Goodwill Hunting And Chazza Trawling

 

Princess T usually wants to do something with her Grandpa and I on her Monday Day Off.   So, she wanted to go to our other Antique Mall Location in Downtown Phoenix and to a couple of brand new GOODWILL Grand Openings.   One Goodwill was big but the Merch was priced rather high, the other, however, was smaller and had great Merch at fantastic prices, so we did better there.   At the Antique Mall I Scored this Altered Art very Large sized Vintage Troll and bought some Paper Arts Supplies.   Love how this Troll was done and is Inspiring to alter any Vintage but damaged Trolls that perhaps have jacked up Hair that had been cut by Kids or is missing.

 

There was still a lot of Christmas Merch to be had there and some were really Cute, but, the Price Point was high, so, I wasn't a Player.  I don't Buy a lot of Christmas Merch anyway, Vintage Halloween is more desirable to me to still Collect at this Season of Life.  I'm downsizing all my other Seasonal Holiday Decor and Collectibles.  I never did find the Time to wade thru my Christmas Decor again, but, mebbe that can be a Summertime Project to ready it for the Holidays of 2025?   We'll have enuf of The RV Garage Mahal and Art Studio Project completed by then that perhaps I can then Move On to concentrating on Merchandising for the Showroom and Locked Case more, along with Art and Craft Projects.  By then The Young Prince should be Living here with us again and he lives and breathes Art.

He already said he'd Art Up any of my Displays I want him to as a Favor and Gift to me.  I've bought some of his Art, but, he doesn't want me paying him for doing it when he gets back since he can't reimburse me for his Support and Living here.   That's a Fair agreed upon Trade so that we both Feel Good about the Agreement, it preserves his Dignity since he doesn't want to feel like he's burdening us.   I want him to start Selling his Art from here and from our Showroom so that he can get an Income, even tho' it might be an unpredictable one to sustain him, until we can figure out if we can Qualify him for SSI Disability... his Mom too?  I'm still girding her for another visit to DES for Food Insecurities, to get those limited 90 Day Benefits for Food... so, Baby Steps.  We got the Paperwork done but she has to be in the Right Head Space Mentally to Deal with The System without having a Psychotic Episode due to the Stress and Paranoia it Triggers for her.

It is the same for The Young Prince since they have the same SMI Conditions and Diagnosis.   The Paranoid Schizophrenia and D.I.D. is a tough one to take that Show on the Road to apply for Benefits and Services.  They may destabilize if you don't get a decent Caseworker or the whole Process just overwhelms them and they have a Mental Meltdown.   Or, the opposite can happen and they have such a good day that it's held against them and they can almost Present as Well and quite Normal.   So, it's not just as easy as having all the paperwork, evidence of a History of Serious Mental Illness and all.  Plus, neither of them can take the Psychotropics anymore due to it crapping out their Major Organs from Years of use, so, that can be problematic to some Caseworkers.  To get Services and Benefits sometimes the System insists on either Stabilization via Meds, or a Specified Period of Time Stabilized, or Institutionalization if Unstable and unable to remain so.  Hence the Paranoia it Triggers in your Disabled Loved Ones.

And frankly, if the burden of Care and financially providing everything for an Adult with Serious Mental Illness or Profound Disability falls on the Families, The System does not Care.  It won't be on their Dime and thus they often deny Coverages and find reasons to dump it all on us, the Appeal Processes can take literally Years and a lot of added Expense and Stress no Caregivers really need.   By the time your Disabled Kids are Grown, you're Old and it takes a heavy Toll to keep doing this with no present Help or financial aide or Services provided.   Even tho' they should Qualify, it won't mean they will.   And it's the same once your Elderly Spouse's Health is failing or they become totally Disabled, the burden almost always falls on the Families.   Services and Benefits are as scarce as Hen's Teeth and parsed out sparingly even if the Benefits have been Earned, like for Disabled Veterans and their Families.  This is Why you see the Civilian Commercials for Sponsoring Disabled Veterans as if they're Third World Children, and it's disgraceful IMO.

