The weather is nice. The 10 day school is winding down, but the content and anticipation are winding up!
After a few days dodging weather and sleeping in the Jeep, I was back in the tent last night. The low was right around 40 last night. It was indeed cold, but at least it wasn't raining or in the 20s. I'll probably finish out my time in the tent as the weather is going to be steady over the next few days. Aside from the whole quit-your-job-go-to-auctioneer-school-have-you-lost-your-mind deal, the big question surrounding this whole adventure is, "Why camp?" Well, I chose to camp for a variety of reasons. Lemme preach on it!
First, The Excellent Adventure would have been a much less blog worthy adventure if I was writing solely about auctioneer school. I think interesting stories need a little pizzazz, but not to the point of sensationalism. Camping for 11 nights added the final pinch of flavor to this dish. Actually, if done properly, that could have made good blog fodder on its own. Second, it saved me a truckload of money. I paid $125 for my camping spot for the entire 11 night span. Hotels up here are running about $100 a night. They aren't really that nice either. I found a couple for $60 a night, but let's be real...... most of us would rather sleep in a tent than a $60 roach motel anyway, right? I saved a grand. Easy choice. My main reason for choosing to camp was for the serenity. After dark it's generally quiet. Aside from a bobcat howl, a raccoon scavenging or the random plane slowing down as it approaches Hartsfield, it was quiet. That has been nice. It afforded me the opportunity to focus on the reason I came up here, auctioneer school. Once the sun goes down at camp, there isn't much to do. Check that. There is nothing to do. No bar. No TV. No one to hang out with and trade stories. Instead of those usual things, I study each night. I practice my number brackets and chant. I do a lot of thinking and planning about Web sites, business structure, insurance, possible clients, employee needs, equipment and just how I am going to monetize this Excellent Adventure. It was a good choice. I put pen to paper (finger to keyboard) and I have a lot of ideas and notes to rock with once I get home. A couple of other things came out the decision to camp too. I have repeated the great mustache experiment of 2007. I have had similar results. Not quite ready to give it up, but I suspect that it isn't glorious and full enough to hang around. I had also never worn a scarf before this week. I will never wear a scarf outside of a cold campsite again, but it was a very nice tool to have around on those cold mornings.
So how about class today? It was all policies and procedures this morning. We talked about the rules of the Georgia Auctioneers Commission. This info makes up 1/3 of the licensing test. Very important material! Don't violate these rules or you will find yourself without a license. With no license, you make no money. There are plenty of shady cats out there doing it under the radar, but I'm going to do it the right way. What was it that Coach Russell said? Do Right! At chant practice we each sold some random items drawn out of a box. Thanks to "Zeke" in our class for picking up those gems at the auction in Ceadertown the other night. I was rolling. 5, 7 1/2, 10, 12 1/2, 15, 17 1/2...... Then they hit me with some hand signals. Never seen those before! Thought it might be some gang signs from Yammacraw Bluff or something. I was totally caught off guard and it killed my momentum. Valuable lesson. I've got some learning to do there. At the end if the day we had a math test. If you know me personally, you know that isn't my thing. I was a PR major instead of a Finance major for a reason. Well, pigs flew and I made 100! I was shocked. I guess when there's money on the line, I can get the job done. No algebraic computations necessary here. I think I did so well because of the way the problems were written. They were all worded to test your knowledge of the law. Sales tax is calculated on top of a buyer's premium. The buyer pays the commission, but not taxes. All monies received from the auction must go into escrow, but buyer's premium or sales tax do not have to, etc. I was prepared.
I'm going to go on one more field trip tonight, but this time solo. Some of my classmates are going to an auction of another one of our classmates over in Glencoe, Alabama. That's an hour and fifteen minutes from my campsite. Since it was not a required part of the class, several of us opted not to go. There is a public auction tonight in Rome though. I'd be a dummy if I didn't ride over and check it out. Never hurts to see how others run their show.
I hope everyone has a good night. Don't forget to set your clocks forward. Looks like I'll be making campsite coffee in the dark for the next couple of mornings.
Y'all take it easy,
Alex
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