18 minute read
Guide to Tulsa thrifting
Tulsa thrift stores help you look good, save money and resist the temptation of fast fashion.
Celeste McAtee
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It’s now officially fall — which, admittedly, doesn’t mean much in Oklahoma until mid-November at least. But the continued heat doesn’t stop grocery stores from selling all things pumpkin-flavored, and it doesn’t stop many students from dreaming of their favorite fall outfits, even if it’s still too warm to wear them.
About this time of year, it’s often tempting to go on a pre-midterms stress-induced online shopping binge. We can’t wait to start wearing sweaters, jackets and whatever style of jeans is popular this year. Websites like Shein and Amazon make it all too easy to browse through hundreds of new styles, and compared to boutique prices, they’re incredibly inexpensive. That $8 shirt just looks so good on that model,even if you know it will fall apart in three weeks.
If you’re looking for new pieces to add to your wardrobe, but you also don’t want to contribute to the waste factory that is fast fashion, turning to expensive retailers isn’t your only option. Tulsa thrift stores offer a wide variety of clothing, and thrift store prices are often much lower than even the cheapest fast fashion retailers. And an added bonus: the money you spend usually goes towards the local economy.
Furthermore, the pieces you find at thrift stores are often far more unique, versatile and well-made than what you find online. Clothes sewn 30 years ago were sewn to last — and trust me, they do. Many outfit essentials, like jeans, jackets and buttondown shirts can be found at thrift stores for well under $10, and these items easily mix and match with other pieces to create totally unique outfits. Sure, they won’t look exactly like that style that’s popular this season (and will be forgotten by May), but there’s something fun and freeing about wearing a piece that’s a little quirky. Trust me, you do pull it off, and you’ll probably get plenty of compliments from people who wish they had your bold style.
At this point, you may be sold on the idea of thrift stores, but you’re still waiting for me to address one glaring problem: the effort it takes to find that perfect item.
While it can be annoying to dig through racks upon racks of clothing, only to find the 99 cent Mondays, Quality Thrift’s prices tend to run a little higher than average. This thrift store is particularly good for t-shirts, dresses, bedding, table cloths and (oddly enough) unused Target liquidation. Keep in mind that Target liquidation items are going to be up-charged significantly from their liquidation prices, so you may do better simply purchasing straight from a Target clearance rack — an experience not dissimilar from a thrift store in the amount of digging required.
one thing that maybe works, I argue that the laborious process of thrift shopping actually contributes to its appeal. The thrifted items you buy seem to carry more significance because you had to work for them in a very tangible way. It’s easy to throw away that $6 sweater from Shein because it was easy to buy. But that $6 pair of shorts from Salvation Army…well, you might just hang on to that one for a bit longer. It’s easy to forget the meaning behind things we don’t have to work for. The difficulty and time commitment of securing a great thrifted piece reminds us that we don’t have to be mindless consumers ensnared by a give-me give-me culture. We can be thoughtful about the things we buy and do so in a responsible way.
That said, some thrift stores are better than others. While all thrift stores are going to require some digging, a few Tulsa stores stand out as consistently reliable and rewarding for your search. Here, I list the three that, in my opinion, consistently offer great items at very reasonable prices.
3. Quality Thrift, 51st and Peoria
This thrift store is popular among TU students for its 99 cent Mondays, where clothing items with certain colored tags can be purchased for 99 cents. However, outside of
2. Family and Children’s Services Thrift Store, 6th and Utica
Only a mile or so from campus is this charming store. It’s smaller than the other two listed in this article, but it’s still far more often a hit than a miss. This store has a great selection of button down shirts and house decor items, but you’ll find valuable goods in all sections. On top of that, this store supports a charity. Not only can you help out by purchasing items, but you can also donate your old, unwanted clothing, saving those 3-sizes-too-small shorts from a landfill and someone in need from unemployment.
