Cinco Dolares - The Best Thing Ever
May 3, 2010 6:46 AM Subscribe
What's the best thing you ever got for Cinco Dolares, $5?
(I'm collecting funny, unusual answers for Cinco De Mayo!)
Best answer: I once got advice for $5 from a homeless man in Vancouver named Jimmy. He explained that the secret to happiness could be found if I slept with a pillow under my bum, lifting my midsection higher. There was a long explanation but unfortunately I can't recall the details.
(For Vancouverites, this was in the West End and he was the man whose shopping cart was decorated in very delicate-sounding bells. He also gave me (a stranger) a bag of bell parts one day to store in my apartment. This seemed to me to be a very good idea at the time. I think I held on to them for 6 months and then returned them.)
posted by mireille at 7:30 AM on May 3, 2010
(For Vancouverites, this was in the West End and he was the man whose shopping cart was decorated in very delicate-sounding bells. He also gave me (a stranger) a bag of bell parts one day to store in my apartment. This seemed to me to be a very good idea at the time. I think I held on to them for 6 months and then returned them.)
posted by mireille at 7:30 AM on May 3, 2010
Best answer: I bought a framed, handmade picture from a Harlem artist called Jeremiah Drake for $5. It was a picture of Barbara Jordan cut out from a magazine. Around her, the artist had stuck on halo-like effect.
Below the picture, the artist had written "Pray to the spirit of Barbara for strength during adversity."
It's quite comic. And yet as a heterosexual white bloke it constantly reminds me to have some perspective given what Jordan, a black lesbian woman, had to overcome to become a state senator in Texas in the sixties before she began to suffer from MS in her thirties.
posted by MuffinMan at 8:44 AM on May 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Below the picture, the artist had written "Pray to the spirit of Barbara for strength during adversity."
It's quite comic. And yet as a heterosexual white bloke it constantly reminds me to have some perspective given what Jordan, a black lesbian woman, had to overcome to become a state senator in Texas in the sixties before she began to suffer from MS in her thirties.
posted by MuffinMan at 8:44 AM on May 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Somewhere back in the annals of MeFi there was the "Best Gift for $5" question. Someone w/ better googlination than me can probably find it. That question was a gem. Even sidebarred, I think.
posted by TomMelee at 8:46 AM on May 3, 2010
posted by TomMelee at 8:46 AM on May 3, 2010
Best answer: My guess is that you will get 5000 examples of what can be done for 5$ here - fiverr.com. This website is a marketplace for selling and seeking services for 5$ (hence the name).
posted by tvjoshi at 8:54 AM on May 3, 2010
posted by tvjoshi at 8:54 AM on May 3, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for all your answers! Gracias!
I agree with amelioration. $5 for a membership, seems to be Cinco Dolares $5 well spent.
$5 for the secret to happiness, the secret is to sleep with a pillow under your bum! LOL! How funny! And somehow profound. I'd like to know the full details of this particular prescription for happiness as told by a homeless man, whose shopping cart was decorated with delicate sounding bells, as he strolled around the West End of Vancouver. It sounds somehow mystical. Thanks. Gracias, mireille!
Thanks for the answer, a leather jacket . . . posted by corey flood! Thanks. I also have a $5 leather jacket and was embarrassed when several people admired the jacket and asked me where I bought it. I was somewhat embarrassed to admit that I had paid only $5 for it. Your answer reminded me, that, yes, a $5 leather jacket is one of the best things I've gotten! I got to meet the store owner of a Men's Wear shop and he chatted with me and told me his views on life. His Men's Wear shop sells discounted formal wear and often new immigrants go there to purchase Tuxes to wear to catering jobs. The store owner, wanted to help the new immigrants out and also wanted to promote his store as the better store to buy clothing in, so he had collected a donation of free coats for little children and women. He was giving these coats away to men (with the purchase of a Tux). He then decided it would be a better idea to just charge a small amount to anyone just walking by. So he put a sign just outside his store. I didn't believe the sign at first, but I went in, met the owner, and bought a beautiful women's leather coat. So for $5, I got to meet an amazing man, a small business owner with a big heart, helping his community; plus I also happened to get a very nice leather coat. I don't think I'm going to be embarrassed any more about wearing a $5 leather coat.
And the answer: A Harlem artist, Jeremiah Drake artwork of a halo-like Barbara Jordan for $5. "Pray to the Spirit of Barbara for Strength during adversity." Wow. It does, at first, sound comical, but then thinking of everything Barbara Jordan had to face. Social prejudice, physical illness. I don't know what to say. It's overwhelming. Strength and courage in the 70's. Strength and courage in 2010. Strength and courage in the 1800s. Strength and courage forever! Some how, very apt for Cinco De Mayo. The celebration of the Mexican army's historic victory over a much larger army force in the 1800's? Seems to me, emblematic of victory over oppression and cause for celebration!
I'm amazed at the wealth of information out there! Thanks for the heads up on the "Best Gift for $5" googlination. And this website, fiverr.com, is a treasure chest!
Gracias! Happy Cinco De Mayo!
posted by Laughing Lion at 9:42 AM on May 5, 2010
I agree with amelioration. $5 for a membership, seems to be Cinco Dolares $5 well spent.
$5 for the secret to happiness, the secret is to sleep with a pillow under your bum! LOL! How funny! And somehow profound. I'd like to know the full details of this particular prescription for happiness as told by a homeless man, whose shopping cart was decorated with delicate sounding bells, as he strolled around the West End of Vancouver. It sounds somehow mystical. Thanks. Gracias, mireille!
Thanks for the answer, a leather jacket . . . posted by corey flood! Thanks. I also have a $5 leather jacket and was embarrassed when several people admired the jacket and asked me where I bought it. I was somewhat embarrassed to admit that I had paid only $5 for it. Your answer reminded me, that, yes, a $5 leather jacket is one of the best things I've gotten! I got to meet the store owner of a Men's Wear shop and he chatted with me and told me his views on life. His Men's Wear shop sells discounted formal wear and often new immigrants go there to purchase Tuxes to wear to catering jobs. The store owner, wanted to help the new immigrants out and also wanted to promote his store as the better store to buy clothing in, so he had collected a donation of free coats for little children and women. He was giving these coats away to men (with the purchase of a Tux). He then decided it would be a better idea to just charge a small amount to anyone just walking by. So he put a sign just outside his store. I didn't believe the sign at first, but I went in, met the owner, and bought a beautiful women's leather coat. So for $5, I got to meet an amazing man, a small business owner with a big heart, helping his community; plus I also happened to get a very nice leather coat. I don't think I'm going to be embarrassed any more about wearing a $5 leather coat.
And the answer: A Harlem artist, Jeremiah Drake artwork of a halo-like Barbara Jordan for $5. "Pray to the Spirit of Barbara for Strength during adversity." Wow. It does, at first, sound comical, but then thinking of everything Barbara Jordan had to face. Social prejudice, physical illness. I don't know what to say. It's overwhelming. Strength and courage in the 70's. Strength and courage in 2010. Strength and courage in the 1800s. Strength and courage forever! Some how, very apt for Cinco De Mayo. The celebration of the Mexican army's historic victory over a much larger army force in the 1800's? Seems to me, emblematic of victory over oppression and cause for celebration!
I'm amazed at the wealth of information out there! Thanks for the heads up on the "Best Gift for $5" googlination. And this website, fiverr.com, is a treasure chest!
Gracias! Happy Cinco De Mayo!
posted by Laughing Lion at 9:42 AM on May 5, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by amelioration at 7:18 AM on May 3, 2010 [6 favorites]