Scranton’s world famous St. Patrick’s Day Parade happened over the weekend and, once again, I wasn’t there. It’s a big deal in these parts, and draws incredible crowds. But I don’t have much of an interest.
I did check it out a few years ago, just so I could say I’d been to one, and it seemed like roughly fifty percent of the attendees were drunk. And that’s even higher than at Harbor Freight Tools. The bars open at 7 am on “parade day,” and it’s reportedly a tradition for some to be there cheering while the doors are being unlocked.
It’s crazy. I can’t imagine starting to drink beer at 7 in the morning. I can understand still being up from the night before, swinging for the fences and blooping lagers, but not kicking things off during the bacon and eggs portion of the day. I think that borders on taking it too far.
When we attended our one parade here we were surrounded by jackasses wearing novelty headgear, hollering and blasting their beer breath against the sides of our faces. Some people were shirtless with their torsos painted green, and it was impossible to tell if they were men or women, young or old. And huge roars would go up as unknown members of the city council rolled past in pantsuits at 3 mph.
I just stood there blinking real fast, muttering, “Why am I here? Why am I here…?”
This is how old I am: The only way I could truly enjoy such an event is if it started around 4 in the afternoon, the weather was perfect, we had a reliable babysitter in place, and access to a dedicated car service. Even then, I’d probably be ready to go home after an hour, and slip into my cheeseburger sleeping pants.
It’s a sad state of affairs.
Speaking of beer, Toney and I went to Cooper’s on Friday evening, while the boys were off playing golf with ghost children at R.L. Stine High School. The place was slam-packed, and we had to sit at the bar with our shoulders in front of us, if you know what I mean.
I perused their snooty list of drafts, and decided I’d better go with something Irish, since it’s the season for such things. And after some hemming (I rarely haw) I decided on O’Hara’s Red. Yeah, it was OK, I guess. And my second pint was the new Yuengling Bock, which was also OK, I guess.
My selections were mildly disappointing this time (I plan to give the Bock a second chance), but I love the back bar at Cooper’s. It’s a beer lover’s paradise, hidden away in a darkened alcove.
I wish I was there, right now.
Yesterday members of the mailing list were notified of a very important research project we’ve taken-on, here at Surf Report Labs. And now I believe it’s safe to let the rest of the world in on it. Click here to view the Woodstock Death Count! And please use this knowledge for good, not evil.
Also, in a couple of weeks (or so), I’m going to have a special announcement to make, concerning a new joint venture between Metten and myself. We’ve still got a few bugs to work out of it (many bugs), but I think we’ll be ready to go by the first part of April. So, stay tuned. It’s gonna be fun.
And finally, I’ll leave you with a couple of questionable Questions, to close out the category.
First, I’d like to know about your eBay experiences. I have thousands and thousands of CDs boxed-up in our basement, amassed during the record weasel years, and I’m toying with the idea of trying to get rid of them through eBay. Therefore, I’ve been mildly fixated on the site, over the past couple of days.
And I was wondering, have you ever bought something extra-cool there? Have you sold an item, and made an inordinate amount of money from it? Have you ever been burned? What are your biggest eBay successes, and failures?
I can offer two stories, myself…
When we lived in California I often visited a used record store called Second Spin. They always had a massive bin, filled with 99 cent CDs. Predictably, almost all of it was discouraging crapola. But I’d found just enough good stuff there to make it mandatory that I check the section during every visit.
One afternoon I discovered a copy of a CD by a Texas band called The Reivers. It was their third album, the excellent End of the Day. I already owned it (I love the Reivers), but knew their stuff was rare and out of print. So, I snagged it.
When I got home I put the disc in a clean jewel box, and tossed the cracked and sticker-laden case that had come with it. Then I listed the CD at eBay, stating accurately that it was in “like new condition.”
Yeah, and the winning bid was $72, plus three bucks for shipping. I’d paid 99 cents! It’s my biggest eBay success, to date. I’ve tried to top it, but have never even come close.
