the itch

most things people throw out still work in some quiet way. a broken toaster is usually a broken switch. a dead lamp is usually a bad cord. the itch is the gap between "this is trash" and "this is one part away from useful."

the harder itch: doing the repair without buying a new kit for every fix. every replacement part should come off another dead machine. that is the rule.

the smallest test that would prove me wrong: a month where nothing on the shelf gets brought back. so far, not that month.