When they gave All in Service to Country and then their Government forsakes them, it's shameful that the Civilian Sector and Charities have to pick up the slack and they must rely on being pitied and Served as Charity Cases.   They just did some kind of research on how many Military Families are on Public Assistance Programs and there are 1.2 MILLION Low Income Veterans!!!  Arizona alone has 29,000 that receive SNAP Benefits {Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program}, just think upon that a Minute.  Their Loved Ones are Honorably Serving in our Military and don't make enough to be adequately feeding their Families without Help!   And for Disabled Veterans and their Families, I'm sure those numbers are even higher.   Becoz not all Medical or Mental Health Expenses are covered anymore... and there's a Lifetime of them and of Unpaid Caregiving by their Spouses or other Family Members, like Parents who are still Alive and Caring for a Disabled Veteran Adult Child.  You only Qualify for a Social Security Caregiver Stipend if your Loved One Qualifies for Medicaid!

 

So, since The Daughter no longer has any little steady Paid Work, she has no Income and thus, can't financially provide for herself, nor can her Son.   So, that falls upon us as their Family who wouldn't forsake them, if we didn't take them in, they'd be among the perpetually Homeless Mentally Ill nobody gives a shit about.   So, I'd like to get both of them Qualified for SSI so they have at least something to provide some Support and basic Needs, Medical, Dental and Mental Healthcare.   But I know the Qualification Process is grueling and stressful, this ain't our first Rodeo.  There's always the Risk they will flip the fuck out if you get a burnt out Caseworker or one who has contempt for the folks that come in for Help.   The good ones are few and far between, we have been Blessed to have some tho', and God Bless them for actually Caring about what they do and who they're Helping that is in Need.  It's not always based on Need, sometimes you have to be Flavor of the Month or just fucking Lucky to be Approved.

 But, with this New Heartless and extremely Biased Administration, who blatantly discriminates, definitely Social Services will be drastically cut for the most Needy.  So they can bail out the Wealthy more and Finance the Big Grift.   They want to fuck with Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security too so let us Hope they can't get away with that, but, I'm not holding my Breath about it.   Their Fingers will be in any Till that has Money it for the Money Grab they indulge in, they are Proud of their Corruption and what they've already gotten away with that is Criminal.  He's already Promised Pardons to anyone committing a Criminal Activity on his behalf.  Such as the January 6th Insurrectionists who assaulted Police Officers, Capitol Police, did Millions of Dollars worth of Property Damage, wanted to Hang his Vice President, and even caused Permanent Disabilities and Death.   So, that's the precedent being set from The Jump and how you Feel about that says volumes about your own Moral Compass and respect for the Rule of Law, or lack thereof, IMO.

 

At least we didn't have to Fear not having a Peaceful Transfer of Power this time!   *Whew*  We couldn't have been assured that had the other Side Lost again.  The Losing Side this time were not Election Deniers and could handle the Truth.  They weren't of the Mindset like the other Side of Heads We Win, Tails You Lose.  If we Win it's a Free and Fair Election, if we Lose it's a Stolen Election and not Legit.  *Eye Roll, just the hypocrisy and lunacy of such demented untethered Thinking*   Kamala did the Honorable and Dignified thing, just like Mike Pence did in spite of his Side's violent opposition to it, and thus the Government wasn't overthrown in an attempted Coup in 2020.   I'm relieved we didn't have bloodshed and violence again and nobody had to get harmed or killed becoz an Election wasn't accepted and the Will of the People was Honored PROPERLY!   I don't Agree with the Results, but, I Believe in Democracy and a Peaceful Transfer of Power even if who I Voted for doesn't Win.

Listen, as a Non-Partisan Moderate Independent, nobody I ever really wanted or preferred to be President was Elected.   I did Vote for Uncle Joe becoz I'd of Voted Blue no matter Who both times simply becoz I knew the other Guy is not Fit, never will be Fit, and is Dangerously Unfit.  He has a very long History of Criminal Behavior and I firmly Believe is a Narcissistic Psychopath in every sense of his Mental Presentation.   Ask a Psychiatrist and they'd very likely Agree with that Assessment.   I can't Believe that Man has ever Passed a legitimate Psyche Eval and his Cognitive Decline has become more and more evident and pronounced since 2016, so, he's only getting worse off and more unhinged and Sociopathic in his Dealings with People and what he says and does.  He doesn't even seem to know Hannibal Lector wasn't fucking Real and thinks Belgium is a Nice City and he can Buy Greenland and Annex Canada!  *I have No Words, really... for how Bat Shit Crazy that all Sounds and IS!*  Just look up Sociopathy Traits my Friends, he's a Poster Boy for being one.  So let's now do an Armchair Review of my Suspicions about 45/47's Mental State and glaringly Obvious Behaviors we've all now Witnessed for a Decade or more, shall we:

