A Treasury Of… Minneapolis Fashion and Interior Design Blog

Last weekend I was lucky enough to dig through a big box of army issued artifacts belonging to a relative who had served as a Lieutenant during WWII. Little pieces of history to hold in my hands that hinted at both the epic and ordinary routines of an enlisted man.

1. Pre-Packaged Stationery Set for writing your mom, sweetheart, or (apparently) your secret seductress.

2. Front and back of a military matchbook.

3. Look what this book warns: This document must not fall into enemy hands!

4. Four pack of cigarettes.

5. Just some of the pins the Lt. had been awarded.

Included in the box was a letter the Lieutenant’s secretary had written to him a year after the war ended in which she described how hard it was to return to civilian life. How much she missed the camaraderie of those she served with, and the strong sense of purpose. She even lamented the changing styles of women’s fashion she was now forced to select from, instead of her government-issued uniforms.

Again and again in the letter she said how hard it was to “get back into the swing of things.”

I hope she eventually did. I hope she went on to have a good, full life.

Here is the first Treasury reader Holiday Gift Wish List submitted by Ontario-based Biology student Bernard Pawlowicz. In the lists that have been submitted so far I’ve already proven my Holiday 09 Hypothesis that other people’s greed feels just as good as your own.

On to Bernard’s list which he separated into two categories: Realistic and Just Dreams.

1) Original Skateboards Apex 34 Longboard (Realistic) “I’ve been looking into longboarding for some time now and I think Original Skateboards makes some pretty sweet looking ones.  They also have great vids on youtube of the Team’s Longboard Adventures.  I recommend a peak.”

2) Weezer’s: Raditude (Realistic) “The Latest CD from my favourite band Weezer.”

3) Arkadius Goggles – Model A04 Brown Lens (Dream) “I’ve wanted these for a couple of years now but they are way out of my price-range at the moment.  They are incredible; very stylish and virtually indestructible.  Arkadius has many styles to choose from as well.”

4) A pair of Anna Laub Glasses (clear) (Dream) “I think these just look great!  Very very cool glasses, therefore I want.”

5) A B&N Nook e-book reader (Realistic) “I want an e-book reader and I think the Nook is a pretty stylish and functional.”

6) A few books (Realistic) including Ticket to Ride.  ”I always ask for a few books for Christmas to read over the break.”

_ _ _

So thanks to Bernard for his submission. He seems to share my obsession with un-understated eyewear. It’s interesting how you can start to form a picture of a person based solely on their material cravings.

If you haven’t submitted your Wish List yet, there’s still plenty of time. In the first wave of submissions I’m coming across a lot of brands and products I never knew I should be salivating over so let’s all share our swanky, secret cravings.

Around this time last year the Rogues Gallery webshop had copies of a non-redesigned edition of The Call of The Wild for sale. With winter coming, and having never read the classic story, I figured it was a perfect time to add it to my library.

I didn’t necessarily expect myself to read it or enjoy it. Sometimes the so-called classics read too outdated, dry and homework-like to really be enjoyable, but The Call of The Wild was smoothly and simply written and I flipped from page to page eagerly. Most interestingly, the story is told from the point of view of Buck, the dog, but in an organic and understated way that doesn’t over-personify him into a cute or cartoony Beverly Hills Chihuahua or something.

If you’re at all like me, you’ll imagine your own dog in the center of the story, being stolen from its carefree and cushiony domesticated life into a cold and cruel existence that may or may not be the more appropriate place for your four-legged friend.

Just thinking about the book again makes me wanna go pet my pup.

Just as I had promised, after an entire decade of exile, soft rock’s smoothest siren returns to the waves.

In 1986 I wasn’t old enough to wear grey or white double-breasted suits and flirt with danger and seduction in limousines and after-dark clubs, so listening to Sade cd’s lets me imagine otherwise.