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| Unclaimed Baggage For The Win!; New monitor in Condors roost! | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 8 2006, 09:25 AM (492 Views) | |
| Condor | Dec 8 2006, 09:25 AM Post #1 |
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Ruler of the Mountain
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Treasure hunting went well yesterday at Unclaimed Baggage. I got a brand new Viewsonic 27 inch monitor/TV for $160.00! It resides proudly now on my computer desk. Great audio, so I ditched the old computer speakers, great TV with PIP so I can keep track of the TV stuff as I work and no problem reading even the smallest type. Since it is LCD, it takes much less deskspace than my old 20 inch Dell. Great image resolution too! WOOT for treasure hunting! I had purchased an LCD monitor in 2000 for the sum of $800.00!! It was only 17 inches and was too early in the product life cycle, so it never did look too good. This baby, however, is great! I was off the board for most of the day though! Looks like the chillen did well without me! Got to love it. Great board, wonderful people and INTERESTING conversation. |
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| Toothless Dawg | Dec 8 2006, 09:49 AM Post #2 |
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Ruler of the Mountain
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Condor, Great find!!! They've come a long way with LCD monitors and the old CRTs seem to be disapearing. At least at my work and in my house, I've been spoiled for now. I have 2 17" LCD monitors at home with a 21" LCD TV in my home office, a 21" LCD monitor at work sitting beside 17" & 15" laptops. My next big purchase may be a DLP TV for the Rec Room but there is no rush for that to happen. Unclaimed baggage seems like a purty durn cool place ... not sure if we have one up this way but I've never heard about it until you brought it up. Jim |
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| Condor | Dec 8 2006, 10:16 AM Post #3 |
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Ruler of the Mountain
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Unclaimed baggage is solely in Alabama and is Mom and Pop. It gets national press about once a year, usually around Christmas. There have been offers of franchise, but they can only purchase so much stuff from the Atlanta airport for stock. The Mom and Pop that own UCB have become very wealthy in selling junk. That would be my dream! I am waiting on the Samsung LED lighted DLP projectors to become avaliable. I have an Infocus and a Sony that have seen better days (got them on deals too, but not at Unclaimed Baggage). They are both getting dim and the light sources for both are pricey. the LED unit is supposed to last a long time and cost of ownership will be significiently less. There is the HD thing too. I don't think either of the old projectors are HD capable. I got into the projectors because of the nomadic life style in the FS. They are easier to move frequently than the big self standing units. UCB does have a $3000.00 retail Sony projector, but I don't want to pay their price. I am sure that the light source is pretty expensive too. Sure miss that huge screen on football nights. Micro Center in Fairfax is a pretty good source of flat screen TV's that is in your area. I got two LCD Tv's from the Atlanta Micro Center store for good prices. I actually did win one from a Birmingham TV station and the tax on it will probably be more than I gave for this one. My wife did let me keep this one for my computer though! |
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| Toothless Dawg | Dec 8 2006, 10:24 AM Post #4 |
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Microcenter gets so much of my money :lol: :lol: :lol: I've heard about Fryes Electronics (out west) that puts Microcenter to shame ... would love to see EITHER of them expand to the Dumfries/Woodbridge/Fredericksburg area. |
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| Hick | Dec 8 2006, 01:05 PM Post #5 |
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Be extremely careful about what you get at Fry's. Just like Tiger Direct, I've heard to many horror stories to trust buying from either of those places. |
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| Toothless Dawg | Dec 8 2006, 02:11 PM Post #6 |
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For online 'puter equipment, electronics, etc another good source is: www.newegg.com I've dealt with them with great success and good prices. |
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| bsb006 | Dec 8 2006, 02:43 PM Post #7 |
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Ruler of the Mountain
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Way to go Condor - good deal!!!!! I have a 19" Dell Flat screen - it works for me!!! My old computer - now rotting in my spare room, has an old monstrosity... The flat screen saves lots of space. Since I am a hoarder...that is good!!
