The Monday Rant: Can You Read?!

Before I begin today's rant, I would like to introduce you to a very neat project called Freecycle.  They're very cool community organizations whose goal is to keep stuff out of landfills.  Lots of stuff can be recycled, reused, repurposed, sold for scrap metal, or composted, but what about your bedside fan that just stopped working after several years?  Or that old guitar sitting around that you're never going to use?  Some people would just throw them out, but by joining your local Freecycle community, you can offer these things there.  You'd be surprised who wants that broken fan and blade-less food chopper (to teach their kid about electricity!).

You can also post wanted ads.  This is actually how I got my first guitar when I was in high school.  Was it a fantastic guitar?  Heck no!  But it was a very good starter guitar and I loved it!  (And it was free!)  

I highly recommend going to the Freecycle website and joining your community's group.  There are some amazing finds, and it's really a great opportunity to be a good steward of the earth!

Now, a little background.

I've been a member of the Grand Rapids area Freecycle since 2004.  When Caleb and I got married in 2011 and I moved to Cedar Springs, I joined that Freecycle, but also stayed a member of the Grand Rapids one.  After all, we visited our parents in Grand Rapids a lot, so if we wanted to pick something up, we could make a trip down that way.  And only once did I accidentally post something to offer for pick-up on the Grand Rapids one instead of the Cedar Springs one.  Because it was pick up in Cedar Springs, the moderator freaked out on me and told me I had to leave the group.  I didn't, because I knew we were moving back to the Grand Rapids area soon.  

Now that I am back in the Grand Rapids area, I feel like I can post in there again.  Just yesterday, I tried to post this message to both the Cedar Springs freecycle (since I still work up there) and the Grand Rapids freecycle: 

"If you have some paint stripper sitting around that you won't be using, I'd love to take it off your hands for a project for my house.  I could pick up in Northview, Rockford, or Cedar Springs.  Thank you so much!"

Concise, to-the-point, and includes all necessary information.  Or so I thought.

I'm not sure who put the stick up the moderator's butt, but I got this reply back:

"We ask list members who are asking for "any... whatevers" or more than 1 of the same item or open-ended items to state in their message whether they intend to resell the items.  Some list members do not wish to have their exchanged items resold.  Because you are asking for more than one item, then people will probably assume you are going to resell them and might not be willing to give you the item you request.  Reselling is fine, you just need to say it up front.

Please just state in your post whether you intend to resell them (even if it seems obvious to you), then submit to grfreecycle@yahoogroups.com."

See, I'm pretty sure that I did state that.  "...for a project for my house."  It was certainly clear enough for the Cedar Springs freecycle because they put my post through just fine!

I resubmitted my post this way:

"If you have some paint stripper sitting around that you won't be using, I'd love to take it off your hands!  I won't be reselling it since I'll be using it for a project for my house. ..." (etc.)

I thought that was just passive aggressive enough for the moderator without any of the readers noticing.  Now just to wait and see if they let it through this time!

Happy Tax Day!

Love and Bubble Wrap,

Leah Joy

P.S. Here's a fun tax day quote for you: "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax." -Albert Einstein-