I knew this before, but it was once again confirmed to me today...
I live with a bunch of packrats. I don't know if it comes from having lived on the streets or if it's a part of being Bolivian or if it's just an innate part of my guys' specialness...but they keep everything. I've thrown things away and then a couple of days later seen one of the guys with the object I threw away. What? You went through my garbage? And if someone offers them something...it doesn't matter how dumb or useless...they'll eargerly accept. If you look in some of the guy's dressers, they have drawers filled with stuff that they'll never use or look at again. But they will NOT throw it out. I suggested to Ruddy once (he's one of the worst) that he get rid of some of it. He just gave me this slightly hurt, slighty "Dumb gringo", slightly "Are you kidding me?" look.
Take today for example. We do lawn care/odd jobs for people as a way for the guys to make a bit of spending money. Today two of the guys were working for an older lady, cleaning out some junk from her house. She offered them some boxes of stuff that she didn't want.
As a side note...when an elder lady offers you boxes of junk that she doesn't want...nine times out of ten you don't want it either.
At any rate, when I went to pick the guys up, they were sitting on the steps of her house with four cardboard boxes gathered around them. I knew...I mean, I knew...that the boxes were full of stuff that we did not want or need at the house. I refrained from commenting until we were in the truck and on our way home.
Me: "So...what's in the boxes?"
Guy 1: "She gave it to us!"
Me: "Uh huh...what is it?"
Guy 2: "Movies!"
Me: "Movies huh?" (I knew there was more to the story)
Guy 1: "Yea, cassettes..."
Me: "Cassettes? You mean VHS?"
Guy 1: "Yea..." (Guy 1 was starting to clue in a little...)
Me: "What are you going to do with VHS cassettes? We don't have a machine that plays VHS."
There's a pause for a moment as the guys consider this.
Guy 2: "We can sell them in the market!" (Guy 2...no clueing in happening...)
Me: "Who's going to want to buy VHS cassettes? Do you know anyone who watches VHS?"
Guy 1: "No one watches VHS! No one is going to buy them!" (Guy 1 has suddenly switched sides and is now mocking Guy 2 for his enthusiasm. So much for loyalty).
Guy 2: Stubbornly "Someone might!" (Atta boy....stick to your guns!)
For the rest of the ride home we didn't talk about the boxes of video cassettes we now owned. Oh yea, I forgot to mention...all the video cassettes are about Jesus. Which is fine. But even in a Catholic country I'm not sure there's a big market for four boxes of Jesus VHS video cassettes.
Sure enough, I just went downstairs and the four boxes are piled by the front door. Guess who has to figure out what to do with four boxes of Jesus VHS cassettes now? It's okay though...I'll just do what I usually do. Donate them to my friend Corina and let her figure it out. =)
UPDATE: I just went and looked more closely at the videos. One entire box is full of brand new cassettes still in their wrappers. My first thought was, "We really should try and do something with these." Then I noticed the sticker "Italiano".
They're all in Italian. Guy number 2 was sitting on the couch and when I started laughing. I asked him what we were going to do with a box of Jesus VHS cassettes in Italian.
"Give them to Hermana Corina?" (I think they're catching on...)
"And what's she going to do with them?" I asked.
"Put them in a garbage bag?"
Yep...they're learning.
I live with a bunch of packrats. I don't know if it comes from having lived on the streets or if it's a part of being Bolivian or if it's just an innate part of my guys' specialness...but they keep everything. I've thrown things away and then a couple of days later seen one of the guys with the object I threw away. What? You went through my garbage? And if someone offers them something...it doesn't matter how dumb or useless...they'll eargerly accept. If you look in some of the guy's dressers, they have drawers filled with stuff that they'll never use or look at again. But they will NOT throw it out. I suggested to Ruddy once (he's one of the worst) that he get rid of some of it. He just gave me this slightly hurt, slighty "Dumb gringo", slightly "Are you kidding me?" look.
Take today for example. We do lawn care/odd jobs for people as a way for the guys to make a bit of spending money. Today two of the guys were working for an older lady, cleaning out some junk from her house. She offered them some boxes of stuff that she didn't want.
As a side note...when an elder lady offers you boxes of junk that she doesn't want...nine times out of ten you don't want it either.
At any rate, when I went to pick the guys up, they were sitting on the steps of her house with four cardboard boxes gathered around them. I knew...I mean, I knew...that the boxes were full of stuff that we did not want or need at the house. I refrained from commenting until we were in the truck and on our way home.
Me: "So...what's in the boxes?"
Guy 1: "She gave it to us!"
Me: "Uh huh...what is it?"
Guy 2: "Movies!"
Me: "Movies huh?" (I knew there was more to the story)
Guy 1: "Yea, cassettes..."
Me: "Cassettes? You mean VHS?"
Guy 1: "Yea..." (Guy 1 was starting to clue in a little...)
Me: "What are you going to do with VHS cassettes? We don't have a machine that plays VHS."
There's a pause for a moment as the guys consider this.
Guy 2: "We can sell them in the market!" (Guy 2...no clueing in happening...)
Me: "Who's going to want to buy VHS cassettes? Do you know anyone who watches VHS?"
Guy 1: "No one watches VHS! No one is going to buy them!" (Guy 1 has suddenly switched sides and is now mocking Guy 2 for his enthusiasm. So much for loyalty).
Guy 2: Stubbornly "Someone might!" (Atta boy....stick to your guns!)
For the rest of the ride home we didn't talk about the boxes of video cassettes we now owned. Oh yea, I forgot to mention...all the video cassettes are about Jesus. Which is fine. But even in a Catholic country I'm not sure there's a big market for four boxes of Jesus VHS video cassettes.
Sure enough, I just went downstairs and the four boxes are piled by the front door. Guess who has to figure out what to do with four boxes of Jesus VHS cassettes now? It's okay though...I'll just do what I usually do. Donate them to my friend Corina and let her figure it out. =)
UPDATE: I just went and looked more closely at the videos. One entire box is full of brand new cassettes still in their wrappers. My first thought was, "We really should try and do something with these." Then I noticed the sticker "Italiano".
They're all in Italian. Guy number 2 was sitting on the couch and when I started laughing. I asked him what we were going to do with a box of Jesus VHS cassettes in Italian.
"Give them to Hermana Corina?" (I think they're catching on...)
"And what's she going to do with them?" I asked.
"Put them in a garbage bag?"
Yep...they're learning.
5 comments:
Thaaaat's right buddy...pass the buck. Just pass that buck. LOL Do with the guys what I do with my Husband...give them a specific area of the house in which to store their treasures and if it overflows to any other part of the house it belongs to me. And the garbage bag I put it in. I reign with an iron fist when it comes to junk.
I have a VHS player in Cocha. It's all yours if you want it. But be warned: it comes with a box of random VHS tapes that may or may not be chick flicks and Tae Bo.
I imagine that's Julie's old machine eh? Yea, I'd prefer not to give the guys more reasons to come home with boxes of Italian Jesus videos...
Thanks anyways.
Jeepers Ken, where is your sense of adventure? LOL
Now this is the age of DVD and CD. DVD has taken the entertainment market of VHS. So we all should look forward to DVD and CD. If you have bunch of old VHS tapes then transfer them on to CD or DVD. VHS to DVD transfer
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