One Mans Trash
There's an unofficial system at work in the U-District. People will leave stuff out on the side of the streets, and if the item is unattended it has an official "Free" sign on it. This works a lot better in the summer when things can be outside for more then a day before they become too waterlogged to be usable. This, along with a number of other reasons (I'm theorizing) has dramatically increased the number of free things I pass by on my daily walk. Most of them are things I don't need, but every now and then you find something good.
My new doorstop is a good example of this rule. It's functional, and it makes a great decoration item. It also used to tell people that they were only supposed to turn left at that roundabout, but it was partially unscrewed and, if I'm right about those marks on it, beaten down with a metal bat. In either case it's down, the pole it was on is gone, and the beating has curved it beautifully so that it leans up just right against my door while bracing itself against the carpet.
Also those signs are impossible to clean. I tried everything short of steel wool, and I've added steel wool to my shopping list.
The other I got just now. It's a great example of the system at work here.
In the U-District there are those who have standards and those who have money, and a select few who have both. There are also a great many who have neither, or different interpretations on what constitutes "standards." To someone with money and standards this bookshelf is clearly busted. the slide out tray is gone, part of the back is broken off and something has been done to the top that appears to be the product of anger, liquor, and a ball point pen. To someone who owns too many books and has been thinking about how to make better use of his closet space this bookshelf is great. The sliding tray rails are easily removed, things can be piled on top of the scratchings and I can just pull the entire back off and shove it up against the wall.
This is also the third piece of furniture in my room that I've gotten because someone abandoned it. I have my futon mattress that serves as my bed, and the best find yet was my Eric's fridge. To those of you who don't remember Eric was my old roommate back in Lander, where they decided three people could live in a room smaller then my current room. He abandoned it, and I gave him a week before I started using it, and by the by it became mine. It's been amazingly convenient, it was even my computer desk back in Redmond. I do, however, maintain my promise that if he ever comes to collect it I'll return it. So if you know Eric please don't tell him where I live.
My new doorstop is a good example of this rule. It's functional, and it makes a great decoration item. It also used to tell people that they were only supposed to turn left at that roundabout, but it was partially unscrewed and, if I'm right about those marks on it, beaten down with a metal bat. In either case it's down, the pole it was on is gone, and the beating has curved it beautifully so that it leans up just right against my door while bracing itself against the carpet.
Also those signs are impossible to clean. I tried everything short of steel wool, and I've added steel wool to my shopping list.
The other I got just now. It's a great example of the system at work here.
In the U-District there are those who have standards and those who have money, and a select few who have both. There are also a great many who have neither, or different interpretations on what constitutes "standards." To someone with money and standards this bookshelf is clearly busted. the slide out tray is gone, part of the back is broken off and something has been done to the top that appears to be the product of anger, liquor, and a ball point pen. To someone who owns too many books and has been thinking about how to make better use of his closet space this bookshelf is great. The sliding tray rails are easily removed, things can be piled on top of the scratchings and I can just pull the entire back off and shove it up against the wall.
This is also the third piece of furniture in my room that I've gotten because someone abandoned it. I have my futon mattress that serves as my bed, and the best find yet was my Eric's fridge. To those of you who don't remember Eric was my old roommate back in Lander, where they decided three people could live in a room smaller then my current room. He abandoned it, and I gave him a week before I started using it, and by the by it became mine. It's been amazingly convenient, it was even my computer desk back in Redmond. I do, however, maintain my promise that if he ever comes to collect it I'll return it. So if you know Eric please don't tell him where I live.
posted by Max at 12:15 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home