To Give or Not to Give - That is the question

Recently I did a little purging of the Stash of Rick. The Stash of Rick is a small (emphasis on small) corner of our attic that has been set aside for things that are no longer worthy of space on the main floor. Truth be told, they never had a chance of being acknowledged, much less displayed. In fact many of these timeless treasures were saved in the eleventh hour from becoming land-fill donations. Who cannot see the beauty in a t-shirt from Don Quixote in Roto Spain. This particular establishment was a “gathering place” for sailors and local men to congregate after a long day at sea. Yep, a bar.

This tale is not about Spain, attics, bars or even Christmas. This tale is the culmination of a grand design that has failed miserably. I called it “The Grandiose Magnificent State of the Art Can't Miss Big Bucks Deal of the Millennium”. The shorted acronym for that is “Sell Stuff on eBay”. First up was a coffee table book and DVD written for, about and by Brett Favre aka “The Diva of the Delta”. He is from Mississippi. Work with me on this. Purchase price in pre-Packer meltdown was $35.00 + shipping. It was back ordered for over a year. Days after its arrival Ole Number 4 calls a press conference, cries, retires, wants back in, retires again, more crying, a fancy jet plane ride and ends with a trade to the New York Jets. Whew. This thing ought to fly off the shelf.

Brett Favre book, listed for a dollar, sold for a dollar. Make it up on freight and slap 'em with 9 bucks. Buyer was from California. It cost 13 dollars to ship it via US Postal snail mail. Man alive, I am going to have to sell a ton of books to make a profit at this rate. Any double-swap mortgage types want to show me how to do this? Hello? Bueller?

Our tragic tale does have a happy ending. The Real Life Center http://www.reallifecenter.org in Tyrone Georgia is a wonderful facility that will give you one stop shopping to “re-assign” your treasure for the greater good. You even get a nifty receipt to show your tax man after he poo-pooed your business expense of the X-Box. Hand eye coordination to gain skill in paper filing in the office not-with-standing.

What does this have to do with our kids? Well I am so happy you asked. My kids are next. No, I do not plan to re-assign them (I get a bigger deduction keeping them). I speak of their choice to gather old toys and clothes for a trip to Tyrone. Oh, I have yet to let them know they chose that, please do not spoil my surprise.

Spend some time with others less fortunate, donate money, bake a pie and take it to a shut-in. Trust me, you think you got troubles? Someone else has it worse. Guaranteed.

Now who's feeling lucky? Can I get a sawbuck to start the bidding on my college Bud-Light bottle opener / key chain?

Peace.