long time gone

my handful of fans have been asking me why i've been neglecting my blog. the answer is easy. i've acquired a serious junking habit. to the point that my junking buddy and i have promised to call each other when the urge is overwhelming. junkers anonymous, anyone? however, i cheated today so here's a blog entry to atone.

it transpired innocently enough. at breakfast this morning, some friends and i were discussing venues for scoring the best junk. they shared some of their favorite spots, and mentioned they occasionally get some good deals on craig's list. i regularly hit the thrift stores, plus since it's spring, lots of estate sales and garage sales. occasionally i'll hop in the car and explore other cities. but i never thought craig's list would have things at a price cheap enough to buy for resale. when i got home, and since today is gray and gloomy and i didn't feel like doing much, i thought, what the hey, i'll see what craig's list has to offer.

well, by damn! there were some pretty cute little end tables for a pretty great price. so, off i drove to lenexa for a look-see.

man. a. live. the guy's house turned out to be mid-century heaven. a gorgeous red wood a-frame crammed--and i mean crammed--with treasures i never even knew existed. he's a mid-century maniac. in his spare time. his real job is doing some kind of weird scientific research at k.u. med center. i didn't dare ask for potentially frightening details. his house is not only furnished top to bottom with mid-century stuff he's acquired through all the usual sources plus ebay, his "office" is really more of a store room for even more couches, chairs, lamps (with to-die-for lamp shades), mushroom shaped stools, tables, desks, wall art, light fixtures, and the like that he intends on selling or using for barter. the garage is more of the same. he was rattling off designer names at a rate i couldn't begin to keep up with. of course, i'm standing there salivating and calculating and feeling like the rank amateur i am.

it was so great talking shop with the guy. turns out he bought two heywood-wakefield end tables i saw at an estate sale a couple of weeks ago, not for the original (outrageous) price of $900/pair but a much more reasonable $300-ish. the junking world apparently is small. and awesomely fun.

so, in addition to the end tables, i ended up buying a couple of other things from him to sell at the mine. was the cheating worth it? you betcha.

here are the tables:

sweet, no? they'll be at urban mining the weekend of june 4!