We've done several garage sales. It's easiest on you on sale day if you generalize the prices: everything on this blankie/table/whatever is $1.00, all clothes $1.00, all shoes 50 cents, paperbacks 25 cents, hard cover books 50 cents, etc. Then you just have to tag the bigger items. Keep a list for yourself of how you priced the grouped items to make "checkout" easier.

Make sure you go to the bank the day before and have plenty of change on hand. We usually get a couple of rolls of quarters and 40 singles (dollar bills). We've always made a couple hundred dollars and (more importantly) gotten rid of tons of stuff.

One maddening moment, though: nobody wanted to buy the loveseat we had. After the sale, we had to leave the house for a while, so locked up but left the couch outside with a note saying "take me, i'm free". When we came home, someone had taken all of the cushions and left the couch. Grrrr. Not even Goodwill wants a couch with no cushions.

I’m so sorry, as well, labral. Knowing that something is likely doesn’t make it much easier. It sounds like you have good people around you.


Hexele, this excuse could be the absolute truth- print out the recaps and get Miss Alli to sign them.

labral, I'm so sorry for both of your losses.

On a happier note, hopefully your garage sale will be a yooge success!

Thanks for the explanation, labral. I thought that back when you first talked about him you had mentioned that there was about a six- or eight-week danger window.

If you're just trying to get rid of the stuff, and don't desperately need the money from a garage sale, try Freecycling. It's done me a lot of good, and I've gotten rid of stuff that probably wouldn't sell at a garage sale, like a Mac Powerbook100, and two boxes of packing peanuts. You'll have to deal with more email, or go to the website to check on new listings, which might be more hassle than it's worth to you.

The rules are simple--it has to be free. No money can change hands. You can give away stuff you don't need or ask if anyone's got stuff you do. I've seen the oddest stuff listed on the Madison list. Sunglasses, yarn, "Anybody got coffee cans?", furniture, old cars, air conditioners, a diaper pail. Just. Everything.

I, too, am sorry to hear of your losses, labral. I just went and did some research on heartworms. Since I haven't had a pet in a very long time, I really wasn't aware of how serious it can be until now.

All I know about yard sales, I learned from Clean Sweep and Clean House. That's to say I don't know much, but I find the shows somewhat entertaining.

Now that TARcon is all official and stuff, I have a dilemma. I've been wanting to go back to school for a long time now and have finally come to the point where I'm done procrastinating. If the first day of class is the 21st (and I'm not positive but I think it will be), what to do? TARcon at Madison Square Garden is such a "must do" for me, but continuing my education is just a leetle bit important too.

I mean, I know it's not like back in the day where everyone wears their new outfits on the first day and it's a monumental occaision, but for those that have obtained advanced degrees, will I be missing a whole lot on the first day or is it usually just blah blah blah preliminary stuff?

Now that I'm obsessing, I think I may have the option of going to another location in VA or Baltimore to make up for the missed day on a different weeknight just that one time. I'd be willing to do that.

If I promise to bring more Clodhoppers will you come?

Honestly though I don't think missing the first day will be that big of a deal. I know for most of the classes I've ever taken registration isn't closed untill a bit after the first class. So if those people can catch up, I'm sure you can catch up.

I don't know about post-grad classes, but most of my undergrad classes, first day was essentially going over the syllabus and the reading lists, and how the grading was structured. There might have been a short lecture, but nothing major. I was almost entirely in "soft" classses, though, lit and philosophy and theology and speech and things like that. It was different for my friends who were in chem and biology and math; they dove in the deep end from the beginning.

labral, I'm so sorry. Take care.

I would be wary of missing a grad school class. Attendance was taken much more seriously at grad school than undergrad (not that the profs took role), but classes were small, content started right away, class participation may count, and you may have an assignment/reading due next class. And in my program, if your final grade was lower than a B, it didn't count.

I think it really depends on the program. In my post-grad program, the first day could be skipped and was preliminary, but in some, as JDG said, attendance is more important. Have you thought of calling someone (usually there's some sort of Student Life office that will try to help you adjust) and asking them? I don't know if I'd tell them it was for TARcon, per se, but you could ask them how big a deal missing the first day would be.

jpgr I was thinking about generalizing prices as you mentioned. But hadn't thought about keeping a list with me. That's a good idea.

rabrab As much as I want to get rid of the stuff, I do want to make some money since it is all going to my wedding fund.

No ring yet, but all the principles know about the wedding and the date and all that. The ring is getting 'stoned' as I type. hee. Plus I'm clearing out all the space for Soon-To-Be-Mr. Labral's stuff (and his dog and two cats....we'll have three dogs and three cats...I don't think I'll be fostering anymore!)

Ahhhh Grad School....I'm so glad that I'm all done! I can't wait to see my first paycheck of the 2004-2005 school year and that big raise I'll get!!!!

labral, I'm so sorry for your losses. That just sucks, to be blunt.