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| Condor | Dec 8 2006, 03:15 PM Post #8 |
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I'm not convinced that Fryes is that great. We have one in Atlanta and I have been to the one in San Jose (I think it was San Jose) and I bought a BBQ and one of those viennese style hot dog cookers that has the posts to heat the bun. Love both of them, but was really looking for techie bargins. Didn't find those. |
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| Condor | Dec 8 2006, 03:17 PM Post #9 |
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Ruler of the Mountain
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Another place for good techie toys is www.ecost.com. www.geeks.com has some things that are good. geeks usually has stuff that is just past the curve or things you won't find elsewhere. That Fairfax MicroCenter was just too easy to get to from Arlington if you know what I mean. |
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| Condor | Dec 8 2006, 03:20 PM Post #10 |
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Ruler of the Mountain
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I went to flat screens while I was in Kiev for some 300 workstations. I saved enough space to completely fill a hallway. It was an old communist party building that they had given us for the embassy and growth had been beyond belief, so all space was appreciated. They also saved a lot of juice and the shipping for the LCD monitors was substantially cheaper since they save on weight. I almost saved enough on shipping cost to pay for the change. |
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| Toothless Dawg | Dec 8 2006, 04:12 PM Post #11 |
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Oh yeah I know exactly what you mean. Three years ago I moved from Spotsylvania VA to Fairfax. I was about 8 minutes from Microcenter. Very costly mistake. The first of this year I moved back to Dumfries (Quantico). That move alone saves me enough to pay the mortgage :lol: :lol: :lol: |
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| Condor | Dec 10 2006, 03:52 PM Post #12 |
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Ruler of the Mountain
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Here is the el cheapo UCB monitor in action!
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| Almtnman | Dec 10 2006, 04:48 PM Post #13 |
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Looks like a lot of time is spent in that computer space, everything handy and even the ol coffee cup sitting there. You might want to watch where you put your feet though, it looks sort of crowded down there. :lol: Nice monitor and something about it looks mighty famaliar! ![]() Have to be mighty careful when I am computin country style - barefooted!
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| Toothless Dawg | Dec 10 2006, 05:11 PM Post #14 |
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Oh yeah, nice monitor but not much leg room :lol: :lol: I see you also have at least two USB hard drives??? The desktop in my office has two internal drives and I just added a USB SATA hard drive with 300GB. Got a good deal at Microcenter :lol: for $179 Who'd a thunk we would need that much storage space??? After all, IBM said we would NEVER need more than 640mb RAM. |
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| Condor | Dec 10 2006, 06:13 PM Post #15 |
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Yep, I keep things backed up off line pretty well and with the RIAA being so sneaky, I also keep most of my music offline. While I think it is all legal with proper IPR creds, I did travel a lot and bought music where I was standing when I saw it. Even the 500 gig drives are coming in at less than $200 now and again. I think I have 60 gig of pictures alone. |
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| Toothless Dawg | Dec 10 2006, 07:24 PM Post #16 |
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300GB is good ... 500GB is GREAT!!! Gotta start paying closer attention ... |
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| Condor | Dec 10 2006, 07:40 PM Post #17 |
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Office Max had the 500's on the BF sale for $169.00 USB2 externals! |
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| Culture Warrior | Dec 10 2006, 09:37 PM Post #18 |
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an Angry American
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Hey Condor, Where's your "Troll Club"???
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| Condor | Dec 10 2006, 10:42 PM Post #19 |
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You mean my old IBM Selectric platin? I keep it pretty close. Hard on the monitor though. |
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| beachroses | Dec 11 2006, 01:42 PM Post #20 |
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I have a feeling airline employees are stealing people's bags and selling the contents, we saw some amazing statistics on lost baggage over the weekend, something like 60,000 bags lost a day or week? Not sure what the numbers were but they were shocking. If I find the statistic, I'll post it. At any rate, you didn't steal that monitor and so glad you found a great deal! We would like a flat panel tv and were going to buy one this year, but now that construction has gone down the toilet, we may not be able to afford soup next year, so I'm keeping the spending to a minimum until things improve. Instead of a tv, I'm asking for scented soap for Christmas. :rolleyes: |
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| Condor | Dec 11 2006, 02:18 PM Post #21 |
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Most of what they get is stuff that has some sort of damage. The monitor base was broken. I ordered another one for 30 bucks. The airline mostly pays for the stuff that is lost and the insurance pays for the stuff that is broken. I pick the stuff that is cheap and that I can fix. The stuff that UCB gets comes from the airlines on pallets and I think they bid it at auction. Not so sure about that though. |
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| beachroses | Dec 11 2006, 02:51 PM Post #22 |
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I'm sure the thieves are not selling to the Unclaimed Baggage place, because it would be too easy to get caught. They are probably on EBAY.
