Hopefully you're still with me cause here's where it get's interesting. As I was lying in bed, eyes stapled open for all intensive purposes, I had a realization about my journey. It started out with a vision... No it, wasn't one of those flashes in your mind where you see a murder and save the person who's about to die... But it was equally important in my mind (okay maybe not quite). I saw myself standing on top of a bassboat in someone's driveway with my arms up in the air "Master Commander" style, so pumped up that I had completed my journey, and suddenly it hit me. I have been stuck at this level for 9 months, hoping to trade away my website developing work that I had acquired from my good buddy Bubba, and it seems that there is little interest in someone trading for something they can't see or trust is going to be there when the time comes to utilize it. So here's the moment you've been waiting for... the big revelation... Sometimes you have to take a step backwards, so you can take a step forward. I know! Life-changing. However, my disclaimer is that this is not the case every time or in every situation, meaning the key word in that sentence is "sometimes". I don't want the drug addict or alcoholic reading my blog thinking that they have to slip back into old habits so they can beat this sucker! Stop that! (like I really have that much pull anyways)
So here's what's going's down's. I was given the privileged of keeping my viola after trading with Bubba as he simply wanted to help me achieve my goal. It is time however to take that step back and try again to trade my viola for something tangible. So below you will find a description of my viola!
"It is a 1998 A.R.
Seidel German made, 15" viola. If you haven't heard of a viola, it is
the much unappreciated, lesser known cousin of the violin. It is known
for its smoother, fuller sound compared to the sometimes shrill nature
of the violin. It's the alto version, if you will. From what I have been
told, there are about 10 violins in the world for every viola. So, what
that means to me is that they are harder to get a hold of, thus, in
higher demand.
It retailed new for over $1,700 according to this document that I found on Google. And that's just for the viola itself!
This one comes with a hard case, bow, music stand and all the necessary
stuff for maintenance and upkeep. Altogether, in the condition that it's
in (which is immaculate), and given its age, it is priced at around the
$800-900 range.
Here's
a little history on this beautiful viola. Kim, the wonderful woman who traded me this for my serger, purchased it in 2000. She
was a double major in music and theater and needed to learn a stringed
instrument. She claimed it was the perfect instrument for her because
she has small hands and it wasn't a strain to try to reach what she
needed to in order to make beautiful melodies! She enjoyed it so much
that she bought it after her class ended so that she could keep
learning. As many of us understand, when life gets crazy, some things
get re-prioritized. For Kim, that meant that her dreams of being a
professional violist had to be put aside for now. So it has not been
played for quite a while and is in DIRE need of someone to put it to
some good use. For sure, I am not the one to do that so I need to trade
it away to someone who can as soon as possible. :)"
Nostalgia kicked in a little this morning and I went back and read some of my prior blog posts, and I realized that I was setting myself up for a tough ride trying to get to $10,000 worth of something to trade for a boat. All that to say, my goal at this point has lowered slightly and is now to get something that floats and that works. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant with all the bells and whistles (unless it just so happens to have them), I just want to be able to fish out of it. :) It does need to be a "bassboat" by definition and I would prefer something bigger than 17' with a motor with 100+ horsepower. With that in mind, I think a more attainable goal will be to look to finish out this journey with a boat that is closer to the $300-5000 range. There are a million nice boats out there in that range. Trust me. I've looked.
I am more determined than ever to conclude this journey! I have a bass fishing tournament coming up the end of April which gives me two months. I am going to hit it hard, going door to door if I have to, so that when the time comes, I can raise my hands up, and in the words of the great Olan Rogers scream, "I AM THE MASTER COMMANDER!!"
If you have read this blog and are interested in helping me along my journey, I would be greatly honored if you would get in touch with me so we can work out a trade. my email address is cag04f@acu.edu or you could even call or text me at 432-twoeighteight-4706! I can't wait to hear from you!!
Until next time...
SBSB out!
