Tuesday 13 March 2012

A Time To Cast Away Stones.

Aside from my Cycle-Motor tinkering, I've been playing reverse pass-the-parcel:
eBay selling is addictive.
So much so that I've decided to rid myself of the bulk of my possessions.
This may sound a little rash but I'm finding it....
Oh, what's the word?
Cathartic.
Yep, that's the word.

Outside of my baritone uke, bicycle collection, things I've made, my shed, and gifts people have made for me, I don't get emotionally attached to 'stuff'.
I have a tin box filled with a collection of parts of things I've owned that act more as aide-memoirs of the time I owned them rather than as relics of the objects themselves.
I never see the point of holding onto anything I've sucked the fun out of, though I am reluctant to let go of tools because they're useful, expensive to replace and, if the should world end, I can use them to build a new one.
Having said that, I'd probably only need a decent Swiss Army Knife, super glue and a steel ruler to construct it.
The rest of it?
Just so much surplus weight holding dreams to the ground.

However...

I have a wish-list of four, now down to three, items I've always wanted to own.

  1. A Roberts Radio bound in red leather(ette). It would have to be the digital version now of course.
  2. The Alessi Kettle (designed by Michael Graves) that looks like a flying saucer stuck up a bird's bum.
  3. A Dualit Toaster (Got one!)
  4. A Moulton Bicycle.

All things I'd have a hard time constructing with a SAK, super-glue, and a steel ruler.

4 comments:

Oldfool said...

Sometime back I got into an ebay selling frenzy where I sold all the junk I was going to discard. I literally picked a box of stuff out of my trash, took a photo, described it accurately then put it up for sale on ebay. Forty five dollars plus shipping and handling later it was on it's way. I sold some nice things too such as a WW2 merchant marine sextant and a very nice old HF radio receiver. The person that bought the radio was gracious but the sextant, which was expensive, was a pain in the ass. People with money are so uncool.
In all I made several thousand dollars out of my junk and trash.

Anonymous said...

Ah, the gospel according to OSM.

To everything there is a season...etc, from Ecclesiastes.
(I didn't learn this in any scripture class - a little Byrd told me!)

I have three Roberts radios: two Roberts R737s (wood and black leather) which are permanently tuned to Classic FM and BBC Radio 4, and a Roberts Sound 53. I hesitated buying anything with DAB because the days are numbered for the current DAB radio system, but I mostly use the Sound 53 as an amp/speaker system for my laptop. Occasionally I move it into the kitchen and play music off SD memory card or USB flash drive - I like to practice my air-Keytar to the The Birthday Massacre while I'm cooking. I like the look of the red leather Roberts Revival but I can't in good conscience buy another one just to look at it. I have enough broadcast radio receivers already and my philosophy is to really "get the use out of..." and enjoy what I have already rather than allow 'collecting insanity' to take me in its evil grasp.

Is the Alessi kettle to which you refer, the 9093?

OSM's eBay - I was outbid on the item I wanted! :(

In case Oldfool is looking, what was the old HF receiver you disposed of? Just curious - I'm a radio ham and I like the old stuff.

Orlando.

OutaSpaceMan said...

The only DAB style station I actually like is 'Birdsong'.
My aural entertainment of choice is the Goon Show internet station, that runs 24-7 on FabCat, interspersed with Hooting Yard.
Don't worry, I've got some more bits and bobs coming up on eBay that may interest you.

Glyn said...

GOON SHOW RADIO STATION? Why has no one told me about this?