And just so you know, the Reivers albums have since been reissued on CD, and are no longer rare. But back in the day, they were almost impossible to find — and I had all four. It had taken me many years to complete the set, and almost immediately they were re-released for $9.99 each. And so it goes…
Also, at eBay I bought an incredibly cool panoramic photograph of my hometown of Dunbar, WV, taken on September 23, 1924. It’s huge, more than three feet wide, and is crystal clear. I can even see my aunt’s house, and found out it used to have a wraparound porch. Who knew?
I think I paid less than fifty dollars for the thing, and it’s now framed and hanging in our family room. It’s definitely one of my greatest eBay successes.
Do you have any interesting stories to tell on the subject? Use the comments section below.
And what do you think about my plan to liquidate the mountain of old CDs in the basement? A bigger hassle than it’s worth? Most of it’s straight-up garbage, and probably wouldn’t even sell. But who knows? There might be some hidden jewels in there somewhere. One man’s Deee-Lite, is another man’s treasure.
Also, if you have any St. Patrick’s Day debauchery tales to tell, we’d like to hear those as well. I got nothin’, I’m afraid. But what about you? Have you ever gotten bed-shittin’ drunk in honor of an ancient religious leader? Tell us about it, won’t you?
And I’ll see you guys tomorrow.
Have a great day!
Much St. Patrick’s Day debauchery abounded in my youth.. fortunately, I don’t remember most of it.
I went to college in Maryville, MO. Home of the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
It’s about a half of a block long and features such crowd pleasers as a beer truck and a cement mixer dumping green water all over the street.. Mainly, it’s an excuse to drink in the street at 10 o’clock in the morning.. Good times.. Good times..
Craigslist, darling.
Happy St Patt’s Day from Shane
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SirutCHZ-QI
I just bought my 10th Green beer for St. Patrick’s day
it may sound fun, joyous, Irish, and gay
looked for a port-a-john
but found a Leprakaun
Tomorrow I will be selling my shit-green underware on Ebay
I sold 12 pair of worn Nike Air Jordans 8 years ago and made about 3500.00. Never understood how people could wear things that I had on my feet. Some weren’t even in very good condition.
There once slept a drunk in the upper bunk
passed out beyond belief.
The guy down below had no way to know
he would soon be receiving relief.
Just came up with another…
Scotch Irish I am
Italian and Greman too
Whiskey, wine and beer
No St. Patricks Day drunken rowdiness for me anymore. I just got too old to go to jail for having too much fun. On the E-Bay subject, however; Good luck more often than not back in the days before the sight went to shit. Meg and company have pretty much killed it for me with the fees and the ridiculous insistance on pay-pal. I wouldn’t use that shit when it was free, no way I’ll use it now that E-Bay bought it just to increase their profit margin on the backs of the same folks that made them successful. Best deals I recall were selling vintage speakers. A $100 pair of Tru-Sonics I picked up in Columbus in the 70’s that I took apart and sent all over the planet (Korea, Italy, and Japan) for a profit of about $500 some 30 years later, and a pair of Altec-Lansing Voice of the Theaters I got at a yardsale in central CA for $35 and sold in pieces for over $600. Also bought and sold more than a few guitars and pickups, and some yardsale tools. But no more. Not unless they get their shit way more together and go back to not pushing the paypal. I don’t even look there anymore, and I let my sellers account expire.
I’ve really noticed that eBay has definitely gone downhill, especially in the past year or two. There don’t seem to be nearly as many bidders as before. More slow payers, too. Best sold items were vintage: concert t-shirts from the 70’s selling for over $50 each, platform shoes from the 70’s went for over $100 a pair…stuff like that. Good buys: new Perlina leather purse ($135) with free shipping for $29.95.
Jeff, if any of the CD’s you have are unusual or rare, I would sell them on Amazon. There is no upfront listing fee and you only pay a fee once an item is sold (it’s deducted from your seller’s account). I’ve sold a lot of CDs, DVDs, and books there quite successfully. I had an out-of-print paperback sell for $75 one time! Rare concert DVDs go for $35-50 (or more). For everyday CDs, maybe bulk lots (put 10 or 20 of them together) on eBay or Craigslist might be the way to go.
