Monday, April 06, 2009

Galaxie of Goodwill




13 comments:

mpclemens said...

I think we need to accept that we're just going to rescue every machine we come across. It's more fun that denial. I myself found the tell-tale Smith-Corona case at the thrift store yesterday, but it held an electric S-C Coronet. Electrics take more attention than I'm willing to provide, so I left it on the shelf. But I was fully prepared to "save" it when I saw it across the room, hands down.

Elizabeth H. said...

But I don't have *room* to rescue any more! Eek! Plus, as I admitted in one of my last posts, I am guilt-ridden if I keep any around that don't get used a lot.

Fortunately I don't really have many to rescue. This was the very first time I have *ever* come across a manual typewriter at Goodwill, and I'm not at all tempted by electrics.

And this one is special. I am just sooo doggone pleased with the little thing. Last night for the first time in I don't know how long, I went on a bit of a writing bender. You know...one of those deals where you start writing and kind of wake up hours later wondering what just happened. I sat down on my bed at about nine-thirty to write for a "few minutes" before turning off the light and next thing I knew it was past eleven, I had six pages of text, and a scene I've been struggling with for a month now was all there, albeit in rough draft form.

I think we'll be friends.

Mike Speegle said...

That's such a nice story. My grandmother, who passed away last year is, I feel, there for me in the odd moment when I need her specific expertise. And now you have a nice new friend! Good times.

mpclemens said...

Storage space is over-rated. I'm still waiting semi-patiently for my folks to pull my grandmother's old Underwood portable out of the attic and send it to me. Even though our tiny house has enough machines under its roof, I'll be sure to make space for this one. It's significant, much like your own find.

Olivander said...

I should do more with my Galaxie DeLuxe. I pulled it out for a few chapters during NaNo a couple years ago, and for some reason never went back to it. It's very enjoyable to use.

Strikethru said...

I so agree with you about the Galaxie and similar SC models. They're the best (and my first typewriter too).

Nice description of thrift store smell. I could totally smell it based on your description.

Monda said...

That was lovely, Elizabeth. And I'm glad it all finished with such a rewarding writing jag.

Thank you for this one.

Elizabeth H. said...

Until now I wasn't completely sure my childhood typer was a Galaxie, but now I'm sure.

These late model SCMs impress me not only because they still have a great feel to them (even as many of the other brands of the time period were turning to cheap toys), but also have a great feature set. I mean...not too long before, the base model Coronas didn't have so much as a paper bail, but these have button-set tab settings, easy to set margins, a customizable type-slug (mine is just a 1/!, but I'd guess you could specify special order), and that crazy power space. Aside from the wide carriage, the only thing the Classic 12 has that the Galaxie lacks is the half-space.

Strikethru said...

Power space! That gets my vote for silliest typewriter feature ever.

Elizabeth H. said...

As I said on Mike's Flickr page for his Classic 12, I can't imagine it being used much except as a way of amusing small children (and our inner child, I guess).

mpclemens said...

[Inner Child presses Power Space]

Brrrrrrrrah! Brrah! Brrrrrrrrrah!

*ding!* (ssssssssshhhhhhhkunk)

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrah!

[giggles]

Elizabeth H. said...

Heh...yeah, something like that. Nice sound effects. ;-)

Duffy Moon said...

Love it, Elizabeth. I've got the Galaxie and the Classic (well, my daughter has that) as well as an electric version of the same machine. The only machine I have multiples of, and for a reason. As a group they're really easy to type on.