case files

Living in Lake Forest can really change your outlook on life.  Life here is simple.  Beautiful homes and strip malls.  Once an ounce of culture is taken away, all you want it is to is get it back. 

This weekend was the Foothill Ranch neighborhood garage sale.  Usually, I get pretty excited about these things.  But Lake Forest is a pretty young city, established in 1994, I don't think there is much "accumulated things of interest."  Things of interest are in quotes, because it is all relative.  The things I find interesting are old things mainly from the 50's, 60's, and 70's and it's usually dishware or accessories. So with that being said, the garage sale was a bust but it doesn't mean I didn't make out like a bandit. One house's yard looked like a 99 cent only store.  I over heard that the owner knows how to work the coupon system and buys things at close to nothing and then she resells them.  I found my brand of tampons for nearly half the price Target or Rite Aid sells them for.  Naturally I buy two.  The next house I purchased items from was an older couple. They had the most interesting stuff.  I bought 5 good condition records with the most amazing covers for $1.  The last house, I guess you can file this under "ask you you shall receive."  I crochet beanies and I planned on buying some cute colors.  I found a comforter bag full of yarn from the 70's.  I paid $3!  There was also a sweet Kodak 35mm camera that belongs to the sellers dad.  She was asking $5.  I didn't end up buying it.  I usually regret these things but I have lots of cameras and I can hold out for one that truly sings to me. 

All the other houses were just "blah."  Nothing special.  People cleaning out their old stuff to make room for their new Pottery Barn vase.  I guess you can say, judging by the amount of things I bought, that it wasn't all that bad.  I guess so. I really like the records, I needed tampons and I wanted new colors of yarn.  But I part of me still feels empty.  People laid out their possessions, offering them for all to see and buy and quite honestly it made me sad. No culture. Strip mall art prints top 40 cds.  I truly live among the little boxes on the hillside.