I have a question for parents, or just for people who are better at interacting with children than I am. A few minutes ago I caught one of the neighbor boys, about seven, trying to steal my cat. Actually, he had already stolen the cat. I was inside fixing supper, and the dog started barking like crazy. I ignored it for a few seconds. Then I heard my neighbor yelling and I went outside to investigate. I see the little brat about three houses down already, pedaling away on his bicycle with my cat tucked under his arm! I screamed at him to come back, which he did. I took my cat back from him and got in his face and shouted at him that if I ever saw him coming around any of my pets again I'd call the cops and have him arrested for burglary. He said he thought I wasn't home and that he was trying to take the cat somewhere safe so that he didn't get killed by a dog.
I calmed down a little and told him that I was sorry for yelling at him but that I was very frightened to see him taking my cat, and that he shouldn't take people pets away unless they are about to get killed in front of him right then. I said my cat is very old (he is 22) and it was probably scary for him to be picked up and carried off by a stranger.
Did I cause this child some sort of lifetime trauma by screaming at him and threatening to sic the police on him? I feel very guilty about it. But it just set me into panic mode when I saw him carrying off my cat like that.

Peanutbuttercup, if you know the parents, you may want to let them know what happened. It could be that his version of the story will flip them out, and they will be pissed at you. On the other hand, if they are the kind to flip out on him, you may want to forget about it.

Kids are pretty resilient, and you did make it clear to him why it was not good for your particular cat to get snatched up and carried off, so I wouldn't worry about it. Parents frequently screech like banshees when their kids do something that scares them to death, so this kid has probably heard it before. You might want to drop by his house though, and casually mention to his parents what happened. Could be that this little boy just lost a pet himself and is wanting to replace it.

Peanutbuttercup, no doubt the parents will be suing you for years of therapy bills. :)

On a related note, I saw an Ellen monologue (oh hush, I left NBC on after the Today Show) where she thought she found a lost dog wandering around a yard. So she took it home, put up posters advertising that she found the dog. Got a call from a woman whose pet was missing -- and the address she gave was the one where Ellen found the animal.

I thought it was funny.

labral, I am so sorry. What a kind thing you did in being a foster dog parent.

Not to be ignorant, but is seven old enough to roam the neighborhood in the evening (if you are on the West Coast, forgive)? I see roving bands of children on the subway but I can usually peg their ages as 12 and over.

But that sounded like a pretty caca story from the child- he came into your yard to protect your cat from your dog??? I'd call the parents, explain what happened as calmly as possible and not pass judgement as I did in my first sentence. Worst case, the kid will remember the scary cat lady & you'll have few trick or treaters for a few years.

I don't know, man, that's a pretty bizarre story. Why in the hell would a kid want to steal a cat? I work in a juvenile court and, unfortunately, the first thing that popped into my mind was that he was carrying it away to do something to it. It could be totally innocent, but I'd keep a very close eye on that kid from now on. (Kids who torture animals and set fires have often been sexually abused - but that's a pretty big leap.) Poor kitty must be traumatized. I would totally have gotten in his face and put the fear of God into him, as well. If nothing else - I know who you are and I saw what you did. Yeah, call his parents too. Wow. Scary.

Me too. It’s not just all the serial killer bios that we hear about these days; a lot of children seem to go through an ‘experimental’ phase, especially if they don’t have pets at home and understand that animals have personalities. Usually it’s directed at bugs, but some children who are brought up by non-animal-lovers may consider cats and dogs to be nothing more than toys.
Then again, he might be the sweetest little angel in the world who fell in love with your cat and was going to call him ‘Skippy”.
Either way, tell the parents. They should be able to know whether or not he had malicious intentions and can act appropriately. Unless they suck too.

(I’m feeling so guilty now for things I did to lightning bugs when I was six)

Don't feel too bad about the fireflies - well, you know what I mean. :) Abusing insects by way of like, pulling the legs off of, is normal childhood behaviour.

Abusing cats is a huge danger sign though. Many adults who ended up committing serious sexual offenses including homicides abused cats - harming dogs, while I'd certainly worry about it as a behaviour, is not a danger sign for that particular type of offending later in life.

I'd be wary of that little boy too. I seem to remember that the two 10 year olds who killed that 2 year old (James Bolger?) in England several years ago had "experimented" with killing animals first.

Okay, I've paypal'ed for TARCon for the very first time. Now I'm working on my cover story, hotel and flight, which shouldn't be a problem as the shuttles depart from Logan every hour. I am just in a tizzy of excitement, I tell you. Whee!

Suga Wuga, yeah, grad school is important and all that but TARcon? At the Garden? With hours of open bar? Come on, you know what the right choice to make is! I only hope it's the one that gets you up here. TARcon would be no fun (or, much less fun) with out you!

