And then there is the thrill of the first ebay sale offer

So, the snow is not melting and a person just has to think of something to keep from bouncing off the walls, AGAIN !

I guess there is nothing like the thrill of setting up a first time ebay sale. I had always wanted to do it but thought it was going to be too much of a hassle. As it turns out, it was all pretty straight forward. With the purchase of a new camera, I found I did not need one of the lenses that I had used in the past.

I am getting prepared to put some of Cole's items up for sale. My last roadblock was obtaining a piece of software that does qvtr pictures. It took a while to find the right one (iStill) for the job. Then it took a while to get the authorization code. Then it took a while to figure out how to use it. But, now I guess at the end of the lens sale, I will be ready to list the rest of the equipment to see how that goes.

I have to admit, though, my heart did flutter a little as I pushed the confirm to sell option. I guess it doesn't take much to give an old guy a thrill :-)

A trivia contest is not so trivial if you really want to win

Well, there it is. We finished in 5th place this year in our annual pursuit of ubergeekdom. I looked up last year's finish and we were in 6th place sooooo I guess there is some consolation there.

For those of you who are not aware, the annual KVSC (stcoud state college) trivia contest is held the second weekend of February. It is a marathon. By marathon I mean 50, that's right 50 straight hours of non-stop questions and answers. The team that garners the most points wins. This year there were 75 teams. It has grown a bit since I joined 15 - 20 years ago. But the goal has always been the same. The goal? Why, it is to outscore others, scoff at their futility and take home the traveling trophy (no money prizes here, it wouldn't be geeklike)

We have about 40 to 50 people on our team. Most of them are situated at our "Secret Headquarters." Others of us on the team hunker down in our own fortresses and feed possible answers to the main headquarters. It has evolved over time into a rather sophisticated system.

We actually have won this thing twice in the past. It is kind of like the one really good shot that one remembers in golf that brings us back.

For the record, of the 50 hours of the contest I did managed to actively participate in 27 of them (25 in one stretch). Of course, Joyce pampered me, fed me meals at correct times, massaged my shoulders and kept checking in on me to make sure I was okay. She is as valuable as any other team member we have.

Anyway, there is always next year, we were robbed, what could we have done differently and any other cliches that fit until next
February roles around.