So I’ve gotten into this Ebay/Half.com selling thing. I’m selling mostly books and a handful of CDs. It’s cool. I don’t expect to have sellers beating down my door wanting my Crash Test Dummies CD. But I suspect I’ll make a few sales.
What I am selling:
* College textbooks – Many of them I barely used. You’d be surprised how much you can get for a 10 year old political science book.
* CDs which I never listen to. And I don’t know why I bought them. Got caught up in the popularity of the band I guess.
* My mom’s novels – And she did give me permission.
What I’m not selling:
* My elementary school books – These books have far too much sentimental value to them. Plus I still remember reading some of the stories.
* Religious books – Another set of books which might be hard to find years later if I were to get rid of them. More sentimental value.
* Anything that has a large number of items selling for 75 cents. – 75 cents just isn’t worth my time and trouble.
Win one for the Cubbies
It was meant to be. Serves them right. I can remember many a Spring day during my childhood tuning in to WGN Chicago cable station expecting to see my favorite cartoons, but instead being greeted with Major League Baseball. You see, WGN is affiliated with the Cubs about as much as the Braves are with TBS Superstation. I hated that.
Cubs. Never win anything. Most of their years, they’ve been a mediocre team.
The fan? Well, he probably did what anyone else would have done when they get caught up in the excitement of the moment. Pretty stupid, but it’s a split second decision that probably made a difference in the game.
I never had ever understood the appeal of baseball. A whole lotta nothing if you ask me. I remember when the Today Show made a huge deal about them installing lights at Wrigley Field. Live remotes with Bryant Gumbel. Night games at Wrigley were a sign of the times. No one needed to pull a Ferris Bueller and skip work/school for a Cubs game anymore. They needed night games to attract more fans.
The whole episode with the Marlins and the Cubs reminds me of that scene in Back to the Future II where Marty is in the future…year 2015 and he sees the news about the Cubs beating Florida in the world series.
The problem with Ebay
The problem with Ebay is the shipping price of the items is not usually set. If you bid on an item and get it for a low price, you still might have to an exorbitant amount for shipping. Example: I bought a Trivial Pursuit game for $3 (a great deal). Yet I still had to pay $10 for shipping. The seller said it would be anywhere from $7 to $12. I certainly didn’t necessarily expect to pay more on the upper limit of shipping.
Half.com is better (also owned by Ebay). The shipping is set. And it is pretty reasonable. Plus usually you have multiple sellers to choose from. I haven’t tried Half. However I might try it in the future. I like it that you don’t necessarily give out financial information to the seller. Instead Half.com acts as a go between seller and buyer.
I have been told that Ebay is good for buying college textbooks on. I’m sure its a good idea. We didn’t have Ebay when I was in college. Instead I operated a email distribution list which would hook up sellers and buyers. It was on a much smaller scale, but seemed to work ok.
That’s the problem with college textbooks. They come out with a new edition each year. Just change a few words and call it a new edition. And you usually don’t know if you absolutely have to have the textbook. Many classes only occassionally referenced it, while the majority of tests were taken from the professor’s lectures. It was crazy.
I remember being forced to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal in college. When you bought a new edition of our economics book, you’d get a free subscription to the WSJ. Our professor strongly encouraged us to subscribe. I didn’t care for it, mainly because it was a daily paper which I never actually read. And it would be stuck in my campus mailbox each and every weekday. After a few weeks of class, I finally subscribed to it after being goaded by my professor. Thinking that anything in the WSJ was prime test material…. Yet I don’t recall anything about the WSJ being on the tests.
Halloween Urban Legends
Friday Five: Sports
1. Do you watch sports? If so, which ones?
I don’t watch sports. Maybe for the first few days I’ll watch the Olympics. But after a few minutes sports kinda loose my interest.
2. What/who are your favorite sports teams and/or favorite athletes?
Athletes are overpaid for what they do. I don’t have any especially favorite teams or athletes. Sorry folks.
I can probably name a few players from the local teams, simply because around here sports is king and you can’t help but to ingest some kind of sports information through osmosis.
3. Are there any sports you hate?
Baseball. I cannot understand anyone wanting to watch it. Game after game. Boring. Golf is too. But everyone always mentions golf as being boring.
4. Have you ever been to a sports event?
Actually yesterday I went to a Predators hockey game. My first NHL hockey game. There’s a first time for any one of us. I had been to a Nashville Knights game before. But it was a long time ago and very poor seats. These seats were the $69 variety. (Thanks Zack!)
I’ve been to a couple of UT football games (an event within itself, even if you don’t like football). A handful of Lipscomb basketball games (if only to be eligible for the $100 they were giving away).
I won tickets to a Oilers game at Vanderbilt statium once. That was an event. Oilers lost to the Bears. I was disappointed too.
5. Do/did you play any sports (in school or other)? How long did you play?
I was in marching band. That in itself should be considered a sport since you are about as active as an athlete. That being the case I had to attend all of the high school football games, which in itself is a minor accomplishment.
