The Pursuit of Happiness
Every Fourth of July, our family does what millions of American families do. We find a parade, spend time with friends and neighbors, eat more hamburgers and hot dogs than we probably should, and stay up just a little too late waiting for the fireworks. As the first rockets climb into the sky and children point upward in amazement, I usually find myself thinking about what we're really celebrating.
I Brake for Every Yard Sale
Part of that comes from being an amateur eBay reseller and collector. I have a particular weakness for 1970s and 1980s pop culture memorabilia—old toys, advertising signs, collectibles, and the kinds of things that instantly transport you back to a different time. Most of what I'm looking for isn't particularly valuable in a monetary sense. Nobody is retiring off a collection of old lunch boxes and action figures. What I'm really collecting is nostalgia.
So Much We Have Lost, And Now We Have To Say Goodbye To Another
About 54 years ago, a new paper came on the scene. It was published fortnightly, and was different than all of the rest. We never subscribed to it back then. I don’t know if my parents ever heard of it, as we were probably in the fringes of the area that it covered. Whatever the reason, it never came to the house in the mail, but occasionally someone would buy one at one of the local stores, and it was read through and through by all who picked it up.