Found In the Woods

So it’s been a few weeks since my last post here. I know, I know, it’s bad. I really don’t want this blog to go the way so many seem to go when they evaporate from not being used. It’s just that sometimes inspiration and material can be hard to come by or hard to formulate into something coherent. Moments come and go and don’t always stick around for me to remember. So a few updates:

• Baby #2 – Kristin is out of the horrible first trimester and into a much better place. She’s feeling so much better now, despite a nagging cold. The baby is doing very well and is starting to kick a little here and there. Kris’ belly is starting to really show. Due date is 7/10.
• Renovations – we’ve come a long way. As of today, the floor has been repaired, the tub installed, the walls replaced, the wiring done, 2 coats of paint, a new window and frame and a new door. Today the tiler is installing the new floor tiles. It’s looking great – pics are up in the Gallery too.
• Model RR – I’ve made some great progress – more pics are up in the Gallery too.

So that’s it for now. I’ve got lots going on these days, just trying to get stuff done and wrap up loose ends. I’ve been selling monster amounts of stuff on eBay lately (see link on the right side of the page) which has been a blast. I’ve also been playing lots more poker (and doing better at it). Probably the biggest bummer as of late was last weekend with the aborted Oozy Bachelor Party – our flight was cancelled and we couldn’t make it out to Mexico. It sucked. More info & pics can be found here.

We held another classic HALO2 Multiplayer game night @ SUBSYSTEMs last Friday. Was a lot of fun. I miss the good ‘ol days of HALO CE. Things seemed a lot tighter back then – fewer options and simpler game play. Pics by Sgt Fun are up in my Gallery.

I’m a long time eBay user. Since 1998, I think. I’ve got a Seller rating of 160, 100% positive feedback. I use Garage Sale on my Mac to expedite multiple listings. I love digging the junk out of the basement, snapping a pic and putting it up as an offering to the scavengers of the world. It is so pleasing; purging. I once sold two empty beat-up Transformers boxes for $40 in a matter of hours after a buyer PayPal’ed the money to me. Something for everyone.

But, it doesn’t come without cost. Sure, you’re going to sell your junk and make a little money on the side. That’s sweet. But on Saturday I suffered a nearly mind-frying experience as I tried to manage packing, payment & shipping for nearly 20 of the 40 or so auctions I’m running right now. The worst part of eBay is the shipping process. Weighing stuff takes time, as does negotiating with buyers once the auction has closed. Some folks have special requests – others are foreign and the cost of shipping can nearly quadruple the cost of the item. Thankfully, on a tip from a friend, I’ve been experimenting with flat rate shipping – so far, so good. USPS will mail you, for free, all sorts of Priority Mail supplies – and you can print labels online.

So, next time I try to list 40 items on eBay all at once remind me of the babble-inducing Monday home from work in the basement surrounded by boxes, packing materials and my laptop where I nearly lost my mind.