tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010337578516565102024-02-18T18:17:55.348-08:00Sailing The Garage Seas!LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-83869488563938215472012-07-16T20:04:00.020-07:002012-07-16T22:36:08.578-07:00XVIII: Deja Vu, Illumination!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCbaW7U7ofRHBPbrSVjvn9Yh_nPgwekLiBRYdPLN3rDm5w3wsHAdv_5t3BQRHmkGlcdJzZJr4lDbioKTsrd9BL0iTSdxAqMJBEQ7y_V9_wD0_OSqpaxZ3dFLBD1xWh2ZxZSstlehMefM/s1600/DSCF2904.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCbaW7U7ofRHBPbrSVjvn9Yh_nPgwekLiBRYdPLN3rDm5w3wsHAdv_5t3BQRHmkGlcdJzZJr4lDbioKTsrd9BL0iTSdxAqMJBEQ7y_V9_wD0_OSqpaxZ3dFLBD1xWh2ZxZSstlehMefM/s400/DSCF2904.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765970753397560882" /></a><br /><br />During the first weekend of July, I was busy attending Paizocon. We did a tiny bit of garage sailing on Sunday after the convention, but Sundays are never really very good for it. We picked up so little that I just decided to roll it all into the post for the next week. And as it turns out, this Saturday was <i>really</i> good. So lets get to it!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaIHfcZgWBZfXKH9gFPc1bJKpC6OcILsTJW61tb7TeQtVjTmbO3EsJlrZUHBq85TjIZVksWN4zhxmBEbtAAKgrwCkoLVHc3zlYCGu3T7gj6airlrjY1gFvvXMs5-9xyntESWNRvqvfvM/s1600/DSCF2912.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaIHfcZgWBZfXKH9gFPc1bJKpC6OcILsTJW61tb7TeQtVjTmbO3EsJlrZUHBq85TjIZVksWN4zhxmBEbtAAKgrwCkoLVHc3zlYCGu3T7gj6airlrjY1gFvvXMs5-9xyntESWNRvqvfvM/s400/DSCF2912.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765978344522133842" /></a><br /><br />As always, I really enjoy finding DVDs at yard sales. Largely because I don't put the kind of value on movies which the movie industry does. When I own a DVD, it provides me with 1-2 hours of entertainment, maybe once every few years when I decide to re-watch it. Some people seem to think that is worth $20-35 per movie. But with that same amount of money, I could buy an indie video game, get 20-30 hours of enjoyment out of it right now, AND have the satisfaction of directly supporting a small game developer. <br /><br />For me, most DVDs are worth $1-$3. That's the amount of pleasure I get out of them. And that's the amount I pay for them. <br /><br />Here we have "Warlock," which is a fun little suspense/fantasy film from the 80s which I first encountered while doing research for another project. I haven't actually seen Face/Off or Chicago, but I've heard a lot of good things about both of them so I look forward to giving them a watch. I purchased Sideways entirely on the <a>recommendation of the Nostalgia Critic.</a> Vincent Price is always amazing (though I now own three copies of The Last Man on Earth) and Resident Evil: Extinction is a guilty pleasure which...I already own. Oops. <br /><br />I was particularly happy to find a copy of the first season of Castle--still in the wrap! It's not uncommon to find seasons of TV shows, but most often they're in pretty terrible shape and not worth buying. I can't count the number of Friends DVDs I've seen over the years, always sold one or two at a time for some reason. (Why do these people own *just* season four of Friends?)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIbhAsbya18YU5MFZnbYfzyWmxt62ZKtW0ZzM9DvLwPmH4-uiIA3meMe5B9tkgTvrbHIfoK9MX5IKgxG9hbzItWD4lC_infVvQsYadUfYRHAphxNRXpWSD0hj7YyISN5ARWCOCYjf9zs/s1600/DSCF2914.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIbhAsbya18YU5MFZnbYfzyWmxt62ZKtW0ZzM9DvLwPmH4-uiIA3meMe5B9tkgTvrbHIfoK9MX5IKgxG9hbzItWD4lC_infVvQsYadUfYRHAphxNRXpWSD0hj7YyISN5ARWCOCYjf9zs/s400/DSCF2914.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765983890585381538" /></a><br /><br />We picked up a few supplies for terrain building over the last two weekends. The saw should be handy for cutting the wood bases which are used for the pieces. The timer will be nice because having a second one will allow us to cook, and time drying plaster at the same time. And the vice can be used to hold two flat surfaces together while glue dries--very useful when attempting to make stepped hills. <br /><br />As a bonus, we also found someone giving a bunch of these away for free:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-0jU8C10mB0vYQp34mdaC-WHz2fXj6j4xmtkchX8O-JnebyNWTl8w9HSKh9rZ1zUjfTVKi54MHENkBx_eJOf5B2MkHCN2t9aoIYsYDHTnZ4VjdjJTf11323l4YFTUeJqwSEfjbai-xg/s1600/DSCF2905.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-0jU8C10mB0vYQp34mdaC-WHz2fXj6j4xmtkchX8O-JnebyNWTl8w9HSKh9rZ1zUjfTVKi54MHENkBx_eJOf5B2MkHCN2t9aoIYsYDHTnZ4VjdjJTf11323l4YFTUeJqwSEfjbai-xg/s400/DSCF2905.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765985019514000818" /></a><br /><br />Sandbags! <br /><br />Sand is really useful for this terrain stuff, but it's funny how difficult sand is to find once you need it. Without any beaches nearby, I was kind of lost for what to do, short of buying sand somewhere, which seemed a little silly to me. I realize there are times when you need to buy sand for landscaping purposes or something, but I wasn't going to shell out money for the tiny amount of sand we needed. <br /><br />Speaking of, I've mentioned our terrain building a shit-ton on this site. So here's a little marker of our progress. Morrie's first completed piece:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRJl9ZHTyU6PcvH1s2V90ex75v12fhowCrCUGDJvmZJ_fNVXeEZYeO7p9QW9vK83vZt-hcfR7-rJSbSXvvuIHyzCji-BEl7cUY_tLRABu1FA9G5nAQNEP2fZ_Std-mSD-OGpiS2HqYrE/s1600/DSCF2920.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRJl9ZHTyU6PcvH1s2V90ex75v12fhowCrCUGDJvmZJ_fNVXeEZYeO7p9QW9vK83vZt-hcfR7-rJSbSXvvuIHyzCji-BEl7cUY_tLRABu1FA9G5nAQNEP2fZ_Std-mSD-OGpiS2HqYrE/s400/DSCF2920.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765985784493139314" /></a><br /><br />I must confess, she's proving much more dedicated than I am. <br /><br />Moving on...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6s3aVcGu8MS-XxGQb-TPIojEq3-XSpmnSBL5ug7VULXKN5u1Yn9LIYsKDVWVKa3wUSgnJCaFQ64M4JxzAFMlMHy44XZVnMHOmfMncEMeeTrgPhs_PGIWTGaSNqxoQ1OB5Mgn152GYrcw/s1600/DSCF2932.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6s3aVcGu8MS-XxGQb-TPIojEq3-XSpmnSBL5ug7VULXKN5u1Yn9LIYsKDVWVKa3wUSgnJCaFQ64M4JxzAFMlMHy44XZVnMHOmfMncEMeeTrgPhs_PGIWTGaSNqxoQ1OB5Mgn152GYrcw/s400/DSCF2932.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765986124325287234" /></a><br /><br />Morrie is often cold living up here in the North West, so we've been on the lookout for extra blankets. Neither of us was too impressed with this threadbare comforter. Not only has it been very well used, but it came with a bunch of pillows and pillow covers, and other stuff we didn't want. Plus it was marked $10. We exchanged a few glances over it, but ultimately walked away. <br /><br />Out of nowhere, a middle aged woman appeared and said "You can have it for $7!"<br /><br />"No, thanks. We don't really need it."<br /><br />"Hokay, $5 just to get rid of it!"<br /><br />Score. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXviaZBfQFDJzNlTb4a7fD38a1eTW8jRDool5FvbfxOK2EF8_x1uNfaLodyweodFnndVCPz7yZyFKgd9J74qdjR-NZAIJDb5nT6bmyN4LgyZwSLxeyhr3mvsTXO3tpEVUtWWglcobOBnA/s1600/DSCF2907.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXviaZBfQFDJzNlTb4a7fD38a1eTW8jRDool5FvbfxOK2EF8_x1uNfaLodyweodFnndVCPz7yZyFKgd9J74qdjR-NZAIJDb5nT6bmyN4LgyZwSLxeyhr3mvsTXO3tpEVUtWWglcobOBnA/s400/DSCF2907.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765987218801199346" /></a><br /><br />I have a standing DVD rack, and over the years I've come to despise it. Don't get me wrong: it was a very thoughtful gift, and I'll even grant that it's a very clever space saving idea. But it just has too many drawbacks. I never have anywhere which I would call a 'good' place to put it, so instead it goes in three or four nebulous locations, and I move it around whenever I need to get at something it's covering. I don't really like the look of it, and worst of all, it falls over <i>FAR TOO EASILY</i> I've had to place all of my DVDs back into it many times over the years. <br /><br />But THESE are different. <br /><br />THESE have MOUNTING HOLES. Fuck. Yeah. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qxYjxjM-aqDeQyakhIpDGLb2qPEHJmv7VohJV-C7zA1Sps9T7GOYOWJ-JUpqPjCwhgnVw2YeqAZl1L0FyHhWC8r04VrNdYa4m7hTQgECIYT6s5oxhb8j4Ili4ifnkCoUCiCE2rP5s6o/s1600/DSCF2923.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 331px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qxYjxjM-aqDeQyakhIpDGLb2qPEHJmv7VohJV-C7zA1Sps9T7GOYOWJ-JUpqPjCwhgnVw2YeqAZl1L0FyHhWC8r04VrNdYa4m7hTQgECIYT6s5oxhb8j4Ili4ifnkCoUCiCE2rP5s6o/s400/DSCF2923.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765988304545138754" /></a><br /><br />There is really nothing special about this dragon. I got it for 25 cents because I thought it would be good for Morrie and I to practice painting miniature figures with. It's roughly to scale, so if we do a good job, I may even end up using it. <br /><br />Speaking of, here's our first attempt at painting minis:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfX9U2rXLg-oBooxN2zWlj4JujFTCk2eFVn-m2RTg56ct8gvCgH8KKrCe_iC55C1V6ZSVjd1kniNTyrxlAgCgatQJD0_Leq3dlz5DzneHmT9ZkqoDpQ01xkQAL3J71H34nwrA27FjPWak/s1600/DSCF2935.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfX9U2rXLg-oBooxN2zWlj4JujFTCk2eFVn-m2RTg56ct8gvCgH8KKrCe_iC55C1V6ZSVjd1kniNTyrxlAgCgatQJD0_Leq3dlz5DzneHmT9ZkqoDpQ01xkQAL3J71H34nwrA27FjPWak/s400/DSCF2935.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765988870159920306" /></a><br /><br />We kinda need the practice!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYNCyopPAqE7optRmlTd40vz3fPKJQaEBxu3iaAghhyphenhyphenO7EgRfiHByVk7jfeExoBpVwAfM8qrvp8cQyQYEfcwQ1BH20UD-Yql2gu64S0SS61X_E39oblYLvH6Vd8ozNCc4U95RMFuB484/s1600/DSCF2925.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 350px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYNCyopPAqE7optRmlTd40vz3fPKJQaEBxu3iaAghhyphenhyphenO7EgRfiHByVk7jfeExoBpVwAfM8qrvp8cQyQYEfcwQ1BH20UD-Yql2gu64S0SS61X_E39oblYLvH6Vd8ozNCc4U95RMFuB484/s400/DSCF2925.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765989073336070738" /></a><br /><br />During my recent Vacation, I did a semi-thorough cleaning out of my old junk. There's a lot of stuff which I'm very emotionally attached to, which takes up a lot of space and has no function in my life. I'm actually going to be doing a post about some of these things in the near future. <br /><br />Anyway, one of the things I cleaned out was my old Magazine collection. I really love magazines, and I had a massive tub filled with them. I didn't throw away <i>all</i> of my old magazines, mind you. Star Wars Insider is sacrosanct, and any gaming magazine from my childhood is a cherished treasure--but I felt no real sorrow when parting with more recent gaming magazines. I probably threw out about 100 pounds worth of old magazines. <br /><br />Theeeen a few days later I come home with a few new ones. But these are different, for serious!<br /><br />First off, in the upper left is an original strategy guide for Final Fantasy VI, back when it was still being published as Final Fantasy III (the numerology of that series is confusing). This is, in my most humble opinion, the strongest entry in that series of games. And while Final Fantasy VII has a strong emotional hold on me, FFVI is also my favorite. <br /><br />The other three are Nintendo Power magazines from the 90s, which as I mentioned above, are cherished treasures for me. I didn't find out until I got home that these three issues were there because they contain a 3-part series on Final Fantasy VI! <br /><br />Also funny: I got this at a garage sale which I've been visiting for 3 years straight at this point. There's a lot of pictures of the place in <a href="http://sailinggarage.blogspot.com/2010/08/garage-sailing-v-critical-load-time.html">V: Critical Load Time</a>. I don't think we actually bought anything from her last year, but I assure you were there. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEjGzuKveCsg0M4M7FzFj0vNVnxeD60v914s_665XtzkY_LdfiZH0IGeQsIcKPFQZm5fMsVqewmCF8EVAV60YlzQ78lBfLA3snyRPtqX7QVMgCRgrysTyy2eR0wdrZ3u3b8rcHgna61E/s1600/DSCF2909.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 317px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEjGzuKveCsg0M4M7FzFj0vNVnxeD60v914s_665XtzkY_LdfiZH0IGeQsIcKPFQZm5fMsVqewmCF8EVAV60YlzQ78lBfLA3snyRPtqX7QVMgCRgrysTyy2eR0wdrZ3u3b8rcHgna61E/s400/DSCF2909.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765993273783606418" /></a><br /><br />This is a duck clock. Morrie immediately regretted the $1 she spent on it. I will say no more on the matter. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21dMnPEJjZwVnvE-Hmz8YHy_ik7fh4jQEudjpHBA59F3o0HteZtV4_ztN2NLynq5HZup9WNnx5K2y2sbVnV7QaJJkekV-Cp5f0uOm-lu2zdlQbZP7yrtHtMd9OHN5imjbSvCrTyyrqJc/s1600/DSCF2924.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21dMnPEJjZwVnvE-Hmz8YHy_ik7fh4jQEudjpHBA59F3o0HteZtV4_ztN2NLynq5HZup9WNnx5K2y2sbVnV7QaJJkekV-Cp5f0uOm-lu2zdlQbZP7yrtHtMd9OHN5imjbSvCrTyyrqJc/s400/DSCF2924.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765993497815296530" /></a><br /><br />These are two of the coolest books I've ever found at a yard sale. On the left is a book of medieval history. I don't know why we don't learn medieval history in school. What's so cool about the American Revolution that we need to spend our entire primary education on it? <br /><br />On the right is Dante's <span style="font-style:italic;">Comedia</span>. The Inferno is one of my favorite pieces of classical literature, but I never had an opportunity to read Purgatorio or Paradiso. And now I do!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcz2nfp49TEA0EFkSW7u4DZswVHPQJeGN1hsFtKKcR7-GoVDq9Wi4MsQNQZHTAg0o0QMEvDQtRmTtcbWpYowpZU-cAw10k_YF43fgDsme0K5g6pn8q4dz9PId5Q4a8ico965C3o8mitg/s1600/DSCF2906.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcz2nfp49TEA0EFkSW7u4DZswVHPQJeGN1hsFtKKcR7-GoVDq9Wi4MsQNQZHTAg0o0QMEvDQtRmTtcbWpYowpZU-cAw10k_YF43fgDsme0K5g6pn8q4dz9PId5Q4a8ico965C3o8mitg/s400/DSCF2906.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765994814800410626" /></a><br /><br />Aside from being lights, these two items have nothing to do with one another. But the orange one is boring and has no story: lights which can be stored in a small space, but moved around easily, are very useful. <br /><br />The other light has a bit of a cooler story. Because I found one EXACTLY like it last year. You can see for yourself in <a href="http://sailinggarage.blogspot.com/2011/07/garage-sailing-viii-some-kind-of.html">VIII: Some Kind of Bizarre Quirky Name</a>, and it was one of the best purchases I ever made. Not only did I get to feel manly for a few minutes when I installed a switch on the cord for the light (as is, they're always on when you have them plugged in) but it's probably the light I use the most in my home. It graces my work space:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzj6p_xRrdUeM4x4clqEpStFW1UY40yvLoBRc1VKBRqIiDF9sXwwSH1H9uHWfUructEe823OBFdCiSG-rVEm9BNG7j_nb2iAgj2jvxUx9eMX8naUNC7ZdeN-pdmU50KjfGJ31UqjImxrg/s1600/DSCF2960.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzj6p_xRrdUeM4x4clqEpStFW1UY40yvLoBRc1VKBRqIiDF9sXwwSH1H9uHWfUructEe823OBFdCiSG-rVEm9BNG7j_nb2iAgj2jvxUx9eMX8naUNC7ZdeN-pdmU50KjfGJ31UqjImxrg/s400/DSCF2960.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5766001654921190882" /></a><br /><br />^That's where I'm sitting right now. It's pretty much the coolest desk ever.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1ljRago1WXtt88zcL4rSi2pRUCFF4gNibuUmOPZ9vvXWllL8IuTI2CLO1WOLGi_o1Zwz2T93s1RMFfH1rbU-g7UjwJH5KUDp-4KWFsMgHB_JI2VGbzFJZRED5zYXvSe_EiuiQp2t_5M/s1600/DSCF2927.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1ljRago1WXtt88zcL4rSi2pRUCFF4gNibuUmOPZ9vvXWllL8IuTI2CLO1WOLGi_o1Zwz2T93s1RMFfH1rbU-g7UjwJH5KUDp-4KWFsMgHB_JI2VGbzFJZRED5zYXvSe_EiuiQp2t_5M/s400/DSCF2927.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5766002893455625474" /></a><br /><br />Any day where I find NES games is a good one. Neither of these have tremendous nostalgic value for me, but Galaga is a very well remembered game, and who doesn't love Pac Man? The sidescrolling Castlevania games are always good as well. <br /><br />I know next to nothing about Escape from Monkey Island save: It's an adventure game, published by LucasArts, and everybody in the world loves it. That's reason enough for me. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Oc9a3IhtbENxYRb31yAbxB-zMBcQJKIfrEoxdoZHsszzMRulFf1jLpQBqV6VpuNLsRc5L5tN48homf5KeckoBvG4rO344yEhJ6qdgTKE8uYrpyP81lV5EGQp7CvMlK9tG2Mzi5dJCIA/s1600/DSCF2931.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Oc9a3IhtbENxYRb31yAbxB-zMBcQJKIfrEoxdoZHsszzMRulFf1jLpQBqV6VpuNLsRc5L5tN48homf5KeckoBvG4rO344yEhJ6qdgTKE8uYrpyP81lV5EGQp7CvMlK9tG2Mzi5dJCIA/s400/DSCF2931.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5766004022757090546" /></a><br /><br />These last three all come from the same place. The older couple running it were very kind, and everything they had was in astounding condition. This copy of backgammon, for example, not only has all of the pieces. It has extra pieces! And it's built into a briefcase, which just looks slick. (Are all backgammon boards built into breifcases? I dunno, I've never actually played it.)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhDoVEmHl9KcPkqaKlheiuCxDi-KRRvjr0IjB1QSeCE_V247fKXoXxTvLndetwz2kE02klsYGsT0S_8xzqVBeJxPNPG8K5CRWvTynaauEInHIfA0mH94tvdlEx9ZXdN69s-7VdILDh6E/s1600/DSCF2930.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhDoVEmHl9KcPkqaKlheiuCxDi-KRRvjr0IjB1QSeCE_V247fKXoXxTvLndetwz2kE02klsYGsT0S_8xzqVBeJxPNPG8K5CRWvTynaauEInHIfA0mH94tvdlEx9ZXdN69s-7VdILDh6E/s400/DSCF2930.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5766005355927639986" /></a><br /><br />Same with Go, really. I'm familiar with it, but never played it. To be frank, I wasn't intending to buy either one of these. But the old woman was so friendly and chatty, and I do like board games, so I gave in and made the purchase. I'm glad I did. <br /><br />Lastly, and also from that same sale:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIxjvC6XjZGKypKq-Ms7zw3FRxmI7cZYEbrMcTVJLLrWxsNLBhISJcPlCqVHRx7rvCVq9hqAuSDjSa6iBs8E8oEzkz5UDD6ieuaRxDnuwVapZSctmH6QjgxzCsgopijQ6rWDBx2Em2-g/s1600/DSCF2929.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 358px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIxjvC6XjZGKypKq-Ms7zw3FRxmI7cZYEbrMcTVJLLrWxsNLBhISJcPlCqVHRx7rvCVq9hqAuSDjSa6iBs8E8oEzkz5UDD6ieuaRxDnuwVapZSctmH6QjgxzCsgopijQ6rWDBx2Em2-g/s400/DSCF2929.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5766006221840379682" /></a><br /><br />A motherfucking crystal ball, bitch. <br /><br />This thing is hardcore. You could kill someone with this, and it wouldn't be hard. It's that heavy. <br /><br />I honestly don't even know what I'm going to do with it. But as someone who spends so much of their time working in Fantasy worlds, it is fun to actually handle the kind of MacGuffins which exist in those worlds. <br /><br />Funny story: I was holding it in my hands for a good few minutes when suddenly I felt an extreme burning sensation. The ball was focusing sunlight on my hand, and I didn't notice it until it hurt like hell. <br /><br />This was a damned good week.LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-70005080485092745732012-06-30T20:28:00.017-07:002012-07-01T16:20:14.054-07:00Garage Sailing XVII: Of Drunken Wizards and Tiny Dragons<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJEeGSkrlv8LDcfTyuO55T_F6hlfu1PX6fDEHc64EJQeQ4VAuNjsv8mVThEfUEAXQDeYFSEEzL48AQV9ewsrrTOWWhSUE6pVGyyKeexg4yHn58_VngryFPTe9_9sx4W7takW333guTUE/s1600/DSCF2884.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJEeGSkrlv8LDcfTyuO55T_F6hlfu1PX6fDEHc64EJQeQ4VAuNjsv8mVThEfUEAXQDeYFSEEzL48AQV9ewsrrTOWWhSUE6pVGyyKeexg4yHn58_VngryFPTe9_9sx4W7takW333guTUE/s400/DSCF2884.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760040993361416274" border="0" /></a>Garage Sailing was good to me today. Morrie and I ventured off in a new direction, and enjoyed some very pleasant scenery. I spend so much time in town that I sometimes forget that much of Washington is beautiful woodlands. We wandered around so much, actually, that we got completely lost and didn't care. I spent maybe 4 to 5 hours today with no idea of how to get home, and I just kept driving around at random. In the end it wasn't even that hard to find a road I recognized and follow it home. So meh.<br /><br />Aside from having a generally pleasant time together, we both found some really amazing treasures. And one of the sales we visited may have been the second best sale I've been to in three years of doing this.<br /><br />But enough of that, lets get to it:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFZt5jnYhTsw7lcmYU1qlMh8GKRDycJAIu0W4sbhGEzrfM9QrEuRYv1Bj0ETxaQDYtJ_g61fbOrmtALmCHeQLt5t5VBvXo6dET3UWJ7tr_6UjmPj0m07A5R13FfCYGK3AKo7p86jEEbg/s1600/DSCF2885.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFZt5jnYhTsw7lcmYU1qlMh8GKRDycJAIu0W4sbhGEzrfM9QrEuRYv1Bj0ETxaQDYtJ_g61fbOrmtALmCHeQLt5t5VBvXo6dET3UWJ7tr_6UjmPj0m07A5R13FfCYGK3AKo7p86jEEbg/s400/DSCF2885.