The cycle continues, sadly. Once it became clear that I wasn’t going to get the miter saw that I wanted, since they are out of stock at every store within a 100+ mile radius, I started looking for other options. I know what I need. I need a 12″ saw, I need a short-throw sliding mechanism so it can be pushed against the wall in my existing miter saw station and I know I want either a laser or an LED shadow. Three simple things. What could be easier?
It never works out that way though, does it?
It’s hard to find anyone but idiots out in the world right now. I just ordered a brand new miter saw off of Amazon. It wasn’t cheap, although it was on sale. It also wasn’t ludicrously expensive, to be fair. I had looked at higher end saws, like the Bosch, and it doesn’t come with the laser that I wanted. Therefore, I had tried to buy it at Lowes but they were out of stock. I got on Amazon, I paid for it, I waited and when I received it, they had sent the wrong saw. It wasn’t even close.
Now they want to argue with me about the return. Screw these people!
So let me tell you a story. Way back when I was about 7, this is more than 50 years ago, I started collecting U.S. stamps. It wasn’t really a conscious choice, more one of availability. I lived where there were tons of U.S. stamps, so I collected what was readily available. Most people start that way.
This last weekend, I finally got tired of looking at a lot of holes so I did something about it. Mostly, I am now complete from about 1916 to 1993 where I stopped. It kind of feels good, to be honest.
This has to do with woodworking, although it can certainly apply to lots of other things. Someone posted on Reddit, complaining that whenever he uploads a project, people will criticize him. He even admits his faults, his joints are loose, his boards have gaps, etc. No, what he wants people to do is be less critical.
Not only no, but hell no. That’s not how this works.
Over the past week or so, I’ve been out in the shop, trying to get it back together. I haven’t had time to do much woodworking in quite some time and now, I want to. That’s meant sweeping up, tuning machines and deciding what I want to do.
Yet today, I realized something. I really have no reason to do anything. That’s kind of a disturbing thought.
This has come up before, but recently, a new thread showed up on a stamp forum, I’ll link to it below if you want to read it, wondering why stamp catalog values are so far off what the actual sale prices are. There are a lot of arguments on both sides, including from me, but there just isn’t room in a place like that to really dig into it, so I’m going to do it here.
Enjoy.
The new one arrived, not long after my replacement copy of the last one, since my puppy decided to shred it and the APS was nice enough to send me a replacement for free. Thanks to Scott English for getting it done. Great guy.
However, in the new issue, like in the last, I’ve got some issues, this time with the issue itself. It’s not as bad as that, but they’re really pushing to get stamp collectors to collect coins, and, presumably, vice versa. I’m not opposed to anyone who wants to, but here’s why I’m just not interested.
Just got the new issue and there were two letters that I wanted to comment on, one more than the other. The first, that I’m mostly going to mention in passing, was by Scott Zimmer, who said that “Many collectors view stamp investing as taboo”, which is true and, IMO, should be. It’s not taboo to invest in anything that you want, but you leave the realm of collecting and enter the realm of investing if you do that.
The second is from Robert Dragone, which i want to address in some more detail below the fold. Apparently, he doesn’t believe that people are in the hobby for reasons other than making money. Sorry pal, but most aren’t. That’s the whole point of having a hobby.
There was an article in the latest issue of American Philatelist, called “The Faux Philatelist” which I agree with almost entirely. In it, Barry White says that he is a stamp collector, not a philatelist.
I am also a stamp collector, not a philatelist. It’s nice to see people out there pointing out the differences. Therefore, here’s why I do what I do.
Before I get started, I want to say that if you enjoy Warhammer, more power to you, I’m not saying that it’s terrible, I’m not saying that I hate people who play it, I don’t care. You do you and I’ll do me.
What I am saying is that there are a lot of obnoxious apologists out there who can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to throw hundreds of dollars at their hobby, mostly, I think, because they’re desperate to have someone to play with.
That’s not me. So let’s get started.
