So, I'm making some ch-ch-ch-changes in my life, which are yet to be announced here on Dan With a Twist (all will become clear, stick with me). Part of Operation Lifechange includes ridding myself of some earthly possessions, namely, my furniture. I decided last night that I'd best be starting to get stuff sold...not that I was in any immediate rush, but I thought, "Hey, let's take some pictures of some stuff, put it up on this Craigslist thing, and start negotiating." The plan being that, in a month or two, I'd be ready to sell.
I realized as I watched my kitchen table go out the door about an hour ago that as soon as you post on Craigslist, you'd best be ready to sell. Within 3 minutes of posting, I had offers for full asking price on all of my items. I am now in possession of a fat bankroll, but no couch, bookshelves (my library is now stacked in piles against various walls), kitchen table or chairs, or lamps. Well, almost no lamps. I saved one. The thought of reading in bed by flashlight was just too sad and unsettled, even for an aspiring wanderer like me.
All sorts of people have come into my life today thanks to Craigslist: the Polish mama who phoned within seconds of my replying to her email about my IKEA Expedit bookshelf and told me her life story, about her teenage son (the bookshelf is for his room), what she was thinking in terms of decor for his room (she needs to get him a wardrobe, preferably in a birch finish) her husband's job (too much overtime). M, the Japanese woman who showed me pictures of her absurdly obese cat on her cellphone and put a deposit on my kitchen table and chairs. J and J, the couple who just moved back to Vancouver from Barcelona and are reluctantly setting down roots, deciding it was time to be near family even though they'd still like to be living the life in Spain.
I helped J and J carry my sofabed about 6 blocks to their apartment, which they were profoundly grateful for. I figured that this would earn me some Moving Karma...I harkened back to my days in Montreal when I did several solo moves using only a shopping cart and wished someone on the street would have stopped and offered to help. We passed a parked SUV of guys who looked like they were doing their best to be the guys from That 70's show, (and doing a mighty good job I must say), and they were about as stoned.
A guy with long hair (the trendy kind that looks deliberately unwashed), gold aviators and a baseball shirt that said "Alabama" in huge iron-on letters leaned out the window as we passed and said, "Hey, that's a pretty chillin' couch you got there." We smiled and nodded. JMale and I were carrying the fabric seat of my "sofaton," and JFemale was carrying the metal base. Alabama Aviator, watching us, leaned out some more. "Do you guys want some help?" JMale and I looked at each other, looked at Alabama, and nodded. "That would be FANTASTIC." Out he hopped, replaced me on seat duty, and I joined JFemale on the metal frame.
"Only in the West End," observed JFemale. "You wouldn't get THIS in Barcelona." I said that it hadn't been my experience in Montreal or London, either. JFemale, who is Asian, said that two days ago, she and her sister had laboured down the street with a heavy armoir, and her sister had remarked that maybe if they were blonde, some nice males would have helped them out. "And see?" she remarked to me. "WE'RE not blonde! And look!" "True," I said. "But we DID have a chillin' couch." I was also wearing my fierce teal green leather Fluevog boots which seem to attract good things (never underestimate the power of a good shoe), so I was less surprised than JFemale.
Alabama Aviator happily carried the couch right to J and J's front door, at which point he bowed, blew me a kiss, and danced back down the street to his buddies and their SUV. Chivalry abounds in the West End.
Tomorrow's Craigslist lineup includes hand delivering two lamps to a fellow a block away (if it was any further than a block, and he hadn't asked me to send him pictures of any other items I had for sale, I'd tell him to go stuff himself), and...selling my beautiful one speed, pedal brake cruiser bike. Sob. That one will be hard to part with. Especially since it is a shade of teal that exactly matches the Fluevog boots. But I'm freeing myself. And earning mad cash. Thank youuuuu, Craigslist.
I realized as I watched my kitchen table go out the door about an hour ago that as soon as you post on Craigslist, you'd best be ready to sell. Within 3 minutes of posting, I had offers for full asking price on all of my items. I am now in possession of a fat bankroll, but no couch, bookshelves (my library is now stacked in piles against various walls), kitchen table or chairs, or lamps. Well, almost no lamps. I saved one. The thought of reading in bed by flashlight was just too sad and unsettled, even for an aspiring wanderer like me.
All sorts of people have come into my life today thanks to Craigslist: the Polish mama who phoned within seconds of my replying to her email about my IKEA Expedit bookshelf and told me her life story, about her teenage son (the bookshelf is for his room), what she was thinking in terms of decor for his room (she needs to get him a wardrobe, preferably in a birch finish) her husband's job (too much overtime). M, the Japanese woman who showed me pictures of her absurdly obese cat on her cellphone and put a deposit on my kitchen table and chairs. J and J, the couple who just moved back to Vancouver from Barcelona and are reluctantly setting down roots, deciding it was time to be near family even though they'd still like to be living the life in Spain.
I helped J and J carry my sofabed about 6 blocks to their apartment, which they were profoundly grateful for. I figured that this would earn me some Moving Karma...I harkened back to my days in Montreal when I did several solo moves using only a shopping cart and wished someone on the street would have stopped and offered to help. We passed a parked SUV of guys who looked like they were doing their best to be the guys from That 70's show, (and doing a mighty good job I must say), and they were about as stoned.
A guy with long hair (the trendy kind that looks deliberately unwashed), gold aviators and a baseball shirt that said "Alabama" in huge iron-on letters leaned out the window as we passed and said, "Hey, that's a pretty chillin' couch you got there." We smiled and nodded. JMale and I were carrying the fabric seat of my "sofaton," and JFemale was carrying the metal base. Alabama Aviator, watching us, leaned out some more. "Do you guys want some help?" JMale and I looked at each other, looked at Alabama, and nodded. "That would be FANTASTIC." Out he hopped, replaced me on seat duty, and I joined JFemale on the metal frame.
"Only in the West End," observed JFemale. "You wouldn't get THIS in Barcelona." I said that it hadn't been my experience in Montreal or London, either. JFemale, who is Asian, said that two days ago, she and her sister had laboured down the street with a heavy armoir, and her sister had remarked that maybe if they were blonde, some nice males would have helped them out. "And see?" she remarked to me. "WE'RE not blonde! And look!" "True," I said. "But we DID have a chillin' couch." I was also wearing my fierce teal green leather Fluevog boots which seem to attract good things (never underestimate the power of a good shoe), so I was less surprised than JFemale.
Alabama Aviator happily carried the couch right to J and J's front door, at which point he bowed, blew me a kiss, and danced back down the street to his buddies and their SUV. Chivalry abounds in the West End.
Tomorrow's Craigslist lineup includes hand delivering two lamps to a fellow a block away (if it was any further than a block, and he hadn't asked me to send him pictures of any other items I had for sale, I'd tell him to go stuff himself), and...selling my beautiful one speed, pedal brake cruiser bike. Sob. That one will be hard to part with. Especially since it is a shade of teal that exactly matches the Fluevog boots. But I'm freeing myself. And earning mad cash. Thank youuuuu, Craigslist.