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760061901120140290" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As always, there is boring stuff. We have a lot of Pasta, so Morrie thought the colander might be useful if we can fit it inside one of our larger pots. Also, one of the pots Morrie brought with her when she moved in is on its last leg and will probably need to be thrown out soon. I've been keeping an eye out for a replacement, and this copper-bottom pot is really nice.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSZ2Fp1A3NFCl7S8GQVEAmIHEgXg20QTtIPilKsKybD-8KO8TO0Tf4SR_l-aERlwkaS8fWVbksGGH9Z72IfRUwQUYIE3JgNJ9NnC5iW6J1ysjxKBh7Qai7SNoxcL5rMVPf1DbYeihyjQ/s1600/DSCF2895.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSZ2Fp1A3NFCl7S8GQVEAmIHEgXg20QTtIPilKsKybD-8KO8TO0Tf4SR_l-aERlwkaS8fWVbksGGH9Z72IfRUwQUYIE3JgNJ9NnC5iW6J1ysjxKBh7Qai7SNoxcL5rMVPf1DbYeihyjQ/s400/DSCF2895.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760070417413744962" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Morrie likes to grow things, and she likes these pots. Growing stuff in our apartment hasn't worked out well in the past, since we get no real sunlight in here. But she might be planning to make another attempt at it, I'm not sure. Which might be why she later picked up these:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlg8vi4A83gOtqnW4Xcll2EmyBFZlpsKub_856t1FNgmwZVJQeBODxfnk5fWk4uAW9o9b5J83l1Qu9ZXGK_5Ozb7MQwGk8GfpJJsXthuq11X0XLQGHXXu-U5p85Y9QVjRO_MpoiIdWQM/s1600/DSCF2894.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlg8vi4A83gOtqnW4Xcll2EmyBFZlpsKub_856t1FNgmwZVJQeBODxfnk5fWk4uAW9o9b5J83l1Qu9ZXGK_5Ozb7MQwGk8GfpJJsXthuq11X0XLQGHXXu-U5p85Y9QVjRO_MpoiIdWQM/s400/DSCF2894.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760070791418342962" border="0" /></a><br />A box set of books from the '70s about growing plants in your home. In particular I think she's interested in "Growing Plants Under Light" and "House Plants To Grow If You Have No Sun." She's primarily interested in seeing if we can grow any food here, so hopefully there are some edible plants that will work with these techniques.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOj1Dj7O54epgtKDzg2pgkwFhbCj9ht-R40cIXhsCWaZI2JyG-T-XAepgit_ExOKt4_H6ixEJC4r_mCnlgIUAWaTreFBsV4J8SEdz7Pf0ja3Y6gBXBiTAQqgL6i1aLrIuAqwS8hcjIRI/s1600/DSCF2899.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 330px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOj1Dj7O54epgtKDzg2pgkwFhbCj9ht-R40cIXhsCWaZI2JyG-T-XAepgit_ExOKt4_H6ixEJC4r_mCnlgIUAWaTreFBsV4J8SEdz7Pf0ja3Y6gBXBiTAQqgL6i1aLrIuAqwS8hcjIRI/s400/DSCF2899.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760344852533359186" /></a><br /><br />Almost every Garage Sale has a few DVDs out, and most weeks I come back with one or maybe two. Unfortunately, I run into two problems when buying DVDs: many people have tastes which do not even slightly parallel my own, and many people price DVDs at $3-$5 each. That's not a bad price, but it is a prohibitive price. I'm not going to spend $30 on a handful of DVDs. <br /><br />Today, though, we found a place that wanted only a single dollar per DVD, and had a number of movies I was interested in. <br /><br />Taxi driver is a landmark film which I've been wanting to see for years now. Jurassic Park can be a bit campy, but it's still a mid-'90s classic, and one I've really wanted to see again. The Brotherhood of the Wolf comes <i>highly</i> recommended from my uncle, and the Pianist comes highly recommended from just about everyone. <br /><br />All three Spiderman films were available there, but I already picked up the 2nd movie two years ago. So these will round out that trilogy. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADtc9Qva4S8G0_7NWQrQIkRbNZuAvZ0y6ILSof9EEIByhkzmqfNvODJO2yXO6o_skwi3xQIxVSCyNCEEwijuePQfAHkWm6ylrw5t2Jz8U2fN9ZcJBQEPuUXW30OrQDl_EpkX_SL7NXCo/s1600/DSCF2900.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADtc9Qva4S8G0_7NWQrQIkRbNZuAvZ0y6ILSof9EEIByhkzmqfNvODJO2yXO6o_skwi3xQIxVSCyNCEEwijuePQfAHkWm6ylrw5t2Jz8U2fN9ZcJBQEPuUXW30OrQDl_EpkX_SL7NXCo/s400/DSCF2900.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760081450721009330" /></a><br /><br />This set of historical texts was hidden amongst a bunch of college textbooks. They're all filled with artwork and photographs of artifacts from the cultures they detail. The writing is very compelling from what I've been able to read so far, and I'm excited to expand my knowledge a bit on each of these cultures. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgx1eE9j7ol7Ll0oK3N6BeqMW8hK-ujEt8ZMB2X5X4DhdqIxnNuZaDJ3MIVetHIIKP8BuwhWx1a92AubSLNgOT6Z39lZj2QOhxkDh5CX6ZJKuAsWv0lVWnGCMIRtEMJbz_7_WIdVEpISA/s1600/DSCF2898.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 277px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgx1eE9j7ol7Ll0oK3N6BeqMW8hK-ujEt8ZMB2X5X4DhdqIxnNuZaDJ3MIVetHIIKP8BuwhWx1a92AubSLNgOT6Z39lZj2QOhxkDh5CX6ZJKuAsWv0lVWnGCMIRtEMJbz_7_WIdVEpISA/s400/DSCF2898.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760082666956890578" /></a><br /><br />This novel was from the same pile I got the above history books from. It just looks fascinating to me. As best I can tell, it is a fantasy novel about three princesses, written by three women. Each of the three is on a separate quest to save their kingdoms.<br /><br />Aside from being a cool concept, I'm drawn to the book because it stands alone. Most fantasy books I find at garage sales are part of a series. A series which is almost never sold in its entirety. There came a point a few years ago when I realized I had a lot of second hand fantasy books, and most of them were in the middle of a series which I didn't own the rest of. <br /><br />That's annoying. <br /><br />Edit: God damnit. There are four sequels to Black Trillium. >.><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBU_Qky3nHdzeuSFfY0gBDdy8JYRVtoT3jMYJRvZS8d1dgSU38-nkc1VAxByZlHad_7kbieLf-BmslHSq1r_zjfl_PMxVA0IwtxddYzAYhH0NsQdNwLhzavjS0Pu1FPPtGIXYmlA6zAI/s1600/DSCF2886.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBU_Qky3nHdzeuSFfY0gBDdy8JYRVtoT3jMYJRvZS8d1dgSU38-nkc1VAxByZlHad_7kbieLf-BmslHSq1r_zjfl_PMxVA0IwtxddYzAYhH0NsQdNwLhzavjS0Pu1FPPtGIXYmlA6zAI/s400/DSCF2886.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760084315102450242" /></a><br /><br />Boots and a bag! These are things Morrie needed for working and for school. It's always nice to find the necessities on the cheap at garage sales. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7R9nw3FbLKJpm4iULiGcZItg-2sPRz2gAvG4IKzOBNBmZh1o3ADo73T2XqQsd8aqT41faFQD4PUStvWX2LyDHBnIkojtFiuru3z2-D-LACGW9obLOuilUDUbpYR_l_I9hJHit9lZ_RjA/s1600/DSCF2896.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 371px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7R9nw3FbLKJpm4iULiGcZItg-2sPRz2gAvG4IKzOBNBmZh1o3ADo73T2XqQsd8aqT41faFQD4PUStvWX2LyDHBnIkojtFiuru3z2-D-LACGW9obLOuilUDUbpYR_l_I9hJHit9lZ_RjA/s400/DSCF2896.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760085044182248930" /></a><br /><br />Finding this was an absolute shock to me. I was floored. I almost never find anything this specific to my interests. I mean, I know that I'm not exactly the only Final Fantasy fan out there. But there are not many fans who go so far as to buy the CDs.<br /><br />Now, by the time I got my hands on Final Fantasy IX, I was past the point where I could easily sink weeks into an RPG. I never did finish the game, though I did get pretty far in it. But even if I had never played it at all, Nobuo Uematsu's music is unmatched. The man knows how to write compelling music, and this CD is a special arrangement which he ostensibly set up himself!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXidXMS7FlZXCUlaF88WAHxzqBnOKYpPk-OOsOO2I-lP8zT75raXFxYe8uFCA_sjaB_6F4dvP4hYcF0PHsay42Lm5eE_eGZgyfugO9KcGYAOcCjgPHBWHXy_7olo5eFgeiy0c1x_tfng/s1600/DSCF2882.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXidXMS7FlZXCUlaF88WAHxzqBnOKYpPk-OOsOO2I-lP8zT75raXFxYe8uFCA_sjaB_6F4dvP4hYcF0PHsay42Lm5eE_eGZgyfugO9KcGYAOcCjgPHBWHXy_7olo5eFgeiy0c1x_tfng/s400/DSCF2882.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760086034450060466" /></a><br /><br />Everything else today all came from the same sale--the really great one I mentioned earlier. As I mentioned both to Morrie and to the guy running the sale, it seems as though his interests were adjacent to my own. It didn't seem like we were quite on the same wavelength, but there was a bit of overlap. <br /><br />To be frank, I'm thankful we didn't have more in common. I spent $25 at that sale. And if all the cool stuff he was selling had been more relevant to my interests, I probably would have spent $100 or more. <br /><br />The above is a really nice metal storage space for documents. Being a half-assed writer, I've got a lot of notes, binders, folders, and other such things cluttering up my work space. I did pick up something like this at an office supply store awhile ago, but it's cheap plastic junk. This is much nicer. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLeCnkQdBJZHSN_hT9zg9uFmbL3s2QS5T3empaSfZfdSq2tMjjDHFK8H4BQ-Feg2Ngxw_hyphenhypheng9h5Wt0CjnadFPyw_NW43PEVShnmxhpStP2C6rysolc-v5bOBepodkNy9w9mBI8VUtVHY/s1600/DSCF2893.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 370px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLeCnkQdBJZHSN_hT9zg9uFmbL3s2QS5T3empaSfZfdSq2tMjjDHFK8H4BQ-Feg2Ngxw_hyphenhypheng9h5Wt0CjnadFPyw_NW43PEVShnmxhpStP2C6rysolc-v5bOBepodkNy9w9mBI8VUtVHY/s400/DSCF2893.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760087174293052386" /></a><br /><br />These are a little goofy, but I actually got them free because I was buying a bunch of expensive stuff. At the bottom of the picture is my new deck of Star Trek playing cards. I've never even watched The Original Series, it's far too campy in my opinion. But Star Trek playing cards are cooler than the playing cards you pick up at a grocery store. <br /><br />Above them is a little stack of art cards. These are just small reproductions of art done by a guy named Christos Achilleos. There's some really cool art in here, which I tried to display in the photograph. Not sure how well that worked, though. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjde7ofav_nZC7yiJwF3EVfMEjK6pLPeOmbY805m9mt-32qKjjOngHvJJAEFhhzuHBPeTNCSBQBCBTq62IlUPHa_VXJuq7_JB_z9hMIdPiHx2u3QadMlPzbdQbc07Cfb6i6Zk2JSXq4jP8/s1600/DSCF2889.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjde7ofav_nZC7yiJwF3EVfMEjK6pLPeOmbY805m9mt-32qKjjOngHvJJAEFhhzuHBPeTNCSBQBCBTq62IlUPHa_VXJuq7_JB_z9hMIdPiHx2u3QadMlPzbdQbc07Cfb6i6Zk2JSXq4jP8/s400/DSCF2889.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760088415651822466" /></a><br /><br />As mentioned last year, I think Steins are awesome. I'm not a fan of decorative, collectible steins, though. I prefer functional steins, which are appropriately sized to actually use. <br /><br />This was clearly intended to be a display piece. The staff held by the pewter wizard isn't very strong and bends quite easily. I still intend to drink soda out of it during D&D games though. Because that's how I roll. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ22PuqWm0wFxuRXttLR87mHSIPPuTOagugcMnrfW5_CIbYNhkEwquQm5yurjqtJpzGo4DR5pfVzU8W0KzSQMDIblDFacEVHLBljl5mRaZg5RdyGU8ngN_ls_0WY6twM-v2I34cNNozeU/s1600/DSCF2890.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ22PuqWm0wFxuRXttLR87mHSIPPuTOagugcMnrfW5_CIbYNhkEwquQm5yurjqtJpzGo4DR5pfVzU8W0KzSQMDIblDFacEVHLBljl5mRaZg5RdyGU8ngN_ls_0WY6twM-v2I34cNNozeU/s400/DSCF2890.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760088919770988098" /></a><br /><br />So, surely everybody knows <a href="http://www.paperspencils.com/">I'm a tabletop RPG nerd</a>. It's kinda my schtick. Well, in order to help visualize battles, tabletop players traditionally use miniatures made of lead or pewter. I've never been a huge fan of them, because I feel they limit the imagination potential of the game. None the less, they can be really cool looking, and if handled correctly, can greatly enhance the gameplay experience. <br /><br />This unassembled dragon miniature is almost 30 years old. Aside from missing its horns, it appears to be entirely complete. Plus it comes with a topless lady. The box art lies. The figurine has nipples. <br /><br />Now I just need an excuse to make my players face a black dragon. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZAix57EVhMYHyV693M1qVQozjl46WtAFIxlxj9VwHV1uoUzD0mMdgEQV7y-BljN33RQP_PVdeLYauohPaBlyi_4Q6T-J-1XY0Q3lojUGreSmfcW35AUWUyqB6mSQzsdTYgETe2Av9H8/s1600/DSCF2888.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZAix57EVhMYHyV693M1qVQozjl46WtAFIxlxj9VwHV1uoUzD0mMdgEQV7y-BljN33RQP_PVdeLYauohPaBlyi_4Q6T-J-1XY0Q3lojUGreSmfcW35AUWUyqB6mSQzsdTYgETe2Av9H8/s400/DSCF2888.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760091006516535074" /></a><br /><br />While I wouldn't call this my favorite find of the day, it is certainly the most unexpectedly valuable. Being a huge Star Wars fan, I merely thought the idea of a nice weighty statue depicting a scene from my favorite of the films would be fun. Personally I think Jabba the Hutt is a little over represented in Star Wars merchandise (probably because of Slave Leia), but none the less it was cool. <br /><br />After spending $10 on it, I noticed that it had a certificate of authenticity attached to it. I also noticed that it was a numbered piece from a collection of 5000. And, as it turns out, sells fro about $100 online. <br /><br />I'm not going to sell it. I wouldn't have paid $100 for it, but I like it all the same. I just count myself lucky to have picked up something cool for a very reasonable price.LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-25924018110959064502012-06-17T00:37:00.003-07:002012-06-17T11:26:01.088-07:00Garage Sailing XVI: I Ought to find a Larger Sheet<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0sNVgbZeUf9t2Q_cWZyDIx6osgelxOqdcwYN-a5xPq6jW-LGu-deNXRPU-V_VynM0sjRbfjlzH_zdp1OH7rwM7mBdZGhO-U3K7Rv4tolydztvSsp8kwpSCrbm6vyTYji0U_Dlmxyvao/s1600/DSCF2866.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0sNVgbZeUf9t2Q_cWZyDIx6osgelxOqdcwYN-a5xPq6jW-LGu-deNXRPU-V_VynM0sjRbfjlzH_zdp1OH7rwM7mBdZGhO-U3K7Rv4tolydztvSsp8kwpSCrbm6vyTYji0U_Dlmxyvao/s400/DSCF2866.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5754908021620924706" border="0" /></a><br /><br />On Friday I needed to do just a little work on my car while at an auto part store. Nothing major, but for safety reasons I needed to disconnect my car's battery. I absent mindedly returned the tools I was borrowing before I reconnected the battery. But the place is only about 3 minutes from my home, so since the work was done I figured I'd just hand-tighten the battery connection, and use my own tools when I got home.<br /><br />Which I promptly forgot to do.<br /><br />So on Saturday morning, when I was driving around garage sailing, guess whose car suddenly died in the middle of a busy street? Yeah, that was fun. Fortunately a nice young fellow offered to help me push my car to the side of the road, where I again hand-tightened the battery connection. It was enough for me to limp to my parent's place, where I borrowed a wrench.<br /><br />A fun start to the day.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSuyhaFuA3lM6kutfTJ_zvnCLNMJyXku-uppjnllcESKlZWNz9tpJk-FFyXRknC_pQ9B8W8vU1gJjnG8sLLTOMFYpSSinjmo9veLlgR7fDt645ZUsk7o5mCt1LweAQ5EXbaDQll1yz4E/s1600/DSCF2868.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSuyhaFuA3lM6kutfTJ_zvnCLNMJyXku-uppjnllcESKlZWNz9tpJk-FFyXRknC_pQ9B8W8vU1gJjnG8sLLTOMFYpSSinjmo9veLlgR7fDt645ZUsk7o5mCt1LweAQ5EXbaDQll1yz4E/s400/DSCF2868.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755058677456884594" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I guess Morrie recently broke a picture frame at work. Nothing major, but these frames cost next to nothing. Ten cents for the two small ones, twenty five for the two larger ones. Not our most exciting find of the day.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgmNQSsMROdl1uVTv3rBHAvOjayX2gCkipLZps_YB5gtv2CZAU0NKzIO5sDETCD_Lv3gfVseL9IlZduvQWajE0w6fizwktbm_L8FFIwr5x8a_cJyNu2-YwAgQBPpYd5bWsCGr95ukcyc/s1600/DSCF2870.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgmNQSsMROdl1uVTv3rBHAvOjayX2gCkipLZps_YB5gtv2CZAU0NKzIO5sDETCD_Lv3gfVseL9IlZduvQWajE0w6fizwktbm_L8FFIwr5x8a_cJyNu2-YwAgQBPpYd5bWsCGr95ukcyc/s400/DSCF2870.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755059867507576946" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://sailinggarage.blogspot.com/">Last week</a>, Morrie and I got some sticks and some brushes for our new hobby, <a href="http://whfm.blogspot.com/2010_06_02_archive.html">terrain building</a>. In the week between, we also managed to get into a terrain building seminar which is being hosted at a <a href="http://paizo.com/paizocon">convention we'll be attending</a>. And while garage sailing today, we also found a few additional tools. The knives will be useful in cutting and texturing the Styrofoam which is used for most of the large objects. The glue gun will have numerous uses. Though--and you'd be surprised how often this happens--we ended up finding 4 better glue guns throughout the day. We didn't buy them, since we already had one, but goddamn it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4X6ZvMhms7RN7GC8VLg9OrTtun-zxrB2Vy8TVo8MNX-0uZrKnu49b3a5UXkpwY6m-i-p1vLzbWDeZd-P5gZbdx8iKk4X4kZGjSUm0rr6TifCRsC2X4KTyBPtOOzR4KWeVfh8Rz999x9Y/s1600/DSCF2872.JPG"><img style="display:block;margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4X6ZvMhms7RN7GC8VLg9OrTtun-zxrB2Vy8TVo8MNX-0uZrKnu49b3a5UXkpwY6m-i-p1vLzbWDeZd-P5gZbdx8iKk4X4kZGjSUm0rr6TifCRsC2X4KTyBPtOOzR4KWeVfh8Rz999x9Y/s400/DSCF2872.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755063852501610930" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Morrie and I both have a bit of the comic book nerd in us. Neither of us are really hardcore, but I've been following Wonder Woman for a few years now, and she reads a lot of Batman.<br /><br />This lady had a HUGE box of comics for a dollar each. The box was almost entirely made up of Catwoman comics, and something called 'cyberforce' or some nonsense. Neither of those interested me, but I did find these two Batman comics. The center comic is from an iconic Batman storyline actual, where <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/Bane_breaks_Batman.png/175px-Bane_breaks_Batman.png">Batman is defeated by Bane</a>. The comic on the left is actually a Dungeons and Dragons comic book put out by Marvel. I had never heard of this before, but it was actually not a bad read. At least compared to other comics of that era. I wouldn't mind learning more about it and maybe finding the other comics in that series.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLi8bAehcTd-h-K1B-0BOrbUyiIiT-He3EOS-cNc4X3q1TCDWDx1kPJ4teA5ve1o73j6r2pDDd_lS7SY_FeBFKdm6xlEydl1JbtP5pNaDW5wOqTSTRr-4IJNVq-4MAcE1xIf0Jf83l3jk/s1600/DSCF2874.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLi8bAehcTd-h-K1B-0BOrbUyiIiT-He3EOS-cNc4X3q1TCDWDx1kPJ4teA5ve1o73j6r2pDDd_lS7SY_FeBFKdm6xlEydl1JbtP5pNaDW5wOqTSTRr-4IJNVq-4MAcE1xIf0Jf83l3jk/s400/DSCF2874.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755065842030148498" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Nothing like finding hardbound classics for 75 cents apiece. And nothing beats Sherlock Holmes. Conan Doyle's style remains accessible despite the fact that his world has become so far removed from ours.<br /><br />I actually hate reading Jules Verne, and 'A Journey to the Center of the Earth' is particularly bad. But I respect it as the progenitor of modern Science Fiction. It's nice to have a copy for reference if nothing else, and I really ought to give reading it another shot.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9ID_OIlfsmj0fYpWFb6G6Ez2OJuYJypb5bVcd5dXtwLGN-ZTmekUyRUKhB9o_TKcCEF0a3v-34XT31dUkwp3dQE8cAIO_51pPo0tBA_lxcRWXtw_5Kw-5xgIDGmZJW3cJjsoTNtNKP4/s1600/DSCF2875.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9ID_OIlfsmj0fYpWFb6G6Ez2OJuYJypb5bVcd5dXtwLGN-ZTmekUyRUKhB9o_TKcCEF0a3v-34XT31dUkwp3dQE8cAIO_51pPo0tBA_lxcRWXtw_5Kw-5xgIDGmZJW3cJjsoTNtNKP4/s400/DSCF2875.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755066724483726786" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Last year Morrie was excited to find a <a href="http://sailinggarage.blogspot.com/2011/07/garage-sailing-viii-some-kind-of.html">leaf press kit</a>, which she has used pretty frequently. This is a much higher quality leaf/flower press kit, with a larger surface area. The bolts will provide a lot more pressure than the Velcro straps did as well, so this was a great find for her at $4.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdGJyHWGsRKDZ7AZf1nE6zOAVFdqaHlrJjJBx1IXP90jLfX6S8JidyCZKa_Rkz36nBHGIL58m36xNKFyasb0u0pkdMyLT6jTN0ttaQXSvhH-OCeE3ln-GSVqMS64Lqn8zZD17XnEbAeU/s1600/DSCF2876.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdGJyHWGsRKDZ7AZf1nE6zOAVFdqaHlrJjJBx1IXP90jLfX6S8JidyCZKa_Rkz36nBHGIL58m36xNKFyasb0u0pkdMyLT6jTN0ttaQXSvhH-OCeE3ln-GSVqMS64Lqn8zZD17XnEbAeU/s400/DSCF2876.