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| Almtnman | Dec 11 2006, 07:08 PM Post #23 |
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Last year somebody took two of my hubcaps off my Expedition. I decided to see if I could find a couple on EBAY, but somebody told me that I might be buying my own hubcaps back. My wife just went down to the dealer and bought two new ones for 60 bucks. |
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| beachroses | Dec 11 2006, 09:38 PM Post #24 |
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Somebody stole my husband's air compressor off the jobsite and even cut the copper wires off a new house and sold them to a recycling plant in the next state north and the cops caught them. Found the wire, but not the compressor. When people go to lunch, they are ripping off tools, so he eats in his truck now. |
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| Condor | Dec 12 2006, 12:54 AM Post #25 |
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Lots of people in this area that steal copper from running air conditioning units. I wonder if they get them for environmental crime too? |
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| Toothless Dawg | Dec 12 2006, 08:59 AM Post #26 |
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Back in the 60s/70s when the Navy Dept moved from DC to Arlington (Crystal City), one of the line crews for the phone company stopped for coffee/breakfast about 8:30am and parked their line truck w/cable trailer on a side st. The police came to get them about 30 minutes later and asked them to come out to the truck. It seems some dudes in a pickup had pulled up beside the trailer (remember this is rush hour too) and proceeded to roll 600 pair phone cable off the reel and into the bed of the pickup. The line crew verified that these guys did not work for the phone company and all was well once again :lol: :lol: |
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| beachroses | Dec 12 2006, 09:19 AM Post #27 |
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I never even thought of how stealing wire could be profitable, before this happened! I was watching a show on all the shoplifting going on last night and I think we should put the pictures of thieves in the newspapers. If someone steals or shoplifts, the whole town should see their faces. I'll bet that would put a stop to some of it. |
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| Almtnman | Dec 12 2006, 09:31 AM Post #28 |
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Shoplifting is paid for by consumers as stores add what they lost in shoplifting back to the price of the merchandise, so at least, the consumer needs to know that it's the consumer who pays the bill for shoplifters. I was in a Wally-World just yesterday and while we were walking by a shelf containing some small electronic items, I noticed a dude slide one of those items off the shelf and cram it in his front pocket. I should have reported the incident to management so they could have watched him, but was in too big of hurry to purchase what we were there for. |
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| beachroses | Dec 12 2006, 10:49 AM Post #29 |
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I'll bet if he thought his picture would be in the newspaper, he'd think twice about what he's shoving down his pants. It's true, we do pay for that in higher prices, but the stores have cameras and are paying people to catch those scuz bags.
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| Town Drunk | Dec 12 2006, 11:06 AM Post #30 |
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You folks are talking greek to this old country boy. I had to teach myself to type got up to about 35 to 40 wpm. I have a 19" PrOview monitor and I am well pleased with it. Keeps my bibles handy to read. |
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| Hick | Dec 12 2006, 12:54 PM Post #31 |
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Unfortunately in today's "climate", if thier face was shown they would sue over invasion of privacy and probably win thanks the ball-less judges that permit such frivolous lawsuits. I saw 2 boys (about 17 or 18) steal sodas from the stacks outside of K-Mart. I got my stuff and had to pass the Customer Service desk leaving. Those 2 boys were there just glaring daggers at me. If a word would have been said to me, I would have told them: "If your mommy and daddy had done thier jobs properly, then maybe you wouldn't be in trouble for stealing!" |
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| Condor | Jan 5 2007, 01:48 AM Post #32 |
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I was back to UCB today. it was a much cheaper trip this time as I didn't crush a Palm Lifedrive today. Not a bog day, but got a GPS reciever that plugs into a USB port for $4.00, a Palm leather case for $2.00 that fits my daughters Palm TX, a pair of leather gloves with rabbit fur liner for $25.00 (OK, that was high, but my wife found them and brought them to me and they are nice gloves), An RCA computer connected 60 meg TIVO type device for $25.00, A Plam Lifedrive to USB powered cable for $1.00, a 3000 watt 110/220-220/110volt converter that weighs about 30 pounds for $15.00, a Cuisinart Partypopper popcorn popper that lists for 49.00 on the net for 25.00, and a handful of other gadgets. |
