A Thirty Day Revival!

For my blog that is! It’s been a terrible six months as far as keeping up with stuff like this but I keep narrowing down in my brain what’s really important to me and what isn’t. I keep coming back to this blog as something I miss doing. So because of that I’m going to give ‘er all I got Captain!

Over on Bridgete’s Facebook page she posted this little meme of sorts and I decided instead of cluttering up my Facebook I’d whip out the paddles and shock my blog’s heart back into beating again by taking on this thirty day challenge over here instead. I mean hell, if I can write an entire fracking novel in thirty days I think I can manage to post a few facts and pictures until the end of April right?

So I’m a day behind which means this will tip over into May but I really don’t see that as a problem, its not like this is required to be done in one calendar month or anything. Here’s the skinny:

1. A picture of yourself with 10 facts
2. A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
3. A picture of the cast from your favorite show
4. A picture of your favorite night
5. A picture of your favorite memory
6. A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day
7. A picture of your most treasured item
8. A picture that makes you laugh
9. A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
10. A picture of the person you do the most screwed up things with
11. A picture of something you hate
12. A picture of something you love
13. A picture of your favorite band or artist
14. A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
15. A picture of something you want to do before you die
16. A picture of someone who inspires you
17. A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
18. A picture of your biggest insecurity
19. A picture and a letter
20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
21. A picture of something you wish you could forget
22. A picture of something you wish you were better at
23. A picture of your favorite book
24. A picture of something you wish you could change
25. A picture of your favorite day
26. A picture of something that means a lot to you
27. A picture of yourself and a family member
28. A picture of something you're afraid of
29. A picture that can always make you smile
30. A picture of someone you miss

So wow that’s quite the list of photos to conjure up! Maybe the photos and stories behind them will even spark up a story or two for May. Anyway, without further ado, here’s the pic & ten facts.

1. I’m addicted to white out line; it’s dry on contact and makes everything fresh and clean.
2. I really like seeing smiley faces or heart shapes occur randomly, like on my toothbrush holder with two round holes and a big wide hole across from them in a ‘D’ shape. It resembles the emoticon :D
3. I came within $54.69 of predicting the exact cost to do the recent repairs on my car. Those dollars were in my favor.
4. I believe it’s because I made it happen when I wrote it down, so now I’m writing down everything as I want it to be where our finances are concerned -- both income and out go.
5. There are twelve weeks & 1 day until we move to Phoenix.
6. That thought simultaneously elates and terrifies me.
7. Speaking of terrified…I got to study Poe in my last two classes (top five favorite writers of all time so it was quite cool to have the opportunity!) and realized how much it irritates me when people spell his middle name wrong. It’s Allan, not Allen.
8. Reading all this crazy stuff by Edgar is giving me nightmares; my psyche must be weaker than it was when I first discovered him in about seventh grade!
9. I’m growing my hair out and recently dyed it back to my natural color because I’m tired of dealing with it. Maybe I’ll get funky again someday but for now it’s just boring ‘ol, plain ‘ol brown-ish.
10. Matt and I plan to go to the beach every single weekend from opening day until the date of our yard sale two weeks before we leave for Phoenix. Who knows when we’ll get to see the ocean again!

So there you have it. Anyone else up for the blogging/FB/wherever you want to post it challenge?

*****************************************************************
Catch up on anything you missed  30 Photos, 30 Days
*****************************************************************

Serious Inquiries Will Include a Pulse

Craigslist. Everyone knows it, many of us brave types use it. I’ve been on it for years and considering that, you’d think the alarming number of idiots in the world really wouldn’t shock me anymore. But I suppose I still hold out hope that we haven’t started to drink butter and watch the crotch punching channel as a society. Sadly though, most of the time, that hope is radically challenged when it comes to craigslist.

I’m not one of those people who makes people jump through hoops for the items I list, I mean in general if I have something you want then it seems reasonable you’ll offer to do a little hoop jumping of your own.  And I suppose we both have something the other wants, right?  You have the cash, I have the goods and when those two wondrous things come together in a glorious exchange the world can be a beautifully simple place.

Problem is we have to get there first.

I added a couple lines to the end of my listings recently, at the suggestion of a friend who is a craigslist platinum elite member at this point; she suggested adding a request for a phone number. I never used to ask for a phone number because, frankly, I really dislike calling strange people from the internet. Email works just fine for me. But her point was that those people would show they were serious and I could weed out the riff-raff that way. Good point. I still communicate by email but now if there’s no number attached in the message. Delete.

So a typical listing will come up looking something like this:

AWESOME piece of furniture that I tell you all about it in the title - $uper freaking cheap ass price - The town you’ll be picking it up in

Awesome furniture includes:
Every single detail about it that I can cram into 5 lines so
A) you don’t get bored & stop reading and
B) you get the full impact of what you’re buying so
C) we don’t waste each other’s time with useless emails

Measurements are:
Always included so you” x know what you’re buying”

Then I always say this word for word:
If it’s still listed then it’s still available, serious inquiries will include a phone number when responding. Cash only. Pick up only.