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755068717987093106" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This is just some random junk, really. Top left is a model of Squidward's house (from Spongebob Squarepants) which is meant to be used in a fish tank. Morrie really enjoys that cartoon, and there are some fish at work. The thing cost 50 cents, so meh.<br /><br />Top right is another Beanie baby that Morrie had as a kid. She's been slowly collecting the ones she remembers playing with from her childhood whenever we find one.<br /><br />Bottom left is a water skin. Because Morrie likes to go hiking and whatnot, and these things are cool.<br /><br />Bottom right is about 20ft of Cat5 cable, which saves me a trip to the store, because I needed that. Plus I got it for about a dollar.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDuRYwSa-6oa4L8Qi4b-8UJlw2OJZutAvXpF6BjDUhQzibOLq206N8vDLukv2ikHIyDG5rqkjVR9hejbZ-FZgYcdhfFPzHklx8xba9bWNsOq4fFmC985xAqgQZv-0OjY2yR7kFAha8oU/s1600/DSCF2877.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDuRYwSa-6oa4L8Qi4b-8UJlw2OJZutAvXpF6BjDUhQzibOLq206N8vDLukv2ikHIyDG5rqkjVR9hejbZ-FZgYcdhfFPzHklx8xba9bWNsOq4fFmC985xAqgQZv-0OjY2yR7kFAha8oU/s400/DSCF2877.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755069728046659538" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I've got a thing for ancient greek art, so I was pretty happy to find this knock off depiction of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull-leaping">bull leaping</a>. I know very little about this particular part of Greek culture, or this painting in particular. None the less, I really enjoy the style, and the Bull's erect, square dick makes me giggle.<br /><br />I will need to research the origins of this piece further.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4II5GgQL7BFTKlUP-kmuOK8KILqCpg40dQbseZxa4ni6gQEkpkiuwIVAJ3hGz0ZJeOKbUZI5ZdTBzEhHBJuE_hDLVluclKy0DsRSNwFxK835GvZGWedHV0CmProb6lYQ99hYIfRa_BTI/s1600/DSCF2878.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4II5GgQL7BFTKlUP-kmuOK8KILqCpg40dQbseZxa4ni6gQEkpkiuwIVAJ3hGz0ZJeOKbUZI5ZdTBzEhHBJuE_hDLVluclKy0DsRSNwFxK835GvZGWedHV0CmProb6lYQ99hYIfRa_BTI/s400/DSCF2878.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755071574211030882" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Scrabble! Not just Scrabble, but <b>SUPER</b> Scrabble!<br /><br />As mentioned before, I love board games. And as evidenced by the whole 'writer' thing, I also enjoy words. So Scrabble is a game I really enjoy, even if it's not a game I'm particularly good at.<br /><br />This edition of scrabble comes with a lot more letters, a much larger board, and is in brand-new condition. Now I just need to find somebody else who wants to sit around for an hour trying to come up with the longest words possible.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoX4ctFiqfXTCS4vO4e1fdHx41FRIC70jA0YvM4Jv7MDJp3_i5YkbZCkrBTCFgTrY2uYNtzjY8gOVWmWBvmSk8psDLzAcZk92yarYSnca2fDKKnefaWp3TZ0S6L7lmUUoIy3wwbeJj-k/s1600/DSCF2871.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoX4ctFiqfXTCS4vO4e1fdHx41FRIC70jA0YvM4Jv7MDJp3_i5YkbZCkrBTCFgTrY2uYNtzjY8gOVWmWBvmSk8psDLzAcZk92yarYSnca2fDKKnefaWp3TZ0S6L7lmUUoIy3wwbeJj-k/s400/DSCF2871.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5755072780358934530" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Okay, this is kinda cheating. I didn't get these at a garage sale. However, we stopped to go to the Bathroom at a place that rents videos. They were selling old videos for "but one, get two free," which is a pretty great deal. Even if the one I had to pay for cost $10.<br /><br />The Immortals was supposed to be terrible, but I was impressed by the trailer when I saw it a year ago, and I want to give it a look see for myself. Conan similarly received mediocre reviews, but I enjoyed the original Schwarzenegger film, so again I'd like to give it a try. I've never heard of 'An Education,' but judging it by its cover, it's probably a film of higher quality than the other two. It says it won awards and shit!<br /><br />And that's everything we got this week. I'm particularly excited for the bull jumping print, and the scrabble game. Those are just cool.LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-29651950270882425612012-06-09T22:47:00.010-07:002012-06-10T00:05:18.832-07:00Garage Sailing XV: Year of the Third, And Fuckit, the Wacky Titles Were Awesome<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKex-ula8v-ynsPviaVKDH6PRhe9-NeCt6Adc1C2gXrYoHYrTVAXefgkbKC5Y03uDGenXzIKt8TG_gWBbAOzSyfFYSDUdkvL3aMcdOSXM5kTNSBfAG_2fexrSuVyy-0WTj4uH0MjmdLAo/s1600/DSCF2857.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKex-ula8v-ynsPviaVKDH6PRhe9-NeCt6Adc1C2gXrYoHYrTVAXefgkbKC5Y03uDGenXzIKt8TG_gWBbAOzSyfFYSDUdkvL3aMcdOSXM5kTNSBfAG_2fexrSuVyy-0WTj4uH0MjmdLAo/s400/DSCF2857.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5752282706375654466" border="0" /></a><br />It's really strange writing a seasonal blog. It's out of my life for most of the year, but I keep coming back to it.<br /><br />Things are a little different for me this year. I have a little more money, a lot less time, and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.paperspencils.com">a blog about tabletop role playing games</a> which I update much more frequently. I'm a much more disciplined writer now, so it's doubtful I'll put these posts off for any reason. However, given how much more I'm writing (and the fact that I now have a regular gaming group) I'll probably be visiting sales somewhat less frequently.<br /><br />But enough of this nonsense, lets get to the pictures and stories. Today was a good haul!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPigXCP2gHAa5csUlUB3_F9oW73PkWlGn0KOGiMhGpNtX4hrklBMMZew1t0-eV_sIUwx4JSaR8sOXl-zraama9474Z_IrpZ17EWxN_W-KHhYLFq6l2FkR92SnVgIvjlD7QEdG3n4sr6g/s1600/DSCF2859.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPigXCP2gHAa5csUlUB3_F9oW73PkWlGn0KOGiMhGpNtX4hrklBMMZew1t0-eV_sIUwx4JSaR8sOXl-zraama9474Z_IrpZ17EWxN_W-KHhYLFq6l2FkR92SnVgIvjlD7QEdG3n4sr6g/s400/DSCF2859.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5752283011234160258" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In recent months I've become seriously interested in <a href="http://www.paperspencils.com/category/board-game/">board games</a>. Which isn't to say I've become interested in the kinds of games most people pciture when they think of "board games." Fuck monopoly, that game is a piece of shit.<br /><br />Most of the games I like are games which people haven't heard of. Games like <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/699/heroquest">Hero Quest</a>, <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/15987/arkham-horror">Arkham Horror</a>, and <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1508/broadside">Broadside</a>. (That last one I actually got <a href="http://sailinggarage.blogspot.com/2010/08/garage-sailing-iv-sidekicks-and-magpies.html">during my first year of garage sailing</a>!) These games aren't simply intended to keep children occupied, or give families with nothing in common something to do together. They generally have a lot more strategy to them, and a lot less random chance.<br /><br />There are, however, a few common games which I enjoy. Chess and checkers are both obvious examples. Stratego is another good one. There are a massive amount of pieces on the board, with only subtle difference between them. How you position them at the start of the game has a lot of bearing on how the game will play out. And since the pieces' values are kept secret, players who are able to track pieces and notice small details are rewarded.<br /><br />Plus, I love getting old copies of games. Old box art and piece/board design is always cool. Unfortunately, the blue army is missing 3 out of 40 pieces. The loss can be offset by simply removing those same pieces from the opposing army, but it's still a bit of a pain.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8ZQw3Vzf1_p_i4e8KeKSWx2SkqBK48S8iXNGD3_Uu5kS5niiKEBtG_WDCIeJ8NIah5EzIlhiXE_Ujoai-SRsK4-W1ndJ9Pr_FSsP3fdDDpwiO_TwKnnCJnLBAoMyId5Z5VBWC-AOM_o/s1600/DSCF2860.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8ZQw3Vzf1_p_i4e8KeKSWx2SkqBK48S8iXNGD3_Uu5kS5niiKEBtG_WDCIeJ8NIah5EzIlhiXE_Ujoai-SRsK4-W1ndJ9Pr_FSsP3fdDDpwiO_TwKnnCJnLBAoMyId5Z5VBWC-AOM_o/s400/DSCF2860.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5752288113734194546" border="0" /></a><br />I got a number of great books today. Though, full disclosure: I got some of these from The Good Will. Morrie and I visited it after we finished our sailing for the day, because she was looking for some crafting supplies (which I'll discuss later).<br /><br />Going left to right, we've got two Goosebumps books. Like everyone else my age, I loved these when I was a kid. They were some of the first books I really became engaged in. As I was graduating from picture books to slightly longer and more advanced books, I was becoming aware that there didn't seem to be any books which I found exciting. Nothing which connected to my interests or involved any real danger. At least, nothing which was available in my school's library. Most books tried to engage me by writing stories about kids 'like me.' What I wanted to read was fantastic tales of adventure, and Goosebumps delivered.<br /><br />Thinking back on it, R.L. Stine may have saved me from losing my love of reading.<br /><br />Years ago I turned in all of my Goosebumps books to a bookstore, so I could earn store credit for more books. But recently I've been thinking it would be fun to read some of those books again, and see what it was that engaged me as a kid. I got both of these for a quarter, so I'd say it was a good choice.<br /><br />By the way, I opened to a random page and read this:<br /><blockquote>"Nooo!" Nat let out a terrified wail and tried to bury his head in his sister's wet T-shirt.<br /></blockquote>Aw yeah. This'll be fun to read.<br /><br />Next is a book written by George Carlin. I like that fellow. He had a big impact on my life.<br /><br />Following that is a Star Trek novel. I do not normally read Star Trek novels, because they have a much lower standard of quality than Star Wars novels do, and because they are not considered canon. However, I just finished watching Star Trek: Voyager for the first time, and Captain Janeway is fucking awesome. So the story of her life might be a fun read.<br /><br />Far right on the top row is "The Nitpicker's Guide for Next Generation Trekkers." Essentially it's an episode guide which points out continuity problems and whatnot. I've watched through Star Trek: TNG so many times that I thought it would be fun to pull this out next time I do. Might be fun to watch for all the little problems in the episodes. Though I think 2/3rds of the book is just episode synopses. Not worth more than the dollar or so I paid for it.<br /><br />On the bottom are some random fantasy novels, and an anthology of Ray Bradbury's works. I've never read Bradbury, despite his writing being mostly in genres that I read. I guess he was on my mind due to his recent death, so when I saw his name I grabbed it. Incidentally, that's also how I first encountered George Carlin. Everybody was whining about how sad it was that he died, so I decided to find out who the hell he was.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyMTl9q28ms63lFf8ny3MxkocCj9OQ2V7sGSRN5oRDuRul2kwqtpu6BBgDYHk5tL-dzng9Aihg8uED1yZnufcLS7BIddYwZHzOe-YDaqemE8o6MUg2TImle4HS3o0tXSicMCcmNYy3ig/s1600/DSCF2862.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyMTl9q28ms63lFf8ny3MxkocCj9OQ2V7sGSRN5oRDuRul2kwqtpu6BBgDYHk5tL-dzng9Aihg8uED1yZnufcLS7BIddYwZHzOe-YDaqemE8o6MUg2TImle4HS3o0tXSicMCcmNYy3ig/s400/DSCF2862.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5752293911977906146" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Remember <a href="http://sailinggarage.blogspot.com/2011/08/garage-sailing-xii-tale-of-two-weeks.html">that bed we got last year</a>? We eventually got mattress and box spring for it, and its quite nice. But do you have any idea how much sheets cost for a bed like that? A single set of sheets costs over $60 god damned dollars! Fuck that noise! I could buy a board game for that much.<br /><br />This extremely soft comforter was $8. That is a much nicer price.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vPmiH9VmrMoXW0PG8Gfv6Gk7XAlJbpDUFc600lsxRn5OVJtP77o0KPD1XlmE7rF9cFHRDqVjiEUe-a2l0rPhnU0gLKmmdQ-zVajdsYRLgmwR1C-4-v462crtUEWn934g_pDOGxg2D_0/s1600/DSCF2863.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vPmiH9VmrMoXW0PG8Gfv6Gk7XAlJbpDUFc600lsxRn5OVJtP77o0KPD1XlmE7rF9cFHRDqVjiEUe-a2l0rPhnU0gLKmmdQ-zVajdsYRLgmwR1C-4-v462crtUEWn934g_pDOGxg2D_0/s400/DSCF2863.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5752295212931114338" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Remember above when I said Morrie was looking for some crafting stuff? Well, this is the stuff she found while we were out. (Incidentally, none of it was from the Good Will.)<br /><br />During a recent visit to a gaming store, Morrie encountered wargaming landscapes for the first time. If you're not familiar, it's a little something like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnL2rbgZjfytUSI2s1aJOgNjFsSP6H_YMczEropuFFbUXHvmwh1ZpzJLE_jDgwOEgKqNCG2pST9tNmdghikkgqI0K6QwhB89dLLmDBlOWZSOxI24wbd7b5X6s8E13gEs2588iVNAFG09k/s1600/fsldjhslkdfhsdlkfh38.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnL2rbgZjfytUSI2s1aJOgNjFsSP6H_YMczEropuFFbUXHvmwh1ZpzJLE_jDgwOEgKqNCG2pST9tNmdghikkgqI0K6QwhB89dLLmDBlOWZSOxI24wbd7b5X6s8E13gEs2588iVNAFG09k/s400/fsldjhslkdfhsdlkfh38.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5752295882875129346" border="0" /></a><br /><br />That's, obviously, a pretty extreme example. But you get the idea: miniature landscapes. There are numerous games which make use of these things. Generally the idea is that all the players have miniature armies, and battle each other using a set of rules put forth in a book.<br /><br />She became quite fascinated with the idea, and determined to start making some landscapes of her own. This is great, because making landscapes is actually something I've always wanted to do as well. Neither of us is <i>particularly</i> invested in how the landscapes are used. At present we're thinking of using them for our Pathfinder games (a role playing game similar to Dungeons and Dragons), but if we really start to get into it I'll probably start looking into miniature wargames. Those have always seemed cool to me.<br /><br />All we found today was some brushes, some construction sticks, a triangle, and some paints. Nothing too exciting, but anything we can get cheaply is a bonus! This is a pretty expensive hobby.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlW7O4cwhDfl-ETjgAU6Ql4T6BB-h_0wCQ-99pFqaOWThrBL0CDXWYhB1DxicW36FFG571vp3kjURo6yie2PGLVKt1semCej6lBOeDXlzHMF7w4uzKFZEWudoe0n2ZxJXV5PXvD-Zrmkg/s1600/DSCF2864.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlW7O4cwhDfl-ETjgAU6Ql4T6BB-h_0wCQ-99pFqaOWThrBL0CDXWYhB1DxicW36FFG571vp3kjURo6yie2PGLVKt1semCej6lBOeDXlzHMF7w4uzKFZEWudoe0n2ZxJXV5PXvD-Zrmkg/s400/DSCF2864.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5752297254774397106" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Last, we've got some boring-ish stuff. Some book-ends, and a box full of binders. The binders are great for me, because I produce a <b>lot</b> of notes. I also print out old books sometimes. Mostly stuff which has been out of print for 30 years or so. It's really helpful to have a cover to keep them safe, rather than just clipping everything together.<br /><br />Funny story: the guy who sold me the binders initially balked at my offer of $2 for the whole box. He said he was expecting to sell them for $1 per binder. I told him I could go as high as $4, and he went accepted it. But the whole time he had this attitude like I was being ludicrous, and ripping him off.<br /><br />I kinda wanted to remind him that he's allowed to turn my offer down. But it's probably bad form to give advice to your negotiating opponent.<br /><br />Next sale we went to had a binder for 15 cents. lolLShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-24404089732538430302011-09-01T19:00:00.000-07:002011-09-01T19:17:51.176-07:00Other Bargains I: This counts, right?As of today, Boarder's liquidation sale is down to 60-80% off. And, by the looks of thing, this is as low as it's gonna go. So Morrie and I decided to pay our local branch of the failed bookstore a visit to pick up what we could for cheap.
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<br />Again, I figure things like this can be posted here, since Garage Sales won't start up again until late next May anyway.
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<br />Here's what we got:
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<br />My stuff is on the right, hers is on the left.
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<br />Here's a closer look at my stuff:
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<br />The Wrath of the Lich King Atlas is the kind of thing that I always think would be really cool to own, but never buy because of how expensive they are. Since that wasn't a problem today, I grabbed it, and very much look forward to using some of the town maps for D&D games.
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<br />"The Qutable Hitchens" is not my first choice. I always say of quotes that they are what people read when they want to <span style="font-style:italic;">feel</span> smart. Still, I can't deny that it's fun, and since God is Not Great wasn't there, I figured I'd go with this.
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<br />"City Under the Sand" is a book set in the Dark Sun world, which is a favorite of my friend Jeremy. I think he'll enjoy it.
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<br />"Nagash the Unbroken" is a book I foolishly judged by the cover. I mean, I love undead, and there's a guy raising zombies on this thing. It wasn't until after I purchased it that I saw on the back that it is book 2 of 3. Oh well, I'll read it, and decide if I want to get books 1 and 3!
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<br />The Worldwound Gambit is a piece of fiction based on the Pathfinder role playing game. I've had a lot of fun with books based on D&D in the past, so I figured I'd give my new fantasy RP system a chance to wow me!
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<br />On the far right are three Star Wars books, which I love dearly and collect as a hobby. I've already read these three, but I didn't have any of them, and certainly not in hardback!
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<br />All told, I spent <span style="font-weight:bold;">$55.09</span> after tax. Not too shabby!
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<br />I want to apologize about the picture of Morrie's books. I don't know why it ended up blurry, and as I write this I've already got all the books put away, so I'm just going to stick with this photo.
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<br />I don't have too much to say about the books she chose, but here's a list:
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<br />"The Shape of Things to Come" by H.G. Wells
<br />Churchill Defiant
<br />Three Cups of Tea
<br />One Piece issues 51, 55, and 56 (I made sure to point her to this as soon as we got into the store, as I figured she'd be interested.)
<br />"The Moral Landscape"
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<br />and
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<br />"Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne." This is the series of comics where pictures like this originate:
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<br /><img src="http://www.geekosystem.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/pirate-batman.jpg" />
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<br />When Morrie was looking at it, I told her if she didn't buy it, I would.
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<br />Morrie spent a total of <span style="font-weight:bold;">$63.81</span>
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<br />Ya know...from our book selection, Morrie comes off as far more the intellectual of the two of us. I'm starting to regret the 3 books I put back on the shelf to save money, as they would have balanced things out between us a bit >.>
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<br />Oh well. LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-61987377182205816272011-08-31T21:48:00.000-07:002011-08-31T22:00:44.987-07:00Follw Up I: Morrie's DresserGiven that most of the year is this blog's "off season," I thought it wouldn't hurt to vary the kinds of posts I do a little bit. Things found at good will, or stories about what I've done with things I got whilst garage sailing might be appearing in this blog over the next few months.
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<br />Today's post is regarding the Dresser Morrie and I got for her during <a href="http://sailinggarage.blogspot.com/2011/05/garage-sailing-vi-new-year-and-partner.html">our very first Garage Sailing trip of the summer</a>, shortly after she moved in.
