July 03, 2004

Love/Hate Relationship

Why I love garage sales: 1. You get rid of stuff. 2. People give you money.

Why I hate garage sales: 1. Haggling over prices. 2. You have to sit around for hours and hours so people can give you less money than you'd like.

Right now I am about three hours in on the first of three days of my family's garage sale. So far, so good, but in another three hours I will likely be so sick of the whole thing that the money won't seem worth it. Add two more days to that and I might actually be glad to go back to work on Tuesday!

We really need to do it because we have too much stuff and we need to divest ourselves of some of it, now. It hasn't been too bad so far -- there haven't been too many annoying people -- and being able to bring the laptop out to the driveway and have it connect to our wireless network will help pass the time. We have been fairly successful at finding new homes for some of our little treasures, but it's starting to get hot, which is my least favorite thing about being outside at this time of day. Thankfully, we've got a nice little set-up with a table and umbrella, comfortable chairs, a cooler filled with ice-cold beverages, snacks and all day with nothing to do but take the nice peoples' money.

***Three hours later, after the battery died and we're winding down to the end of Day One***

We've been dodging the sun all afternoon and have retreated into the garage, with all the stuff baking on the driveway. The proportion of really annoying people to really nice people has been better than usual. Although the guy that's here now has apparently not been in a store for the last decade because he has asked about twenty times, "Now, what is this? Wow, really? What is this thing again?" So far, no indication that he has any intention whatsoever of actually buying anything, however. Even my mother, who likes nothing more than chatting with people is rolling her eyes at me and wishing he'd stop asking question after question!

Well, it's almost time to start dragging things back in before we haul 'em back out bright and early tomorrow. *sigh*