Randall Ries

Sad, but true to a degree. Wealthy people certainly don't need to. One of my many peeves has become waiting in line to pay for my coffee and just my luck, the person in front of me needs to buy their load of scratch-offs. Have you ever stood in line waiting to be rung up and the person begins that process? As the cashier hands them their tickets, they begin scratching right there. Then begins to direct the cashier "I want this, that or the other ticket(s)" as he/she uses the check out register as a bookies window? That's a real treat. Sort of a "Keep 'em comin'" affair as my coffee starts burning my hand. Happens more and more. I wish that whole thing could be made into a kiosk like an ATM. You do THAT over THERE. I feel both pity and contempt for them. I have bought ONE lottery ticket in my life and that was last year or the year before. Lottery got up to 90 mill and I thought "Why not?" The odds over winning numbers are astronomical and fall within the "Impossible" range. And it makes me laugh and then I get suspicious when a giant lottery IS won and there just happens to be 3 people who just HAPPENED to guess the winning combination of numbers. Really. If anyone wants wealth, perhaps effort should go into changing the playing field by hook or by crook. They are talking about $7 gasoline by this summer. If you don't think this Ukraine thing is a planned screwjob just to make money, guess again.

Like everyone else, I only think about it. I will always only think about it. What I concluded was the money would stay with me. It isn't I don't wish good things for my family and friends. It is I believe once it is given away, it will be easier for the recipients to come back asking for more. A co-worker and I had that talk. "What would YOU do?" She said "Well, I wouldn't go broke like everyone else!" We talked about the overwhelming majority DO or they die. Well, not her, I was assured. She would pay off all her debt and bills. Everything she owed. Cool! Move to a nicer climate. Prudent! May as well be comfortable. Then, I would pay off all my family members debt and bills. Huh? Then, I would take all my family members on a cruise. Wait. I thought we had talked about NOT being like everyone else. We had, I was told. But that's ALL I would do. Oh. Ok. You'd be broke within a year, I thought to myself. We talked about a documentary we had both watched co-incidentally. In it 9 people had been profiled. All of them had won HUGE sums and none of them had any money worth mentioning previously. ALL but one couple (They were counted as 1 individual) had gone broke and in fact 2 of them were deceased. 1 individual had bought a mansion and invited all her friends to live with her. All her drug using addicted friends. As she was. Birds of a feather. All of her friends died from overdose. SHE died from overdose. Hers was the most intense story. All the others with one exception had similar things happen. All spent their money in a years time. All were broke and - in fact - in debt. Except the one couple. They bought a horse farm. They both loved horses. So, they would board horses, train horses and made enough money from that to support the ranch. When asked if it was harder than it looked to keep their dough, they agreed it was in unison. "We bought ourselves a couple of things we had always wanted personally. Then we agreed to buy this ranch. Then, we put the money into the hands of a good accountant. It's hard to find someone 'good' that we felt comfortable handling our winnings. We try to live off the interest accrued and leave the principle alone." Is it harder than it seems to have that kind of money? "We had NO IDEA how hard. And the temptation is always there to splurge. But we are afraid once we start, we won't stop." So, prudence won they day for them. And they are the exception to the rule, it seems. Good for them. After wading through 8 tragic stories, they were like a cool breeze. Humble. Prudent. Smart. And most importantly, had a healthy fear and respect of their own human nature. They also said it took a lot of effort and thought to hang on to it. The hardest part was the people who would show up with a sob story or medical problem and want money. They WANTED to help but it was a slippery slope. The amount of people who showed up essentially begging were legion. The person who I was speaking with about it only said "Well, I wouldn't be like those LOSERS who died or went broke. I don't use drugs!" Ok. Maybe not. But she went from "I would NOT do what everyone else does" to "I would pay off all my family members debt and bills" and "I would take all my family members on a cruise." You know? She meant ALL of them. Kids, husband, siblings, Aunts, Uncles, cousins, in-laws. The whole She-Bang. People are funny creatures.

Oh you DO? I am SO HAPPY you think so. I was awake ALL NIGHT HOPING you thought so. I was rolling around thinking "MAN! I HOPE that guy with the username that looks like a lisp is OK with all of this! LOL!