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<br />Well, Morrie has spent the last week working on it. Here are some photos:
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=Dresser-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Dresser-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-88222071298918265742011-08-27T23:12:00.000-07:002011-08-27T23:52:33.483-07:00Garage Sailing XIV: The Winding Down of the SeasonDespite me having a Dungeons and Dragons game later in the day, and Morrie having work, we didn't want to miss the last weekend of August, and potentially the last good Garage Sailing day of the year. And, as it turned out, the day wasn't even that good. We did end up with a fair (though small) number of finds, but all of them (save one item) came from two sales.
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<br />The first sale we actually ended up getting anything at was a really odd one. The most odd thing about it is that it was completely set up last weekend, and we saw it, but the damned thing had a sign up saying "No items will be sold until Saturday August 27th"
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<br />I find myself wondering how the dealt with the rain we had earlier this week.
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<br />The other odd thing is that when we went to purchase our items, and I started to make an offer, the woman running the sale <i>snapped at me.</i> She said, and I quote, "I'll make the deal!"
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<br />She ended up giving us everything for $5, which is a better price than I was expecting. No idea why she got so upset when I tried to make an offer though.
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<br />This is one of my favorite finds of the day, I think. I've wanted things like these for awhile, but in stores they cost more than I'd like to spend. They're great for use as counters in magic, or for use as monster markers on a D&D battle mat. The wooden box is nice as well. As I mentioned to Morrie, when you put something like that on the table, it adds a little to the fantasy "feel" of a gaming table.
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<br />Morrie picked these up. Her dad read them when he was younger, as I understand, and she'd like to give them to him. I don't really know much more than that. Kinda looks like some type of Hardy Boys tale.
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<br />This was also a find of Morrie's. We're not sure it works yet, but it was a bargain and very useful for her in her cultivation of plants and such.
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<br />Boring kitchen implement we lacked!
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<br />STEIN!
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<br />I like steins. They are silly and fantasy-ish. I'm not a huge fan of them as a decorative item, nor have I ever partaken of beer or other alcoholic beverages, because I'm a fuddy duddy that way.
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<br />None the less, Steins (similar to wooden boxes) add something of a "fantasy feel" to the gaming table. It will be cool sometime to drink my traditional Dr. Pepper out of this thing, rather than an obviously modern plastic bottle.
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<br />I also got a number of things at the second good garage sale we found.
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<br />Weaboo as it may be, I like eating with chopsticks occasionally. Not all the time, certainly, but sometimes changing the implement with which I eat food seems to alter the eating experience in a pleasant way. I've had a nice pair of chopsticks which I've used for years in my silverware drawer, but they've become so worn out over the years that I probably would have thrown them out long ago if I had anything to replace them with. And now I do!
<br />I think I got these for a dollar.
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2736.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2736.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />I always make a beeline for NES games when I see them. I got these for $3 each. Nothing in here which I'd call an amazing find, but Joust is a great game, I have fond memories of Fester's Quest, and Athletic World is essentially the only game which works with the <a href="http://sailinggarage.blogspot.com/2011/07/garage-sailing-xi-this-is-last-of-wacky.html">Power Pad I picked up a few weeks back.</a>
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2734.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2734.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />On the left is the DVD for "The Road To El Dorado," which I (personally) think is one of the most entertaining children's films I've ever seen. And, for two dollars, it was worth it. To the right is the only item I got from any sale other than this week's "big two." It is the awful, atrocious, should-never-have-been-made Dungeons and Dragons movie. I never saw it, but I saw the sequel, and the sequel was supposed to be far <i>better.</i>
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<br />And to make clear just what that means, the sequel ranks among <i>the worst movies I have ever seen.</i> So, ya know, this should be funny. I spent $3 on morbid curiosity. Sue me.
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<br />Lastly is an item which I didn't get at a Garage Sale:
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2738.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2738.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />My uncle recently told me about all the awesome clothes he had found at places like Good Will & Value Village. He also told me (after reading about my reservations regarding wearing other people's clothes) that many of the clothes in those stores are actually new, having been discarded unsold from clothing retail stores.
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<br />So, with money being tight, and recently finding myself in need of a shirt and tie, I decided to give it a look. I couldn't find a tie I wanted, but I found a shirt similar to the one I liked at the store for less than half the price. Woo for bargains!
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<br />If this does end up being my last post of the year on this blog, then thanks for reading. And lets raise a stein to next Summer!LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-11075633292525417692011-08-20T21:57:00.000-07:002011-08-20T22:56:00.364-07:00Garage Sailing XIII: Wherein we make out like bandits and quit earlyWe got home late from a wedding last night, and I forgot to turn my phone back on after the ceremony. As a result, we weren't even out of bed until 8:30, which is when I normally like to be out the door.
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<br />We rushed through our morning routine, went to get gas, and were on the road by 10 though, so no big loss.
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<br />We had the pleasant surprise of having the very first sale we visited being one of the best of the entire day.
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<br />For me, the best find, were the Star Wars books:
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<br />http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/DSCF2710.jpg
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<br />There were more there, but these are the ones I don't already own. And the best part is that 7 of them are part of a 9 book series which I've currently been re-reading / purchasing as I read them. I already owned the first one, and he didn't want to part with his hardback copy of the last book. Still, I probably saved $50 dollars by picking up these (and the below) books for $5 total.
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<br />On the left is an old "behind the scenes" book with some great photographs of one of my favorite movies ever: Return of the Jedi. On the right is an unofficial game guide for Final Fantasy VII. Game guides are kind of pointless in the age of constant internet access...but I like flipping through them and going over the various pieces of artwork, or being able to see odd things like monster stats & abilities.
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/?action=view&current=DSCF2705.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/DSCF2705.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />This was Morrie's find. A dictionary of things referenced in the Tolkienverse. They wanted $2 for it, but we got away with $0.50 because of this:
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<br />Honestly, I find the black mold rather worrying. But it appears to be mostly dead, and Morrie was quite enamored with the book. There is some information online about removing mold from books which Morrie is using to (hopefully) make the thing safe to keep.
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/?action=view&current=DSCF2717.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/DSCF2717.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />A notebook made out of circuitboards. I've always wanted one of these. Got it for a dollar. Which, if you're keeping score, means that I got everything in the last three pictures for a total of $3.50.
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<br />We found these on the bad side of the tracks down in Sumner. When I saw a bin filled with miniatures, I thought maybe I could use them for D&D. Unfortunately, they were apparently part of some kind of game, and the owner didn't want to part with them very cheaply.
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<br />However, upon hearing that I played D&D, he went into the house to bring these out. I can't say either of them looks like something I'm super eager to play...but neither of them looks bad. And when he accepted my offer of $5 for both books, I walked away happy. I can't say no to sourcebooks that cheap!
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<br />Now, as I've mentioned before on this blog, I stay away from clothes at garage sales. I'm very particular about the clothes I will wear, and so few people are in synch with me that it's not even worth looking most of the time. Not to mention the fact that wearing someone else's clothes seems kinda groady to me, and I have bad memories of hand-me-downs as it is.
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<br />But when I saw this for 0.25, I was all over it:
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/?action=view&current=DSCF2712.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/DSCF2712.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />If you can't see, what it says on the front, it's the D&D logo with their "30th anniversary" decal from a few years back.
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<br />When I went to pay for it I asked if there was any other D&D stuff they were looking to part with, and I was directed towards these, which I hadn't seen before:
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/?action=view&current=DSCF2720.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/DSCF2720.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />Now, lets be clear: I knew that this show had a reputation for being one of the absolute worst cartoons ever made well before I purchased them. But at $2 for a quirky collectible like this, I couldn't resist.
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<br />And for the record, it really is pretty awful. I'm probably going to run a campaign based on it just to spite my players.
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/?action=view&current=DSCF2719.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/DSCF2719.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />Morrie doesn't like plastic spatulas. She's been wanting metal ones for awhile, and the folks selling these took my offer of $1 for the pair of them.
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<br />I am concerned for my Teflon, though >.>
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/?action=view&current=DSCF2722.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/DSCF2722.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />A long while ago, I decided I was fed up with cheap, tiny pencil sharpeners. They break the pencil as often as they sharpen it. Fuck that noise. But, being the stubbornly cheap guy that I can be sometimes, I never wanted to pay the money for a proper sharpener.
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<br />This one was free.
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<br />Well, technically they took a dollar for it. But, when it fell apart in my hands right in front of them, they gave me my dollar back and told me that I could take it to tinker with. I told them I thought I could fix it real quick, but the woman there told me she was "making an executive decision," and I accepted their return of my dollar.
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<br />I had fixed it by the time we got back to the car. Now I just need to mount it somewhere.
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/?action=view&current=DSCF2708.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Aug20_11_sailing/DSCF2708.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />I've got an old black filing cabinet next to our bed which I use as document storage / bedside table. However, the thing has been falling apart for years. Its gotten to the point where there are no handles, several sharp places where the metal is torn, and the entire thing is generally a paint to deal with. So I decided to replace it with one I found at a garage sale. I see them often enough, but almost everyone wants $10 or more for them.
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<br />This one, I got for $2. No rust or anything, either!
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<br />After that, we decided to call an early end to our sailing at 1:00pm. But we passed one last garage sale, and on a whim we decided to stop:
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<br />$5 for the lego, $4 for the games.
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<br />As the youth say, "Hells yeah!"
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<br />LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-1355465465811295802011-08-16T18:23:00.000-07:002011-08-16T19:08:23.466-07:00Garage Sailing XII: A Tale of Two WeeksShut up. That title isn't wacky.
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<br />My garage sailing last weekend (on Saturday the 6th) was short and not really worth mentioning. My sister very rudely decided to waste most of my day with something as frivolous as her marriage. The nerve of some people!
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<br />Anyway, I did grab a few things in the morning which are worth talking about, so I've rolled them in with this weekend's items:
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2689.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2689.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />As you can see, I did pretty decently well over the last couple weeks! And both outings were, to my delight, able to happen with my dear companion Morrie by my side! I always enjoy having her with me. She has a knack for noticing things which I normally ignore as "big, expensive items." When, in fact, they're something I need at a cost which is very affordable. (One such example is the bike I got a few weeks back, and another surprise item to follow at the end of the post. Though you can peek if you want to. I'm not some kind of scrollbar nazi.)
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2693.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2693.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />This item was a bit of a disappointment. I saw a bag of four comic books at the table of a matronly old woman, and it was marked four dollars. Given that they appeared to be of 1970s stock, a dollar a piece sounded good to me. Comic books from that era are always kinda fun and campy to read.
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<br />Little did I realize that all four comics were identical.
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<br />I guess I learned a lesson though: ALWAYS inspect what you're buying! Even old ladies will try to fleece you!
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<br />Morrie suggested I try to take them back. But I told her "Let the buyer beware. It is the Garage Sale Code."
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<br />I kinda like the idea of a Garage Sale Code. It makes me smile.
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2691.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2691.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />This garage sale was next door to a church sale where a woman tried to hard-sell me on a computer and CRT monitor for $45. Her primary selling point, which she repeated a few times, was "it can run windows 95!"
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<br />I may not be on board with smart phones yet, but do I look like I'm fuckin' Amish?!
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<br />Anyway, the books were cheap. The James Bond book was a dollar, and the Russia book was 25 cents. I picked up the former because I quite like the films, and thought it might be fun to give the original books a try. I purchased the latter because I returned to it no less than three times to flip through it, before realizing that if I was THAT interested, 25 cents was not a steep price. It's filled with great photographs about life in the Soviet Union, and the book is remarkably charitable for being published circa 1980.
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2695.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2695.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />This was one of those "Multi Family" garage sales where they had half a dozen people sitting around figuring out which one of them got every nickle and dime from the items sold. Whoever was hosting the thing must have been a teacher, because there was a TON of early childhood education tools. Among them, two educational card games which appear to be intact.
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<br />One of these days I'll find that card game Ms. Mosby, my second grade teacher who was also a huge Trekkie, had us play. It was about the ecosystem in a forest or something. And the cards all had natural predators and prey.
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2696.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2696.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />Long long LONG before I got into Magic: The Gathering, I was into Star Wars: The Customizable Card Game. Truth be told, I never actually figured out how to play it. But, as a very very young, very very devoted Star Wars fan, the cards were really neat. One of these days I really would like to sit down with someone and learn the game.
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<br />And now, if I ever decide to do that, I've got more cards to play with! The whole stack cost an entire dollar. Doesn't look like there's anything super rare in there though.
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2698.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2698.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />Blank CDs. I offered a dollar and they took it, which is a great savings over a store. So woo!
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2697.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2697.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />BORING STUFF! Folders with drawer hooks (which we have discovered don't actually fit the drawer we intended to use them in, but thankfully do fit another drawer if we ever decide to use the hooks in that one.
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<br />Also a knife sharpener! I've been looking for one for ages! Most people will only sell them with the block, and I've already got a damned block.
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2692.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2692.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />The Far Side has been a favorite of mine since childhood (though I noticed on perusing this that it seems to lose a bit of its touch when reading it with some years behind me.
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<br />Much as I hate the Star Wars prequels and everything they stand for, and everything they did to my beloved Star Wars Expanded Universe, I've heard a number of times that Terry Brooks did a much better job of telling George Lucas' abomination of a story than Lucas did himself. Knowing Terry Brooks other work in Star Wars fiction as I do, I can believe it.
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<br />Alright, now for the super super super fun stuff. FIRST, The DVDs:
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2700.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2700.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />This woman had a colossal selection of DVDs all laid out on a blanket on her lawn. There seriously must have been about 80-120 DVDs there. Her asking price was a little steep on a DVD-by-DVD basis (three dollars) but she told me up front that she'd take $10 for 5 of them. Knowing she was willing to price on a sliding scale, I offered her $15 for the lot, and she took it!
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<br />Though, it's odd. At the sale itself, and several times in the moments following, I swear I counted 21 DVDs. But either I lost some, or I'm shit at counting, because there sure as hell isn't 21 DVDs there.
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<br />Still, it's quite a nice little bump to my collection. Lots of old favorites of mine in here, like Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Silence of the Lambs. I've been meaning to watch Planet of the Apes again, so this huge collection of the entire original series + bonus features and whatnot will be fun. I'm really happy with everything I got, really!
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<br />Two busted NESs for $5 each. HELLYEAH!
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<br />The couple running this sale was really nice & fun to talk to. I actually found a number of the above items at their sale, and several times they said "If there's anything you're looking for let us know, we just got tired of bringing things out."
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<br />I debated with myself for awhile. Should I even bother to ask? It seemed like such a longshot. But, on a whim, I did. And when the woman said "Yeah, we've got two in the garage." I'm sure I must have looked like a kid on Christmas morning.
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<br />They were pretty sure the one with the heart stickers on it would work, and that the other would not (there's something loose inside it rattling around.) Unfortunately, after thorough testing, I have concluded that neither work.
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<br />HOWEVER, both are exhibiting the exact same diagnostic error: the blinking red light, and the solid color screen. Which, according to <a href="http://www.nintendorepairshop.com/">http://www.nintendorepairshop.com</a> probably means that they just need a <a href="http://www.nintendorepairshop.com/products/160-NES-Repair-Tools-&-Kits/63-Nintendo-NES-72-Pin-Connector-Repair-Part/">new 72pin connector</a>. So next month I'll be using my discretionary spending budget to (hopefully) fix all three NES which I currently have. I may sell the other two, or simply give them to friends who would provide a good home for them.
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<br />Last but not least, the "surprise" item:
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<br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2685.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2685.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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<br />A queen sized bed frame. Price: $30.
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<br />We found this just a few blocks from our house, and purchased it from a delightful family who were very friendly with pricing, and holding it for us while we went to get Morrie's larger vehicle to haul it in. Now, this coming weekend, Morrie and I will be using some savings & a nice little refund she got to purchase a box spring and mattress, and we will finally have a bed big enough for the two of us.
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<br />Though, truth be told, I'm going to continue sleeping by the air conditioner until things cool the fuck down. God damned summer. >.>LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-52943605696462906782011-07-31T15:46:00.000-07:002011-08-07T16:55:57.656-07:00Garage Sailing XI: This is the last of the wacky titles! Chicken, shoelaces, muhammad!I got swords. <br /><br />Seriously, I did. This weekend showed me good fortune! And I got to spend the day with Morrie again!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2658.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2658.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Killer haul, am I right? <br /><br />So at the start of the day, I do what I normally do, and I drove down to the grocery store to get a drink, as I normally am not ready for breakfast when I head out the door, but I like to have a nice cool Orange Juice.<br /><br />As we drove out the parking lot, Juices in hand, Morrie asked me if I had seen the sale right next to the store as we were driving in. Just as I start to say "No," I see it on the right side. A local auto garage was hosting a Garage Sale. We parked, hopped out, and found what were probably our best items of the day.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2672.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2672.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This kickass pair of swords is definitely well constructed (insofar as cheap, display swords go.) The one looks kind of silly with its nonsensical edges and points. But at $5 each, it's a fantastic little find for a guy with nerf swords and axes hanging above his homebrew D&D map. <br /><br />But that's not all!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2661.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2661.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I also got a bucket of lego, also for $5! I rarely spend $15 at a single garage sale, much less the first sale of the day. But this was more than worth the cost.<br /><br />After that, we continued on our way down to the town of Sumner, which tends to be a really good place to find stuff. Along the way though we passed another sign, which we followed for several miles up steep roads, eventually finding several items. Among them, two DVDs of movies which, while certainly not my favorite of all time, were worth the $1. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2664.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2664.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />We also got a Gameboy game, and Morrie got a T-shirt for work, but I'll talk about those later.<br /><br />We eventually did make it down to Sumner, where I found this:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2662.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2662.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I've actually already got one of these, and let me tell you, they have fantastic power behind those little foam darts. more than I've ever seen a nerf gun have. I've got no problem adding another to my collection--though truth be told Morrie is the driving force behind our nerf gun stockpile, not me. <br /><br />I think I paid $3 or $4 for this. I might have haggled a little harder, but I felt bad about accidentally shooting one of the darts onto their roof. (in my defense, why the hell did they load it?)<br /><br /><br />We found a few other things in the area, among them, WONDER WOMAN MUG!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2665.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2665.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I'm a huge fan of Greek mythology, so it should be no surprise that Wonder Woman quickly became one of my favorite comic book super heroes. The mug is pretty killer too. It's not a single image which repeats around the mug, but a bunch of different images, which is cool. It will be used for tea!<br /><br />One of the sales we had in Sumner was almost a jackpot find for me. There was a huge box of NES games, including Metroid, and Snake's Revenge. Unfortunately, the guy running the sale seemed to be frustratingly stuck on the idea of making a ton of money off of his possessions. He had printed out price sheets off the internet for the value of the games, and expected an offer "in that neighborhood."<br /><br />There's nothing wrong with making money, or hell, not even anything wrong with finding out what your items are worth prior to selling them. But if I'm going to pay $10 for an NES copy of Metroid, I'm going to buy it from the same place he got his prices: online. <br /><br />As a guy running a Garage Sale, he's not selling guarantees, he's not offering a return policy, and if he screws me over there's jack shit I can do about it. In 30 seconds of searching, I found an NES copy of Metroid on eBay for $6.99, from a guy with 100% positive feedback. One, I might add, without the permanent marker writing on the back of it. <br /><br />*end rant*<br /><br />I did end up buying a few things from him. Morrie wanted this backpack, which I got for $8 (haggled down from $10) and four PS2 controllers which I got for a dollar a piece. Those things tend to break after awhile, and it's getting hard to find them. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2667.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2667.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2670.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2670.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />The shirt, by the way, is the one I mentioned Morrie getting earlier in the day. <br /><br />For the record, despite my frustrations with the guy, he was perfectly nice. He even took care of Morrie's coat after she forgot it there. (had to try on the backpack.) Additionally, some of his NES games were legitimately wroth a bundle. He had a number of the old unlicensed Christian games which were published for the NES. And those are wicked rare. <br /><br />I should also mention that I ran into my Aunt Lisa and Uncle Ron whilst at this sale, which was a fun coincidence. <br /><br />MOVING ON!<br /><br />The rest of the day was pretty damned slow, which is alright. It happens from time to time. Though there were a few more good finds. <br /><br />I found one absolutely KILLER garage sale out on some back roads just off Orting Highway (one of my main hunting grounds) but everything there was something I'm currently just not prepared to purchase. I would <i>love</i>, as an example, a nice air compressor, or a table saw, or a hunting bow, or a circa 1980 arcade game table...but not only can I not afford it, I can't store it. <br /><br />On the way back down that road though, I did finally pick up a few NES games:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2668.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2668.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />The one on your left is Kid Icarus, now famous due to his appearance in one of the Super Smash Bros games. If you've never played it, it's a pretty fun, largely vertical platformer. Nintendohard at its finest. On the right is Crystalis, which I had never heard of before. But when they accepted my offer for fifty cents per game, I wasn't gonna be too picky. <br /><br />Turns out Crystalis is a pretty awesome game, with a large fan base. I still don't have a working NES, but I look forward to playing it. I thoroughly enjoyed the speed-run I watched. <br /><br />At the bottom is the Gameboy game I mentioned picking up earlier, from the same sale I got the DVDs from. Dragon Warrior Monsters 2! It may be a Pokemon ripoff, but I love the Dragon Warrior series, and I have fond childhood memories of playing the first game in that series. <br /><br />Center is Final Fantasy Seven, which is a highly overrated game which I love just as much as every other person who overrates it. My copy is kinda scratched up, and these disks look like they might be in slightly better condition. Plus, my original copy is a "Greatest Hits" edition, which the collector in me doesn't want. <br /><br />The last item is one I got at the same sale I got FFVII from, and I got it for free...the power pad:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2659.