Too complicated

A few years ago, I went to a garage sale where I found a nice camera tripod, and the price was very reasonable.
I decided to buy it, but I hit a snag.

The number on the little label was not the price but a number. The owner had to look it up on a list and find the corresponding price.

What a ridiculous concept. Why not just put the price on the item, like (almost) everyone else does. It saves buyer and seller time and there will be no confusion. She wanted retail price for the tripod, so I walked away from it.

It wasn’t the first, or the last, time I have seen people do silly things at yard sales.

Frequently it happened that the seller didn’t know how much to ask for an item. You’re the seller, you should know much you want for it. I wanted to buy a table from a lady and after asking three times she did not give me a price.

And then are the situations where the seller has to call someone else for a price check. More than once, someone asked me to come back later because they were unable to provide the information. Poor preparation, for sure.

A few months ago, I went to a sale down the road. The garage was messy, disorganized if you will, but there were some decent tools I was interested in. “Everything is for sale,” the owner said. Then I pointed at four different items and guess what: “Those items were not for sale.”

I told him he should either remove those things or put a “No Sale” tag on it. He just shrugged his shoulders. In the following weekends he continued the sale, but I didn’t stop again. I won’t deal with people like that.

When was the last time?

Last night I tried to remember when I bought a new power tool at the store for the last time.

I concluded that it must have been in the mid 1980’s when I bought a Dremel scroll saw for my dad as a birthday gift. He never used it and sold it a few years later.

It wasn’t until about 15 years ago, when I started woodworking, that I needed some hand tools and small machinery. Over time I gathered what I needed buying everything used at garage- and estate sales as well as through websites such as Craigslist.

Some of it I resold because I really didn’t need it or when I could find a better one. My first table saw was a little Ryobi that I bought for $40. I used it for several years and  then sold it for $70.

Some tools I acquire with the sole purpose of selling them for profit so I can invest more money in the equipment that I want to keep. I don’t want any money  for my hobby coming out of the household budget.

My wife and I go to garage sales almost every weekend. Here in Southern Arizona, there are sales all year long. And frequently, amongst another items, we find a usable tool for a great price.

And we also keep an eye out for hardware and consumables such as saw blades, finishing products and sandpaper. I am stacking up on those items because I’m going to need them in the near future. When I see a piece of furniture with good solid wood I may just buy it, take it apart, and save the parts.

A few times I sold a tool that I wish I hadn’t. But sooner or later I will find a good replacement. I’m not an impulse buyer. I can spend time in a tool store and walk out empty handed.

Now I’m looking for a scroll saw. I had a nice one at some point but I never used it and it was in the way. I got rid of it and now I wish I still had it because I have some plans with it. There is no rush, I keep looking and I will find a good one at the right price.

No silly names for dogs

A while ago I ran into a lady who was walking her dogs. Two cute and well behaved little critters, pets to be proud of I should think. She told me that they are like kids to her, something I can very well relate to.

Their names? French Fry and Ketchup. Did I hear that right? How in the world can you give them such ridiculous names? And since you think of them as your kids: if you had real kids would you name them like that?

Be serious, if you have a dog, give it a decent name. At the Humane Society they had the sweetest little puppy named Pumpkin. We wanted him, but the name had to go. As soon as we got him in the car we renamed him to Reno, I think that is a cool name.

Even worse than silly names is giving them a dumb looking haircut. It's a dog, it should look like one. Get rid of those terrible bows and other accessories. 

And don't even think about dying its coat (yes, some people do that). Don't do what makes you happy, do what makes the dog happy and comfortable.

No Buddy and Barney for me

Years ago, my wife and I lived in Tombstone Arizona for about 6 months. As you probably know this little town is of historical significance, after all, who hasn’t heard of the famous gunfight that took place there.

Now it is a major tourist attraction, people from around the globe come to check out the OK Corral, the Birdcage Theatre, the cafés, and gift shops. One of the attractions is a ride in a replica of an 1800’s stagecoach. It takes you past the most important places with narration of the driver. The introduction just before departure always was, and may be still is, exactly the same including the introduction of the horses: “On my left-hand side is Buddy, and on my right-hand side is Barney.” One day he had two different horses, and he still referred to them as Buddy and Barney. He corrected his mistake, but it showed he was used to those same opening sentences.

And it made me think, wouldn’t he get tired of doing that same thing over and over again? I’m not sure how long he had been making those tours, but I got the impression that it had been for quite some time. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of times repeating himself and traveling the same short route, multiple times a day, year after year. Well, if he’s happy with it, more power to him but I couldn’t do it.

I get bored with routine stuff really quickly. Twenty years ago, I had an office job where it was more of the same every day. The pay wasn’t bad, the atmosphere was good, and the boss was a nice person. After two years I had the feeling that I was going to explode from boredom. So, I went to school and became a trucker.

Some people have asked me if driving long distances isn’t boring. No, it isn’t. I have always liked traveling, going places, and seeing new things. Of course, trucking is a job, its hard work and often there is no time to stop and look around.

But I enjoyed every mile, whether it was in the Southwest desert, the wide landscape of Wyoming or the rolling hills of Virginia. Around every bend there is something new to see and every state has its beauty. And the great thing about being a trucker is that no two days are alike.

Some people are happy with safe and uneventful routines, whether it is at work or otherwise. I remember having a neighbor who worked at the same office for 52 years. He rode his bicycle to work twice a day and he totaled about 36,000 return trips.

I have had a wide variety of jobs, from running a store, working at an office, and being an assistant auctioneer to driving a truck. I did a lot of different things, learned a lot and I consider that to be rich. I have encountered difficulties and not every job was a pleasant experience, but I can look back with satisfaction and pride.