Scoring big at the thrift shop

So, Wednesday night was my first night at the new job, working overnights at a group home, which is the kind of thing I did years ago (and which, ironically enough, fed directly into the writing of my latest book, An Age of Madness). The shift went great, the guys living in the house are terrific, my co-workers are impressive, and the house itself is beautiful. So that's all great.

I went home and crashed out for an hour or two before reviving myself and tooling off with Uzee to nearby Turners Falls, hoping to score a couple of funky mugs for our breakfast tea/coffee. We had our sights set on a thrift store in town which we'd been told harbored no shortage of funky stuff, and we informed correctly. To wit:

That's right: You are looking at not one but two Lava Lamps, the first a handsome blue filled with glittering silver stars that twirl hypnotically, and the second the more familiar magenta/pink that gurgles with vaguely organic lumps of waxy substance that rise and fall in the reddish murk. They are both totally awesome. I'll put mine (the red one) in my study once I get some furniture to put it on, and Uzee plans to relocate hers to her office at work. Damage: $8 each.

Careful observers will note also the set of 6 pristine beer steins in the foreground. These are made of wafer-thin glass and I think had never been used -- they still had their manufacturer stickers on them. We cleaned them up nicely and, uh, tried them out last night. And they do a fine, fine job of holding beer in place long enough to consume it, which is pretty much everything you want in a beer stein. Damage: $2.

We are looking for more thrift stores in Amherst today. This is a mighty fun way to spend a sunny afternoon.