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2659.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This was a shitty idea when they came up with it, and it was poorly implemented, but I took it for two reasons. <br /><br />First, I don't have one, and I'm enjoying the process of collecting old NES and SNES gaming equipment. It's fun for me. <br /><br />Second, it was in a free pile out by the curb. Typically what that means is that if nobody takes it, it goes in the trash. Sentimental fool that I am, I have a hard time bearing the thought of a collectible item like this being lost forever. <br /><br />And hell, if nothing else, they go for $10 on eBay.LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-67561263393340372722011-07-24T19:40:00.000-07:002011-07-28T13:14:51.413-07:00Garage Sailing X: Only one doesn't mean pornI had one of the most <i>fantastic</i> garage sailing weekends I've had in a long while. Unfortunately, Morrie was unable to accompany me this weekend, as she was volunteering with puppies(though I think I ended up saving some time through my more aggressive driving). I also had to come home significantly earlier than normal to run a Dungeons and Dragons Game. <br /><br />But lets jump right into this, I've got a lot to say. So here's the slightly fucked-up "haul" shot, which I decided not to retake: <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2635.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2635.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2637.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2637.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I absolutely love trench coats. And for the most part, I only ever wear black ones. Unfortunately, coats like this are damned expensive. I spent $150 on my last one, and on top of that, I've yet to find a good selection of them. So, after something in the neighborhood of 5-7 years of consistent wear, my main one starting to fall apart. <br /><br />This one is just *slightly* too tight across my back, and it doesn't have any pockets inside the coat (which are a big deal for me) but it is otherwise in fantastic condition, fits well, and is of good quality. I normally never even look at clothes at garage sales, but for $8 this was a bargain. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2649.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2649.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This may have been a poor choice, though I only ended up paying 50 cents for it. I love reading old tech books and whatnot. (I actually have a large collection of tech magazines from the 90s which I occasionally scan advertisements from, just because they're so out of touch with technology of today.)<br /><br />This sale had a number of things I was interested in actually, including a Nintendo 64, and an original X Box. But electronics from garage sales are iffy enough without a $30 sticker price. No thank you!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2644.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2644.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Most of these cables were in a free pile at the sale of a very talkative & positive fellow in Sumner. I don't need any of them right now, but they're the kind of spare parts I often find I do need. And all together it's probably $30-$50 worth of cables. <br /><br />The mouse and extension cords were 50 cents each at different garage sales. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2642.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2642.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Recently, Morrie and I had to throw out one of our pans because the handle was broken. I can't tell you how many times I spilled a pan full of water because of that damned thing. So, I've been on the lookout for more. The one on the left was from the same garage sale where I got the cables, and was also free. The one on the left was at a massive garage sale I found as I was driving home. I had actually driven past that house earlier in the day, but they didn't set up until 10 o'clock, so I'm glad I took the same route back home, which I normally don't do. <br /><br />It was a pretty massive sale, with a large selection of items. The people putting it on apparently own an apartment complex, and the sale was of the various items people had left in their units after vacating. I got the pan for a dollar. I'll talk more about this sale later on. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2643.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2643.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I thought this was going to be my biggest find of the day. A full size, fully functional griddle, which I picked up for $2. The best part about it is that everything else at this garage sale was massively over priced. There was even another griddle right next to it for $5 (also a decent price, but most everything else was much higher.)<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2645.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2645.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Nothing super special here. I've wanted a nice pair of steel scissors for awhile. This one is pretty rusted up, and I couldn't clean much of the rust off with an SOS pad...but it was 25 cents. The dust pat was also 25 cents--and a mistake. I had thought we had broken our dust pan, but when I brought this one home, I discovered that it was the brush which came with our dust pan which is broken, not the pan itself. <br /><br />Oh well, no big loss. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2638.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2638.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />TMNT for life, dude. <br /><br />The sale I got this from was super pro. She had actually set up a wooden floor, with a nice 3-sided tarp. The electronics were all plugged in and working, with music playing on the CD player and "A Bugs Life" on the TV. In the end I just got the two extension cables I noted above, and this stuffed doll which cost another 50 cents. <br /><br />I actually spent a long time staring at this, wondering if I was just going to clutter up my apartment with this stuff. But I really do like collecting memorabilia from my childhood, and TMNT is near the top of that list. So I gave it a pass. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2647.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2647.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I really like canes, I think they are fun props. I currently have 2 canes which I purchased last year, but I haven't been able to find the wooden one in the traditional cane shape for a few months now. No idea where it went. This one is pretty similar, and I grabbed it for a dollar. <br /><br />Classeh!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2646.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2646.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Troy and Thank You for Smoking are two movies which I thoroughly enjoyed. Barring, of course, the massive failure in accuracy as Troy moved towards the end. Still, at a dollar a piece, I was happy to buy them for potential future viewing. I got Star Fox Adventures at the same sale for $3. The game looked pretty terrible to me when it was new, and my view of it has not improved with age. <br /><br />However, I am probably the world's biggest fan of Star Fox 64, of which Star Fox Adventures is a sequel. So I'm happy I'll finally be able to give it an honest try. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2648.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2648.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This is a big stack of Dungeons and Dragons cards, labelled "Trading Cards," which I got for a dollar at that same garage sale I mentioned earlier, put on by people who own an apartment complex. I'll talk a little bit more about my experiences there further down. Regarding the cards, there are a lot of them (maybe 50-70% more than I was able to get in the shot) and each has a picture on one side, and some AD&D stats on the other. I'm not sure what this was for...maybe you could use them to supplement your D&D sessions by providing your players with some art for the character they were encountering, with handy stats on the back for your benefit? <br /><br />I'd love to know more, if anybody knows. I haven't had time to do any research myself yet. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2650.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2650.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Comic books! I think I got these for 50 cents each, out of a box of a couple hundred comics. I really like 90s era spider man for some reason (probably because that's where I got started with comic books) but the unquestioned best find in here is the old 1970s issue of Marvel Star Wars.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2653.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2653.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />To get the boring stuff out of the way first: Golden Sun was a pretty awesome RPG I borrowed from a friend shortly after it came out. I never finished it because that friend and I got into a huge fight, and feeling that our friendship was over, I returned everything I had borrowed from him. I look forward to playing it. <br /><br />Okay, so...<br /><br />FINALFANTASYTWO OMGOMGOMG I can't believe I got this. I was so excited to find it I didn't even try to haggle when the guy's asking price was $10. I was too stunned to try. This is the kind of find I dream about. I ended up spending five hours over the weekend playing it. <br /><br />Unfortunately, when I went to play it on Monday, my save was gone. Not too surprising that the battery finally died on this 20 year old game. But I've been researching the process for replacing batteries in SNES games, and ordered the bit I need to remove the screws. When it arrives I'll do a test on my Super Mario World cart. The process looks simple enough that I should be able to climb Mount Ordeals so that I can become a paladin in no time. Then all I need to do is sneak into Baron, steal an Airship, and defeat Golbez!<br /><br />Simple!<br /><br />Finding this Final Fantasy II cart is only possibly equaled by this last item:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/?action=view&current=DSCF2655.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__3/DSCF2655.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Nintendo Entertainment System. <br /><br />The arcade controller is actually from a garage sale I went to early in the day, while the rest of the system is from the last sale I went to. The same one where I got Golden Sun, Final Fantasy II, the Dungeons and Dragons cards, and one of the pans. So...yeah, a good sale. <br /><br />As I mentioned above, this guy had me totally blown away by how many things I found which I really really wanted, and I didn't haggle anywhere near as much as I should have. The NES doesn't work, and he sold it to me for $5. He also charged me an additional $1 each for the cables. I let myself get ripped off there. But what can I say? I really really wanted it. <br /><br />I've been researching NES repair for awhile now, in anticipation of finding one, and I intend to research it a great deal more before making any attempts. Based on what this guy was saying, it sounds like the 72 pin connector needs to be replaced, but we'll find out, I guess!<br /><br />That's all for this week!LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-22274525033756083492011-07-17T19:40:00.000-07:002011-07-24T22:07:30.246-07:00Garage Sailing IX: I'm writing a book with this number in the title<a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/?action=view&current=DSCF2621.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/DSCF2621.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />As you can see, this was a motherfucking fantastic week, for a somewhat obvious reason. But I'm not going to talk about it until the veeeeeeeeery last item! =D<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/?action=view&current=DSCF2626.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/DSCF2626.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Morrie grabbed this Pizza cutter, because we sometimes make Pizza and it's a pain to cut. Of course, I found a much nicer one later, which I didn't pick up. HO WELLS!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/?action=view&current=DSCF2631.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/DSCF2631.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Morrie loves Batman. Now she can eat off him. <br /><br />This is an awesome development in our lives. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/?action=view&current=DSCF2630.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/DSCF2630.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />As mentioned in previous posts, Morrie is growing plants in the windows. She's wanted a larger trough-style planter for awhile. Now she has one!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/?action=view&current=DSCF2632.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/DSCF2632.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Huh...I really don't have much to say about most of these items do I? I got these for a dollar total. I know they're completely useless now, and I don't even play WoW right now. But I really miss old world...and I thought it would be fun to thumb through these. I know, I'm a pack rat, but I keep my apartment clean and organized, so I figure it's all good. >.><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/?action=view&current=DSCF2627.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/DSCF2627.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Morrie is a big fan of hiking and whatnot. The book is a few years out of date, but I thought we might be able to find some good tips in here about places to go.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/?action=view&current=DSCF2628.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/DSCF2628.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This is something I have a few things to say about. <br /><br />Almost every garage sale has books at it. And nearly without fail, those books are shit. Maybe people only sell their shit books, or maybe people only read shit books. Either way, I'm tired of Nora Roberts, and books with titles like "The Passion amongst the Meadows of my Heart." Very rarely I find books which I would actually read. <br /><br />So when I saw books sitting on a card table on the driveway of a suburban house, with a 30-something mom sitting, I didn't think anything of it. <br /><br />Then I saw what the books <i>were</i>. These aren't even all of the good ones, just the ones which looked most interesting to me. And, pleasantly enough, I had a 10 minute conversation about Ulysses with the literary-minded woman whom I jadedly dismissed. Just goes to show you how easy it is to pre-judge. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/?action=view&current=DSCF2625.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/DSCF2625.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Working Game Boy Color to add to my video game hardware collection. Totally worth the dollar it cost me.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/?action=view&current=DSCF2624.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/DSCF2624.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />So apparently I picked it up during a really poor weekend which I chose not to photograph or document, but not long ago I found a purple duck billed platypus Beanie Baby which was OMG awesome. I gave it to a friend who is a huge fan of <a href="http://images.wikia.com/phineasandferb/images/a/a1/Perry_spy_badge.png">Perry The Platypus.</a><br /><br />Well, today, I found an identical platypus which is four times the size. I might give this one to him as well...though maybe not. =P<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/?action=view&current=DSCF2622.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/DSCF2622.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Morrie already had a chair, but this chair is <i>much</i> nicer. It had arm rests as well, but Morrie removed them. It's pretty comfortable, and as an added bonus, we now have a spare chair for when company comes over!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/?action=view&current=DSCF2623.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__2/DSCF2623.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Alright, here we go. I've always loved riding my bike. I've loved doing so since I was a wee child. For the last few years, though, I haven't had a bike. In fact, the last time I rode my bike was in the summer of 2008, when I picked it up from my parent's house, took it up to my apartment, and spent a very frustrated day attempting to ride it around Bellingham with a busted chain, busted gears, and just about busted everything. <br /><br />It hasn't been on my mind much these days, as I'm pretty busy. However, Morrie is also pretty interested in bike riding. Her bike is presently in a storage unit in California, but her parents will be bringing it up when they visit in August. So, looking forward to being able to ride with her, I've been looking into bikes. <br /><br />NEW bikes, though, cost a lot of money. Like hundreds upon hundreds of dollars. Way more than I can afford. I've been hoping to find one at a garage sale, but most of them are rusted to hell. <br /><br />Then Morrie noticed this one. No rust, perfect size for me, tagged at $45. After a test ride, and a bit of haggling, I forked over $35 and loaded this beauty into my car. <br /><br />I am one pleased fellow!LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-72161365200537085142011-07-10T19:34:00.000-07:002011-07-24T21:14:17.527-07:00Garage Sailing VIII: Some Kind of Bizzare Quirky NameMorrie and I had a pretty good weekend with this hunt. We didn't find anything which I would call an amazing find--certainly nothing as fantastic as a <a href="http://sailinggarage.blogspot.com/2011/06/garage-sailing-vii-meteor.html">NES GoldCart Zelda</a>, but the hunt was definitely worth our while. <br /><br />Lets jump into it, shall we? <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/?action=view&current=DSCF2608.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/DSCF2608.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />First up is the level:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/?action=view&current=DSCF2609.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/DSCF2609.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Not a particularly exciting item, but one which I've often found myself wanting whilst working on projects around my apartment. Cheap bastard that I am, I figured I'd eventually find one while out garage sailing, so I didn't get one at the hardware store. Turns out I was right! <br /><br />The next item has something of a similar story, actually:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/?action=view&current=DSCF2612.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/DSCF2612.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />For some quirky reason, the walls of my apartment are <i>tough</i>. I have a devil of a time puncturing it with anything less than a nail and hammer. And even when I use those, half the time I end up creating a crumbly hole rather than mounting whatever it is I'm trying to hang. <br /><br />This can be exceedingly frustrating for someone like me, who tends to surround himself with posters, and whiteboards, and doodles, and mirrors, and all manner of wall-hanging minutia. So, for awhile now, I've been thinking of getting a staple gun. I figured I'd have to get it from the hardware store, but I lucked out and found one at a yard sale out in a rural area where they tried to hard-sell me old used tires. <br /><br />And, for your information, once I picked up staples, I discovered that this gun can drive a staple about halfway into the wall. Yeah, the wall is that tough. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/?action=view&current=DSCF2613.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/DSCF2613.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I don't personally have a lot to say about the cloth napkins, as they were Morrie's purchase, not mine. She's been using them to wrap food for her lunch. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/?action=view&current=DSCF2611.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/DSCF2611.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I've been hoping to find a knife block for awhile now. I've got a small one which came with my fisher-price "grown ups' first kitchen" set. Unfortunately, as I gather nicer knives (largely at other garage sales) I find I prefer to use those more, and have no block to keep them in. <br /><br />This particular block turned out to be, perhaps, not the best choice, as it doesn't fit several of my older knives, meaning I presently have two blocks on my counter. Oh well! It was just a dollar. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/?action=view&current=DSCF2615.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/DSCF2615.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This leaf press kit is another of Morrie's finds. She had a class a year or so ago which required her to gather a large variety of leaves to categorize and study. She quite enjoyed it, and still has her collection of leaves and notes on her shelf. This, hopefully, will aid her in continuing to study leaves. Particularly now that she lives in a new area, with (I assume) some different foliage. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/?action=view&current=DSCF2614.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/DSCF2614.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />A bucket of LEGO bricks hardly needs an explanation. It was actually a collection of LEGO which started me on my Garage Sailing quest last year. On my way home from a D&D game, I saw, and stopped at a Garage Sale. Amusingly, this particular sale had a number of things which I'm now ecstatic if I can find. Including NES games, and a massive bucket of LEGO for $25. One which I would have purchased if I had the money on me. I actually <a href="http://linkskywalker.livejournal.com/153425.html">wrote a little bit about it on my Livejournal at the time</a>. Which is kinda funny to look back on only about a year later. <br /><br />So anyway, the point of that ramble is that when I see LEGO bricks, I buy them, because NEVER GROW UP! >.><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/?action=view&current=DSCF2617.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/DSCF2617.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I found a number of books throughout the day. The Unabridged Mark Twain, The Aeneid, Medieval Myths, and The Letters of the Younger Pliny hardly need an explanation. They're classics, or about classics. "Baroness of Blood" is a Ravenloft book, and for those unaware, Ravenloft is a classic Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting. One which I've always been interested in for its darker, Gothic Fantasy style. "The Orc King" is a Drizzt book. Sue me, I enjoyed most of the Drizzt books I've read. <br /><br />I almost ignored "The Nature of Monsters" the same way I ignore romance and Nora Roberts novels at garage sales. But something about the cover caught my eye and caused me to read the blurb on the back. A story about a pregnant sixteen year old in 1718 who works for a mad alchemist is amusing enough for me to add it to my shelf for future reading. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/?action=view&current=DSCF2618.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/DSCF2618.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I've always kinda thought I should have jumper cables in my car. Seems like a common sense kind of thing to have. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/?action=view&current=DSCF2619.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/GarageSale__1/DSCF2619.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This ended up being the item I was happiest about finding this weekend. Recently the somewhat wobbly lamp (which is the <a href="http://sailinggarage.blogspot.com/2010/07/garage-sailing-i-oddessy-of-day.html">first item I ever got while out garage sailing</a>) finally gave out, and has been sitting in pieces on my floor next to my now very poorly lit desk. <br /><br />After installing an inline switch, and drilling a few holes into my ceiling for hooks, I'm quite happy with the ample illumination this lightweight lamp provides. I would buy more of these if I could find them, no doubt. <br /><br />And that's what we got this weekend. What did YOU do?LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-5979923772976804272011-06-28T19:16:00.000-07:002011-06-28T21:19:08.334-07:00Garage Sailing VII: METEOR!The hordes of readers I imagine that I have are no doubt upset by my lack of posting these last few weeks. "Garage Sale season is brief!" the comments I pretend I've received all say. "How can you waste so many precious weekends of the season not sailing and posting!"<br /><br />To which I would respond that, aside from 2 weekends I spent in airports, and 1 weekend of rain, I actually *have* been out every weekend. The problem is that the hunting has not been exactly stellar. Often I returned home empty handed, or nearly so. There's not much entertainment value in posting about finding a set of in-and-out boxes and a single beanie baby that my ladyfriend Morrie wanted. <br /><br />This week, however, things picked up:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2579.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2579.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Pretty good, amirite? <br /><br />This weekend was possibly the hardest I've "worked" since starting this hobby. I was out the door by 10:30 (no small miracle on a Saturday morning) and didn't stop until 4:55 when the last three sales I hit had been in the process of packing up, leaving me to pick through other sailers' leavings. <br /><br />One thing I really wanted to find this weekend was a nice lamp, to replace the one I got last year. The once which, in fact, is the very <a href="http://sailinggarage.blogspot.com/2010/07/garage-sailing-i-oddessy-of-day.html">first item I got on my very first Garage Sailing odyssey</a>. It was always one of my more dubious purchases, due to the fact that the top light didn't work. But, as I noticed later, the threading connecting the top segment of the light to the rest of it was pretty thoroughly stripped, meaning that for the last 6 months I've had it duct taped to an old fencing sword blade just to keep it from falling over. <br /><br />No luck on that, but as you can see, I got a nice assortment of other things. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2580.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2580.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />These book ends are going to be exceptionally useful, as Morrie and I just finished installing a number of book shelves a couple weekends back, and have been unable to get the books (which in some cases are quite large and heavy) to stay up effectively. Amusingly, these are apparently surplus from my old Elementary school, so there's a decent chance I read a book that one of these were holding up twenty-some odd years ago. <br /><br />The sale where we got this also had a classic style classroom roll-down world map. I was damned tempted, but decided against it due to lack of space. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2581.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2581.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Morrie has been growing a few different kinds of plants on our window sill. I've been a little wary of allowing my old enemy, The Sun, even that much ingress into my dwelling. However, the sage she grew is nummy, so we picked up some pots and such as we found them. I then proceeded to annoy her by excitedly pointing out pots every time we found any. <br /><br />We found a lot. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2583.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2583.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Jenga doubles as both a fun game, and as blocks for building castles!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2584.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2584.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Batball. <br /><br />I actually really like this style of ball. I'm always tempted to buy one just to play with when I see them at the store, but have to remind myself that I'm a grownup. <br /><br />When I found this, I remembered I don't care about being a grownup. <br /><br />==BORING ALERT==<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2589.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2589.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Yeah, I know. But these are an expensive type of lightbulb which is really white, and good for certain kinds of mapmaking work that I do, and cost about 4 bucks in the store. So I thought "...eh, sure."<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2592.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2592.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />A pan. It's nice and deep, so I could cook a casserole in it. I actually didn't have a pan like this before. I bought it from a sale at a retirement community which, amusingly, was mostly baby-stuff. (Baby-stuff is the bane of my life. A good 10-15% of sales are set up for the sole purpose of getting rid of baby stuff.)<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2590.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2590.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />It never hurts to have a spare whisk, I've needed a meat tenderizer for some time, and all of the knives I currently have are from a cheap "your first kitchen" set thing that my Mom got me when I was 20 and planning to move to Montana. They've served me well, but I often find them frustrating. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2595.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2595.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This is the last thing we picked up. The sale in question was mostly packed up, and the people putting it on essentially told us to take anything we wanted free of charge. I've been eying hacksaws in stores lately, as I lack one. So a free one is welcome. (though I'm not sure if this style qualifies as a "hacksaw." Damned if I know. That's man-stuff.)<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2603.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2603.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Another bulliten board. Because my others get too filled up >.><br /><br />==END BORING STUFF==<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2591.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2591.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />SMILING SPOON!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2587.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2587.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />As I believe I mentioned in my last post, Morrie is on the lookout for toys she loved as a child but no longer has. To that end, we picked up these three stuffed toys. Personally, I'm terrified of rainbow cat. His eyes follow me, and anytime he turns his head, there's this really loud creaking noise which I make with my mouth. Terrifying. <br /><br />The bugs is actually a fun story. It was a particularly treasured toy of Morrie's. Enough so that she still has it. Try to guess which one she's kept with her for most of her life:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2588.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2588.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />...yeah.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2597.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2597.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I'm not sure if I've mentioned on this blog before what a fan of Magazines I am. They're what websites would be like if the Internet was only able to be updated once a month. It saddens me that the more niche-based magazines are starting to fade out. Big name magazines like TIME or People will continue to chug along, of course. But I nearly cried when the dual magazines Dungeon, and Dragon announced they would no longer be published. Online content just isn't the same. <br /><br />Ramble aside, I was pretty happy to find a nice little collection of good ol' Star Wars Insider, a staple from my youth. Many of these contain unique fiction, and other goodies which you won't find elsewhere. <br /><br />The issue of TIME pictured at the top is, of course, just a nifty collectible. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2598.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2598.