1. Prime Thrift Store, 31st and Mingo
This massive thrift store is a bit of a drive from campus, but it has everything. I’ve purchased dozens of shirts, shorts, pants and jackets from this place. Heck, I even bought two perfectly-fitting floor-length purple sequin evening gowns (nevermind why I needed two, let alone one). It’s unlikely you’ll walk in and not find something worth spending a few bucks on. In addition, the housewares selection contains surprisingly good finds. Nowhere else will you find such funky drinking mugs and dish sets for such a low cost. You might just have to devote a few minutes to scrubbing off the crayon-ed on “.99” when you get back home.
If you’re looking to wear something new this fall, try one of these stores before scrolling through a fast fashion site. You’ll likely save money, reduce waste and find an item you’ll cherish for years. Oh, and while I’m here — if you’re looking to borrow a floorlength purple sequin dress any time soon, feel free to shoot me an email.
Thrift stores are a great way to save money and practice sustainability. courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Ali Hazelwood’s recent book accurately represents women in STEM.
Myranda New Student Writer
There is nothing better than an engineer and a neuroscientist who hated each other in graduate school being forced to work on a revolutionary project together at NASA where they slowly realize they do not actually hate each other. For her second novel, “Love on the Brain,” this enemies-to-lovers theme is what Ali Hazelwood focused on, the most unlikely research team that turned into a lot more than what they started as by the end of the summer.
As a woman in STEM, I absolutely love Ali Hazelwood’s books. I came across “The and lows of graduate school and of being a woman in STEM. Her books are fun and light while still being emotional and hitting home when they need to.
What also needs to be said, though, about Hazelwood’s books is that they started as Reylo fanfictions. Reylo is the ship name for Rey and Kylo Ren from the latest “Star Wars” trilogy. Like a number of authors becoming popular lately, Hazelwood started in fanfiction, publishing stories online that she wrote about characters in universes already created, sort of as a “what if” scenario.
I think it’s incredible that so many authors are coming into the spotlight from their fanfiction experiences. These are people with experience self-publishing, self-marketing and writing what they enjoy as opposed to writing for a paycheck. Fanfiction brings back the excitement and passion of writing, of creating characters and scenarios to just see what happens after the plot is penned. If
courtesy @EverSoAli on twitter
“Love on the Brain” by Ali Hazelwood was released on Aug. 23, 2022.
Love Hypothesis” in a Book of the Month club box, and I was obsessed with every second of it. The creative weaving of science into a romantic comedy novel was so tastefully done. It made me feel so intelligent while reading it because I was privy to every engineering fact or geeky reference, while still incorporating the lightheartedness of a romance novel that should not be taken too seriously.
More than that, Hazelwood writes books that women in STEM, unfortunately, relate all too well to. Seen in the dialogue between characters or in the way her protagonists are treated by their coworkers, it brings to light the reality of what the STEM world is like for too many.
That is what makes Hazelwood such a terrific novelist. She understands where we all came from. She understands the highs someone has not seen “Star Wars,” though, they will not be missing anything. The novel is understood well enough to stand on its own.
“Love on the Brain” puts Dr. Bee Königswasser front and center, a neuroscientist who has spent her entire life moving around the world after the death of her parents. While her sister continues to travel the world, going on a new adventure every day, Bee wants roots, and she is actively seeking somewhere to settle down. After a failed engagement, this seems more hopeless than ever to achieve, until she gets her dream offer. Finally, it seems like she can settle her roots in a lab all her own; if only she did not have to share that lab with Dr. Levi Ward, the engineer who jaded her graduate school experience. It seems like there is no possible way they will work things out for the sake of their project, but with every other roadblock they run into, they realize that working together may not be the worst thing.
While I did enjoy “Love on the Brain,” there were some parts that I thought were done better in her debut as opposed to this novel. Near the end, the plot felt rushed, which certainly did not make up for how
slow the beginning was and how long it took me to get into it. Maybe it is because of the scenery change, this novel focusing on a professional lab as opposed to a graduate program, but I was more enthralled with the pacing of her first novel.
At least the characters are charming, such as Bee’s assistant Ro- cio, or the astronaut Bee is working on the project with, Guy. The side plots are incredibly amusing, like watching Bee train for a 5K, and as someone who has been to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, I was easily able to envision the entire setting.
