Christopher Long: THRIFT STORE ADVENTURES - Pt. V (Valentine Edition)

My girlfriend Michelle and I often disagree on a variety of topics. In short, she's a registered "D" who loves the New York Giants and still thinks "Man In the Box" is a hip tune. (SIGH!) After nearly a year together, I clearly still have much work to do. However, there is ONE key life issue on which we're in total agreement -- VALENTINE'S DAY SUCKS!

It's a moronic, made-up holiday intended to place unwarranted stress and anxieties squarely back on the shoulders of poor schlubs who only recently dodged the Christmas gift-giving bullet. ("If you really love me, you'll prove it by showering me again with more expensive gifts -- and they'd better be good -- honey!") So imagine our less than enthusiastic reaction when we ventured out today on our first thrifting excursion of the new year and discovered that our favorite destination, The Holy Name of Jesus Thrift Store was decked out completely with Valentine's-related crap. YUCK!

But as always, we made the best of an unpleasant situation like good little campers and still managed to make some amazing discoveries and score some cool new swag...

YIKES!

(Cupid threw up all over our fave thrift store.)

If I only had a nickel for every time I've heard this one,

I could have actually bought a dozen of these figurines!

Only in the supernatural thrift store realm are

The Oak Ridge Boys, Kenny Rogers and Foreigner

still considered cool.

I occasionally will photograph certain

wackier finds simply to share with my readers.

However, this hot pink Styx T-shirt

simply had to be mine.

Had this "Little Thinker" cassette case

only come with an 8-Track converter, I

gleefully would have ponied up the $1.50.

Stand by, kids. Springtime is right around the corner -- which is THE prime shopping season in the thrift world. And I look forward to sharing many more incredible experiences and discoveries in the upcoming weeks.

-Chris