Finding treasures

...So I spent last night flipping around to baseball games (... how 'bout that roller coaster, 14-inning Braves-Mets game! ...and the Cubs lost a-gain) and catching up on more TV shows (... would someone just hand Survivor Terry the $1 million and get it over with, the guy is dominating! ... and is it me or does the lame ESPN infomercial otherwise known as 'Bonds on Bonds' get more mundane and boring each week? The whole thing is edited just to make Bonds look good. He won't even touch the 'S' word and he relays every obstacle he's ever faced as if no one in the world has lived a harder life than him.... C'mon. Really. And we're supposed to feel sorry for THIS guy ...) all while searching the classified section for some intriguing garage sale listings ...

Kates and I are in search of a good entertainment center and buffet/hutch to match the rest of our woodwork and decor. And I'm in need of a corner shelving unit ... and, as always, good music and baseball collectibles ...

... So this morning, the alarm went off at 7:30 a.m. I dressed, snagged a quick breakfast and the first of the half-dozen garage sales I'd circled started at 8 ... one by one, I hit 'em all, working fast and scanning the inventory for treasures ...

... I came home a happy man.

... For a total of $24, I walked away with CDs of the Barenaked Ladies' 'Maroon,' Fleetwood Mac's 'The Dance' and Elton John's 'One Night Only: The Greatest Hits' (I just finished listening to the last two and they're even more amazing than I had expected ...), and on vinyl, vinyl! (my crush on the medium continues ... ) I took home copies of Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumors' (actually it's now the third copy I have of this album, the other two don't play so well ...it's such a great album!!), Carole King's 'Tapestry,' Cyndi Lauper's 'She's So Unusual' (classic '80s pop!), Crosby, Stills Nash & Young's 'So Far' (four words: 'Suite: Judy Blues Eyes'), 'Chicago at Carnegie Hall' (my pops had this one ... amazing!) and Neil Diamond's 'Hot August Night' (another awesome live album ...)

... And I'm not done yet. Still with that $24, I also picked up hardcover biographies by Sandy Koufax and Duke Snider, and a couple nice wood frames for about a quarter of the price I would have paid for them at a Target.

Can you say bargains? ... Yeah. I'm saying it right now.