As we all know, the cure to any addiction is to find a new addiction. Through a wild series of cosmic, nay karmic, events, the "all right already, universe, I'll check it out!" kind, I've discovered a new, fascinating evil. Time suckage (thanks, lolcats!). That's bad enough. This, however, is time and money suckage. It's not gambling- not really. It's not drugs, although you do get all twitchy if you haven't done it in a while.
A friend mentions to me casually "have you looked at Etsy.com?"
Me, walking right into the cleverly-laid trap: "No, what's etsy?"
She: "A website where you can buy all sorts of things, made by people."
Me, still not paying much attention to the looming disaster ahead: "Like ebay?" (personally, I can't stand ebay, never got what all the hoo-ha was about, and the only things I've ever purchased from there were on behest of my mom. Seriously. Ask her.)
I was then informed that, no, it was not like ebay, but individual shopowners selling their handmade wares at set prices, and there were all sorts of neat things, and that I should "check it out". Which I have since learned is obviously some kind of cult-recruitment technique (thanks, Kim!). I then went home and looked at a blog I check out now and then. The topic? Etsy.com. Hmmm. I then perused a new magazine I had just purchased. An article in the magazine? Etsy.com. Okaaaay, getting freeeeeky now.
If you're like me (and most days, I sure am) and you like handcrafted, artisan-type stuff (like me) and you like supporting indie-type crafters when they aren't inflating the prices for their "art" to some laughable level (like me- the inflation part, not the laughable part, just so we're clear) then don't, for the sake of his holy noodleness, go to etsy.com. I'm saying this for your own good. If your mom or your auntie or your friend likes hand-thrown stoneware, don't go there. Okay, you can go there, but approach with caution. And don't say I didn't warn you.
Don't be like me: "Oh, I'll go have a look at all the quaint handcrafted items on there" while picturing the local farmers' market offerings of plastic needlepoint canvas tissue-box covers. Don't think to yourself: "what's so dadblamed dangerous about some of those acrylic crocheted creepy doll-type toilet paper cozies? I can resist those, no problem!"
Oh no, no, no, no, my friends (and any sworn enemies who may be looking at this- shout out to ya!)
If, like me, you have a dear relation who is having a baby in a couple of months, don't, don't, don't, go look at all the baby stuff on there: "maybe I'll see if there's any gift-type objects here in these baby clothes- aaaaaagh!" Don't buy the baby t-shirt that says "Mommy drinks because I cry". That's just wrong. Wrong on soooo many levels. I'm still laughing.
And so, dear reader (Crabber), I hope you will learn from my mistakes. And not get a whole boatload of packages of really neat stuff, some of which is intended to be gifts. Really. That's the intention. It's okay if they are to be gifts to other people. I am in charge. I can quit whenever I want. Until I want to quit, however, there's a really cool toy that I have to go look at. Despite rumours to the contrary, it is for my cat.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
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