Nevertheless, “Love on the Brain” was a very fun read, and once it got going, it really went, and I was unable to put it down. It can certainly hold its own against Hazelwood’s debut novel, and it can be found at any bookstore near you. Also, keep an eye out for her steminist novellas that are currently electronically published, but will be physically published in 2023.
Matthew Montanio
Student Writer
Bread is one of the easiest things to cook for beginners. It’s cheap to make, low maintenance and versatile. Whether by itself or a component to a larger meal, bread comes in so many forms that you could create good bread for any situation. You could make bread a side to your pasta dishes, a component for a good sandwich, the foundation for beautiful croutons or French toast. The list goes on and on. for around 30 minutes. This helps the flour begin to soak in water and bind together.
Once 30 minutes has passed, add a little salt and then begin kneading. Kneading techniques may vary with the bread type, but they all fundamentally work to rearrange gluten structures to facilitate a good rise, making fluffy, airy bread. For basic bread, it’s best to knead with a technique of pushing and rolling the dough on itself. Continue to knead until the dough takes a silky smooth texture. Then, set the dough aside for the proofing stage.
Proofing your dough is so important, yet it is always overlooked. Proofing is important for bread because it develops flavor and helps the dough grow in volume. During this stage, wait until the dough has doubled
Making bread is a remarkably simple process that lends a lot of room for creativity. To start, I’m only going to really cover leavened breads. There are still more types like pita or tortilla that are made without yeast, but explanations for those and their cooking processes are too different to talk about in one article. For leavened bread, the primary components are really flour, yeast, salt, a liquid and sometimes fat. Each of these ingredients adds an important component to bread. Most breads could be made with either bread or all-purpose flour, active dry yeast and water, and that’s the best to begin for college students on a budget.
To make basic bread, there are four main stages. First, there is the mixing stage. This is where you mix the flour, liquid and yeast. The yeast should be added to warm water and left to sit for a few moments. To get an idea to know how warm the water should be, imagine that you are heating milk up for a baby. It should be as warm as possible so that you could comfortably have the liquid on your wrist. Once the water/yeast mixture is made, flour should be added to the solution and then mixed until a shaggy dough forms. Then, the dough should be left alone in size or until a soft finger press leaves a small indent that slowly fixes itself like memory foam. Sometimes, this may take hours or the whole day, so only judge the bread by its status. However, as much as the time may vary, this stage makes it easy to prepare bread and allows you to study, work or go to class. Once this stage is finished, then there is final shaping.
During the final shaping stage, bread dough is taken, parceled out and prepared to get baked. You should punch down your dough and set it up into a shape that looks pleasing to you. Rolling into rolls or into longer strips are easy techniques to try and shape your bread, but this is a phase that loves experimenting. Once you create a shape that you’re happy with, set it aside for one final proofing.
courtesy Matthew Montanio
Making bread should be at the top of the list for beginners.
into a hot oven, usually set around 450-500 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the bread is baking, add some method to steam inside your
A final proofing doesn’t develop as much flavor as the initial rise, but it helps the dough settle into its new shape. Give this stage about an hour, and then put the bread oven to facilitate the growth. Personally, I add water to a pan under the bread in the oven to generate steam. Once the steam is added, turn down your heat to a fourth of the original temperature to further help the bread grow. Once the dough has risen completely in the oven, turn the heat back up to 450-500 degrees. From here, the bread should harden and a pleasant smell should take over the kitchen.
Once the bread is cooled, it’s all for you to enjoy! There are still ways to experiment, too. Flour and water could still be switched out for things like butter, milk, different flours, but with the basic process down, all bread should be easy to make.
The Band CAMINO album review
A year after its release, The Band CAMINO’s debut is prime for rediscovery.
