Today was the University of Oklahoma Property Control Surplus Auction (aka 'the awesomeness'). Brother Doug and I spent a number of hours basking in the glory of all the crap. It was all there--photocopiers to couches to servers to spectrophotoscopes to barbecue to sailboats to those little vehicles campus mail people drive around. It was intense.

There is a gene in my body that makes me enjoy good deals. I don't necessarily have to be acting on these bargains--just to bask in and admire them is enough. My father is like this as well. He is retired and spends a considerable amount of time in Elk City's local Wall's Bargain Center [Wall's is a nation-wide outfit the buys goods from other stores before they ever reach their shelves for various reasons (smoke-damage, water-damage, design malfunction, shipping truck wreck, surplus, etc.) and re-sells them at low, low prices], and I envy him for this. My wife pin-pointed this trait in me recently. I really can't explain its existence. Perhaps it is some hunter-gatherer leftover trying to express itself in the consumer age.

Anyhow, I snapped a couple of pictures of auction happenings before some authority figure informed me that I was not allowed to do so. I have since researched the topic of rights and photography. It appears that I may have been in the clear since the auction was public. I may have experienced coercion. Neat.

I will share my controversial pictures. Reel in awe at the subject matter that is apparently so sensitive that I am not supposed to release it to the public.



Master of the proceedings. A true salesman. Before opening bids on the item ImageMaker 2000 [a piece of broadcast equipment that is often responsible for the graphics that display the names of interviewers and interviewees in your local newscasts], he--excercising the brilliant sales tactic of verbal minimalism--announced "you can make images on it." Also, one of his offspring tattled on my taking pictures of the event.

Just like my degree, this mixer was rendered obsolete by OU's new J-school. I believe it is a Yamaha. I used it to record the beginnings of an OURUF album that has been on hold for over two years.

They sold these monitors by the pallet. I gazed upon these and thought,"Yeh... Perhaps I should." But, then I remembered the harsh nature of reality.

Look! Arts!

Look! Spectrophotometer!

Good riddance, OU. Buyer, beware.

I walked away with a nice office chair, a Technics SL-1200mkII turntable, and a flash reflector thingy for Nicole's photographic portaiture endeavors. Doug walked away with a nice office chair and two nice desks sized for his ankle-biters. An enjoyable time was had.