RhymePhile's Rat Race

In exactly one week from now I will be packing up the rented truck for my trek up to my new place in Yonkers. ZOMG!

I dropped off Ed's bus tickets this morning at his job, which was only a short walk from my office here in Chelsea, and he gave me a little gift bag with some candles and candle holders. It was a nice gesture and I appreciated it. Much better than a threatened visit from the police!

The guy who bought my Angel puppet wrote me this morning and let me know the check was in the mail. Yay.

I still have to clean out my hall closet and go through all the crap under the bathroom sink. I did lug my dresser out to the garbage yesterday all by myself (and the help of a hand truck) and went through a bunch of clothes to donate. It feels like it's taking me forever to whittle down my life to fit into a one-bedroom apartment with three closets. I'll pick something up and look at it, and think to myself, "Where will this fit?" If it won't, it goes.

The duct tape stickiness of the computer room is still haunting me. I have more scraping to do.

For all my hype I didn't realize Kings was on at 8 instead of 9 p.m. last night. D'oh! I was watching Simpsons instead. I'll watch the first part of the Kings premiere on Hulu during lunch. Did you know that if you stop in the middle of watching on Hulu that when you go back it will pick up where you left off (provided you're logged in).

I set up to have FiOS installed next Wednesday, so that I won't miss the Winchesters in HD.

I haven't been sleeping well, probably due to the stress of the impending move, so I'm exhausted today. Meh, Mondays.

So I'm waiting for the guy I sold the Angel puppet to to send me the remainder of my money. Jebus, I hope everything is on the up and up and I don't get scammed. I kinda need that money. I'm gonna be really pissed if I don't get my money.

The guy who lost his bus tickets that I mentioned about here finally contacted me. Well, I suppose threatened is a better word. I found his tickets Tuesday night when I bought my own. On Wednesday morning I specifically was late to work so I could hang a sign asking the guy to contact me at my Gmail address.

I used Gmail because I didn't want whackos writing me. So Wednesday evening goes by and I don't hear from him. Thursday I went to talk to the super at my new place, and by the time I got back to my girlfriend's apartment (where I was cat sitting) it was almost 9 and time for SPN and I didn't check e-mail. I can't check web mail in work because of a firewall.

Then Friday night I decided to check before I went to bed, and I had 3 e-mails from the guy. The first one gave his number. Then the second was like, "You now have my name and phone number. You need to contact me." Then the third one was all, "If you don't contact me I will go to the police because you are trying to scam me." I was like, The Fuck?? I was so pissed off that I didn't sleep well at all. Here I'm trying to do something nice and return the $45 worth of tickets to this guy, and he's threatening me!

I wrote him back and basically told him to chill the fuck out and that I was sincere in wanting to return his tickets, and that just because I didn't write back to him *in one day* does not mean I'm scamming him for Chrissakes. Gah. I even said that his reaction gave me second thoughts about my Good Samaritanism.

He then wrote back and apologized, saying that he may have overreacted. You think? Anyway, he doesn't work too far from my office and I need to get another set of keys made for my new place, so I'll return the tickets while I'm out at True Value Hardware. Still. The whole thing irks me.

I spent $250 on paint and supplies for the new place. I can't live with a kitchen with purple walls and ceiling. I did have a 10% off coupon that Lowe's sent me when I changed my address with the Post Office online. Cool for that.

My apartment still doesn't look like I'm ready to move in a week. I feel exhausted and mentally drained from doing all this.

This week's Battlestar Galactica didn't help, either. Both Supernatural and Battlestar Galactica are incredible downers!! Next week is the end for BSG. Stop making me cry, Mary McDonnell!!!

I had to buy tickets for my daily bus trip yesterday (since I'm now back and forth to Yonkers so much the cost for a pass didn't make sense) and used the machine in Port Authority. When the tickets printed, I noticed they weren't dropping down and discovered the little door at the bottom was sort of stuck in an open position, so they were piling up.

I bounced the door a bit and when I picked up my tickets I discovered 8 tickets purchased by the person before me still in the machine.

Luckily, Edward bought his tickets with a credit card, so I have his full name, the last 4 digits of his credit card number, and which route and zone he travels. After trying to think up a way to get them back to him, this morning I left a note, stuck to the door of the bus gate, which is right next to my gate:

EDWARD S.

You left tickets in the machine yesterday (3/10)!!

Write me: (and here I put in a rarely-used Gmail addy)
with your last name and a way to contact you, and I'll return your tickets ASAP!

I was thinking about putting my phone number there, but now that it's my only phone I don't need the wackjobs that wander Port Authority calling me. I hope he sees it. I know he bought the tickets at 4:28 p.m. yesterday. Since I don't leave work until 4:30, hopefully he'll write me and I can mail him the tickets. They're worth $45.

