Saturday, October 18, 2008

I feel so cheated...

I found out about a garage sale of a retiring teacher of 25 years. Don't you know my heart skipped a beat. I could only imagine what treasures I would find there. So I set my alarm for 7am, yes 7am on a Saturday morning. I'm so excited I could hardly contain myself. I run to the atm and head toward the mother ship. Of course I was early! I tried to wait patiently as the couple pulled out box by box, but I couldn't wait anymore. Teachers were starting to line up. There were at least a dozen who showed up right after me and a few before me. It was one of those - every man for himself. I started digging, and digging, and digging. I found cool things, but the prices were staggering. Honestly, when you have a garage sale, isn't it to get rid of stuff? She wanted 2$ a book, like a scholastic book! My heart sank a little, but I kept digging. I don't know what grade I will be teaching yet, so it's hard to pick and choose what I'll need. I found a cool math set for the overhead - it had clocks, pattern block shapes, money, etc. The set was 10$ (a little high I thought). I also found another set that was 15$. I went up to the lady and was about to ask if she would take 20$ for both. Before I could open my mouth, she ripped the first set out of my hand and said she already sold that. I quickly put the other set back because she made me mad. I know silly, I thought I was getting some kind of revenge or something. I'm sure she could care less. So I couldn't leave, I had waited all week for this! I decided to pop back into the garage. Another teacher found unifix cubes and was trying to talk me into splitting the box with her. I told her I'd pass, but what I really wanted was base 10 blocks. They seem to be a necessity while teaching. Her ears perk up and she says "Yea I want those too! I ask the retiring teacher, who has already sent me one blow, if she has any. She responds with something that I couldn't make out to be a yes or a no. Her husband chimes in and says, yes I just put some out over there. I race over there. I searched the boxes he pointed to. No luck! I tell the man and he sends me back to ask his wife. Again I ask her, she tells me she thinks she does, and then gets distracted and begins doing something else. I then hear the lady who wanted to split the u cubes with me say, How much for the base 10 blocks. I couldn't believe it! I went over to see if there was any extra, but she was pawing the entire box, so I knew I didn't stand a chance. I said Oh I guess she found them. The man laughs and the "retiring teacher" says oh you can have them all for 5$. WHAT!! Did I hear you right?!?! First I come to your garage sale and you're asking for my right leg. Then you rip my treasure from me and claim to have already sold it. Then you give a lady, who stole my base 10 blocks, an amazing deal!!! What the???!? Ok, I'm sure I sound childish about now. But it's not fair. So I stomped off to my car, pouting. What a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day :)