A beginning, of sorts
Last Friday was the fateful day that my stomach began to churn - it was letting me know that it and the beef and bean burrito I had for lunch were having a strong disagreement. So off I go. Why am I telling you about my serendipitous bowel movement? Because at work, potty time = Craigslist time. And the beauty below greeted me in that stall after only being posted 30 minutes prior.
I feverishly replied to the posting stating that I wanted it. I pleaded with "I'm a young woodworker in need of a quality bench and that I would love to bring this bench back to it's glory. I'm not a flake. I have cash. Yada Yada Yada."
Immediately after emailing and finishing my other business, another bomb dropped in my gut. This one was a bit different than the previous one though. This one's origin came from thinking about my impending weekend plans. This was a jam packed weekend starting as soon as I got home on Friday until late into Sunday night. There is no way this deal was going to last that long, and with a 8.5 month pregnant wife my leeway was less than a 1/64th for canceling plans. The bench was an hour away, but the trailer I would need to barrow was 30 minutes in the opposite direction. So it's not like it could be a quick 20 minute grab and go.
What's his schedule going to look like? Perhaps he's away on vacation and was bored on this flight and thought "I should post that bench of mine, and will deal with it when I get home"..... Nope.
Reply back: "You can come check it out. Having a moving sale Sat and Sun."
NOOOO. I was doomed. This bench was bound to be a TV stand in someones living room.
I emailed back with a stronger plea. I offered to have a friend in the same town bring him a check, that I would trade out for cash when I picked it up. I offered paypal. I offered Chase Quick Pay. What about the impending unborn child?
Nothing. He wouldn't budge. First come, first serve…... Crap.
So, back to the drawing board. How could I work this out? What if I come up before my wife and toddler wake up? Eureka! "How early will you be up? Could I come up tomorrow morning early? Between 6:45 and 7ish?"
"Sure, if it's still here. I've been getting a lot of emails on this"
I'm sure you have. "Great, I'll text you tonight to confirm"
8:45pm "Is the bench still available?"
"Yes!"
The alarm went off a 5am, and by 8:12 this was sitting in my driveway and I was walking in the house with some McDonald's breakfast for the fam.
$150 cash, some gas, and a cup of truck stop coffee. It was a good morning.
Part 2 - will be a lot less words and a lot more pictures. I hope you don't mind that I took a lot of pictures.
Last Friday was the fateful day that my stomach began to churn - it was letting me know that it and the beef and bean burrito I had for lunch were having a strong disagreement. So off I go. Why am I telling you about my serendipitous bowel movement? Because at work, potty time = Craigslist time. And the beauty below greeted me in that stall after only being posted 30 minutes prior.
I feverishly replied to the posting stating that I wanted it. I pleaded with "I'm a young woodworker in need of a quality bench and that I would love to bring this bench back to it's glory. I'm not a flake. I have cash. Yada Yada Yada."
Immediately after emailing and finishing my other business, another bomb dropped in my gut. This one was a bit different than the previous one though. This one's origin came from thinking about my impending weekend plans. This was a jam packed weekend starting as soon as I got home on Friday until late into Sunday night. There is no way this deal was going to last that long, and with a 8.5 month pregnant wife my leeway was less than a 1/64th for canceling plans. The bench was an hour away, but the trailer I would need to barrow was 30 minutes in the opposite direction. So it's not like it could be a quick 20 minute grab and go.
What's his schedule going to look like? Perhaps he's away on vacation and was bored on this flight and thought "I should post that bench of mine, and will deal with it when I get home"..... Nope.
Reply back: "You can come check it out. Having a moving sale Sat and Sun."
NOOOO. I was doomed. This bench was bound to be a TV stand in someones living room.
I emailed back with a stronger plea. I offered to have a friend in the same town bring him a check, that I would trade out for cash when I picked it up. I offered paypal. I offered Chase Quick Pay. What about the impending unborn child?
Nothing. He wouldn't budge. First come, first serve…... Crap.
So, back to the drawing board. How could I work this out? What if I come up before my wife and toddler wake up? Eureka! "How early will you be up? Could I come up tomorrow morning early? Between 6:45 and 7ish?"
"Sure, if it's still here. I've been getting a lot of emails on this"
I'm sure you have. "Great, I'll text you tonight to confirm"
8:45pm "Is the bench still available?"
"Yes!"
The alarm went off a 5am, and by 8:12 this was sitting in my driveway and I was walking in the house with some McDonald's breakfast for the fam.
$150 cash, some gas, and a cup of truck stop coffee. It was a good morning.
Part 2 - will be a lot less words and a lot more pictures. I hope you don't mind that I took a lot of pictures.