I sell on ebay occasionally. Mostly high end specialized electronic gear that doesn’t have a market locally. Also sold a few antiques and collectibles. I buy more than I sell. It is good for used auto and motorcycle parts. Recently saved 400 bucks on a ATV part that I bought used. Spent 130 bucks when a new one was 550.
I could have got a free pint of Guinness from a selection of pubs in central London yesterday. Instead I’ll use the same voucher to get a pound off 4 cans of the black stuff!
Never used eBay but the BF used it the once to purchase tickets for Pixies reunion at Brixton Academy a few years ago. Face value approx £35. The BF paid £90 each. Worth every penny though, from what I can remember … Good times!
For things like CD’s, I prefer to buy them on Half.com. All the descriptions are already done for you and all you’ll have to do is add yours to the list. You might find this simpler than dealing with ebay.
In regard to today’s Further Evidence, the final entry, the Million Dollar fishing lure from McDaddy Lures…..through MY series of liars, thieves, and backstabbers I was once able to fish with one of the McDaddy Lures, and although it wasn’t the Million dollar lure pictured in the ad, it was a lure that valued at 250-thousand dollars.
Amazingly, I actually caught a fish on the thing—I was among the first and likely only people to do that.
Buck
I’ve had the usual ups and downs on ebay, but if you want something interesting have a look a trade me – the NZ equivalent. I have seen some brilliant stuff on there such as a ‘time machine’ and a ‘dolphin’ for sale. I Had to save the pages and they still make me piss myself laughing!
Random question form the dolphinsale…
Hi, I own a lot of cats. How many cats could I feed with one
Dolphin? posted by: evltoy (14 ) 2:01 pm, Tue 27 Sep
That’s not funny. I promise all those nay-sayers out there that
I will only sell this dolphin to a proper aquarium or someone
with a really big pool.
Priceless
And from the time machine….
Unfinished project.
Started making a machine to facillitate time travel, unfortunately I just dont have the time to complete it.
Have had mixed results, so no guarantees.
Would suit DIY handyman with quantum physics background or similar intersest. No time wasters please ! Would consider swap for anti-gravity machine.
I have well over 10000 transactions on eBay. (actually close to 15k). I agree it used to be great! now you have to sell an item for $3.00 just to break even.
And with all those transaction I’ve only had 2 bad ones.
One thing about paypal (who also sucks) is that I get at least double for my items by having a paypal account. People like the ease of clicking 3 buttons and it’s paid. I never bid on an item from a seller that didn’t take paypal.
I also have the paypal debit card which is great for getting your $$$$$.
If it were me I would sell the best CD’s alone, and then box all the CD’s worth $5.00 or less (on eBay) together as one lot. Record stores like to buy big lots and generally pay more for a large lot.
Yeah..just like I said earlier… Ebay/Paypal suck. If you are a seller…the fee’s eat you alive. Once the buyer recieves your item and have “buyers remorse” (which happens more often than you think), they demand their $$ back and threaten bad feedback which can be your lifeline on Ebay. On the other hand, as a buyer, you take the chance of receiving an item that is nothing like the photo or description; horrible packaging; having your item shipped when the seller is damn good and ready. Sad really. I made good $$ 10 years ago when greed didn’t overcome them and PayPal wasn’t shoved in your face and FREE!
My bro sells a lot of low priced stuff on EBay, he says the key is to make sure the Shipping & Handling charge covers both the cost of shipping, and the amount you wanted to get out of the item. That way the sales price is your profit. Most of the deals he’s done, the people don’t even blink at the S&H charge, because they got the item so low…
I use Kijiji. I’ve even sold a washing machine. I like it because it’s local and people have to pay in cash. Granted, they have to come to your house but it works well for big stuff. I hate seeing people who list things for 5 bucks though – have a garage sale for christsakes!
Selling single CDs on Craigslist makes no sense. People won’t travel far to pick up a CD, you’ll have to deal with all the flakes in person *at your home* and you won’t be saving anything on shipping since it costs the same to mail a CD next door as it does to the other side of the country.
Ebay is the devil.
Mr.Man is still trying to figure out a way to sell me on there…
I don’t seem to see the email address to send Jeff things anymore – but I just noticed The Woodstock post made it to Expecting Rain today.
http://www.expectingrain.com/