Used CDs
There’s an article on Pitchfork Media discussing used CDs ( http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/features/castoffs-and-cutouts/index.shtml ). I won’t bother linking to it directly since it does have some bad language in it.
Albums I have which are on this list:
- Jesus Jones – Doubt – I have this buried in my CDs somewhere. Never listen to it. “Right Here Right Now” was the band’s one hit wonder. “Real Real Real” hit the radio later on and is sorta a forgotten hit. There 192 new and used starting at one penny. on Amazon.com.
- Arrested Development: 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of… – Another forgotten CD. I bought it for “Tennessee.” That’s it. I rarely listen to it. Pitchfork Media says
“Arrested Development was one of the more preachy acts on the scene, a displaced drama club that never got its message straight and seemed to be led by a megalomaniac, mystic frontman, Speech.”
There are 173 used & new Arrested Development CDs from $0.70 on Amazon.com
- Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – God Fodder – Grey Cell Green. That’s the band’s one hit. Except for maybe the cover of Saturday Night on “So I Married an Axe Murder” soundtrack. Probably better than Jesus Jones. Never got much airplay except for MTV’s buzz bin.
There are 55 used & new Ned CDs from $2.79 on Amazon.com. - R.E.M. – Monster – Actually the best album on the list. But R.E.M. fans just don’t like it since it is such a departure from their usual stuff. I actually like it, although I rarely listen to it. “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” Now that’s a good song. A little overplayed, but good. I don’t plan on selling this CD anytime soon.
On Amazon.com there are 287 used & new Monster CDs from $0.25. Monster is #1 on this guy’s list and the highest number of new and used CDs on Amazon.com.
Then there are the ones I planned on getting at one time or another:
- Breeders – Last Splash – “Cannonball” – that’s the only reason for buying this CD. I borrowed it from a friend one time. I never listen to it, except for Cannonball. There are 125 used & new Breeder CDs from $1.73 on Amazon.com.
- Various Artists – No Alternative – I actually strongly considered buying this CD. It probably has some great songs. But I never got around to doing it.
67 used & new No Alternative CDS from $1.38 on Amazon.com - Radiohead – Pablo Honey – “Creep” that’s the only good song on this CD. Pretty much solidified my disdain for Radiohead.
30 used & new Pablo Honey CDs from $8.99 on Amazon.com. - Nixons – Foma – This CD is probably the CD I’d most like to own. Yet its one hit – “Sister” may not be enough to warrant buying this CD.
84 used & new Foma CDs from $0.61 at Amazon.com.
And that’s pretty much it. I’ve never sold any CDs to a used record shop. I guess I figure sooner or later the CDs will be worth something. Maybe not.
Top 50 Things Admissions Never Told You About College
Ok. I pulled this off another site. I think its one of those lame email forwards. Anyways I’m going to list it and then comment on it if I have something to say.
1. Every clock on campus shows a different time.
2. Two meals per day is the standard.
3. Road trip whenever possible.
4. Going to the mailbox was never an ego booster/breaker before.
Never got any mail. Except for that junk mail.
5. You will begin to nap again.
Napping started back my freshmen year. Always took an afternoon nap after classes were over.
6. Your bookstore bill will almost equal your tuition bill.
Argh! Barnes and Nobles.
7. Squirt guns = stress relief (and “Assassins” if you’re in SPB).
8. Instant Messenger becomes an addiction.
Never had Instant Messenger in college.
9. E-mail becomes your second language.
I discovered email in college. It was big then. Probably bigger to me back then.
10. College students throw paper airplanes, too.
11. You never realized that so many people were smarter than you.
Yep. Many more people smarter than me at college. Or at least they could sound like they were really smart in the classroom discussions.
12. College football is the coolest thing on the planet.
Lipscomb never had a football team. It still isn’t cool.
13. Western Europe could be wiped out by a plague and you wouldn’t know it, but you can recite last week’s rerun of “The Simpsons” verbatim.
News lost its coolness in college. We never watched it.
14. Cartoons are for all ages — especially “Scooby Doo”.
I don’t know about that. But the return of the Dukes of Hazzard was the event in my dorm at college.
15. Disney movies are more than just classic.
But I don’t watch Disney movies. And they weren’t big at Lipscomb.
16. You will never rent more movies in your life.
I never rent movies anymore. Never.
17. No one is too old for video games.
During my freshmen year someone got a hold of an old Space Invaders game. Cabinet version. We held a tournament with a Papa John’s Pizza as the prize.
18. Procrastination is an art form.
19. Snood is more addicting than cigarettes.
Never used either. I don’t even know what Snood is…
20. It never hurt so much to get sick.
Thankfully I was never sick in college.
21. Care packages are right up there with birthdays.
Never got a care package. Thanks, guys.
22. The health center nurses are only there because they couldn’t make it at a real hospital.
23. Campus is only clean for Freshman Orientation and Family Weekend.
24. Nothing you want to register for will be open.
Nothing ever was open. Except during my Senior year.
25. Classes — the later the better.
Actually I enjoyed having early classes. Got them over faster for an afternoon of sleeping.
