Saturday, February 26, 2011

So what. It's cold. But it's beautiful.

We've had a couple slow days at the store, with lots of people commenting on the cold.

Which is weird to me. The cold isn't all that off putting to me. It wouldn't stop me from doing most things I would want to do. In fact, it's kind of bracing.

Look outside, it's beautiful! Clean white snow, blue skies, sun shining!

What the hell. You're mostly in the car, then mostly in a store. Bundle up, and go!

**********

Had a guy in the store who volunteered to sell some of my inventory from the basement on e-bay.

So, I'm sort of willing, but first I want to discuss it. Discuss it fully.

Partly, because I want to get a sense of where his head's at -- whether he's fully aware of the ramifications.

But partly, because I think that you reach a kind of truth if you fully discuss an issue from both sides.

Now, this is just ARGUMENT (and argument is pejorative) to most people, and most people find it unpleasant. Whereas, I enjoy a good argument. I think of it like the justice system -- you get a proponent to argue each side to the best of their abilities, and out of that debate, a truth emerges.

I know that's the idealistic view -- but I'm not looking for perfect justice when I argue a point -- I really mean it when I say that I'm willing to be out-argued. If the other guy makes more sense, I hope I'm flexible enough to see it.

Anyway, he got disgusted with me, accused me of being against the idea from the beginning with all my "Yes, buts...." and "What happens ifs...."

And so I have to back down, and start conceding some points voluntarily, even arguing "his" side, if you will. He doesn't really want to think about it, much less debate it.

So few people really want to do that. And so often it descends into name calling and hurt feelings.

Too bad.

It's a valid technique.

11 comments:

Viking Troutslapper said...

I've only been in the basement once and it definitely wasn't long enough. Your basement collection, to me, is like one eyed willy's treasure in so much as it might be treasure and in might not be. I would absolutely love to spend hours down there sorting through musty longboxes just to know what is there. Nothing more than the joy of seeing hundreds of fogotten covers.

Viking Troutslapper said...

Also, just say the word and I'll bring lunch and a notepad in an attempt to alphabetize and catalogue them.

Duncan McGeary said...

Come on in and we'll "debate."

OHDG said...

I want to come too, just because I love basements and they are a rare commodity in central Oregon. How much are tickets for the event?

Also, I have asked you this in person before, but do you have any leftover CCG cards from Decipher's Star Wars line? I'm not actually looking for rares, but commons and uncommons from Special Edition, Endor, and Death Star II.

Lastly, I love arguments too, and I have found like you, that most people run away from arguments like the plague. I love to flesh out both points of view, and am willing to be proven wrong and adopt a new way of seeing things from another point of view. But you can't do that if no one is willing to communicate and debate the different aspects of things.

Sounds like the guy is unwilling to even talk about a business arrangement, to which much discussion must be had. You don't want to find out about all this stuff AFTER he begins the operation, do you? Dear lord!

Duncan McGeary said...

"You don't want to find out about all this stuff AFTER he begins the operation, do you?"

Exactly.

Anonymous said...

I would really like to see you sell out before you drop dead at the shop, sell out to some young kid, and just spend your time blogging, to it for Bend.
"Vote for Sheriff Dunc", of shire-Bend. :)

You have a window now of about 12-18 months, before the all the money is worthless here. It's not to late to cash out, and buy gold or something 'real' like chinese yuan.

I think this summer will be ugly nationally with riots from Wisconsin 'protests' rippling through the nation, but it will take another year before the austerity reaches Bend. The problem with Bend is next year borrowed money will be un-available.

A good note on this issue is right now the insurance company's are quietly exiting muni's, and everyone is selling the quality bond's to cover redemption's. Next year nobody is going to be there to step to the plate, oh maybe for 25% interest, but that means that Bend revenue will not even cover the interest on existing debt, let alone borrowing new debt.

H. Bruce Miller said...

"Look outside, it's beautiful! Clean white snow, blue skies, sun shining!"

You can have this "beauty." When I first moved here the snow had the charm of novelty. Now, if I never see another goddamn snowflake or have to scrape ice off another windshield it'll be too soon for me.

Just my opinion, of course.

Anonymous said...

"it will take another year before the austerity reaches Bend."

If this isn't austerity now, then WHAT is austerity? Or maybe you're collecting SS checks and feeling good.

Anonymous said...

I feel 'good' because I SOLD ALL MY SHIT. I FEEL GOOD, because I'm BEND-GONE.
Nothing is worse than being a partially composed corpse in Bend waiting for the vultures to finish you off. A slow agonizing and painful death.
Now to what I meant by 'austerity'. I figure in the next 18 months that the public sector will get fucked as the private, that means that there will be virtually little spending in Bend, which means that now will appear as a 'great party'. It will get much worse in the future. A ton of folks in Ben area feed at the public-dole aka pig trough. Much is floated with borrowed money, another year and that source is Bend-Over.
'Austerity' in my mind is when 80% of Bend is in food-lines, not a tiny 15%.
A SS check in Bend? A fairly dismal life. Owning a home in Oregon? The future is dismal, second homes will be taxed to shit, this is the trend. If you can buy a home today for $50k or less, and ride a bike, ... 'maybe', maybe you could have a life. But why? Why bother with Bend? For $50k you can have a mansion in SE asia, and have tropical weather all year. The 'cold' now kills me, arthritis ... but in the tropics I have no pain. Bitter cold for 6+ months a year. No thanks. It's not fun anymore.
Paradise my Ass.

Anonymous said...

I remember back in 2007 us early bloggers on the bendbubble.
My premise was RE down to 4x income, where income was less than $40k/yr per household. I said that the resets on the 5-1 ARMS wouldn't clear until 2012, and add another 18 months for Bend lag. I said that the earliest recovery would be 2018. Now I think it could be longer. I said the problem was $2 Trillion, and was laughed at, now we can see the problem has become $20 Trillion. We're now past the point of no-return. It's NOT coming back, not in our lifetime. With peak-oil over the horizon, and $10/gal fuel on the horizon, Bend will be a novelty only for the insane.
End of world? Hell no. Be a communalist, nominate Dunc for sheriff, have a green-house, barter&trade. Ride bikes. Cheap energy makes an ice-box like Bend comfy, those days are almost over. When Bend is no longer cheap&comfy, most will leave. Even dunc likes to be comfy. If it costs $1,000/month to heat a home, even dunc will return to Eugene. The firewood is gone, new laws make it hard to heat a home the old way, most folks now don't even have the tools or mind-set. 'End of the world'? To live here like we did in the 1960's?? As I have always said "Best of times", but 'end of the world', for the post 1980's cali-transplants.

H. Bruce Miller said...

"Bitter cold for 6+ months a year. No thanks. It's not fun anymore.
Paradise my Ass."

Damn, Buster and I are in agreement on something again. I think this makes three times in the past five years.

BTW I think Buster is David Wu's alter ego.