The tale is as old as collecting and collectibles--you had something that mom threw away or gave away and years later, it's worth a mint. Even I have wondered, over the years, what type of money I would have made from my old Masters of the Universe Toys (which are the only toys that I …
Category: Reflections
The Freedom is Tyranny of the To Do List
So it's late April-early May of 1997 and I'm sitting my dorm room working on yet another take-home final exam and out of nowhere and apropos of nothing, one of my roommates walks in and asks, "How are you going to forget to take your finals?" I take a minute to turn my attention away …
Personal Archaeology 3: From the Nosebleeds
There were times when I felt the genius flowing from my finger tips; there were times when typing felt like I was straining a wrench against a very tight bolt. But no matter how easy or hard it was, I managed to make my deadline every week for three and a half years, until twenty …
Continue reading Personal Archaeology 3: From the Nosebleeds
Uncollecting Update: April 2019
As always, let’s start with the numbers. Media consumed # (remaining/total) Movies Watched 2 (151/155) Books Read: 4 (123/139) Comics Read: 82 (549/738) Podcast Episodes Remaining: 120 Movies I knocked one of those Netflix DVDs out--the last disc of the first season of The Greatest American Hero, which I'll be covering at some point on …
Personal Archaeology 2: It Spins, It Wins
When you look back on the sepia-toned memories of your life as a teenager, you definitely begin to think of the hallmark moments. You know, your first love, your first broken heart, losing your virginity, getting into college, going to prom, graduating, and winning the homecoming float competition. I know that a pile of wood, …
The Writing Pile
I have to admit that as much as I have written in the twenty years since I graduated form college (and if you even go back further, to writing stories and stuff in junior high and high school), I have never considered myself a writer. I think it's a personal hangup at this point--writers have …
Personal Archaeology 1: Prepping the Dig
My grandmother was a hoarder. This is something we discovered at its fullest extent after her death, but when I think back to the years spent at her house, the signs were there--TV Guides piled by the guestroom bed, at least one room where there were a lot of things all over the place, knickknacks …
Habit Forming and Breaking
Among the inevitabilities of the Internet is the occasional media story about financial hardships hitting people whoa re just like you and me. These could be student loan debt, medical-related bankruptcies, massive issues with credit cards, subprime mortgages, or a number of other money problems. Accompanying them will also be self-righteous comments that are not …
Uncollecting Update: January 2019
Let's start with the numbers. Media consumed # (remaining/total) Movies Watched 1 (154/155) Books Read: 4 (135/139) Comics Read: 50 (688/738) Podcast Episodes Remaining: 182 Movies I haven't been watching many movies this month. We've been going through a number of the MCU films that we haven't seen or haven't watched in a long time, …
The Storm Before the Calm
If you're familiar with the Christian tradition of Lent, then you're probably also familiar with the tradition of Mardi Gras. It wasn't something I actually celebrated when I was growing up--I always assumed it was a regional, New Orleans thing--but over the years, I've seen it become more widespread. Granted, most of that "more widespread" …
The Uncollecting 