It isn't a graceful set-up, these slabs. So many parts and wells and sleeves and locking corners. So many people who don't even care about other PEOPLE say NOTHING about their valuable property handling artifacts. Cut everything else away and I'm left with one simple fact: I don't send my books in to be graded and slabbed and have them come back FUBAR. Left in a vacuum and take a few steps back, the whole thing is laughable. Eh. Make mine raw in a top loader with some mylar sheets inside. Plenty of raw books sell every day. CGC is not even necessary although they and their acolytes would have us believe we are stuck without them. Not at all. Learn how to spot resto. Learn how to count pages. be a strict grader and you will be ok. It isn't your problem or mine if they are "backed up" or "too busy". As a small business guy, the clients patience only goes so far. If we can't provide quality, they stop using us. And companies bad mouthing other companies who do the same thing we do is not permitted. It's poor form and the clients see that. MY responsibility ends when I pay a company to deliver what they said they can. The rest is up to them.

Why do you feel you shouldn't "have to do that"? I always look at the book regardless of what the slab says. If I saw this book for example, I wouldn't have bought it. Not for 9.8 prices. OTOH, I have looked at the books that said 7.0 and 7.5 and saw right away they were very under-graded. So, I was able to get them at 7.0-7.5 prices. it works both ways. I see your point and applaud it. I couldn't - in good faith - try to sell your book as a 9.8 either. Sometimes I wonder if some of these books WERE 9.8's and when they went to the slabbing dungeon they got beat up by someone trying to cram them in a slab.

Thanks. I'll take care of it.

Thank you, Troll King. I'm starting to feel the drawings curse already.

No. Just trying to reach out. You can't see it and you never will. Spoiled little brat. Weren't you strong enough to destroy the thing that scarred you so? That's the worst thing I think I have ever heard. You kept it for 14 years and let it torture you? There. How's that feel? Having someone presuming your motivations? You're welcome, BTW. Just send the thing and have a good life. Let's see if it makes it to its new, rightful owner in one piece. Or at all. See what YOUR scruples are made of.

He IS a clown. That much is certain. And a narcissist. The drawing proves it. Now, the drawing is out of tiffleberry's hair forever. This continuing story alone is worth the winning bid. As I said and meant: Time has a way of coloring things. It could have been destroyed (rightfully so) long ago but wasn't for some reason. Now, the misunderstood exchange between its former owner and myself has become part of its lore. Its legend. Perhaps I shall name the drawing "Annabelle". Do I dare? Nope. I am looking forward to owning the piece. I believe it's my 1st piece of OA that isn't a sketch inside a book or on its cover. Just so it's understood: I understand COMPLETELY how it feels getting insulted and patronized as a kid by an adult I looked up to. My own father. Believe me it wasn't pretty and it changed the course of my entire life. That kind of thing we don't forget. It isn't as easy as say auctioning off an offensive drawing. And I can't imagine auctioning off an offensive drawing is easy, either. The drawing may be gone - as is the property I once owned stolen by my father - but the feeling is never gone nor is the memory. I use my trauma and put it to positive use. We SAY it doesn't bother us. But of course it does. Of course it does. And at the end of the day, though. If I were offered that property back? YEARS ago I would have said "Go EFF yourself. I don't want it." But now? Today? I'd give almost anything to have it back. We change over time. Perspective changes. So, the offer is always there if she would like it back years from now. Maybe not. But then again, maybe so. I'll be happy to be its custodian. It'll help replace something that was stolen from me almost 50 years ago.

Yes. I won. It will be well taken care of.

That is your prerogative.

You are thoroughly missing my point. And yes. I will stop. I no longer care. You obviously have a temper and make rash decisions based on defensiveness and anger. Wish. Me. Luck.

I hope you win, Buzzetta! I think the back story is great. It has more significance to the owner than she is willing to admit, I think. Or perhaps it would have been destroyed long ago.But that is only my take on it. Certainly isn't engraved in copper. I plan to will it back to her when I die.

Hey sorry. Wasn't my intent at all. I did bid. I'm highest bidder. I did read the description. I asked questions because I was concerned there may be some ambiguity between the conversation here and the listing on EBay. You WILL be a different person when you age another 20 or 30 years. That's just a fact. And you will have a different perspective. That's just a fact as well. I know why it matters little to you NOW. It may be a different matter many years from now. Life has a way of making us look back when we age. You'll see. In fact if I DO win it, I will care for it because it meant so much to you obviously. It's a snake in your garden right now. Years from now it may mean something completely different. And years from now - if possible - I will return it to you if you wish for it. Wish me luck.

Wasn't Sistine Chapel a character on the original "Star Trek" series? As long as they don't hit the Sudyam debacle, they can throw all the tomatoes they want.

Cool. I won't have any truck with a burning party. Not books. Not art. We aren't ignorant members of a school board or the PTA.

Thanks. I just needed some clarification.

