Goodwill Finds

I had the opportunity to hit three different Goodwill stores recently. It's been awhile since I'd been able to find much to get excited about at Goodwill but these trips did not disappoint.

Here's what I came up with:

1. Blades of Steel for the NES.
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the NES.
3. A sweet Little Tikes Rugged Riggz dump truck for the boys (and me).


4. A vintage (1977) Fisher Price Adventure People Daredevil van. Just like the one I had growing up...just dirtier and missing a few stickers.



I regret passing up on Batman for the NES. We started using a modified envelope system for our budget this month and I had to prioritize. I had to pass on Batman in favor of other things I'm saving up to purchase. Still, all good finds.

Thanks Goodwill!

Reel Deal

I love garage sales. It's like having a Goodwill store on every corner. Over that past few weeks, I've managed to hit a decent number of garage sales. I've specifically been looking for tools, a small desk to replace our over-large desk, kids toys, video games, and anything else that catches my eye. Thus far, I've picked up good deals on some toys for Jesse, a jigsaw, and even some random free stuff people were looking to unload. I'm still looking for a small desk and a couple bench-top power tools but we'll see.

Anyway, this post is specifically about something I picked up last weekend. We came across a reel lawn mower at a nearby garage sale. It's a couple years old and I think it originally came from Walmart or Sam's club. I'm not sure. It really doesn't matter. Since we moved to the new house and now have a smaller yard, I've been thinking about a reel mower for some time. We have a perfectly good gas mower so I couldn't justify buying a new mower just for fun. But, it's hard to turn down a good deal on something you were curious about anyway.

Well, so far, I really like the mower. It cuts reasonably well. I did have to sharpen the blades and I greased the whole thing while I had it apart. I think it will do even better if I adjust the blades a bit more. Otherwise, the mower has a lot going for it:

• No need to buy gas specifically for the mower.
• Environmentally friendly.
  
• I need the extra exercise.
• Doesn't require extra time...just more effort.
• Takes up less space in the garage.
• Quieter. This means I can actually hear the music from my headphones. It also means I can mow earlier in the day and later in the evening without bothering the neighbors. I can also mow during nap time without worrying about waking the kids.
• It's kind of therapeutic to see all the grass clippings go flying.

Anyway, I haven't gotten rid of the other mower. I'm not sure I'm ready for that just yet. Still, we'll see how the next few mowings go.

Goodwill Finds

From our house, there are three Goodwill stores all within fifteen minutes of us. I love Goodwill so this works out well and I usually check one of them out each week. I've had good luck finding some pretty sweet things. As of late, though, I've been feeling like my luck has run dry. Is my timing off? Are the donations being spread thinly throughout the new Goodwill stores? Are all the good things going on Goodwill's Auction site? Or, am I just unlucky?

Whatever the problem, those unlucky feelings disappeared Saturday. Jesse and I were dropping off a few things and decided to quickly buzz through the store. I've been looking for small, retro-looking desk to replace our over-large corner desk and I thought it was worth a shot. Well, no desk but here's what I did find:


That's right...a Nintendo AND a Super Nintendo. $5.99 each! Score. I admit I have no idea whether they work or not. They do power up so that's a start. They're reasonably clean and had all the cables and controllers so they look well cared for. It doesn't end there...


I've been looking for a kneeling chair for my drawing table for quite some time. Here's the story: I picked up a desk chair at Goodwill awhile back and Freecycled our old chair before I remembered that I had been using the desk chair at my drawing table (this was during our move and the table was in storage). And the new chair was terrible at the drawing table so I've just been kneeling at my drawing table. It works but isn't exactly comfortable. The kneeling chair seems like a good answer to the chairless table problem. I did clean it up and quickly recovered it. The final result looks a lot better.


Thank you Goodwill.

Goodness, Goodwill!

I have a problem with Goodwill. It’s not that I don’t like Goodwill. In fact, the problem is that I like it too much. I don’t normally enjoy shopping but Goodwill is the exception (ok, bookstores and the comic stop too) and I often find myself stopping just, you know, to see if that have anything super cool. Often times, there’s nothing that really appeals to me. Still, it’s always a surprise. Unlike “normal” stores, Goodwill’s inventory really does change every day.

Anyway, I had some great guy’s time with my son this past weekend. For the most part, we played, read books, and took naps (staying where it was air conditioned). It was a full weekend. We did, however, venture out to Goodwill where we found this super mod chair. I’m in the process of trying to figure out what, exactly, it is. Like most things I get at Goodwill, it needs some cleaning and a touch of paint but I’m thinking it will make an excellent replacement our less-than-comfortable office chair.

Note: The cat DID not come from Goodwill. She came from the Feline Friends rescue in Indianapolis.

Beige with Phone Envy

A friend of mine recently posted an entry to his blog regarding his new mobile phone. I don’t personally have a cell phone. My wife does and we share it as needed. It’s one of those pre-paid phones that we recharge every so often. It works well for us since 90% of our mobile phone calls are just a couple minutes long and consist mostly of statements like “I’m on my way home,” “I’m running a little late,” or “Goodwill has something really cool today”.

That brings me to the phone I did recently purchase at Goodwill. It’s pretty big. Somewhat clunky. There’s no camera. It’s anything but digital. And the ringtones are pretty much limited to loud or louder. On the plus side, unlike modern phones, you can hang-up with some real force for those times when you’re really angry with the person on the other end. It’s a tank and I’m pretty sure it’ll withstand anything the world can throw at it. Anyway, here it is. If you happen to be the one that donated it to Goodwill, I offer you my thanks.


While it’s not red, I think I can reasonably replicate the Batphone per these instructions. I’m sure I’ll have to tweak the details a bit. Maybe make the LEDs point down rather than just housing them inside the phone. I’m half tempted to install it in my car.

UPDATE

I can't not post this. The Make blog has an entry about a rotary mobile phone. The videos of it mounted on the dashboard of a car are great.

Oldies but Goodies

I like old things. Old cars. Old motorcycles. Old furniture. Old people. Explains the whole "retro" part of "Retro Brett," doesn't it? When we moved to the apartment, it was a little sad that so much of our old/old-themed things had to go into storage. I know it's silly but I'm really looking forward breaking open that storage locker. The things I miss most? Well, here's the list.

1. Late 60s/Early 70s Sears Spyder. Maybe our best ever Goodwill find. It’s a 24 inch, 5-speed, glittery pink banana seat bike. It took a lot of effort to clean it up (new tires, tubes, cables, white cable housings, brakes, and a lot of polishing compound).



2. Late 60s/Early 70s Huffy. Another banana seat bike from Goodwill. Smaller than the Spyder. I rode it to work once and my back hurt for days. The wicked wheelies I can pull on it are worth the pain. Again, major cleaning and fixing up involved.

3. Arcade Cabinet. I finished this a few years ago so it's not technically old. It does, however, play a ton of classic arcade games…even does so legally. Each player has a joystick and ten buttons. That’s 28 switches between the two players. With two wires per switch and two connections per wire…sheesh…that’s 112 tiny, tiny soldered connections. Sorry for the bragging. My wife and I are fond of Asteroids.

4. Bookcase. My first attempt at building real furniture. Sliding doors. Low and long. Again, not really old but it's definitely a throwback to Mid-century modern design à la Brett.

5. Drawing table. Not old. Doesn't even look old. Still, I miss it.

6. 1984 Tomos Bullet A3 moped. Serious restoration on this one. I call it the Star Spangler. So lame it's cool.