NES Box Sale!

I would like to start off by letting everyone know about the strange occurrence that happened while I was typing this blog. I was 2 pages into the process when I realized I hadn't saved the document. My Microsoft Word doesn't seem to be 100% compatible with Mac OS X so I have to hold my breath when I save so it doesn't crash the program. I was thinking ahead and decided that I would copy the text in case it did crash and I could just reopen Word and paste it back. As I highlighted the text and went to copy it my cat, Maeby, jumped on my desk and before I could hit command+C she stepped on the delete key erasing all I had written. When I hit the undo button it crashed Word and I lost everything. Maybe it was for the best as now the blog will be shorter and to the point. Enjoy.

I have been going through a life cleansing process since losing my job in July. I have been clearing my house of unused items and selling them on craigslist. I prefer the free listing and no selling fees to the Monopolist Juggernaut that is EBay. I also find that the empty space in my home gives my mind a rest. With less stuff I have less stuff to worry about, less to move when I clean, and it makes my house look nicer.

I am very proud of my latest Craigslist sale. I feel like Tommy Boy's dad, Big Tom Callahan, after my last sale. I feel like I sold an ice cube to an eskimo, or as the movie quote goes "a ketchup Popsicle to a woman in white gloves." I sold a box of empty cardboard boxes and a couple of toy guns for $50.



The boxes were actually 8-bit NES game boxes, and the guns were light zapper guns for the NES, but still, I sold no games in the deal. I made it very clear in the ad that the boxes were empty and no games were included in the deal. The post was made and my asking price was $35. Less than an hour later I had an appointment set to meet a guy from London to sell the stuff. I was beginning to think my asking price was too low.



At noon the next day I pull in to our designated meeting place, the Wendy's off of the Athens Boonesboro exit. 12:10 rolls around and my phone rings,

"Matt, this is Billy from London. I'm passing the Paris Pike exit, am I getting close?"

"Paris Pike, I'm pretty sure you passed it. Did you not see Athens Boonesboro?" I asked

"Nah, but I'll turn around, be there in a few minutes." He says and hangs up

I sit for 20 more minutes and my phone rings again, " Matt, I'm passing Clay's Ferry, am I getting close?" He asks

"You are almost in Richmond, you need to turn ar...." he cuts me off

"Is there a strip joint on that exit or anything?" He asks

I look around and see a sign for Spearmint Rhino and tell him, "I see a Spearmint Rhin..." He again cuts me off.

"Ah shit, I know where you at, I saw that Wendy's sign but figured you meant some other one, I be there in a few." The strip club must have been the only landmark he knew.

I wasn't totally sure this guy could read, I said the name of the exit at least 5 times, not to mention it was in the email I sent him. Finally 50 minutes after our scheduled meeting time he comes rolling into the parking lot right past my car that I described to him and parks on the opposite side of the Wendy's. He calls again and instead of driving over he walks to my car.

"I got so lost, guess I just don't come to Lexington enough to know where things are." He apologizes. I have a hard time believing that him not coming to Lexington has anything to do with him passing the giant exit sign 2 times, he just wasn't paying attention. I open my trunk and show him the 2 boxes of boxes and he gets very excited. You can tell this guy is a gamer, he has the thick glasses, receding hair line, and graphic T-shirt referring to some game I wasn't familiar with, and all he talked about was his Xbox and other games. As we walked around the parking lot carrying 2 boxes of NES boxes he asked me if I had played some XBOX game called "Lost Odyssey", I hadn't and he then spent the next 10 minutes telling me every detail about the game.



As he opened the door to his car several fast food bags and empty coke bottles fell into the parking lot. We squeezed the boxes into his backseat and I asked him if he was going to display the boxes and if he could take a picture and send it to me as I would like to see his collection. He looked at me and said, "Nah, I don't have any of my stuff on display, I'll probably just stick this box in the corner of the basement."

"Better your basement than mine." I smiled

He gets into his car and grabs his wallet and opens it up. Inside I see two 20 dollar bills and a 10. He grabs all three bills and hands them to me, "Here you go, this is for your trouble."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it." I genuinely smile and start to walk away. He stops me and starts talking video games. I hear a loud beep on my phone and pick it up, a text from Jenny, "I'm off work now, let's go eat." I tell the guy that I hate to be rude but I have to go meet my girlfriend for lunch. He nods and drives off.

This is the second time I have witnessed someone pay more for something than was asked for no apparent reason. My friend was once offered an Xbox 360 and several games for 500 dollars, he responded, "I'll give you $550", to this day no one knows why, not even my friend Wes who said it.

As a side note, in my 50 minute wait for my NES Box buddy every time I saw a Dodge Neon I thought it was my guy, but it never was. He never told me what kind of car he drove. Honest to God, as he pulled up he was driving a red Dodge Neon, what are the odds?