Lack of Empathy for others... Check

Impulsive Behavior... Check

Attempting to Control others with Threats or Aggression... Check

Using Intelligence, Charm or Charisma to Manipulate others... Check

Not Learning from Mistakes or Punishment... Check

Lying for Personal Gain... Check

Showing a tendency towards Physical Violence & Fights... Check

Generally Superficial Relationships... Check

Committing Crimes... Check

Not accepting Blame or Downplaying their Role in a Conflict for Sympathy... Check

Gaslighting... Check

I rest my Case and Confirm my Suspicions, and I'm not even a Shrink, but I don't think you even have to be one to know that Man ain't Right in his Head or his Behaviors.   Unless mebbe you're as addled and fucked up as he is, then mebbe you wouldn't see it, and think he's Fine and you're Fine, I dunno?   But, I've dealt with a lot of Crazy in my Lifetime, and recognize it, that's for sure.  *Winks*  You must Protect Yourself when Dealing with someone with ASPD {Clinical Term} since Psychopath and Sociopath aren't Official Diagnosis.   ASPD is a Spectrum and those Terms are subsets.  Psychopathy being usually thought of as a more severe form of ASPD than Sociopathy.  It can be Inherited but usually more often caused by Childhood Abuse or Trauma.  Now we've laid all that out in Layman's understanding of it, and Armchair Quarterbacking of Why he should never be in Leadership or making decisions for you and I, perhaps not even for himself, you're Welcome.  *LOL*

 Now for some Levity, above cracked me up at the Antique Mall... the Description... Poppy "Device"!  OMG... Bwahahahaa, that's a Good One!!!  Okay, enuf of that Politics shit... since it was the Presidential Confirmation on the 6th in Real Time, it's just been forefront on my Heart and Mind, of the Doom & Gloom to come.   And you know what Condition my own Mind is in right now... Post Stroke and being a Bipolar Adult with OCD/ADHD and my own Awareness that I am not a Well Woman by any means.   I get Triggered and that Fucker Triggers me coz he IS a Threat.  But as my Dear Ole Mom always said, it takes one to know one, and us Crazies do know how to Spot another one, even if they're managing to Pass as Normal and Fine to some of you in General Public.  *Bwahahahaha*   But, Seriously now, who among you HONESTLY Believes that Man is a perfectly Normal Sane Dude?  I'll wait...  *Winks*

And Listen, I'm not trying to vilify Mental Illness or the Mentally Ill as a Collective, most Mentally Ill folks are not a Threat to anyone at all.   Most suffer a lot of discrimination and Social Bias and condemnation regardless, which is Wrong too.  But the ones who can be a Danger to Self and Others, well, they exist too, Okay.  Couple that with an Age related Cognitive Decline and those Behaviors and limitations, plus all he has to Lose should he not be Immune from Consequences and Prosecution of his many Crimes he's even bragged about committing, and he shouldn't have Nuclear Codes and such, with his Finger on the Button, just sayin'.   And I fully Believe Hair Furor is one of the more Dangerous Ones I wouldn't Trust or turn my Back on for a fucking split Second.  He's shown us all Who he is and what he's all about, so there's no excuses or Mystery about it.  None, Nada.  History will not show he was ever on the Right Side of it... and had an ounce of Decency or a Moral Compass, no matter how much attempt is made to Whitewash it, Spin it or Cover it Up. 

Rant over, back to the Antique Mall Trawl.   The Man got yet another Big Ass Old Tackle Box loaded with used Tackle and shit he'll never use.  But, he was Happier than a Clam at High Tide with it and the Old Outdated dogeared Gun and Firearms Bible Book he'll also never crack open.  *LOL*  But I got a lot of shit I'll probably never get to either, and don't Need, so, who am I to Judge, Right?   I bought a fucking Wood Fairie slash Hula Gal Troll there... and was also Happy as a Clam at High Tide about that Score, so... Touche'.  *Winks*   Princess T got more Vintage Playboy Mags that were less than Four Bucks each, so, Why not?  *Smiles*   She's getting less embarrassed to Buy them herself and not make her Grandpa or I pretend to Buy them instead.  *Bwahahaha*  Even tho' the Key Dealer assisting us was an Older Man, one that has Spaces at our Location too, but she wasn't Embarrassed to be pawing thru the piles of Playboy in the Locked Case and even Shared that her Great-Uncle, my Brother, Worked for Playboy back in Da Day.  *Smiles*