Yesterday I also finished the sale of my Angel Smile Time puppet I had posted about on my blog back in November. Last week a guy named Brad out in Pennsylvania wrote me, asking if I still had Angel and if he was for sale. A few e-mails later, we worked it out so that he would send me half the payment, I would cash his check, then I would mail Angel and when he arrived, Brad would send me the remainder of the payment.

Happily, everything has worked out thus far, and the final payment should be coming early next week. I trusted him because he gave his full name and address in the e-mail, along with his work address and phone numbers. He was also very responsive with e-mails. I guess it was still a risk to trust someone, but happily my Angel is now at his house, where he will sit next to puppet Spike on the shelf. I hope they're very happy together ;-)

Remember that area rug and runner I bought from Overstock.com on Saturday? They're both on the FedEx truck ready to be delivered! I was worried about when the rug would get here, because it's 9 feet by 12 feet and won't fit in my car if it came after I moved. I'm having it shipped to mom's house, where I suppose it will stay until I get the truck on the 23rd.

Anyone feel like doing my work today? I don't wanna.

Since I'm moving and moving is expensive, I'm selling off some Buffy and Angel collectibles. I need a new bed from IKEA! Whoo!

Is anyone in the market for the original 1/2 scale replica (made in 2005) of the "Smile Time" Angel puppet from Angel? It's been sitting on my shelf since then (I took it out of the box once to look at it and to see the limited edition number on the certificate) and it's in perfect condition. I don't want to go through the trouble of eBay. I also don't want to charge the ridiculous prices they want for it, either, because I'd like to, y'know, sell him. I'm giving readers here first crack.

This is from the original run of 5,000, not the newer "Battle-Damaged" plush or the "Vampire" one (which I've seen for like $250!). There's a third version, but that's exact scale being released in January.

Anyone willing to make a reasonable offer? Basically what I'm saying is that eBay is a pain in my ass, and if you are in the collectibles market you know how much he's worth...BUT...no reasonable offer refused. If you are really interested, I can post photos this weekend, including the edition number.

I also have the original Sideshow toys 12-inch 12" Spike from 2007, which was limited to 7,500 pieces. You can see a better detailed review here. Spoike has been sitting on my shelf, untouched, since I bought him. I never took him out of the box.

Anyone willing to buy him too? Again, I can post close-ups this weekend.

I'll ship wherever, and only charge what it will cost to ship plus whatever packing materials I may need to use.

If I don't hear from my Flist/readers here, I'll go looking for other Buffy and Angel comms, I guess. Please feel free to link this post to your collector friends if you'd like.

You can see both Angel and Spike sitting atop one of my collectibles shelves here -- look to the far side, upper right-hand corner shelf to see where they've been for the past however many years.

My mom dropped by today, and when she noticed the empty box from war-toys.com she asked what had come in it. That led me to telling her about all the cool shit I ordered for my action figures, which in turn led me to hauling out Mulder and Krycek for her to look at. What follows is more of my mother's wisdom, captured verbatim.

Mom: Wow, those motorcycles are so cool!

Me: I know! And they were only $20 each!

Mom [looking more closely at Krycek]: Why does he look so gay?

Me: [shrugging innocently]


Then Mom noticed the box that still had my Tom of Finland comic collection in it. I really need to put these things away before she comes to visit, but she kinda surprised me. I've tried to explain to my mother in the past what slash is all about, and the phenomenon of it, but she just doesn't get it. Mom is old-school.

Mom: What's "Tom of Finland"?

Me: Oh, man, you probably don't want to look at that.

Mom: Why?

Me: [laughing] Ma, it'll blow your mind.

Mom [disbelieving look]

Me: All right, go ahead, look.

Mom: [flipping pages] UGH!!!!

Me: [laughing] You crack me up.

Alex Krycek
350 5th Ave.
New York, NY 10118

July 2, 2006

Christopher Keller
Inmate number 98K514
Oswald State Correctional Facility
Cell Block 5


Dear Chris,

Thanks for the green sweater you sent me in June. It fit me perfectly, but I can't really model it for you. It's too fuckin' hot. You step outside and melt, so Mulder and I have just stayed in bed under the covers with the air conditioning on high. Is the heat as bad inside Oz as it is outside? Those bastards better let you have fans in your pod. How's Toby? Give him a slap on the ass from me.

I thought I'd send you some photos of my new motorcycle. I hope the hacks don't confiscate them, the fuckers.

Write back when you have a chance.

Keep your chin up,
Alex

P.S. Mulder and I put those handcuffs you sent to good use.





( More images behind the cut )

Okay, I broke down and released him from his plastic prison. Behold, Alex Krycek from The X-Files, the leather-clad one-armed double-crosser, modeling his modified M-16 in a Russian military officer's black leather trenchcoat.

"Welcome to my world, bitches!"


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