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Despite being damaged, this box was completely unopened. Since taking this picture it has become significantly more opened, and the pieces inside a great deal more assembled. <br /><br />Lego will never stop being worth my time. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2599.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2599.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />The woman I purchased these books from was a delight to chat with. Something I love about Garage Sales is that you often get to see a side of people you might not expect. And I certainly didn't expect a middle aged mother in suburbia to have a massive collection of D&D based literature. We spent maybe 20-25 minutes talking about fantasy books, tabletop games, card games, and other nerdy goodies. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2602.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2602.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I usually skip over clothes. I have extremely narrow tastes when it comes to what I wear, meaning most people don't have anything I want. And on top of that, there's something about wearing a stranger's shirt or pants that just seems kinda gross to me. <br /><br />Morrie found this great Pacific Trail coat, though, which is very similar to her current Pacific Trail coat. The only differences being that her current one is red, has a hood she likes more, and is in significantly worse shape. Not sure what the specific coat costs, but if it's anything like most coats of its type, that's at least a good $40-50 saved. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2604.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2604.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />A nice antique traveling chest we got for $5. Its got some damage to the lock, and the leather carrying strap is busted, but it's a very nice size. You can get a better idea of the scale in the group-photo at the top of this post. <br /><br />Not a whole lot to say about this other than what Morrie said when she bought it: "It'll look nicer than the cardboard boxes I've got stuff sitting in now."<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2596.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2596.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This was a huge find for me. As anyone who knows me is well aware, I'm obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons, and other pen and paper RPGs. Coming from the fire-and-brimstone Catholic upbringing I do, however, I wasn't able to get into the hobby until shortly after the release of D&D 3.5, so I completely missed the heyday of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, which is always remembered so fondly by those who played it. <br /><br />I so rarely see role playing stuff at Garage Sales. In fact, this may well be the first thing I've ever actually found. It's not in mint condition. The pages are water damaged, and the back cover is set to fall off after a few more too-rough handlings. But the book is in very good hands now, and all the pages are intact. <br /><br />The sale I got this from actually looked awful as we drove past it. The house looked run down, there was (for lack of a better term) junk all over the yard. It was the kind of look that nine times out of ten means that the best thing you're going to find is a Partridge Brothers 8-track that smells of cat urine. As it turned out, however, the woman running the sale was pro. She had made a living buying and selling storage units.<br /><br />This was also the sale where I found the absolute best thing I found all day long:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2600.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2600.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2601.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2601.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />To talk about the two less notable finds briefly: Wizardry is a very fun game that I didn't actually intend to buy, but the woman couldn't break my $5 bill, so she had me grab something extra and I very happily did. Dragon Warrior was also a pretty huge find for me. That game was a very big part of my childhood, and the development of my imagination. Owning a copy of it nearly 15 years after my original copy was stolen has made me very happy. I'm actually very motivated now to find an NES so I can relive some of those good times. <br /><br />And with those (slightly) less notable finds out of the way, lets talk about the big one. <br /><br />Legend of Zelda. Gold Cartridge. Intact, near-mint manual. And, best of all, an intact map. <br /><br />Holy shit. <br /><br />The map has a little bit of writing on it, but still...holy shit!<br /><br />I've never even been lucky enough to <i>see</i> an intact map before. Or a manual, for that matter. And despite owning a grey-cart copy, it's just not the same without that brilliant reflective gold that made the game immediately obvious among the pile of cartridges next to the NES. I was so happy to find this that once Morrie and I were alone I was bouncing around and singing a little song about "gold-cart Zelda with manual and map." <br /><br />Actually that's pretty much the whole song right there. Over and over. <br /><br />Yeah...I'm a nerd.LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-88047610547568605822011-05-15T16:19:00.000-07:002011-06-07T01:43:21.783-07:00Garage Sailing VI: A New Year, and A Partner for the HuntWe've had a good few sunny weekends here in Washington, and though I haven't seen many garage sale signs yet, I was thinking that it's about time I set sail for garage-based bargains again. <br /><br />Additionally, my girlfriend, Morrie, moved in with me this past Thursday the 19th, and there were a lot of things she needs/needed which are good to find at Garage Sales. We didn't find everything, but we filled a good portion of our shopping list while we were out, with a few extra goodies as well. So lets jump right in, shall we? <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2550.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2550.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I actually forgot to photograph the dresser, and she's already piled a bunch of her things on top of it, so lets just talk about it first? <br /><br />Obviously, this is one of the items which we really needed for her sake. We got it for $5 at a planned community which was having a big community-wide garage sale event. There was actually professionally made signs and everything directing cars to the place, and a good 25% of the houses there had things out to offer. The dresser is in good shape in terms of construction, and the splotchy coloring looks kinda cool I think, though she and I may paint it eventually, just to make it more personal. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2572.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2572.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This is a set of four wooden TV trays, and a stand to mount them on. Funny thing, I actually already have one exactly like this, but black. In an apartment, tables to can fold up and put away are of *immeasurable* value. I'm always running out of the ones I already have (two of them are semi-permanently assigned to holding up a sheet of glass that I use for map making projects, one for my netbook, and another for food, and poof, all four are used.) I'll be really happy to have more of these available to me now. Especially for $5.<br /><br />==BEGIN SUPER UNINTERESTING SECTION==<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2565.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2565.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2558.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2558.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2561.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2561.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I picked up an old timey extension cord, and a pair of wire cutters. They're simple items which I need, and which I happened to find available in good condition under the prices they are available for at retail. <br /><br />==END SUPER UNINTERESTING SECTION==<br /><br />Often, when I do this garage sailing thing, I worry that the pack-rat part of me which would save balls of lint if I let it is influencing my decisions more than I want. The last thing I want is to buy a bunch of items which will only end up in the trash, or in my own garage sale, someday down the line. Even while I was buying these, I kinda worried that I was just accumulating junk:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2559.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2559.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Then I plugged them into the TV. Even if I never play with these again, and they end up in the garbage, the hour I spent playing battle Tetris with Morrie will have been worth it. <br /><br />Essentially, one of these plugs into the TV, and one of them plugs into the other one, and it's a self-contained Tetris game / controller. They did a pretty decent job designing a control exclusively for use with tetris too. Pretty simple really, left and right to move left or right, down to speed your way down, and rotate left or right to rotate your block. It's wicked fun. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2571.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2571.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Bill Amend is a hero among nerds. That is all I think I need to say about that. He's like a young Bill Watterson. =P<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2569.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2569.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I think all that needs to be said about this at all is that Morrie and I spent the next our shouting things like "THE JOKER IS HOLDING THE ANSWERS HOSTAGE, AND HE'S GOING TO KILL ANY THAT YOU GET WRONG!"<br /><br />Seriously, these books are filled with art of these super heroes and villains, telling you to do math. =P<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2563.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2563.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2564.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2564.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This is another one of the things on our "shopping list" when we were out yesterday. See, during the week leading up to Morrie's move, I asked her what she wanted for breakfast the day after she got here, since she was going to get here so late that we were going to go straight to bed. She said home made waffles. Which, unfortunately, I could not provide.<br /><br />Now I can. =D<br /><br />Also, I dig old Kitchen appliances. Is it just me, or does retro kitchen stuff hold up way better than new stuff? <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2557.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2557.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Inspired by the fact that I have shelves full of GI Joes and TIE Fighters, Morrie has decided to pick up any toys she used to have if she finds them. Yesterday this was the only find, but we got it for a dollar, and she was quite happy to have it, so w00t!<br /><br />Everything else I got all came from a single Garage Sale. Namely: The Best Garage Sale Ever Found Anywhere Ever For Serious Guys For Super Serious. <br /><br />I know that's a long title, but you'll understand when you see this:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2553.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2553.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Yes, that is a motherfucking bust of Medusa. Not a bust of her bust, mind you, merely a bust of her head. Her snake filled head. <br /><br />Apparently, you see, this fellow's mother, or Grandmother owned some manner of store, and when she died he was left with warehouses full of items like this. Items he was selling as "everything for a dollar or less."<br /><br />So yeah, I now own a goddamn bust of Medusa. Words can't express quite how awesome I find this, being the Greek Mythology buff that I am. Here are some other things Morrie and I got. We were actually <i>very</i> restrained. I did my best to keep in mind that anything I bought, I would have to actually put somewhere. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2551.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2551.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I actually managed to get this for free since the bottom is broken. I'm planning to keep Beef Jerky in there. =D<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2562.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2562.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />An imitation Grecian vase. Does it get any more awesome than that? <br /><br />Hell, the only downside to my ENTIRE day was that this vase had a petrified mouse inside of it. Took me 20 minutes to get it out. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2556.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2556.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />The gears of a clock. Looks like it should have been mounted in a frame of some kind, but it still functions perfectly. Morrie suggested I pick it up for Pike, which was a superb idea. I think she'll really like taking this apart. It's completely mechanical. No crystals or other nonsense. Just mainsprings and cogs. <br /><br />Watching the thing work really gave me a sense of how amazing clockwork is. There were parts that looked organic in their movement. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2568.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2568.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2567.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2567.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2566.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2566.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Books filled with art and mythology of various creatures. Most of these books are pretty old (early 80s, late 70s) and all are filled with fantastic artwork. I can't wait to really delve into them. <br /><br />That's it for this week. We still need a desk and a nice chair for Morrie, so I'm sure I'll be posting again soon!LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-90267804281533824892010-08-22T03:29:00.000-07:002011-06-07T01:40:11.596-07:00Garage Sailing V: Critical Load TimeYup, time for another Garage Sailing post! And I did something different this week. Rather than going out garage sailing, then coming home, taking pictures, and writing about it, I took pictures and wrote during the entire process. <br /><br />Please note that <b>there are 76 images beneath the cut</b>. I thought about breaking it up into multiple posts, but I hate that. So just open the link, and give photobucket a moment to load everything up. <br /><br />This week I'm doing something completely different. Rather than going garage sailing, buying stuff, taking it home, photographing it, and writing out the story, I'm going to tell the story every step of the way, writing and taking pictures as I go. This week I'm planning to go somewhere I've not yet gone, residential downton Puyallup. Though I'll do a little bit of looking around Sumner first, and possibly even heading down Orting Highway, since it has been so good to me in the past. <br /><br />I've got some lunch I didn't finish yesterday, Thaed for typing, my camera for photos, extra batteries for the camera since it's a battery hog, no extra batteries for Thaed, because I don't have any, and a long day ahead of me. <br /><br />Step one in being a good garage sailer is one I ALWAYSA fail at: start early. It's currently 11:40 and I'm just getting started. Whups! I never have any trouble finding good stuff, but I also miss out an the opportunity to buy anything which goes to earlier birds.<br /><br />But enough exposition. Lets get started, shall we?<br /><br />Here is my car, parked outside my parent's house, where I am currently living (though hopefully I can find a new apartment soon!)<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2306.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2306.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Thaed is tucked into the nice laptop bag I got last weekend, and I've got my lunch...<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2308.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2308.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />...and the road ahead of me. Lets go!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2309.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2309.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This garage sale was also out last week. It doesn't look like anything new was there, so I didn't even bother to stop. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2311.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2311.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Ah ha! Do you see it? Over on the stop sign! There's a piece of paper! Of course, at this point during the summer, there are dozens upon dozens of signs which people lazily did not take down, but this one doesn't look particularly weather worn. <br /><br />As I got closer, I could see that the only thing on the sign was an arrow. Mysterious! I decided to follow it.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2313.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2313.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Another arrow! Where could this possibly lead!?<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2314.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2314.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />There it is! Down at the end of the street! Finding garage sales is like finding buried treasure. Though pirate maps are often quite a bit easier to find and better clarified than directions to garage sales. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2315.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2315.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I asked the owners if they would mind if I took pictures, and they didn't have a problem with it. There was some very nice looking stuff there. I love really big mirrors like this one, and the frame was great! Course, I already have some mirrors from earlier sales, so I passed on it.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2316.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2316.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />WOW! That is a ton of books. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2317.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2317.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I was pretty tempted by this lamp. The ability to create whatever lighting situation I want in my environment is important to me. That said, though, I've already picked up two lamps while garage sailing, another would be overkill until I have a better idea of what my housing situation will be in the future.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2318.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2318.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Here, we see LS looking at books. He likes to do this. Lets observe!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2319.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2319.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2320.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2320.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2321.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2321.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2322.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2322.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2323.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2323.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2324.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2324.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2325.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2325.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This bench, while not something I can imagine having in my own home, is pretty awesome.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2326.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2326.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Now, this I could imagine having in my home. I bet you I could even rig up some fold-out legs to turn the slide into a bed. Damn...that would be awesome. I should have bought that!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2327.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2327.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />The fact that I don't have any place to put this <i>beautiful</i> $30 couch is absolutely tragic. Sure it's a little worn, but it looks astoundingly comfortable. And since I tend to sleep on my couch rather than my bed (I'll explain later, newer friends) this could be really good for me. <br /><br />But currently every possession I own is in a big pile in my parent's garage. Bringing home a couch isn't really feasible--even if you ignore the logistical problems with transporting it with my '94 Ford Escort. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2328.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2328.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />All I ended up getting here were books. Below is what I chose. 11 books, mostly in the 'trash science fiction' genre. Nerdy as I am, I really don't read enough science fiction. I grew up on Star Wars (who am I kidding, I'm still growing up on Star Wars) but I've never really adventured outside of that literary mythos. I spent $2.25 total. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2330.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2330.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Okay, that sign is placed really awkwardly. I couldn't see it until I was halfway into the intersection. Fortunately the streets were completely empty, so I went ahead and backed up, and made the turn nice and slow so I could get a picture while I did it. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2331.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2331.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />There's an odd, otherworldly quality to sales like these. It's kinda bizarre, ya know? I've passed this house literally thousands of times during my life--it's on the same street where I went to Elementary school, as well as the same street as the middleschool gym where my old fencing club was held. Now all the sudden the stuff from inside the house is piled up and displayed in the driveway, and I'm invited to walk around a part of their home. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2332.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2332.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />TOYS! =) =)<br /><br />I really like toys, but toys which aren't in horrible condition are very rare to find at garage sales, so I usually don't look too closely. I didn't actually find anything here I wanted, but there was some stuff that was at least interesting.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2333.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2333.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I actually already have this toy. It's from the old Micro Machines star wars playsets. This was the first one I ever got, even. It's C-3P0's head, and when it opens up, it's the Mos Eisley cantina on one side, and Docking Bay 94 on the other. Yeah, I know the number of the docking bay. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2334.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2334.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Most of these laptop toys were stupid...but...spider man! >.><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2335.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2335.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />These are just fucking creepy. Girl toys are weird. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2336.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2336.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Clothes...BORING! Move on!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2337.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2337.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />They had a small collection of DVDs here. They were priced quite a bit higher than DVDs at most garage sales, but it's not like they would really know that. And hoenstly, $3-per-movie is a very reasonable price. <br /><br />I managed to haggle down to $2, though, and walked away with a copy of The Search for Spock and The Prestige, with $4 less in my pocket.<br /><br />Wait a second...what's this?<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2338.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2338.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />The kids who live here are selling popcorn, that's kinda cool. I go over to buy some, then I notice the bags. <br /><br />Me: "Wait...is this the machine Maple Lawn had?"<br /><br />Kids: "Yeah."<br /><br />Me: "...When did you get it?"<br /><br />Kids: "About a year ago."<br /><br />Guys, when I was in 1st through 3rd grade, every now and again, on Friday, the elementary school I attended sold popcorn at recess for a quarter. Popcorn Fridays, I think they were called. This was a HUGE deal to us kids. We absolutely loved it.<br /><br />And this is the same machine, and the same bags, that I used to get popcorn from over 15 years ago.<br /><br />Fuck. yeah.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2339.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2339.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Remember Garage Sailing II, when I got that cool picture of a ship at the garage sale with a bunch of antiques, from the lady who had owned an antique shop?<br /><br />She was doing another one, with some new stuff, so I made it my third stop.<br /><br />This is a really boring picture to open with, don't ask me why I took it. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2340.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2340.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This picture should give you a better idea of the scope of this sale, and the impressiveness of this property. This really, truly, is a very lovely home. I'm extremely envious. And I honestly love this lawn. A lot of empty space to move around in, and privacy provided by bushes. That's the most important thing. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2341.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2341.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I took pictures of a lot of mirrors throughout the day. Dunno why. I really do like them.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2342.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2342.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2343.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2343.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This is the dresser I mentioned in Garage Sailing II. If it was actually in my price range, and I had a place to put it, I would SO buy this thing. I love it. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2344.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2344.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />One of these days, I need to improve my sewing skills. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2345.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2345.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2346.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2346.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I stared at the letters for five full minutes trying to think of something interesting I could spell with them if I bought them, but nothing worthwhile came to mind. Have I mentioned I suck at anagrams? <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2347.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2347.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2348.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2348.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />If you've ever had doubts that going to garage sales pays off, this ENTIRE box of LPs was $20. Seriously. I didn't even take pictures of all the good ones, there were several more that were equally awesome.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2349.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2349.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2350.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2350.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />The Rummager's Handbook? I needed to get that, if for no other reason than to commemorate the five weeks I've spent doing this. And really, if this is going to be a hobby of mine, it couldn't hurt to hear what someone else has to say about it, right?<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2351.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2351.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This was just too cool to me. This painting of a ship? There's actual rigging attached to it. The painting is covered in strings. That's fucking awesome. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2352.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2352.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />And THIS painting of a ship? It's actually a 3-dimensional, working ship, which is not a painting!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2353.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2353.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Before I move on, I wanna say that the lady who runs this garage sale is SUPER cool. She's extremely friendly, and recognized me when I first showed up. Part of the benefit of dressing in the dramatic, unusual manner that I do, is that I'm an extremely recognizable person. But to be greeted cheerfully with "Hey, your back!" isn't something I experience as often as I am recognized. <br /><br />We spoke at length about my project, and she actually gave me some advice on how I could keep this up after summer was over, and really turn it into a year-round pursuit. Something, she seemed to think, I could even turn into a business. She even gave me the book I was going to buy for free, to "help me get started."<br /><br />I'm a little conflicted, actually. She made a lot of excellent points, and I think it's possible that if I worked at it, I could make this little project into a "big deal on the Internet." Then, through advertising, I could start pulling in a nice side-income. <br /><br />At the same time, this is already a lot of work, and the writing and photography I do for these posts is hardly what I would consider "up to par" with the work I've done that I would consider professional. Doing the legwork, taking the pictures, and writing the post, tends to take up my entire Saturday. <br /><br />Then again, an unwillingness to do work outside of my job is the kind of attitude which will keep me in the kind of employment I'm in now. My job is great, but I'm not very good at the whole 9-to-5 deal. <br /><br />It's something I'm going to have to think seriously about. Strong arguments can be made for both sides of the issue. <br /><br />By the way, I also told Catt (the woman who put on the sale) that I would give her a plug in thanks for the free book. So, if by any chance anyone reading this lives in the greater Tacoma, WA area, keep an eye on 313 Wood Ave, Sumner WA, 98390. Sometime in the next month she's going to have one last sale, with many items which weren't out this weekend. <br /><br />Also, she's going to be selling that beautiful house soon as well. It's called Maple Lawn Farm, it was built in 1882, and it's one of the biggest properties left in one of the nicest parts of town. If you've got about a million dollars, check it out. Seriously, the House is worth about of $800,000-$1,000,000<br /><br />MOVING ON, here's another sign already! Just after I pulled away from the previous stop.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2354.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2354.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2355.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2355.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2356.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2356.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2357.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2357.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This sale was pretty barren. Talking to the woman running it, it sounds like there would have been a lot more available if I could take my own damn advice and get an early start. Showing up around noon is too late to get the good stuff. <br /><br />I had a rather long conversation with this woman, but I don't think I'd really like to talk about it here. She was very nice, and had the very best of intentions, but many of the things she said didn't sit well with me. I'll just leave it be.