I can't afford this cold snap, long days spent searching through eBay, so many items....
I flag the ones I want, bid at the last minute, increase my bid (beyond my means, but that's the point of auctions, isn't it?), am the high bidder, but only for 3 seconds, am finally outbid and DAMN IT I've lost another auction.
Small consolation, it was nothing I really needed, it was far more than I intended on spending, I was more caught up in the desire to spite the other bidders, I should get a premium, my involvement in this auction (as in so many others) doubled the final selling price....
Bastards.
There are more auctions today, maybe I'll win, if not there's always the small consolation of the "Buy It Now" button, 3 "Buy It Now"s = 1 lost auction.
On a happier note the accordion sold, up on Craigslist and Kijiji for under 12 hours and the buyer showed up, paid cash, the accordion is gone for surprisingly more than I expected. The Blowtorch, the Painting have as well been sold, although payment and pickup is delayed by travel/the weather, all sorts of obstacles, the Harp promised last week to an interested party, the reminder sent out today:
"Oh, Where is the bard that would strum my strings?
There's only Jack Frost and his icy fingers;
An aeolian harp on who's antique frame lingers
His Frozen breath. ..."
I couldn't be bothered to write a full Icelandic epic like some scholars I know, it's a swap after all and there's only so far I'm willing to go for a hand carved dolphin or porpoise.
Now on to Absurdistan, the novel of choice at the moment, 6 pages in and it's delightful, possibly (and like the auction let's not get our hopes up..) fine recompse for the last 2 books I've suffered through. We'll see.