He was telling her which Issues would have the most Resale Value should she decide in the Future to flip them in her Spaces later on.  He Sells Weird and Wonderful Merch so is a Man after our own Heart and a Kindred Spirit.  His Locked Case is just a few Cases down from mine at our Mall Location.   But, he has more Space at the Downtown Location and apparently lives closer to there since he Works Shifts there.  He Specializes in Halloween Collectible Creepy Dolls.   All Halloween Sells well and if you Specialize, it can be profitable, especially if you carry the real Weird and Wonderful Inventory and Oddities and Cultivate a Following.   I also Photographed some of my Fav Vendor's Booths and Cases, I know some of them personally and their Merchandising of their Wares is exceptional.   They do a lot with a very limited Retail Space.

I have my own Dos Equis Original Most Interesting Man In The World Cardboard Lifesize Prop... but, we really liked this one too.  Mebbe, if it's Priced Right, next time I'd get him, but, we didn't have Room in the Truck this Trip.   Coz Princess T had picked up her enormous Full Length Black Framed Mirror and a shitload of other stuff from our Goodwill Hunting Haul.   Plus we did our Grocery Shopping, and then she took The Man and I out for Dinner, her Treat at a fav Fish N Chips Shop in the Old Neighborhood near our Beloved Historic Home we Sold.   So, it was a full Truckload and a full Day.   Mostly at the Goodwill I'd gotten cheap bagged Lots of expensive and Popular New Shampoos, Deodorants including LUME, Oil of Olay Skin Care Products, Men's Colognes and Body Washes by AXE and OLD SPICE's new Scents, for less than $3 a Bag... and a Brand New $98 Perfume/Lotion/Body Spray Women's Gift Set OBSESSION by Calvin Klein for only Seven Bucks!   The Daughter wanted that, Princess T and her Uncle split most of the rest and I kept the LUME and Oil of Olay Products.  Score and way less than Retail.

Some Goodwill locations never have the New Old Stock Bagged Lots of Products like that, which we Buy and use all the time anyway, but this new one did and I snagged damned near all of it they had.   Color the Kiddos all Happy coz it was in the Scents they Love most of those Products and Saved them an enormous amount of Money for their Grooming and Hygiene Products for a while.  Me too.  *Winks*   I dunno who Donated all that used New Old Stock Product, probably a Store?   Seemed Doubtful it would be an Individual, also, some Used Bookseller had Donated a bunch of Product too and they had several Brand New Copies of the same Book, very expensive Hard Copy ones usually Sold at TARGET in the Book Section, but had Used Bookseller Price Tags still on them all.  I know a lot of Product from ROSS that is new is always there too.  So, mebbe Goodwill Buys some of this Overstock Product for their Newest Stores from Suppliers, Big Box Stores and Liquidators like that too?  Perhaps to ensure they have more Inventory, especially I see it on Seasonal Merch for Holidays... but I dunno if all their Stores do it?  Many here obviously do

I know for Halloween and Christmas, they had a lot of the Lines from TARGET, ROSS and MARSHALLS that was New Old Stock and Priced accordingly... higher than the usual Donated items by the Public.  So, perhaps they get their Bagged Hygiene New Old Stock the same way and mebbe even from the same Companies Overstock they just Buy?   Anyway, it was a good Day and we had a good time and got Deals on stuff we Needed... and a scant few items we Wanted and didn't Need.  *LOL*  I haven't been indulging in hardly any Retail Therapy, so this was a small splurge and I kept it within Budget even tho' we found more than I anticipated that was too good to just Pass on and not Buy when you Find it and will Need it.   Saved me paying full Retail later and The Daughter had Cleaned the whole House again when I returned, she Deep Cleans even when it's still Clean.  *Ha ha ha*   She's way more into Housekeeping than Yours Truly, but I do appreciate her level of Cleanliness and Organization at a Professional level.  No Wonder Rich People in Mexico Paid her to Clean and Organize their Homes.

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Happy New Year my Friends... Dawn... The Bohemian