And sometimes, depending on the item, I’ll also say PRICE IS FIRM.

Finally, you get these lovely pictures (usually 2-3) so you have a pretty clear understanding of what you’re getting before you even get here to pick it up.

Not a big deal right? I mean the most average person on the planet could figure it out. Couldn’t they? I mean, doesn’t it seem reasonable that people would infer the following information from my listings:

1. What you’re buying.
2. If I’ll accept your offer of $15 on a $375 item.
3. The fact that, no, despite your repeated attempts to tell me how new you are to the area, I don’t run a delivery service.
4. That you should include a phone number.  I mean, unless of course you want me to laugh at your email and post about it on my blog.
5. That $10000 money order sounds great so if you'd just go ahead and cash it before you get here I'd be more than happy to alleviate you of the burden of your extra money.  I know its tough being a Nigerian Prince sometimes.

But I still get responses like this one…

“I like to know more about [item link] please reply with your phone number.
Thanks”

No, Dotty with no last name and a subject line that reads “hi” but says nothing about the item I’m selling, thank you. Because it’s so much easier to just delete your sorry excuse for spam, scam, phishing or whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish by me clicking on that link, than to spin my wheels and waste my time writing back to you when I was the one who asked for a phone number first.

Picture me sticking my tongue out at fake Dotty while I don’t reply to her request for that information.  Nee-ner nee-ner!

My all time favorite from last week though was the “guy” (which I apply air quotes to because seriously, its craigslist and who really knows who you’re talking to. Hell I even sign Matt’s name half the time because no one really needs to think that a cute girl lives all by herself. Because I don’t. But I digress…) who told me that he wasn’t feeling very well that day and that he didn’t think he’d be able to make it from his house in the northeast part of Massachusetts until Sunday morning, and that the earlier the better because he had things going on that day.

Um, really? Yeah it was Monday when I got that email, so if you really anticipate being sick all week then I don’t want your infected ass in my house anyway. Plus dude, I'd like to reiterate that I have the item you want to buy but I spend my Sunday mornings either sleeping off my hangover or watching infomercials.  So either be here at 6:30 on Tuesday evening like we discussed in our first email correspondence, or just don’t show up like almost everyone else does. Geesh.

The good news, if we can take some well learned lessons out of all this, is that I have managed to sell a few things because there are actually people out there who use craigslist as a means to buy and sell items that they really truly want in their home or otherwise. A couple cabinets and some lawn furniture is already out the door. I’ll sell some big ticket items too like the paint sprayer that, despite being hopeful I could use it, I know I never will.

But when you respond to the listing I strongly encourage you to omit including a phone number and then definitely ask me to drop it off for you, that you’ll have a check waiting for me when I get there; as my finger hovers ever so gently over the delete button.

“Welcome to Costco, I love you. Welcome to Costco, I love you. Welcome to Costco, I love you. Welcome to Costco, I love you…”

A Big Fat Slacker! Where Blog Posting is Concerned...

If you follow both this page as well as my company blog you're going to see the exact same post in both places today. I'd apologize for that but I'm far too busy to let it bother me. 

Work has been great lately, I've been painting and meeting with some folks in an effort to kick start a little business again. I love the networking, love my company and my job. I only wish it didn't take so darn long to work it because by the time people are ready to hire me, Matt and I will be moving!

(hint, hint -- get me now before we're gone)

That's another thing though, the move. We are intending to take almost nothing with us because after years of living like we're still in college (in our mid/late 30's) we're both ready to finally upgrade our furniture on the other side. Of course that means we're selling it all and with me being the at home spouse right now, the picture taking, description writing and listing location decision making falls on me. No biggie its just that its a lot of work to research all that stuff and list it!

It will be nice to have a few extra bucks in our pocket to make the journey with though.  I've learned never to take for granted the free time I have (whatever that means) because I am truly blessed to be able to pursue the things I want to accomplish in life.

Which brings me to school. My University is awesome and they've scheduled me for a 2 week break in order to move. The really cool thing is that a class ends the very day we plan to leave so the schedule barely even has to shift.  Score!

So anyway, with school, work, pimpin' business and general life living, my blogs have really fallen by the wayside. I don't intend to give them up though (never!) so I hope you'll stick around for the times when I do post. And I promise to comment soon, I try to still read all of yours even if I simply lurk around the blogosphere in the background saying nothing.

Yes, I painted the picture above, it is my latest work. 
Yes you can own it if you like it. 
Yes I've been spending a lot more time painting smaller works and murals lately than full walls but that's cool, it still leaves me with tinted glaze under my fingernails at night and I love it!