might be a bit too detailed/fiddly. Lego sets are the sweet spot.
what country would that be?
Not much extra work. Honestly, I’m not even certain I’ve ever had to use sandpaper, the laser-cut pieces tend to come out pretty cleanly without any lines or protrusions–but you might be able to make them look a bit nicer sanding them off.
You will need wax for lubrication though, maybe a bit more than they provide. Sometimes the pieces are a tight fit and there are times you may have to “stack” multiple layers onto a single axle. Wax helps a lot. (Also necessary if you get the ones that are mechanical/have gears/etc.)
Probably my horse.
She was free, but it ain’t the purchase price it’s the upkeep. Still, more fun than anything I’ve had as an adult.
Wandering around Paris in 1990, I stopped in a little shop and found a vintage French poster for the Marx Brothers’ Un Jour des Courses (A Day at the Races).
It cost 50 francs. That was more than I had on me, but the owner saw how much of a fan I was and waved away the difference. I had to walk back to the hotel but I still have the poster hanging in my library to this day.
that is a fantastic cat name!
I’ve been slowly redoing the rooms in the house, including our shotgun den, which had an old (I mean, 1910s old) beaten/shredded sofa in front of the big TV. We were driving past a fancy furniture store late last year and spontaneously decided to go in and buy two expensive leather recliners, as a treat.
It took a while to get them delivered, but man do we love them.
Wait, is that fun? I’m counting it anyway.
Thanks! Sounds like these might be right up my alley.
Treppenwitz is from God’s own country, England !
South East England. Between London and the coast.
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I’m assuming you are referring to the “Runwell” part of the watch name.
The company name “Shinola” absolutely came from the expression.
From their website:
As the story goes, the discussion around this nom de plume got a touch heated, leading a team member to exclaim, “You don’t know sh*t from Shinola!” Shortly thereafter, we had a name known the world over, with roots in American manufacturing, and synonymous with quality—and Shinola was born.
When my kids were still tweens, I remember buying them the Kwik-E-Mart. We spent weeks of evenings after dinner at the dining room table putting that thing together. It was a super fun tween project.
The original Shinola shoe polish came from a company founded in 1877 in my hometown of Rochester, NY. By WWI it was the leading company in the field.
So why the phrase “you don’t know shit from Shinola” didn’t appear until WWII is a mystery.
This was not cheap and I do not even have it yet but looking forward to it and already starting to make a place for it.
My first AR-15 or two. I was competing at the Camp Perry National Championships in the Garand match in 2000 I think. The midway at Camp Perry is a long row of arms dealers. I wondered into the Rock River Arms building. The company was only a few years old and had just begun making AR-15s. There on a stand, center stage was their version of the M4 carbine. 16" barrel instead of 20". Army green, not black, flat top, no carry handle. Extra short stock for close-in shooting. I had never seen anything like it. I bought it instantly.
Rock River gave one of their stock AR-15s to an experienced shooter to try and he won the President’s Cup with it right out of the box. They were selling them at a good discount to help get their brand established and - what the heck - I bought one of those also!
I never got used to competing with the AR as I was a much better fit with my Garand and bolt action rifles so I sold the Rock River a year later and made about $200 on it. Still have the M4.