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06-02-2010 Happy: I try not to be too political in my writings, but there is no doubt we live in a great country. I’m not going to sing like Lee Greenwood or cry like Glenn Beck about it. But the fact is the ability to be a sports card dealer is a decidedly American opportunity. It exhibits the workings of a free market at its finest. And it involves the largest three sports in the world, which are all more or less housed in America. (Sorry, soccer. Wait, no I’m not. Soccer sucks.) So, all that being said, a special thank you is in order to all the men and women who have served and sacrificed so much for this great country. The freedoms and opportunities we have here are unparalleled anywhere else on the planet. I don’t take being a card dealer for granted. I love it. Buying and selling cards is great. Owning cards I’ve never owned before is always a thrill. Meeting and developing relationships with customers is something that snuck up on me – all of the sudden I actually formed a customer base and that is very rewarding. And the dealers…well, what a bunch of characters. Some good, some bad. And yes, even some dumb. I’m just glad that I’ve built up the trust and good reputation that I have in this business. Sad: Memorial Day is, after all, a day set aside to remember fallen servicemen and women. It is a somber occasion, not just a day off work for BBQs and hitting the pool. I also feel a strange twinge of remorse and wonder if I will ever be a part of something so great or meaningful. While not always glamorous, and not without danger, the military has showcased some of the most awesome displays of human talent, bravery, and coordination the world has ever seen. Tying in with that, it is also my opinion that our country was never as unified as it was during World War II. So many men and women enlisted the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked to become soldiers and nurses. Information on any anti-war protests is very scant. If anything, American citizens preferred to remain neutral…up until the time we were attacked. Smooth move, Emperor. American productivity went into overdrive during those four years. A flood of women joined the workplace. And we cranked out planes, ammunition, and battleships like crazy. Food, clothes, and gasoline were rationed. Rationed! I can’t imagine. The only rationing done in my lifetime was my mom telling me I could only have one can of pop per day when I was 10 years old. We went from a country where rationing was accepted and billions of dollars were raised through war bond drives, to their children having very vocal protests against the Vietnam War. A lot changed from one generation to the next. Angry: I settled in on Monday hoping to catch some great stuff on the History Channel. Instead, I was absolutely shocked to see a marathon of Pawn Stars. OK, so it also showcases a free-market, but it wasn’t at all what I expected of the History Channel on the day we observed as Memorial Day. (In fairness, the History Channel did run ten hours of WWII in HD on Saturday.) A quick Google search of “pawn stars memorial day marathon” reveals only a few people as irate as I was, and their rants were countered by a great deal of people who, while not exactly backing up the History Channel, still jumped all over the disgruntled poster (not me – I’ll utilize my own website for my rants, thank you very much) for not reading a book or pursuing another source for history outside of TV. This only extended my anger. If you have a TV station that includes the word “history” in the title, how do you justify running a marathon of shows about a pawn shop that contain only minimal historical significance? Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, July 4th – these are your bread-and-butter days if you would like to do your part to educate a country about its history. Be responsible. Don’t sell out, dicks. But don’t worry. I didn’t sit there on Monday like a yokel, disappointed that the History Channel couldn’t feed my brain. I watched Windtalkers, which I had always meant to see. And I watched/listened to Spike’s Band of Brothers marathon, even though I own the DVD set and have watched it all the way through a handful of times. (I give it one of my highest recommendations if you haven’t seen it.) I say “listened to” because I had it on in the background as I priced cards I bought at a show the day before. In many ways, it was a perfect day. I was able to do what I love to do and simultaneously take in the efforts of those brave people who came before us who made possible all the opportunities and freedoms we have today. Stay happy! -T |
Inside My Brain