<br /><br />She did give me this sexy leather bag:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2358.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2358.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />And she had BINDERS, for 10 cents each! I gave her one dollar for the seven binders and the leather bag. I love organizational supplies. I do SO many projects, that having different places to store them is a huge help. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2359.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2359.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2360.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2360.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Another sign? Seriously? Would be believe that I've been trying to drive to the store ever since the second garage sale? I'm thirsty, damn it!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2361.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2361.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />The lady at this garage sale seemed to think I wanted to take pictures of her. Once I explained that was not the case, she was cool with it.<br /><br />Not a lot here. Mostly women's clothing. Sure, I look good in it, but it's not really my style. I'll let the pictures carry this one:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2362.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2362.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2363.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2363.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2364.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2364.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2365.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2365.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Total investment? $3.50<br /><br />Didn't get any pictures of the sixth garage sale. They were set up on Main Street, and I didn't see them until I'd driven past. There really wasn't much there—some PS2 games that were mediocre, and a flatscreen LCD monitor which was far too small for my tastes. <br /><br />They were nice enough to give me a tissue to help with my nose bleed though. I always get those in hot weather.<br /><br />After #6, I finally managed to make it to the store. <br /><br />There's a very bizarre sensation one experiences after spending hours at yard sales, and then walking into a real store. Everything seems extremely expensive. I can't help but think "A dollar fifty for this jug of juice!? I spent less than that on a leather briefcase and seven binders!"<br /><br />Got some extra pocket money while I was here, since I was running a tad low. I also took this opportunity to sit in my car and eat the food I'd brought with me this morning. Om nom!<br /><br />Garage Sale seven , off Orting Highway, was big, but boring. The Yu-Gi-Oh costume kinda made me giggle though.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2367.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2367.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Also, I did buy the transformers/deceptacons binder, because Steph might kill me if I didn't. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2368.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2368.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Sale number 8 was annoying. I followed them for quite some time, and was starting to get pissed about people who leave their signs up after their sale is over, when I finally found them, selling out of some kind of fenced-in storage facility or something. As I've done at every sale, I asked politely if I could take pictures of the items. They immediately became suspicious of me, asking me questions like "Who do you represent?" and ultimately told me I couldn't take pictures. To quote one of the guys there:<br /><br />"This is really our stuff. It would be easier to market it as someone elses, but this is really ours."<br /><br />Um...okay. <br /><br />I did find a hammer which is pretty nice. Normally I would have tried to get it for 2 dollars, but they were "covertly" watching me while I browsed, so I went ahead and just paid the sticker price of 3 dollars up front rather than deal with any inane bullshit from them. <br /><br />I parked next to some equine creatures on my way to #9<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2369.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2369.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Once I found #9 (being held in the BACK yard, for some reason) they had some seriously cool stuff. Like this $200 Harry Potter chess set which they claimed to have purchased for $500.<br /><br />Even if I didn't find Harry Potter unpalatable, this chess set wouldn't be worth that much.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2370.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2370.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />They had some fantastic, and expensive, furniture though.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2371.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2371.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />And some more!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2372.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2372.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />All I left with was a blender I spent $5 on. It works great, actually. I'm excited to make some take some heterogeneous mixtures and turn them into homogeneous mixtures.<br /><br />Garage sale 10 had one of those super nice ladies running it. We had a great chat about how garage sales and lemonade stands do much better when they know how to display and market themselves. It was pretty fun! I picked up a copy of Top Gun for two dollars. Not a fantastic movie, but a good one, and two dollars is worth it.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2373.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2373.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Garage sale 11 was fun. They also did not want any pictures taken, but they were a great deal more polite about it than the last guys were. <br /><br />Some nice things here. A big box of imaginext caught my eye. Ronnie loves that stuff, but I've only got $25 on me, and this box cost $20. Since Ronnie is broke and can't pay me back, I decided to pass it up, after they decided not to take $10 for it. <br /><br />Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, right?<br /><br />I got a copy of crash, and a tape dispenser for $1.50 total. I've wanted to see crash ever since I had a horrible job where I spent 8 hours a day putting copies of crash into boxes. And packing tape dispensers are handy for sending packages around! =D<br /><br />Garage sale 12 had the most lovely desk I think I've ever seen. I wanted it SO badly, and if I thought I had ANYWHERE to put it, I would have bought it. But I really can't afford to buy things so huge when I don't even have a place to put the things I already own. Maybe once I have an apartment, I can make decisions to buy stuff like that. But right now, it's unreasonable.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2374.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2374.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2375.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2375.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Somebody remind me to do a proper post sometime soon about my devious plans to build my own desk, someday. I've got diagrams. Seriously. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2376.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2376.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I didn't end up buying anything at 12, but I did show two young boys my fencing equipment. They had some fun swinging my sabres around. It was really cute.<br /><br />Garage sale 13 never was. They invited me in with this sign:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2377.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2377.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Which pointed directly to here:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2379.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2379.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Aaaaand a closer look at that sign?:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2381.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2381.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Yeah, not going in there. I can only hope that this was a prank, because you would have to be a complete moron to invite someone in with one sign, and threaten them with police and legal action if they accept the invitation.<br /><br />Sale 14 had no of interest. The only thing which caught my eye were some books on web development and SQL management. But they were, of course, outdated and irrelevant. They also had a copy of "Mars and Venus in the bedroom" which...is just kinda sad. Didn't take any pictures here. <br /><br />...Somebody decided to park in the middle of the street...I think I can squeeze out of here if I drive on the sidewalk.<br /><br />Garage sale 15 was...fucking sad. Like, I honestly feel bad for the people who live there. They were trying to sell shit that the garbage man wouldn't take.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2382.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2382.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Seriously, #15 had like...half eaten bags of chips, broken audio tapes representing formats I can't even identify, framed military recruitment pictures...seriously. There wasn't even anybody there. Who would steal that stuff?<br /><br />16 was nice. Not a lot of interest, but a large selection of DVDs. Unfortunately they were two bucks a pop, si I limited myself to Marie Antoinette, Flight of the Pheonix, Higher Learning, and Valkyrie for my dad. <br /><br />Flight of the Pheonix I only got because it has Hugh Laurie in it, and I love him. Higher Learning I only got because it has Omar Epps in it. Now I just need to find movies with Chase and Cameron, and I'll have the whole original House team!<br /><br />17 didn't have anything good either. <br /><br />Lots of clothes, some auto parts, and some kitchen appliances that didn't look to be in very good shape. Oh, and super outdated printers/electronic typeing machines. I wonder if those ever sell. <br /><br />I'm getting pretty lazy about taking pictures. Sorry about that. Not a lot to photograph at the moment. <br /><br />Woah, what's that I'm driving past?<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2383.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2383.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />rofl, marriage. <br /><br />18 was being held at a local Masonic lodge. The only thing which caught my eye is a copy of "Sneak King," which I've always kinda wanted, because I love stealth games, and the king is hilarious. I'm sure it's HORRIBLE, but at least it would be lulzy. <br /><br />Didn't get it though. I don't even own an xbox. <br /><br />Just as I started to drive away, I noticed #19 across the street.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2386.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2386.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I can never decide whether I love or hate mirror shelves. They're awesome, but they're weird. I just can't decide!<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2387.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2387.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This scale was super awesome to me, I don't know why. I kept thinking to myself "Man, what if I had to use THIS at work instead of the digital one? That would be a pain in the ass. >.>"<br /><br />Yeah, I think with emoticons. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2388.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2388.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I was planning to stop at #20, as it's getting late in the day. They tried to sell me a frog. I didn't go for that, but did end up purchasing a hardback copy of The Scarlet Letter for a dollar.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2389.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2389.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />But THEN, #21 was across the street. They were closing up shop, as many places do at 4:30. They didn't have much left, but they did have a nice little corkboard that I got for a quarter.<br /><br />And then I went home!<br /><br />Here's a group photo of everything I picked up today. I have to admit, I don't feel like I really made any fantastic finds today, but I did find some GREAT stuff. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2399.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2399.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I really hope you enjoyed that, because it was honestly a lot of work putting together. More work than I think I'll want to do again for awhile. Something like this is really better handled by video, I think.<br /><br />Thanks for reading, and if you got all the way to the end, please comment! The whole reason I bother to do these posts is because of the fantastic comments I've received on them.LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-49273084557548844842010-08-15T02:57:00.001-07:002012-06-10T00:47:42.808-07:00Garage Sailing IV: Sidekicks and MagpiesI am a materialistic guy.<br /><br />There's this notion in our culture which we're assaulted with all our lives. It's the moral to the story of dozens of episodes of children's television programming, which ironically are usually just attempts to sell toys anyway. We're not supposed to care about <i>things.</i> We should only care about people, and love, and other such noble goals.<br /><br />In a way this has created a repression in our society much like the much-discussed repression of sex. Sex is "dirty" and "wrong" in our culture, despite the fact that everybody does it, and everybody wants it, and everybody would probably be happier if they were getting more of it than they are. The same can be said of possessions.<br /><br />Most people in our culture care very deeply about the things they own. You would be hard pressed to find a person who didn't "collect" something. Collect as in <i>possess a number of items with a similar theme, and little or no utilitarian application, simply for the joy of ownership.</i> That's pretty materialistic.<br /><br />Fuck this Victorian ideology of remaining aloof from what we own.<br /><br />But at the same time, recognize that when you die, your kids are going to spend less than 10 seconds looking at each of the items which meant so much to you. And then they're going to sell it in an estate sale, and somebody like me is going to show up and buy it, and add it to their collection of stuff, and probably eventually throw it in the trash.<br /><br />It's sobering.<br /><br />But, then again, the fucking is even more fleeting. And we surely don't want to stop caring about that!<br /><br />Everybody feeling depressed and introspective? Excellent! Lets move on to the pictures of the junk my kids will eventually throw away:<br /><br />Much like last week, and the week before that, I didn't so much go looking to go garage sailing this weekend, it just sorta fell into my lap.<br /><br />See, coming home from work on Wednesday, I noticed signs had gone up all over town. Apparently there was going to be a huge city sponsored Rummage Sale at Loyalty Park (3 blocks from my parent's house.)<br /><br />Obviously, I had to go.<br /><br />This week I also ended up taking my younger brother, Ronnie, with me. The kid looks up to me like...a fuckton. I think that in many ways, I am to him what my uncle Joe was to me. And much like the relationship between Joe and I, I've thusfar found his attention annoying. He's a sweet kid, but his adoration often pushed the boundaries of my gargantuan personal bubble when I was still living here. Still, I like to try and spend some time with him now and again.<br /><br />Our first stop was a garage sale right next to the park. I had seen it Firday evening, and it looked as though the family living there was selling half of their worldly posessions. Seriously, there was a TON of stuff.<br /><br />But as is the case with sales like that, I didn't find much I wanted. And, unfortunately, the people running this sale were in a class of sellers I've personally dubbed "Yard Curators," because they seem to think their mishmash of possessions they no longer want are museum pieces, worth several times their apparent value. (Watch Stephanie make a joke about Yard Curators. She'll do it.)<br /><br />This particular yard curator <i>laughed at me</i> when I made an offer on these sketches, and demanded $25 for the pair:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2232-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2232-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Yeah, that's not happening.<br /><br />Granted, I could easily see those going for $25-30 a piece in a store. But this isn't a store. They're not hanging on a display wall, they're sitting in the dirt, leaning against the side of your house. And while your story about how the shop you bought them from having closed down 30 years ago is mildly amusing, it doesn't increase the value of pencil sketches in cheap frames. I promise you that, unless an Antique dealer bought them (which does happen now and again,) those sketches do not sell.<br /><br />This seems to be difficult for some people to figure out, so allow me to make it clear: the primary purpose of doing a yard sale is to get rid of crap you don't want, not to make money. If you're looking to make money off of something, there are actual stores you can sell things to, or better yet, eBay. And don't fucking <i>laugh</i> when somebody offers you $5 for an unmarked item which looks like it took a second year art student an hour.<br /><br />I don't think I realized until writing that how much that experience annoyed me.<br /><br />I did end up giving them a dollar for some knick-knacks I found:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2253-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2253-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I generally don't like to pick up things which are only useful for being displayed, but old video game merch is kinda my thing, so the Luigi and Goomba toys were a fun find, and who doesn't remember the transforming McDonalds toys fondly? Those things were kickass! Though, after the purchase, I had to explain to my brother why you <b>do not</b> tell the seller that something is a "good price." Particularly when they're charging a dollar for three happy meal toys. Oh well, it's how he'll learn, right?<br /><br />Skeletor is actually for my friend Jeremy, and the mini yard waste bin is because my brother thought it would be hilarious to fill it with grass and stick it out on the curb. I picked those two items up a few blocks away from some very nice people, with whom I ended up talking about my desk-making ambitions. The Screwdriver I got for a quarter at the rummage sale, and speaking of which...<br /><br />It kinda sucked pretty hard.<br /><br />Now, granted, I showed up late in the day, and this was a pretty well publicized event. So there's a good chance that there was good stuff here before, which was gone by the time I got there. I don't know how I slept in until noon, but I did!<br /><br />There were a ton of World of Warcraft card game cards there, but I hate card games, so I didn't really look at them. I'm sure any item code cards were already used anyway.<br /><br />What I did find is a whiteboard:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2262.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2262.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I fucking <i>love</i> whiteboards. If you look through my LJ's archives (which you shouldn't do) I even have an entire post about how much I love whiteboards. I don't understand why so many academics prefer blackboards. I'll grant blackboard lovers the tactile angle--they've certainly got that going for them. But the sound chalk makes, the mess it makes, the inconsistent lines you get with chalk? No way man. Send the blackboards back to wherever they came from, I'm a whiteboard supremacist.<br /><br />The tape peeled off the board easily, so now I've got a nicely sized, second whiteboard. And it was a dollar!<br /><br />Secondly, I found this for fifty cents:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2247-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2247-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Don't ask me, I haven't even opened it yet. But it was fifty cents, and it looks kinda fun. I'm a fan of obscure boardgames, so I'll enjoy checking this out.<br /><br />[EDIT: I did check it out, and posted about it. I'm too lazy to move that post to this blog right now, but <a href="http://linkskywalker.livejournal.com/158489.html#cutid1">here's a link to my Live Journal pos</a><a href="http://linkskywalker.livejournal.com/158489.html#cutid1">t</a>.]<br /><br />I learned as I was leaving the rummage sale that it was <i>not</i> in fact a city sponsored event, but was instead sponsored by a local church. This made me somewhat uncomfortable, as I make a point to avoid supporting churches. But it was $1.75, so I didn't worry about it too much.<br /><br />And who knows? Churches <i>do</i> do things like manage food banks. I just worry it might be used to purchase new whips for the "Youth Self Flagellation Course," or some other nonsense.<br /><br /><br />After this we drove around a bit. I ended up next-door to the house which I'd gotten the ship painting from two weeks ago, and found this:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2248-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2248-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Not super interesting, but it's useful cookware that I didn't have. I do enjoy cooking whole birds!<br /><br />Much MORE interesting is this:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2256-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2256-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I have no idea what vintage these are, but they're made of a very heavy metal. It's a stapler and tape dispenser. The tape dispenser is actually missing the blade, but I figure there should be no problem at all taking the blade off some cheap tape dispenser and screwing it onto this thing.<br /><br />I spend a lot of my time at my desk, working with paper or other such projects. So staplers and tape are a huge part of my daily life, and these are so much more personal than the generic plastic crap I get from grocery stores.<br /><br />Oh, and the cost? A dollar a piece for all three of the items I got from that sale.<br /><br />This next picture is stuff from a bunch of different places throughout my whole day, so here's as good a place as any to post it:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2250-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2250-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Top Right is a VHS copy of the old "The Hobbit" animated film, which was actually pretty good. Good enough that I was willing to spend a dollar on a VHS copy.<br /><br />Top center is the movie 300, which a lot of people who try too hard to be intellectual hated. I've yet to hear a legitimate criticism of this film. It was excellent. It was a dollar.<br /><br />Top right is a 2-disc CD set of Bheethoven's music. I got this for $0.50 at the big estate sale, which I'll discuss in more detail below.<br /><br />To the left and right are near-mint copies of a DC comic called "Swamp Thing" from the 70s. I paid a dollar a piece for them. I kinda wanted to get them appraised when I went to the comic book store later in the day, but they were in my car a few blocks away, and it was late in the day.<br /><br />Center is the album "Other People's Songs" by Erasure, whom you should all be familiar with by now, thanks to this:<br /><br /><lj-embed id="6"><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FUaKxFjlOpw?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FUaKxFjlOpw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /></lj-embed><br /><br />The album is just a bunch of covers of...well, other people's songs. I listened to it in the car as I drove around a bit. It was worth the 50 cents I paid, I think.<br /><br />Bottom center is The Legend of Zelda Collector's Condition, and Twilight Princess for gamecube, along with a memory card. My brother latched on to them, and I picked them up for a total of four dollars.<br /><br />I also picked this up for 50 cents, it's not super interesting, so here it is without much commentary:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2255-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2255-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2254-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2254-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For those not in the know, there are short legs. The idea is that you put water in a pan, and this in the pan, and vegetables on this. You then put the pan on the stove, and the water boils, and you steam the vegetables. Again, I like food prep, so this could be fun.<br /><br />Moving on to more interesting stuff, lets talk about the Estate Sale. Which I actually visited twice, once with my brother, who I then needed to take home, then again by myself. I picked up quite a few things which, until a short time ago, were an old woman's cherished possessions.<br /><br />I was a little wary at first, because out front there was a sign listing the "rules," such as "absolutely no negotiations," which for me has become a red flag for "everything is overpriced!"<br /><br />Turns out though, that everything was quite reasonably priced, and on top of reasonably priced, was half-off, given the (by then) somewhat late hour of the day. (Most sales like this go from 8 or 9 until 4. 4pm is consistently the 'end time' for yard sales, don't ask me why. It's summer, the sun is up well after 7!)<br /><br />The first time I was there, my brother dropped and broke an item. We offered to pay for it, but they let us off the hook for being honest. I swear, telling the truth is like...the greatest scam there is.<br /><br />Anyway, on to the stuff:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2241.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2241.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I am a huge fan of canes, and these were $2 a piece. And yes, this fascination began with Dr. Greg House. But at this point I've spent something like 3 years role playing Lord Sentai Grehsk in WoW, who walks with a cane due to injuries sustained during the second war with the orcs. And I've written many more characters with physical disabilities...it has become something of a fascination of mine, actually, to write protagonists with significant disabilities. Scars are the kind of thing a 14 year old puts in their fanfiction. My protagonists are often missing an arm, and I've written more than one woman with amputated breasts.<br /><br />So...um...yeah. I like canes -> amputated breasts. Aren't you glad I don't edit these posts?<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2244-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2244-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I've been surprised at the lack of tools I've been able to find at garage sales. I very much want to teach myself the basics of things like carpentry or cabinetry. So I'm always looking for tools, and $1.50 is not much to pay for a good framing square.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2242-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2242-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Toaster and Kettle! I've tested both, and they work great. I think they were maybe a dollar each.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2246-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2246-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />To the left is some egg beaters, which are CRAZY powerful. Serious, I plugged them in, you could run a fuckin' CAR on that motor, geeze.<br /><br />To the right is a very old, home video camera. It was the most expensive item I got at the estate sale; a whopping four dollars. I got it as a gift for Stephanie, though I don't know if she'll really like it all that much. Still, it struck me as the equivalent of buying me an early edition of <i>Beyond Good and Evil.</i>. The book, not the game...though I never actually finished that book. *shame!*<br /><br />I drove around quite a bit before I found anything else I wanted. It's funny, sometimes you'll find nothing at a specific sale, and other times you'll find several things.<br /><br />There wasn't much special about this garage sale, though it did have a <i>wicked</i> awesome headboard that I would have bought had it been practical for me <i>at all</i>.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2238-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2238-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2257-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2257-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2261-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2261-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The lamp was $2, the bag was $1, and the CD-ROM was free. I'm particularly happy about the bag, as it is quite small, and well sized for Thaed (my new netbook, about whom I will probably post about.)<br /><br />And that was the last stuff I ended up finding at garage sales. Well, actually, the comic books above were found slightly later in the day, but still, all the garage sale stuff has been posted.<br /><br />HOWEVER, there are two more interesting stories from today.<br /><br />In the town next to the one I'm living in now, there was once this guy named Meeker. He's basically the Jebediah Springfield of Puyallup. The Puyallup Park still has the foundations of his first house, and his second (much larger and fancier) house is a museum maintained by the historical society. Ya know, the same way every little town has one house which is maintained by the historical society, because a historical society's gotta have SOMEthing to do to keep them off the streets, right?<br /><br />Anyway, there seemed to be a huge rummage sale going on there as well, so I took a look.<br /><br />There were a few interesting things, but as I expected almost everything was an "Antique," which means people will shell out a lot of money for it, which means it's out of my price range.<br /><br />While looking through some books, a nearby old guy said "Find anything good?" to which I replied "Naw. People rarely put out the good books at these things." (which is true. Garage sales are a TERRIBLE place to find books.)<br /><br />Then I hear somebody behind me "Yeah, all the good stuff is over here!"<br /><br />So I turn around and see a coworker from my very first job, back at Safeway. He's approaching his 70s, and apparently builds bird houses to sell at these things. He's still working my old shift, and I gave him my email, because he quite likes sending out forwards to people on his joke lists.<br /><br />I'm really hoping that he doesn't send me any more far-right propaganda...but he probably will.<br /><br />And the last story is about a purchase I made from a business, with real-business dollar amounts.<br /><br />See, eight months ago, I was in a pretty low place. I'd just been forced to give up on every dream I'd ever had, been forced to move back in with parents who treated me like garbage growing up, and whom I still do not get along with even to this day. I was marching far and wide looking for work, and more often than not was getting treated like dirt for having the audacity to ask if a business owner would like to see my resume.<br /><br />Among the people who DIDN'T treat me like shit was this comic book store owner. He politely explained to me that it was a small family business, and they couldn't afford to hire anyone else. He wished me good luck, and I was on my way. But I didn't forget that he was actually nice to me, and I certainly didn't forget how well stocked and laid out the store was. So I vowed to go back when I had money, and support that business.<br /><br />And today I did.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2264-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2264-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Yes, that's a comic book series where all the marvel super heroes become zombies. I've only read the first one so far, but let me give you some highlights:<br /><br />-Zombie Spider Man shoots strands of veins and arteries out of his wrists, rather than webs.<br /><br />-Zombie Spider Man ate Mary Jane and Aunt May<br /><br />-Zombie Spider man <i>brutally slaughters five members of his rogues gallery</i> Let me detail that:<br /><br />--Bites out Kraven the Hunter's jugular. Seriously, he has a 2ft length of jugular in his mouth.