I am thankful for miniature bottles. 100 proof at 50ml is just enough to get a little loose, but not overly tipsy. That said, drinking and blogging will not be a regular occurance. Wouldn’t look good if I dumped a mini into my earl grey at a Starbucks, would it?

So to continue…

I returned to green hell, yada yada, same shit, yada yada.

The pay rate vs work of course was still horrible. And I knew I wouldn’t get anywhere if I was continually exhausted and basically broke. If I’m honest, I stuck with that shit job because I felt it was what I deserved – For being a moron and not following through on anything that I had potential with in my 20s and early thirties. Self punishment, it was.

That’s not entirely true, what happened wasn’t entirely all my fault, but I should have known better to kip up and try harder.

Of course, my mother and I needed to find another place to live. If not for the sake of the newborn needing space, but for sake of privacy, and well …pride too. The job at green hell, tho it did for the first-to-second year get us by financially, we knew it wasn’t going to work the second time around.

Our first place, a basement in a nice house, in a neighborhood in Fairfax from which we rented was a flat rate – That included amenities like electricity and even internet. We would have stayed, but the owners had decided to give it up to relatives.

This time around we found an apartment that cost the same rate, but we have to pay for electrical, cable/internet, laundry. Again, green hell just would not do.

Finally, I, in some desperation, had decided to draw upon more of my …skill and experience in regards to employment. I applied at Goodwill. Notice that I haven’t given this job a a faux title – Yet. Although, I do have one in mind.

I have a knack for seeking out quality items in second hand stores. In fact, with eBay, I’ve made quite a bit of extra money buying and selling from thrift stores.

I went into the interview seeking a sales associate/cashiering position, and I’m sure I’ve mentioned insurmountably how much I hate doing that type of work. Again, I was desperate, and on the brighter side at least it would be at a place I’d likely enjoy working for more than green hell.

By the end of the interview, it was determined that the Sales Associate position wasn’t my fit, and of course it really is not. Instead, I was hired to take over the e-commerce portion of the store. The timing was perfect as the previous e-commerce specialist was moving on to work at the e-commerce wharehouse.

The combination of my old job at Streetlight Records as a used product buyer/video games sales rep, with my more seasoned experience of selling on eBay fit my new job criteria almost perfectly. And it pays almost twice as much as green hell. 

Perhaps the best part is that I don’t have to handle cashiering. Even more, I actually like and enjoy what I do.

And what do I do?

I do the same thing I would do when I shop at a thrift store – I search for items that I have a hunch would make more money on-line versus what we might price it for on the sales floor.

Example: Recently – One of our processors priced what is at a glance a neat looking ice bucket, crafted from pewter and metal, formed and shaped as a owl. It was priced for the floor at 8.99. A fair price, it would no doubt sell.

I did a double take on it as I passed by it on the shelf. I recognized right away that with the patina it was kind of old, and if it was that old it seemed very finely crafted. Also, I know I had seen it somewhere before – Maybe in a movie, maybe in a magazine, maybe in an antique store. In fact, seeing it reminded me of the final scene from the Maltese Falcon, “The stuff that dreams are made of.” …not that it was a falcon.

So I picked it up, looked for some kind of hallmark, or maker’s mark, some inscription. I found such a mark on the bottom. I took it back to processing, and with the power of the internet, I did some research. It was indeed a mid-century, Seymour Mann Pewtertone Owl Ice bucket. It generally commands a worth of forty-to-fifty dollars. At that point I decided to send the owl to be processed for our on-line auction, where it is currently bid at forty-five dollars.Far better than a quick a nine dollars, aye?

Essentially that is what I get paid to do and I thoroughly enjoy it. It’s not just the matter of the challenge of finding items and making a decent sale that I find such joy in, nor that I get paid a bit more, but with the research, I’m also learning and gaining knowledge. Letting my imagination deduce who the owners of these pieces are or were, and/or of the world that surrounded them.

Yes.For the first time in over a decade, I really do like what I do.

As for the company itself,  we will see if it yet earns a name as response to my ire.

But that is another post.

Finally got a hold of a copy of Batman V. Superman Ultimate Edition. Used (and cheap) from the Barnes & Noble site. Watched everything up until the final battle, and then I thought something was missing. It’s Friday night, watching a movie at home – So I went down to the local ABC store and picked up a couple sample bottles of Captain Morgan 100 proof, then a 2-liter of Diet Super Chill (generic coca-cola) from the local Shoppers Supermarket. I’d say it definitely improved the movie watching experience, and to celebrate a rather long week of work.

It’s been seven months since my last entry into this blog. Looking at the statistics, it has since only had 9 views. Yes, indeed – No one cares, but then I wasn’t caring either. I suppose I will carry on as if no one reads this at all. I accept it. This is more theraputic for me after all.

So what has happened in the last 7 months?

When last we met up The Roadd he was living with his best friend (and his girlfriend, recently turned wife ((Grats!))) in California, in the very unpleasant city of Salinas. It was overall not a gainful experience, more like an extended vacation/experience in clostraphobia.

The section of the city I had lived in was not a safe area …at all. The crime/murder rate was horrifying, seeming to grow exponentially more during months after I had left – I doubt it will stop any time soon. Basically, without a mode of conveyance, aside from the terrifying prospect of public transportation, I was trapped at home.

My cousins did get me a car, but long story; short, it was a lemon, and I ended up losing money trying to restore it. That hurt me both financially and mentally because I wanted more than anything to start working, saving, and getting the hell out of that city as soon as possible – To get on with my life independantly, but I just coudn’t get started. I do regret that I moved there knowing that I would end up in that section of the city; However I am also thankful that my friends took me in, and didn’t kick me out.

Two months later, my family back east was having a hard time caring for my mother …again. When I left she was in better spirits, but her age and apparently growing ailments were making things too difficult. Add the fact that there is also a newborn to care for.

I had to face the facts, I was defeated, and engaged in a seemingly endless downward spiral of misery there in Salinas. I was physically and mentally not in a good place. I honestly didn’t want to end up taking care of my mother again, but it seemed the lesser of two evils to return to Virginia.

And so back I came, and returned immediately to my shit job at green hell. I was welcomed back. Seemed nothing had changed, and they needed me. Or rather, they needed someone with my patience and durability. Of course, I still hated it, but … money.

One of the 50ml samplers is done, I bought two, but I will save the other for tomorrow, as I will continue this …fucking odyssey.

Rest assured there is some …yes, some light at the end of the tunnel.