Welcome new visitors! Yesterday I was informed that an individual on the state affiliate board had been digging into me, found this site, and has been contacting people about it. Thank you, I guess? He’s now told more people about this site than I have.
When I first joined the party, I had two different individuals tell me they believe he is gay, but why would I care about who someone else loves, so I gave it no thought. Yesterday in a conversation while openly pondering his obsession with me, they too indicated that it was believed he is gay and maybe he has a crush on me. It’s okay little man, I know you’re obsessed with me, but I hate to break it to you – I’m straight and married (besides. I’d never go for an insecure bald guy even if I was gay). It’s 2025, come out of the closet, no one will care.
I also had another member write a lengthy comment but I won’t be approving it. If he wants more details about the pending lawsuit and information the whistleblower claims to have, he can ask them when/if they reveal themselves. This is not a “Libertarian Blog” nor is it a site to debate the pros and cons of petty authoritarians in administrative positions with no real power believing they are kingmakers. This site is for me and whatever the fuck I want to write about.
So anyhow, now that the PSA is out of the way…
I finished going through the boxes of books to research and price, and while there are a handful that I will need to do more research on, that part of the project is done. I knew I owned a lot of rare and/or valuable books, but I didn’t quite realize the extent. When I would go scouting, I’d grab anything that looked like an unusual title or private a publication. One of the books I picked up for a buck at a thrift store seems exceedingly rare and the lowest price I found for it was $950. That was one I had in my personal collection, but I have no particular affinity for it (though it does have one of the more interesting covers in my collection – what caught my attention in the first place) so I’ll likely be adding that to my stack to sell.
Going through all the books to sell got me thinking about my personal collection, and the books I am still looking to acquire. I’ve long collected copies of Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” and have numerous editions including the true first 35¢ Ballantine paperback. I still need a copy of Galaxy Science Fiction from February 1951 which has “The Fireman,” the predecessor short story to the novella. My holy grail, however, is the limited asbestos edition that had only 200 copies released. The current lowest price I have found for it is $18k though I did have an opportunity to pick up a copy for $14k a few years ago (we were preparing to buy our property at the time and that was a battle I had no desire to fight). Years back I had a chance to pick up a copy for just $8k, but it was quite damaged as the original owner (as the story went, a pre-teen) tested the reputation of the asbestos and tried to set it on fire. It was covered in scorch marks and the cover had become detached, but I couldn’t justify buying it in that poor condition.
Years ago, when I was a member of a book collectors club that issued small limited run book reprints, we tossed an idea around of releasing a 50th Anniversary edition bound in Nomex, but unfortunately that never came to fruition. I would have loved being a part of the team that put that together and released one of my favorite books ever.
Continuing with the book immersion, I also ended up ordering several more to fill in some spots. While researching a book, I stumbled on a listing from a bookstore we visited on our trip to Denver and I ended up going through their online inventory. When we visited the physical location, I was impressed by their collection of esoteric topics and we purchased several books (I also managed to snag a signed first edition copy of Foucault’s Pendulum at a shop across the street). I ended up buying three more books from them – two I didn’t have and had been meaning to add to my collection, and a 3/4 leather bound copy of a book I already have.
Books have always been a part of my life – as a kid, my mother would take me to a nearby bookstore and I would visit often, even biking there on my own once I was old enough – and it is one of the things that my wife and I bonded over when we first met. On our first date (that I didn’t realize was a date) she made herself comfortable in front of my bookshelf and spent a couple hours going through my collection as I sat on a nearby couch chatting with her (and that was just one bookcase worth of books – we have seven filled to the brim right now and many more still boxed up). I have often joked that she only married me for my books and cats, but she kept me past the warranty so she’s stuck with me.
Anyhow, now that the pricing and research is (mostly) done, I need to set up our light box and take photos of each as well as build a new website…
Interesting Tidbits
Song of the day: Voices by Dream Theater
I think we are going to go to New York to experience this: “‘Masquerade’: ‘Phantom of the Opera’ Like You’ve Never Experienced Before” – “The swanky immersive staging of ‘Masquerade’ brings you face to face with the man in the mask—and his booming, beautiful singing voice.”
You Can Trigger ‘Time Expansion’—Meaning You Can Stretch Seconds and Warp Reality, Scientists Say – “However, the perception of the speed at which time passes can also vary within our minds. And it’s this mental realm that Steve Taylor—a psychologist at Leeds Beckett University—is exploring in a new paper and a new book called Time Expansion Experiences.”
ICE Doesn’t Want You To Know Why They Bought a Phone Cracking System – “Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is quietly building up its ability to spy on Americans’ phones. Earlier this month, the agency activated a $2 million contract with Paragon, a service that offers the ability to remotely hack into someone’s phone. Last week, ICE entered into an $11 million contract for Cellebrite devices, which allow agents to break into a locked phone in their physical possession.”
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