Ok. That there? Is making is more of a difficult decision. If you can promise to throw in some Aero and Caramilk, then maybe...just maybe...

Honestly, I'm still working out like a fiend after that first shipment, piperdown. But, whatever.

And while we're talking ego-boosting bribes, Meggin, if you can get me a copy of the cd of beebo's that I covet, I would be willing to do whatever is takes to get a day off during my second week of a new job.

And (one more time), if mjmarble promises another strip tease? Who am I to resist TARcon with all those added benefits.

If I can swing this with class and all, I promise to stay for Sephora and Dim Sum. Promise!

How horrible is it that I'm not concerned about work in the least bit?

I would love to go to TARcon, but the money is a factor right now since I'm starting university. Also, I wouldn't be able to capitalize on the open bar because I'm only 18. But if TARcon were in Quebec.....

beezer


PeanutbuttercupFuture psyco-killer was my first thought, but I assumed it was just cause I read too many psychological thrillers. Don't know how you'd find out which this kid is, though. Unless you call up the parents and say "by the way, does junior also wet the bed and start fires?" If you do.....and he does? Move!
Poor kitty!

Suga, do you remember at all what songs were on it?

Thanks for all of the advice, y'all. I did wander down the street and chat with the boy's mama last night. I tried to be careful about how I phrased the story, since she is the kind of mother (as are most on my street) that will switch her children severely if she thinks they were disrespectful to an adult neighbor or acquaintance.
The thought that he was carrying off the cat to torture him did occur to me, and was one of the reasons I freaked out so much. I don't think it is likely, but I can't rule out the possibility. There are a couple of other little kids in my neighborhood who strike me as more likely to grow up to be sociopathic, sadistic serial killers than the little boy who took my cat last night though.

I'm thinking late-80s/early-90s. Stuff that made me laugh that I knew all the words to. Like "Funky Cold Medina", but I'm not sure. We listened to it from DC to NJ though. Maybe one of the boys remembers.

Suga, if I manage to make it to TARcon, you damn well better be there! Who else is going to drunkenly drag me down the street to randomly accost cute boys?

I'll volunteer Rachel!

See? That's one more thing I love about my fellow TWoPers.

Always willing to help.

Heh.

Was it this?

Yes, I'm doing it myself. I didn't think it'd be a big deal, but the more I read, the more nervous I get. I haven't actually done it yet, but I'll let you know how complicated it was and how it turns out.

Suga Wuga, at my school, each class is 3 hrs. long, so they definitely do more than just the standard intro on the first night, but not so much that you couldn't recover. The teacher or another student could probably give you the notes you missed and you'd be fine.

Peanutbuttercup, your story kinda scares me too. That's good that you talked to the mother. I'd still keep an eye on your cat, and that kid too from now on.

I can't decide if I can go to Tarcon. I swore I'd make this one, after missing the last 3 for one reason or another, but it's absolutely horrible timing for several reasons. If I didn't know when or if, the next one was occurring, I'd definitely come, but since Tarcon 6 is only 3 months further away, maybe I can wait till then.

Yes, but TARCon6 should end right smack in the middle of the Christmas season, which will make horrible timing for many reasons, including travel and hotel costs.
Come to this one! Come to this one!

Meggin, if that's not it, I like it anyway. I'd have way too much fun with that cd. I might even have to overcome the cheap/lazy combo and get my car radio fixed for that.

Thanks, bungle. My classes are actually going to be 4 hours, once a week for 5 weeks, which is why I'm hesitant to miss something. BUT I'm doing my research and I'm a little more at ease now. I'll keep you all posted.

New question: I just blew a wad of cash on something frivilous. A new cell phone. Why? Because I wanted new ringers and games and stuff like that that I always said don't matter to me at all. So I'm a hypocrite. Sue me.

Anyone have suggestions on what games or ring tones to download? I need something and I really think it sucks that you have to pay for these things now. Whatever happened to complimentary Push Push or that Spider game or the Ribbon thingee or Solitaire or ANYTHING?! [/grumble]

I'll see what I can do to get you a copy... But you'll have to pick it up at 9:30pm on September 21st at Madison Square Garden. Otherwise, no deal.

I don't have a mobile phone and don't really want one. However, I heard one phone ring that I thought was awesome. It sounded like a real old-fashioned phone ringing. I thought the woman was going to pull a giant black receiver out of her bag to answer it.

One of my coworker's cell phone has that ring. It is still strange to hear it even though I've heard it probably a million times by now - a part of me still looks around for the "real" phone.

That is EXCELLENT, iME. I love it!

Mine currently rings "Hey Ya!" by Outkast. Which is generally cool except that sometimes I forget and just start boogying instead of actually, you know, ANSWERING.

I'm thinking of changing it to "Baby Got Back" next.