Oh wait wait wait. I want to bid on this item but I DO NOT WANT ashes. I want the sketch. Is that on the table as an option or is it doomed to be consigned to the flames? Sour grapes is bad karma. The thing needs to live and be what I see in the photo on EBay. Is that possible?

Yup! It's why I said (lemme find it, now....AH!) "That's ICING, young 'un. But it's your own thing. Not telling you what you should do. Telling you revenge comes in different forms and opportunities." Age, experience, being a full grown man comes with a full grown perspective. I LOVE your Barker rap! LOL! My worry is that an actual piece of OA will get destroyed over something as pedestrian as revenge. It can be better used as revenge if it is whole. Can be used like a baton over and over again. I'll bid on it. Sure! I hope I win it. It's a great piece of someone's history. Perhaps tiffleberry will want it back someday when SHE is full growed. Do you know that every seven years, we are a completely different person? It's true! Each one of our cells is completely different than the ones they were 7 years prior. Same with brain cells and brain chemistry. That's why hindsight is a BEEitch. Things I did or destroyed years ago suddenly have value. And as I age, I use the phrase "Ugh. If ONLY I HAD...fill in the blank)" more often than I used to. Off to find the EBay link....

Thanks! I never dared look up the term because I thought the Women Police would kick my door in and thrust their cleavage in my egg salad sandwich and then accuse me of assaulting them with not my eyes, but a fine goose egg salad sandwich with JUST the right amount of pepper and diced onion.

Just like real life! "Let me push these things up so far I look like Princess Leia wearing headphones, then yell at you for looking at them! Oh! You NASTY boys!"

Haha! Yeah that's right. And since she has super powers, she can beat the living Hell out of any male chauvinist pig she wants to. I have always wondered what the female equivalent of a misogynist is. Like what's the medical psychotherapist term for that?

I don't know what that means.

They sure do. In fact, my wife asked me the other day - after 22 years - as wives/girlfriends sometimes do: "What attracted you to me? Was it the way I spoke to you? The way I laughed at your stupid joke? My hair? Was it my EYYYES? What I was wearing? WHAT?" "Well? It was your boobs." "WHAT?" "Well, yeah! You guys lead with those things. When you found me interesting, you stood up straight and put those things out there. If I had taken a deep breath, one of them would have been in my mouth." "WHAAAT????" "Yep. You women do that and don't even know it. Tell you what: Next time you introduce me to a male I DON'T know but you DO, watch my body language. I will stick my hand out to shake his but I will stand noticeably taller. Shoulders squared, feet slightly apart. We all do it. Even women. They 'Alpha' up just like men do when they are either feeling threatened, insecure or want something." Check it out. She didn't like my response because it wasn't something lofty like I found her intelligent or empathetic or she was wearing nice clothes OH GOD DON'T GO THERE. You want to be miserable? Then go down the "What was I wearing the day we met? I remember what YOU were wearing!" street She'll describe it right down to the rings on your fingers and she'll be absolutely right. All I remember is a set of Tata's blanketed with a checkered brown shirt. That's IT. And so, we ask ourselves "What IS it about a mediocre Kara-El clone named something mediocre like 'Power Girl' that I like so much? She's brusque. Aggressive. Dismissive. Doesn't have too much going on except being defensive and yet......"

Seems like it's allowing a narcissist to get to you. You know? He's still dictating terms. I get it, though. I'd be the same way if I paid for a Frank Miller remarque (infantile doodling) on a Dark Knight book. Have you seen those? $250 for something I could do with my left foot? IMO, he has always sucked at being an artist but is one hella writer. I think I would keep that Sudyam thing and continue telling the story. I love black humor anyway. I've LEARNED to love it and I BEGAN loving it by learning to laugh at trauma. Ya HAFTA laugh. To me, it's hilarious. Not that you were insulted as a kid, you know? That stinks and I am sorry for that, 13 year old you. I really am. But now you are an adult. Heck. Me being who I am, I would buy a table at a Con with just that note page on display and charge $5 per person and tell the story over and over. Ha. Let him amble over and give you grief if he wants. I'd get loud. "Hey! It's Sudyam! Step right up ladies and gents! Get yer very own infantile doodle from the talentless narcissist hack Sudyam! Is it a potato? Is it a helicopter? Is it a potato flying a helicopter? Who knows?" Treat it like admission to see the freakshow. Really. The story is priceless. Having the proof is also priceless. That's ICING, young 'un. But it's your own thing. Not telling you what you should do. Telling you revenge comes in different forms and opportunities. I would make it work for me until Sudyam shuffled off his mortal, squirming coil.