A Friendly Blog by Ryan Hamilton

Letter to you

Dear Friend,

What's new?

I got a haircut. I didn't really get anything special. It's pretty much a standard 'Cleveland Cut' but without all the Midwest hoopla. I just sat down in the chair and said, "do it up Cleveland style." The stylist's eyes got big as she nodded her approval of my insistence on embracing her beloved, unique Cleveland culture. Either that or she was giving a silent nod to the other stylist communicating a secret that I will never fully know--I'm not sure which.

No, I don't think I would just up and get a Mohawk. I remember in high school I was in The King and I musical playing 'slave #3.' I was supposed to shave my head for the part, but I wasn't into it like that. We compromised on a temporary black dye job instead. I ended up looking like some sort of weird, shirtless, albino goth with an interesting calic amongst a gaggle of confused Nazi youth. But, at least I had my dignity.

Speaking of dignified me, today I went shopping for office furniture. Now, I say that like I'm looking for items to put in an office somewhere. That's not the case. I'm looking for a desk and chair that will go nicely at the foot of my bed because an office I have not.

My point is, I'm a terrible shopper. I don't enjoy it, and it can't be good for me. I will spend far too much time hunting for perfection that isn't there. There should be a help group or something. I'm a mess. I had to buy new glasses a few months ago. I created an ordeal! I spent hours and multiple trips trying to decide what was right. I would think things like, if only these two frames could be combined into one perfect frame then I could be happy and go on living.

The problem isn't really my decisiveness. I can be decisive if I have to (see dialogue to Cleveland hairstylist above). The problem is that I always want to spend more money than I have, which means I have to be resourceful and careful.

Living broke is an art form. The creative effort broke people put into making their lives organized is amazing. It's a form of resourcefulness the other half never learns. What they call 'getting by' I call 'beauty.'

So, I think I found the desk and chair that will work for a hundred bucks total, but they are at two different stores. As I write this, they are each waiting anxiously (nervously) in a box in some dark storeroom to be assembled and paired up with some other piece of furniture. I can't imagine the anticipation, sharing the same emotions, I'm sure, as the patrons of a standard company picnic when the three legged race is announced, hoping beyond hope to get paired with someone ('something' in furniture's case) whose legs will be able to function in unison with their own.

'Til Next Time,

Ryan

Posted by ryan at May 18, 2005 09:54 AM