Mary Lickona
Business Manager
This past Sept. 10 marked the one year anniversary of The Band CAMINO’s selftitled first full album. If I had found this album last September, who knows, maybe I would have had a better junior year. But this past summer I finally listened to the record in its entirety after previously listening to about three or four of their songs. Needless to say, I am now in love. I listen to this album weekly, if not daily, something that I haven’t done in a long time.
This album hits all the spots, even if you’re like me and have yet to experience a heartbreak. There’s just something to be said about listening to an album that embodies what it means to be in your twenties and trying to figure out who you are while simultaneously experiencing nostalgia and heartbreak. In spite of, or maybe even because of that, this album is a hopeful one, which seems to say, “Screw it, I’ll live and love big, despite what happens.”
This album is the alternative/pop-rock group’s first full-length after their previous two EPs and the several singles they have released in the past. According to Apple Music, this album “proves that [The Band CAMINO] are a band in the business of big feelings - and it feels good,” and I couldn’t agree more. The three-man band from Memphis provides a heartfelt list of fourteen tracks, with each song going harder or hitting deeper than the last.
TRACK BY TRACK:
The album starts out with the ironically optimistic “EVERYBODYDIES” and “Roses,” with drums and electro-pop beats that bring home the jaded youthfulness of living through tough times, i.e., growing up and figuring (sh)it out. “Roses” was my gateway drug into The Band Camino and would have remained my favorite song, if my favorite didn’t change every time I listen to the album, but it still holds a special place in my heart as the beginning of a fabulous album.
The next three tracks focus more on the struggles and joys of relationships. “Underneath My Skin” is a reflection on the person you just can’t stop going back to, the story
courtesy @thebandcamino on twitter The Band CAMINO’s album dropped in September 2021 and consists of 14 songs.
you just can’t end and the promises they make but you still believe them every time. I consider this a sister song to a later track “Damage,” but I’m getting ahead. Track number four is one of my all time favorite TBC songs, “I think I like You.” A bop and a half, this bubbly and easy song is perfect for a little dance and a little crush. On the flipside, if you ever wanted to scream “you concept, but one I find tinged with a bittersweet nostalgia. “Sorry Mom” will hit if you struggle with familial relationships, but may lead to some reflection on those relationships. How they can hurt, but how you can still miss them because they were integral to the changes that shaped you.
“Just a Phase” and “1 Last Cigarette” are great angry tracks, pumping with frustration
“Look Up” is quite the standalone of the album, with it not focusing on heartbreak or anger, but on the isolation that a digital world brings. I most definitely rolled my eyes when first hearing this one, but there is a nugget of truth in the loss of human connection in favor of virtual connections. And then, track thirteen is what I view as the most heartbreaking song on the album. “Help Me Get Over You” is a plea to someone who has only hurt you by leaving you. “Even if you have to lie / There must be something you can do / Help me get over you” will never not hurt me. If you take nothing else away from my lengthy review, go listen to this song.
And finally, “Get It Your Way” eases you out of the album, after traveling the emotional highs and lows. The final track rounds up the old friends of “The Band CAMINO:” hurt, angst, bitterness and brutal honesty.
“The Band CAMINO” may just speak to my angsty tendencies, but I think it can be felt by anyone who has been hurt and struggles to forgive, or who feels angry and lost. It reminds us that those big feelings demand to be felt, and that it’s healthy to scream out your angst once in a while. Those big feelings will not be big forever, but the spaces they’ve left in our hearts will have stretched them for better loves and better lives.
told me I would always be the only one” at your ex, might I interest you in track five, the bitter, bangin’ break-up anthem, “Know It All.” This one is a serious head-banger that I have definitely screamed along to in the shower.
Tracks six and seven are softer in sound, but heavier on the heart. “Who Do You Think You Are” makes you pause and look at your past self and wonder how the hell you ended up where you are now. A somewhat somber and angst. I personally find they hit the hardest when you’re confused at the world and sick of others living your life for you. The following track, “Song About You” was one of my songs of the summer, with a catchy chorus that circles around and around, stuck on the one you can’t get over. “Damage” focuses on loving someone so much that you’re willing to be second choice, to be used just to be held (not a sustainable love, but a consuming one).