<br /><br />--Reaches into Mysterio's skull and pulls out his brain and eats it.<br /><br />--Electrocutes Doc Oc, tears his stomach open, and eats his entrails.<br /><br />--Rips off both of vultures arms.<br /><br />--Uses the blades on vultures wings to cut off Electro's head<br /><br />Sandman then gives this speech:<br /><br />"I...I don't get what you're doing! This ain't how things ARE! This ain't how they're supposed to HAPPEN! We fight, you usually win, we go to prison, we escape, and it starts all over again! Why are you DOING this? WHY ARE YOU BREAKING THE RULES!?"<br /><br />The only thing about this comic which ISN'T awesome so far is that it is apparently the second storyline in this "Marvel Zombie" comic series, so I'm totally missing out on a bunch of backstory. Still, it's been good times, and the next issue has ZOMBIE IRON MAN on the cover. SO WIN!<br /><br />Also made of win? This barbie doll they had at the shop:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/?action=view&current=DSCF2234-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale4/DSCF2234-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And that's it for this week.<br /><br />That's probably the longest one I've done.LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-68136447217759602672010-08-07T20:37:00.000-07:002011-06-07T01:37:11.063-07:00Garage Sailing III: Vengeance of the Reflected ManWhere I'm currently staying, this is the single best day of the year for Garage Sales. See, my parents live a grand total of 2 blocks away from main street in a town which tries really quite hard to sell people on main street businesses. It's one of those places couples go to to stroll around through all the quirky knick knack and antique stores. (FYI though, almost all the businesses on Sumner's Main Street are just full of junk. "A Good Book," and "The Gast Haus" are both superb places. The people who own "The Berryland Cafe" are dicks though.)<br /><br />For the large part, this street fair is stupid. A bunch of home-made jewelry, bad sketches of animals being sold under the title of "fine art" (not kidding.) and other equally offensively inoffensive nonsense. Out of the 23 years of my life, I've been there 21 times, and I've yet to be impressed. Highlights include:<br /><br />1) Occasionally there will be an amusing act on the stage, not often though. I think I may have actually performed once.<br /><br />2) The food. They always set up some great places to buy various bits of deliciousness. Though I decided to refrain this year, since most of them are run by groups I'm uncomfortable supporting. <br /><br />3) There's this one person who sells pewter figures of dragons or wizards or other fantasy statuettes, which have been affixed to interesting pieces of geology. I've always wanted one, but I don't want one of the little wizards on a slice of multicolored rock. (Sorry, I'm horrible with geological terminology.) I want one of the $80 pieces with a wizard fighting a dragon on top of a rock big enough to be a scale mountain. I just can't afford that right now, though.<br /><br />4) Everybody in town has a garage sale to take advantage of the increased traffic from all over the area. <br /><br />And that brings us to the subject of this post. This year didn't have as much stuff as previous years, but I did find some good stuff...<br /><br />First I stopped by a garage sale being held in the house where my aunt and her family used to live. I have a lot of really fond memories of that house--not the least of which being the yearly garage sales where the whole extended family would get together at her house (on this very day) to sell our junk. <br /><br />I had a nice chat with the new owners (who told me the house is haunted, and want me to pass a message along to my aunt telling her to come get her ghost. I'm not sure they were kidding.) I told them about some of the weird stuff we found in the house when my Aunt first moved in, and picked up a few DVDs for a dollar a piece. (Pictured is also a fifth DVD, which I picked up later at a garage sale which is not really worth mentioning.)<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/?action=view&current=DSCF2227.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/DSCF2227.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />A street over from that, I went to two sales. The first was kinda boring, but it had a nice Wok, so I grabbed that for $1.50. They also had some mugs, and I've been wanting to keep one at work so I can drink tea every day, so I just grabbed the one that was the least "not my style" and gave em' 50 cents for it. I then went to another sale which had one of the most annoying kinds of sellers--the hard seller. I hate hard sells as it is, but at a garage sale? Seriously? <br /><br />She had nothing of even vague interest, until I noticed a pack of plastic plates for 50 cents. I could certainly use a few more plates, so I went ahead and went for it. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/?action=view&current=DSCF2224.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/DSCF2224.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I then went to another yard sale with a hard-seller. Ugh.<br /><br />Now, something I've seen at a LOT of garage sales is mirrors. I like mirrors a lot. I probably like more than a scruffy looking person like myself has any right to. I mean, if I like them so much, I should at least bother making myself presentable right? Nope. Not happening.<br /><br />See, I like mirrors, because they make a small space feel like a much larger space. Also because making funny faces at them is hilarious. <br /><br />However, all the mirrors I've seen are TOTALLY not my style, also generally overpriced I think. But I've seen a lot of them at this point, and that trend has been pretty consistent. So when I see another one at this garage sale, I figure "this must just be the way it is." and I buy it for $10.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/?action=view&current=DSCF2222.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/DSCF2222.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This is probably the only regret I have about my Garage Sailing over the last three weeks. Generally I've been pretty happy with the way I've guarded my money, and the way I've been careful to purchase things I'll actually use, not just junk that looks cool to me. <br /><br />But I should have offered $5 at most for this mirror. <br /><br />Oh well, what's done is done. <br /><br />Really though, what makes it worse, is that a little later on in the day I found this:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/?action=view&current=DSCF2220.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/DSCF2220.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />See, that's just weird enough to be exactly my style, and it's WAY bigger, and it was FIVE DOLLARS. I almost didn't get it because of how much I'd spent on the previous one, but I later went back in my car to buy it because I figure I can probably find someone to buy the first one off of me for $5. And if not, no big deal. More the merrier. <br /><br />That one is actually SUPER heavy. It was meant for a dresser, but the person who was selling it had mounted some really sturdy mounting brackets on the back, so it hangs just fine. <br /><br />After leaving the garage sale with the awesome mirror, I found a house with a bunch of stuff labeled "Free." Among those items were some plastic filing cabinets in decent condition. This is AWESOME for me, because I've got some cardboard filing cabinets (I know, rite?) I've been using for YEARS, and they're really starting to fall apart. <br /><br />Trouble is, today I was on foot. Because when you live 2 blocks from a street fair that people in a several-town-radius attend, leaving your parking spot is ill advisable. Fortunately it was a back-road, and there weren't any signs, and the filing cabinets were really dirty, so I trusted they would be there when I returned. <br /><br />This is also the point where I met two kids. Maybe 9 and 6, and talked to them about how cool their bikes are. The six year old totally had these badass reflectors he got from the firefighters at the street fair, and also a glitter tattoo which was pretty boss. While doing so, a woman literally started *running* towards us, and I was worried they were her kids, and she thought I was gonna rape them or something. But then she ran right past us. No idea what she was doing. <br /><br />When I came back later, the sign was gone, but the filing cabinets were still there! Because I'm the polite sort, I knocked on the door to make sure the filing cabinets were, indeed, free to take. I ended up chatting for maybe 10 minutes with the super cool old lady who lived there. I had just come from picking up the large mirror, and she thought it was fantastic. I also ended up taking a painting she had there. It's not really my style, but it's kinda nice, and I figure someone I know might like it. It was free anyway.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/?action=view&current=DSCF2215.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/DSCF2215.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/?action=view&current=DSCF2219.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/DSCF2219.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />And then a little earlier in the day, while walking home, I passed an apartment complex which was hosting a communal garage sale. At first I didn't see anything worth getting, but then...<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/?action=view&current=DSCF2216.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/DSCF2216.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/?action=view&current=DSCF2217.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/DSCF2217.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />A Lego set, for $8. I don't even care if it was all there, I LOVE Lego, a metric fuckton. More Lego means more options for building awesome stuff. I don't get to do it as often anymore, but that's no reason to pass on a deal like this! New, this set cost about $130-170 if I recall. (yeah, I subscribed to the Lego magazine/Lego catalog for...many, many years. Lego Maniacs unite!)<br /><br />She also had a chess set, which turned out to be a multi-game set sorta thing, which I grabbed even though I've already got a nice chess set, because it was a dollar, and I'm a huge fan of chess.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/?action=view&current=DSCF2223.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/YardSale3/DSCF2223.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />All in all, I got some truly fantastic stuff today. And as I was explaining to my younger siblings, just spend some time thinking about what I would have spent on most of this stuff new. If this stuff came from a store, it would be in slightly better condition, and I would have spent my entire paycheck. <br /><br />As is, it's in perfectly serviceable condition, and I spent my pocket money on it.LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-86429658966836692462010-08-01T03:19:00.000-07:002011-06-07T01:34:12.860-07:00Garage Sailing II: Urban ArcheologyI didn't mean to, really I didn't.<br /><br />I had <a href="http://www.blaghag.com/">Blag Hag's Blogathon</a> to do today. I was really looking forward to spending my entire day reading and commenting and generally getting my Internet on.<br /><br />But on the way home from work on Friday, I saw what looked like a really kickass Garage Sale, and, well...<br /><br />...it only got worse.<br /><br />First I had to go to the bank, but I wanted to shower before going out in public, and what do I see from the upstairs bathroom window? Another yard sale.<br /><br />So, I go to the bank, and start heading towards the garage sale I saw saw yesterday, when I pass ANOTHER garage sale! I'm not trying to do this, I swear!<br /><br />So I stop at my first garage sale of the day. And this immediately catches my eye:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/?action=view&current=DSCF2170.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/DSCF2170.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Five dollars, in beautiful condition, very classy globe. This is the kind of classical decor I feel juxtaposes well with my generally modern aesthetic. And ya know what the best part is?<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/?action=view&current=DSCF2172.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/DSCF2172.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />USSR baby.<br /><br />Okay, so then I head off to the Yard Sale I passed yesterday. Realize I forgot where it was, and drive around aimlessly for awhile. I ended up passing the same FedEx guy 6 times, on completely different streets. <br /><br />Eventually find it, across the street from my old elementary school, and discover that while it's TOTALLY a badass sale, it's also way out of my price range.<br /><br />The woman running it had closed her Antique shop a few months back, and was selling excess stock in yard sales over the summer. So most of the stuff there was pretty expensive, but it was worth going just to look at it. There was a dresser that I really quite liked, save for its $250 price tag. <br /><br />I did find this, though, which I found oddly appealing. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/?action=view&current=DSCF2195.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/DSCF2195.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Odd, because inoffensive art, and seafaring art alike are both usually quite distasteful to me. But there's something about this painting which simply screams to me "I'm totally worth the two dollars you spent on me!"<br /><br />Then I went to, what I thought would be, the last garage sale of my day; the one I saw from my window. And I found the most wondrous treasure there:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/?action=view&current=DSCF2168.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/DSCF2168.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Sturdy, lightweight, aluminum construction, fully adjustable for shooting at any angle, cork camera mount to prevent scratching, large thumbscrew to facilitate easy removal of camera. Everything about this is made of win, and it was FIVE DOLLARS.<br /><br />To put that in perspective, for the last few weeks I've been doing some preliminary research on local camera shops and the like, expecting to pay $50 for something like this, because I really love tripods, and my old one is broke. This one is BETTER though. I was fucken' stoked.<br /><br />So, then I returned home, thinking to spend the rest of my day enjoying the bloggy goodness. It was not to be, however, as I was informed in passing of a yard sale on the east side of town which advertised having tools. <br /><br />Now, I'm not a very manly man--the hairs on my chest are actually implants, since I never did anything manly enough for me to sprout any of my own. But I like to build things, and tools help with that, so I figured I'd give it a look.<br /><br />Unfortunately, there was pretty much nothing there when I showed up. There was some cheap furniture, but I'm full up on that already. I ended up with these three plates for a dollar:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/?action=view&current=DSCF2181.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/DSCF2181.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />On the way home from there is where I really hit the jackpot:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/?action=view&current=DSCF2182.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/DSCF2182.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/?action=view&current=DSCF2192.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/DSCF2192.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/?action=view&current=DSCF2193.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/DSCF2193.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/?action=view&current=DSCF2194.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/DSCF2194.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/?action=view&current=DSCF2198.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/DSCF2198.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/?action=view&current=DSCF2174.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/DSCF2174.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/?action=view&current=DSCF2197.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/DSCF2197.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/?action=view&current=DSCF2201.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/Yardsale2/DSCF2201.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><br />SNES games were $3, NES games were $1, books were $1 and $0.50 respectively, and the Zelda figures were $2 per box. Total amount spent at this sale: $18. The people were SUPER nice and interesting too. I usually get along pretty well with people hosting garage sales, but these people, I might have even wanted to hang out with just for the pleasure of their company.<br /><br />So, yeah, I ended up with almost as much stuff as last week, in about an hour of time accumulated over the course of the day, and I wasn't even looking.<br /><br />I think I might have a superpower.LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-88418181158164335462010-07-24T22:02:00.000-07:002011-06-07T01:15:53.991-07:00Garage Sailing I: The Oddessy of a DayI went garage sailing today (that's the best phrase I have for it.) I spent about 5 hours driving around, looking for garage sales to buy stuff at. By the end of the day I had spent somewhere between $30-$40, purchased two different kinds of lemonade from different little girls, visited 15-20 garage sales, learned that any garage sale which sounds like it's going to be awesome on the sign ("HUGE SALE!") is most definitely going to be small and full of junk, been frustrated more than once by yard sales on busy roads without any warning (when you live on a road with a 50mph speed limit, give me more than 10 feet of warning,) made small talk with a couple dozen people, and payed for a few items with a hug at my grandmother's garage sale. <br /><br />It was a busy day. Here's what I got:<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2138.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2138.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I found this lamp at the very first sale, a few blocks from where I'm staying at my parent's house. Got it for $5, haggled down from $10. Two out of the three lights work, but it came with light bulbs and I think I might be able to fix the third. <br /><br />I've really wanted a standing lamp for awhile, but I think I'm going to need to clean it a bit, there's some rust and junk. Also, is it just me, or do lamps like this remind you of the cutting edge standing lamp in Brave Little Toaster?<br /><br /><lj-embed id="5"><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dOWUgioSvsE&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dOWUgioSvsE&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></lj-embed><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2141.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2141.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This was the second thing I found, and probably my best buy of the entire day. A brand new, fully functioning crock pot. You can cook some WICKED AWESOME food with this thing. And I got it for SIX DOLLARS. I was totally stoked. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2150.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2150.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I got the book of Romantic poems, and the rest of the books, at two separate garage sales. The poetry book is where I got my second glass of lemonade (didn't buy anything at the sale where I got my first cup.) It's always fun to help out little girls with making some money. The rest of the books were purchased later on in the day, at a sale where someone pointed out to me that my fly was open. "whups!" I thought. Immediately followed by "Oh shit, I bet those girl's mom was kinda freaked out by that >.>"<br /><br />Luckily, I wear two pairs of pants most of the time. <br /><br />I don't actually read Star Trek books, but I'm familiar with the author, A.C. Crispin. I've enjoyed her work before, specifically the Han Solo trilogy, where I felt she did a superb job of writing what was (in many ways) a romance novel, which felt like it was written towards masculine romantic sensibilities, if that makes sense. <br /><br />The book that kinda got cut off is a textbook which contains many of the important works of western civilization. Many of which I already own (Dante's Inferno) but some of which I do not (Don Quixote) <br /><br />All together the books cost me $3. One for the book of poetry, one for the hardback Star Trek book, and one for all the rest of them. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2151.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2151.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I bought these for 2 dollars from a lady who was trying to pay her rent with a garage sale, and kept pointing me to jewelery which she was trying to sell for hundreds of dollars. I felt pretty bad for her, so when she couldn't break a five I told her just to keep it. She gave me a belt buckle which she said was made of solid silver. I gave it to my dad.<br /><br />Neither toy is in very good condition, but I like picking up robot and batman toys when I find them.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2152.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2152.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I got these from this crazy garage sale where everything was way overpriced. If you're selling your dishes on a cracked driveway to whoever happens to stop by to take a look at what you have out of curiosity, you're not going to be able to make $50 off of them. That's just how it goes. <br /><br />The stuff there was mostly really nice, which makes me think she should have been selling it on eBay rather than on her driveWay. The CDs, however, were a buck-a-piece. She also had this really neat chalkboard for $18, but I prefer whiteboards. Probably should have got it for my chalkboard-loving uncle though. Oh well.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2153.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2153.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />God of War I got for $10 at a garage sale with a horse, and a sign that said "MAKE ME A DEAL!" They also had these wicked KISS album covers called "The Four Faces." I found a picture online of them: http://www.xrecords.co.uk/images/kiss/airfresh4faces.jpg This wasn't one cover with the four faces though, it was four covers, each with a face. It looked like a really hardcore collectible, and I can't really blame them for wanting $50 for it. But again...eBay!<br /><br />I got Spider Man 2 because it was free and I liked it and I don't have it. Gotta love my grandma, more on that sale later. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2155.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2155.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I got this set of pots and pans at this cool sale in a storage unit complex. It as though a bunch of people who owned storage units there had organized to have their garage sales on the same day. There wasn't much of interest, but I got all these pots and pans for $3! Only downside is that I was only able to find one match between all the pots and lids. So I've got two useless lids now. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2157.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2157.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This is a rice cooker, which I paid for with 1 hug. My grandmother agreed, but told me she hoped I wasn't attempting to pay for ALL my garage sale items with hugs. She's a funny lady!<br /><br />A bunch of the family was there, including my badass uncle Joe, and my cousin Courtney, who I've been getting along with quite well since moving back to the area. When I left she was a teenager, now she's got a husband and two kids. Things change, yo.<br /><br />Growing up, the garage sales my extended family would put on were always one of the most awesome events of the summer for me, so I stuck around to talk with people for an hour or so. My grandpa kept trying to hard-sell me on all the junk that wasn't moving, my younger cousin kept bringing up video games, and my grandma seemed to be having trouble staying awake. It was good to see them. I'm not close with most of my extended family, but these are people I've always liked. Particularly Joe. I always looked up to him while I was growing up, and now that I am grown up we seem to have a pretty good friendship, which is like...a huge ego boost for me.<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2159.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2159.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />On the right, there, is a garlic shredder, the one item I let my grandpa hard-sell me on, because I love cooking with garlic, and shredding it is a pain. On the left is a computer fan, which I pulled from a gutted "free" computer case at the same garage sale where I showed the little girls my open fly. >.<<br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2160.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2160.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />At my last garage sale of the day, I got these little stands to display things. On the left is the stand by itself, so you can see what it looks like. On the right is a stand displaying this weird lid thing that the lady who sold me the pots and pans gave me. I paid a dollar for the both of them. <br /><br /><a href="http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/?action=view&current=DSCF2161.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/linkskywalker14/DSCF2161.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles bedsheets need no justification.<br /><br />They were actually being used as a tablecloth, but I was like "ZOMG MUST HAVE!" got them for fifty cents. <br /><br />I also Nintendogs for my younger sisters (and the case also had Animal Crossing inside, as I later found out.) which cost me two dollars. <br /><br />And that's it!<br /><br />Huh...I guess I could figure out exactly how much I spent, since I remember how much I spent on each item...=O<br /><br />Eh, too lazy. <br /><br />And that's how I spent my Saturday.LShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2301033757851656510.post-23495672440575497512010-07-17T12:34:00.001-07:002012-06-27T12:54:21.479-07:00Garage Sailing 0: Impetus of the WizardYard sales are one of my favorite things in the whole world. Some of my most cherished possessions have come from yard sales. Including the original LP of the Star Wars soundtrack, and the comforter from this set of sheets:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWF9iCV6ZKtsrpsacVSpkhTN_VR63SDtneNLJOSqfR0kvJzAXfJww3ahC_KjDZCApj_BNXsRT5ZE_uc5nHPSAmIlqW_jRSoRh8Q4QMSHAuN7ss9lWnMAeuk3Sfd7Q2LnLu6t6mJ-C89RQ/s1600/bedsheet-mariozelda.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 311px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWF9iCV6ZKtsrpsacVSpkhTN_VR63SDtneNLJOSqfR0kvJzAXfJww3ahC_KjDZCApj_BNXsRT5ZE_uc5nHPSAmIlqW_jRSoRh8Q4QMSHAuN7ss9lWnMAeuk3Sfd7Q2LnLu6t6mJ-C89RQ/s400/bedsheet-mariozelda.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5758805061297666018" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Which is actually the only comforter I own, so I sleep with it pretty much all the time.<br /><br />The fact of the matter is that I'm extremely quirky in my material desires. I have been for over a decade now. I remember being 12 years old, trying to put eBay auctions on my birthday lists, because that was the best way I could think of to tell people I wanted an SNES game that hadn't been sold in half a decade.<br /><br />Yard Sales represent a gold mine for somebody with quirky sensibilities like mine, because not only do they often have the kind of old stuff I love, but the people selling the stuff are often so eager to get rid of it that they'll sell these things for mere fractions of what they're worth. What's more, there's this feeling of discovery, of finding something you really want among the mountains of chipped dishes and old clothes, which is a really fantastic high.<br /><br />As you may have guessed, I visited a yard sale today. I was on my way home from Jeremy's house (Or Kaygan's, or Egamdaednu's, or "a friend's," depending on who is reading this post) and I saw a big one. Looked like the kind my family used to do, where the entire extended family would gather up their unwanted stuff and sell it all at once.<br /><br />At first glance there was nothing of great value. There was a printer, but lesson 1 of garage sales is that stuff like that almost NEVER works out in the buyer's favor. I've got a 40inch television which attests to that. There were a LOT of dishes, some very nice cheap end/coffee tables, but those are common and I don't have a place to put them right now, so I skipped them. I also found something I REALLY wanted, which you don't see too terribly often: a HUGE bag of assorted lego. Unfortunately they wanted $20 for the lot, and I had $7 on me. I could have made them an offer, but if I were selling them, I honestly would take offense to an offer below $10, and would expect to haggle my way up to $12-16 at least.<br /><br />Then I saw one of the greatest sites you can see at a garage sale: a big pile of NES games. There weren't many good ones there, not ones I'd want to go home and play. But I did find this one:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2q99HLD9fXM-59_KaXE5nhkpnJTQJe-GqFzX-tY3eqf-6CCa33MoCQCFh4SGX31OPoQoKPGvCzgbZ8dGF9EE-S6VjbvVSQdenftuRgKF9cfBaIaSQc_0TNT5R8AFpsLBxMF9TRoY2ww/s1600/Legacy_Of_The_Wizard.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 352px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2q99HLD9fXM-59_KaXE5nhkpnJTQJe-GqFzX-tY3eqf-6CCa33MoCQCFh4SGX31OPoQoKPGvCzgbZ8dGF9EE-S6VjbvVSQdenftuRgKF9cfBaIaSQc_0TNT5R8AFpsLBxMF9TRoY2ww/s400/Legacy_Of_The_Wizard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5758805188696843730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This looks pretty awesome. Lets take a closer look at the cart art:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSqxXoioqVYYHYUMRymfMLmQiJWz-nrgOeyIsP_cy8U2EaSxko_mM-v5PDD6QI8u0FeVIA0XFJns6yzVsiT9Rk55NY3FCxm6R2fZr5jYi-S-DOLir7YUeivfFr2HD-VFwDv3PauNTcNc/s1600/060805_legacy01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSqxXoioqVYYHYUMRymfMLmQiJWz-nrgOeyIsP_cy8U2EaSxko_mM-v5PDD6QI8u0FeVIA0XFJns6yzVsiT9Rk55NY3FCxm6R2fZr5jYi-S-DOLir7YUeivfFr2HD-VFwDv3PauNTcNc/s400/060805_legacy01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5758805286047835090" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Oh yeah! Looks like I'm in for some old-school console RPG fun!<br /><br />I picked it up for a dollar, and because I don't actually own a working NES at present, I booted up the emulator for the game. I know that sounds silly, but being a child of that era, owning the cart gives me a strong emotional bond to the game. Someday I'm sure I'll be able to find a working NES. Until then, the pleasure of owning the funny shaped gray bit of plastic warms my heart.<br /><br />Turns out though, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legacy_of_the_Wizard" rel="nofollow">Legacy of the Wizard</a> isn't an RPG. It's sort of a...sandbox platformer. I know that sounds weird, but take a look at this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbHHSAxZq8yj-dzhI4zDoAT-Kwp14No5ctpy8NDXPsNc6im6j1ydJWGWieZyR8GqmS3qpSpVfuKQc-aEAD-NpbOsqfRut58hADBaKN4X80GafAM0K3KFJ7ee00G_EOyNyaIFPBk2mnkg/s1600/map.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbHHSAxZq8yj-dzhI4zDoAT-Kwp14No5ctpy8NDXPsNc6im6j1ydJWGWieZyR8GqmS3qpSpVfuKQc-aEAD-NpbOsqfRut58hADBaKN4X80GafAM0K3KFJ7ee00G_EOyNyaIFPBk2mnkg/s400/map.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5758805456645797858" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Yeah, I know right?<br /><br />I played the game for about 30 minutes on full screen. I get the feeling that the manual was pretty essential to this game--more so than it was with games like Dragon Warrior or Final Fantasy. I thought I picked the rogue, but I think I ended up picking a wizard with really short range spells and super high jumps. She wandered around killing bad guys for awhile, and I made it all the way to just above the center of that map. If you're looking at it and see the same pattern I see, I got to the third column from the left, sixth row from the top.<br /><br />The game is pretty fun, but I want to find a scan of the manual, I feel like I'm really missing something here.<br /><br />/most rambly post evarLShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15495083228566425216noreply@blogger.com0