The Excellent Adventure: Day 10

Had some neighbors at the campgrounds last night!  They enjoyed a little one-night camping trip here on the Coosa River.  Rookies ;-)  To be neighborly, I practiced my chant quietly and without a lot of pomp and circumstance.

Today we chatted about Uniform Commercial Code and IRS form 8300.  Form 8300 says you must report, to the IRS, any cash transaction over $10k within 15 days of the transaction.  Do I like it?  Not really.  Will I do it?  Since it carries a minimum fine of $25k for ignoring it, I absolutely will!!  Aside from that, it was a typical day and we reviewed as we get ready for tomorrow's final exam.

I told you about our teachers, Charlie and Robin, in a previous entry.  With little to write about, I thought I would share some tidbits about my classmates.  We had a diverse group.

First we have Terry from Alabama.  Terry is pretty much a professional auctioneer, but he got nabbed for not being licesened.  No prob.  He came to school and he's taking care of business.  He was a valuable resource for us, especially hearing him chant.

Christy is from Mississippi.  She and her husband own an auction, but they're leasing it to another auctioneer right now.  They want to get into the business.  She will do great once she passes the Mississippi exam.  It is said to be the toughest test of all, but I feel certain she will ace it.

Ken is also from Alabama.  He served our country for 20 years and is looking for a new gig.  He is currently buying and selling and tinkering.  A man after my own heart!  He wants in on the auction side too.  He will get in and he will do great!

Fred is from Tennessee.  He has the hardest road.  Tennessee is the most stringent state in the union when it comes to auctioneers.  Before he can even get started he will have to serve a two-year apprenticeship.  The good news is that he has a sponsor in place and will be ready to roll once he passes his test.

Mike is also from Tennessee.  He joined us only for the last four days as he was there to secure a Gallery License.  That's unique for his state.  Mike is the GM for a very large auto auction company in Memphis.  He's not going to be an auctioneer, only at school to stay legal in Tennessee.

Missy and Pat are a team from Carrolton, GA.  They are both originally from Wisconsin.  Pat is still there and will join Missy in Carrolton as they develop an online auction.  Missy mentioned that her eyes have been opened to new possibilities over the last 10 days.  Pat is eager to escape the snow!

Daniel is from Claxton, right up the road from me.  I was glad to see someone from close to home.  I suspect that we'll try to help each other as much as we can.  Daniel did something remarkable in Cedartown.  As each of us went up to the stand, he bought something.  Then he let us keep something as a momento of the first time we sold something at auction.  People like that don't grow on trees folks.

Finally there is Phil from Valdosta, GA.  What a great guy.  Phil is in his late 50s. He has done a little bit of everything from teaching history to selling insurance and real estate.  He wanted to do something new to occupy his time.  You see....Phil's wife passed away and he buried her only two weeks before we started school.  I cannot imagine his emotions, but he controls them well.  I'm not sure I could do the same.  He was my biggest inspiration in the class.

I'm proud to know each one of those folks.  I hope that we'll all be able to serve as resources for each other.  Our teachers said that most classes end up working together on things.  I sure hope that is the case with us too.

Tomorrow is the last day of school.  It's been fun, but I'm ready to get home.  I miss my family.  I miss my bed.  I miss my coffee pot.  I miss my central heating.  #firstworldproblems

Final installment is coming tomorrow night!

Y'all take it easy,

Alex