Today my plan was to go to Canal Street to check out the handtrucks I've walked passed a few times. For the longest time, I've wanted a handtruck and a ladder for my classroom. When I first started teaching years ago, I bought this cheap convertable handtruck; I think I paid about $19 for it. That cheap handtruck lasted me about 10 years. In fact, I would still have it if I could have afforded to ship it back here when I returned to the US. I had to leave it in Japan. As for the ladder, I also had a two-step ladder that I also had to leave in Japan. Well, anyway in my spend-frenzy mode, I wanted those tools to help me with setting up my classroom. I hadn't thought (seriously) about the tools until I returned home with the bags from the teacher's store. This year, I want my walls and windows covered the way a couple of other teachers have their rooms done. As for the handtruck, it would have been very useful for the 20 boxes that I moved first to the side of the classroom than to the back of the room. I will also have to move about 10 desks and 10 chairs to my classroom due to the change in my class register. My roll is now 29 students.
Anyway, while I was on my way to Canal Street
Today, Canal Street is a bustling commercial district, crowded with low-rent (compared to other Manhattan real estate) open storefronts, and street vendors to the west; banks and jewelry shops to the east. Tourists as well as locals pack the Canal Street sidewalks every day to frequent the open-air food stalls and bare-bones stores selling items such as perfume, purses, hardware, and industrial plastics at very low prices. Many of these goods are grey market imports and many notoriously counterfeit, with fake trademarked brand names on electronics, clothing and personal accessories (including the fake Rolex watches that have become a Manhattan cliché). Pirated CDs and DVDs are very common, and offered for sale on the Canal Street sidewalks in makeshift stands and suitcases or simply laid out on bedsheets, often before they are even officially released in stores or the theater. Widespread sale of these counterfeit goods persists along Canal Street and in its hidden back rooms despite frequent police raids.[2]--according to Wikipedia.
In other words, its a place to get stuff cheap! While on my way to Canal Street, I thought about the couple of items that I missed purchasing yesterday at the teacher's store. I hadn't brought anything about U.S. Presidents. So I made a quick trip back to the teacher's store in Brooklyn.
Well, when I left the store....
I was $100.07 poorer.
When I arrived at the location of the handtrucks on Canal Street, I was surprised by the prices. I think the lowest was $160. I wanted a handtruck, but not that badly. I decided I would just go online.
From Canal Street, I decided to do a bit of walking. I walked passed a Staples(14th street) and realized that I needed "just a couple of things". When I left Staples...
I was $145.32 poorer.
When I returned home, I went online to see if Amazon.com had the handtruck and ladder. About $111 later, the answer was yes.
I didn't eat dinner because I stopped at the Waverly Diner again for my usually.
As for my reading. I didn't feel like started one of the approx. 800 page books, so I started reading the "I am Legend" paperback book by Richard Matheson.
Post Date - Monday, October 13, 2008 12:37PM
Completion Date - Sunday, August 24, 2008 12:44AM
2 comments:
Don't you hate having to spend your own money on classroom supplies? In Utah, we get what's called "Legislative Money", depending upon how generous the Legislature is feeling, about $250 a year that we can spend on anything for the classroom that we want. It's nice, but like with you this year, it isn't always enough to cover everything we need.
Yep. A part of me hates spending the money(especially when my students couldn't care less), but a part of me also does not like the idea of "doing without".
Here in NYC the money we get is called "Teacher's Choice". Last year, we were able to be reimbursed for $260, but due to the budget problems, we were lucky to get anything at all this year. Our amount this year will be for $160.
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