I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have a couple of questions about TAR, and I don't see a "TAR Questions" thread like American Idol has, so hopefully you all can help me out.

What exactly is Killer Fatigue? I see it referenced constantly, and while I can get the general gist of what it is, I'm curious as to its origin. Did a racer describe it, or is it something that originated here?

For instance, many people have written that Nicole seems to be suffering from KF. I'm wondering what the distinction would be between her suffering from KF as opposed to her just being intolerable. The only thing that I saw of Flo was her inclusion in the 40 Best Reality TV moments. I haven't seen any racers do that (even Mirna at her whiniest didn't stop moving); was she suffering from KF or was that her general personality?

And this is a silly question, but do the racers keep their money when they head to Sequesterville, or do they have to give it back?

Again, I do apologize for bursting in here, but I didn't find clear answers to these questions anywhere else.

Thank you!

"Killer Fatigue" originated with me. It's explained here:

Killer Fatigue, explained

Hi, betty.

Short form: "Killer Fatigue" was coined by our own Miss Alli in the first season to describe that state that Racers reach when they're to tired, and sleep-deprived, and hungry and tense and adrenaline-high to really think well anymore. That's when they stop trying (like Momily) or don't mind being last (like the Chas), or make really stupid moves (like the Twins from season 3). It's not just tired, it's too tired to think, to care, to function. The Race isn't fun anymore; they aren't excited anymore; they've run out of reserves to draw on; they just want it to be -over-. Personally, I don't think that anyone's hit that point yet in this season. Nicole is close, though: she's physically tired ("I can't run!") and emotionally tired (she's even getting snappy at Brandon,) but she hasn't quite hit the wall.

I think one of the best visual examples of Killer Fatigue was Millie and Chuck in TAR4. At the pit stops, they preferred to study maps and guidebooks rather than to sleep, and when KF hit them, it hit hard. At one point, Chuck was practically driving in his sleep while Millie was slumped in the back seat. She's normally an attractive woman (okay, except for the mole), but right then, she looked like a two-day-old corpse. Even if you weren't a fan of Millie and Chuck, it was rather horrifying to see.

Exactly. Although the original KF was more . . . the sense of being worn down slowly, as opposed to that complete crash. It's more that sense that you just can't even think straight anymore, even when you're not necessarily a corpse. People start doing things that just don't make any sense, and that earlier on, you know they would have known not to do.

I've actually often thought that what the teams who have won have in common, as much as anything else, is the ability to avoid that feeling. (Flo gave in, but Zach never did.) And to the degree that it does help to be young and in shape, I actually think that's largely why. It's not just because the tasks are so physically demanding that you have to have giant arms to do them -- it's that people with a lot of physical stamina hold up better and don't develop the same mental blocks.

I am, of course, basically talking out of my ass, but still.

I understand that killer fatigue is talked about a lot with TAR (for good reason), but it's a phrase that I heard before coming into these forums.

I really don't like Colin but I found him incredibly scary when he got upset over spilling the eggs. He has some major anger management issues.

Mirna is great at finding good flights, but when it comes to actually doing something she falls flat. Meanwhile, the twins continue to just exist, much to my annoyance.

Well, you may have heard it elsewhere, but if you heard it about TAR, they stole it from me, and if you heard it not about TAR, it's a coincidence, because I never read it before I wrote it.

I don't appreciate the implication that I'm not telling the truth.

It seems like there are alot of NY and Toronto people here. I am considering a trip to Niagra Falls around the last week in March in 2005. I know this is not the ideal time to visit this particular attraction, but I'm wondering if the weather is usually decent this time of year. I don't mind it being cool, but I really don't want to waste the time and money if I'm going to freeze. If anyone can offer some info, it would be greatly appreciated.

Niagara Falls the last week of March probably will be cold for you. I would say the average temperature would be high 30's or low 40's with a chance of snow. Actually I find the best time to visit Niagara Falls is May (spring blossoms) or February (the ice that the spray from the Falls makes is beautiful). On the plus side, you will avoid all the summer crowds which can get really bad.

March is a weird month too, it can be winter or spring. One thing I can guarantee, it will be windy.

However, there are some nice hotels with hot tubs and fireplaces in the rooms, so it kind of depends what you are going there for.

March is so unpredictable, I wouldn't bank on having good weather at all. There will definitely still be snow on the ground, and there's a good chance it will actually be snowing. But it could be warm and sunny, too.

I have an irrational hatred of March. I can handle Decemeber to February because it's winter and I'm in Canada, and I know what I'm in for. But March is warm and everything melts, and then it gets cold again and you get just as much snow as before, and you don't know if it's going to last one more week or six more weeks. I can't handle the not knowing. If someone said that the nice weather starts on April 1st, I could handle March no problem, but waking up every morning all, "oh my God, it's snowing again? I wore a spring jacket yesterday" -- that kills me.