26. You are no longer thankful that the fire alarms are here to protect you.
Hated midnight fire alarms. Hated them.
27. Jeans may be worn as many times as the wearer desires.
28. The only time you dress up is when your jeans are dirty.
29. Showers become less important; sleep becomes more important.
I showered everyday thankyouverymuch.
30. Asleep by 2:30 a.m. is an early night.
Asleep by 2:30a.m. is a late night. I was always asleep by 1AM.
31. Creativity in the dining hall is key.
32. The “Freshman 15” is not a myth.
Actually I think I lost 15 pounds my freshmen year. Maybe 5 lbs.
33. If it’s snowing out, the only reason you will leave your room is for food (or in Lipscomb’s case, class).
34. Dishes smell after days of piling up.
Never had dishes.
35. Cereal makes a good meal at any time of the day.
Sometimes I ate lucky charms because the meals at Lipscomb’s dining hall were unacceptable.
36. You will eat anywhere that has a buffet.
37. You will eat anything that is free.
There was a time when they offered free pizza in the student’s center for watching the Florida-UT game. I got my free slice(s) and left. Got alot of mean looks.
38. New additions to the food groups: ramen and pizza.
39. You will get to know the pizza man by name.
I must have had pizza at least 2 times a week. Maybe more.
40. Stealing from the dining hall will become second nature.
People stole the lunch trays to go sledding on.
41. ATMs are the Devil’s Advocate — ATM = “Another Twenty Missing”
Never used an ATM in college. Parents were nearby.
42. Duct tape heals all wounds.
Huh?
43. Keys have never been so important, but you still manage to lose them or lock yourself out of your room frequently.
I was locked out of my room maybe once.
44. If they say you can’t have it in the dorm, they’re just kidding.
45. You will come to hate hallways/elevators with a passion.
A friend of mine got stuck in the dorm elevator once. One hour in there.
46. Those ugly cinder blocks are not soundproof.
47. Pictures, posters, e-mails, or anything else to cover the ugly cell we live in will become wallpaper.
I hung pizza boxes on the walls. Those personal pan pizza boxes.
48. Everyone is only nice for the first week. After that, no matter how nice you are, some people won’t smile back. Get used to it.
It’s so true.
49. You are never alone.
50. College is the ideal lifestyle except for all those pesky classes.
Scottsville Hayride
If you could somehow imagine a vastness of farmland in the middle of nowheresville. That’s what its like in Fountain Run, KY. The Scottsville hayride was yesterday. I arrived in just enough time to load up on the wagon to go down to the wiener road area.
It was good to see everyone. It’s sorta a reunion of sorts. Even people who don’t necessarily go to church at Scottsville regularly were there. 3 wagons were needed for everyone. It was sorta different this year in that they were having it on Sunday night rather than Saturday.
The scare factor was there. John, Daniel, and Brian put on a good show. Rented a large stuffed bat to hang from the trees. $125 if it is damaged. My job was to lower it and raise it when the hayriders arrived on the way back. Chainsaw without the chain. Strobe lights. Generators to supply the strobelight power.
John tells me that they have Mexicans working on their farm. They supply them with a trailer and a house. Probably earning some cash to send back home. It’s almost as if it is subtle slavery all over again. Or at least that’s how John put it.
I always go through Lafayette to get to Fountain Run. At least for this hayride. Lafeyette has no red lights…at least in the downtown area. Just two 4 way stops. Right beside the Super Walmart and the combination KFC/Long John Silvers. Co-branding, they call it. MJ has a KFC/Taco Bell. All of this from Yum! brands.
Dollywood
Dollywood with Corinth church yesterday. I got up at 4AM so I could be in Portland at 6AM. Wow. And we drove through Lebanon to get on the interstate. Doubleback.
Spenser, Sam, and Brian and I rode Daredevil falls 12 straight times. That’s one hour on the ride. I can’t believe that. It kinda became surreal after a while. Seeing the same thing over and over again. The record for that ride is 96 times. Apparently you can only do 12 rides per hour. Since the park is open for 8 hours that day, you could ride is continuously for 8 hours.
Dollywood is known for their shops like Opryland was known for their shows. And Dollywood has all old people working for them. Apparently they have camping areas for their workers. They try to encourage older retired people to work the rides.
Very Into Pizza
Here’s the deal. Pizza Hut has some kind of special membership thingy – “Very Into Pizza” aka “VIP.” Pay $14.99 per year and get a special VIP card. You have to buy 2 pizzas per month and then get up to 2 free pizzas a month. The minimum order for each pizza is $10…and I’m not sure if you can still use coupons on the regular orders. And you get free breadsticks or cinnamon sticks every month. But only one order of breadsticks per month.
The brochure is lacking in these obvious questions. I don’t know. If you could buy one pizza per month and get the next one free, that would be a pretty good deal. I’m not into Pizza Hut that much. I’ll probably pass on this one. Seems like alot of Pizza Hut pizzas. And I only go there once a month.