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| bsb006 | Jan 5 2007, 03:40 AM Post #33 |
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you are quite the shopper, Condor!!! You must be liking retirement! |
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| Condor | Jan 5 2007, 11:59 AM Post #34 |
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I do love retirement. Can't figure out why it took me 44 years to stop working. Got the first job figurin to do it a while to see if I liked it. Well, I never liked it, but it took me a long time to make up my mind - and there was the money thing too. |
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| Almtnman | Jan 5 2007, 02:40 PM Post #35 |
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I'm like Condor, I like the retirement thing also. Me and my other half and granddaughter met Condor and his daughter and wife over at Unclaimed Baggage at Scottsboro yesterday looking for bargains. We also found a few items and will go back later and find some more stuff. Then I headed out of Scottsboro down through Guntersville, stopped at an old time department astore (Fant's) trying to find myself a new Carharrt coat, but they didn't have one in my size and color that I wanted. Then is was on to Mike's in Guntersville, couldn't believe how big that place was inside and they had everything under the sun in there. Bought a few items there. then we headed back through Boaz and stopped at the branch of UCB there and found some more tresures. Got back home and enjoyed the homemade chili with cornbread, Then this morning we headed out to Pell City, AL to a big thrift store there and found a few used books and some other treasures there. I found myself a web belt that sold in other stores for 25 bucks for 99 cents on that trip. Now, I've got to call around and find a store nearby with a Carhartt coat in my size. I just did a search on the 'net and found 4 places I can call. If they have one, I'm headed in their direction to pick it up.
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| Condor | Jan 5 2007, 03:12 PM Post #36 |
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God luck on the coat. The name Carhart brings dollar signs to any merchants eyes. I have found them, but never at bargin prices. If you get a good price let me know. |
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| Almtnman | Jan 5 2007, 05:03 PM Post #37 |
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I found one exactly like I wanted, the sandstone brown artic coat with lining over at Southside across the river at the Broken Spoke. Actually they had about 4 in the size and style I wanted. That place has the biggest selection of Carhartts of any place I've been in. Yep, you're right about the price as you have to dig deep into th pockets to pay for them, but they are well worth the price and I had to pay only a dollar more there than the place that didn't have my size. I have a green color one and got some sparks or something on it last year and caused a couple of holes in it. I didn't like wearing it other than around the house with those holes, so I now have a nice one to wear to town.
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| Condor | Jan 6 2007, 12:29 AM Post #38 |
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When I am working on a car, I will invariably get6 battery acid on the coat or shirt. I keep a scroungey one for just such jobs. |
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| Condor | Jan 12 2007, 12:48 AM Post #39 |
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Todays trip to UCB: One Panasonic model SV-AV30 camera - $20.00 One New York Winner leather medium brim hat - 4.00 One Akubra Angler hat - 8.00 (that is a $150.00 hat folks!) One Palm Zire71 PDA - 45.00 One Altec Lansing Inmotion IPOD speaker - 8.00 Palm power supplies (3 120v, 2 12v) - 10.00 One TemperPedic neck pillow - 30.00 One Sony F960 camera battery 5.00 One XM radio (Lilon) battery - 1.00 One Sony Battery for PC-105 - 4.00 One 9 vold LiLon rechargable battery pack w/charger - 5.00 Got 745.00 worth of new merchandise (cept for the pana camera - used) for $135.00! |
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| Condor | Jan 14 2007, 08:58 PM Post #40 |
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This was in the Gadsden Times this morning: Famous book lost, then found Published January 14, 2007 I have a new book here on the desk. The title, written in small letters at the bottom of the cover, is "Anna Karenina." The author, whose name is written in inch-tall letters at the top, is L.N. Tolstoy. The book is in the original Russian, it is a recent hardcover edition, and it cost me $4. This can mean only one thing. After years of abstinence, I have gone back to Unclaimed Baggage Center. I am what the good folk in my grandmother's church called a backslider. I used to be addicted to Unclaimed Baggage 20 or so years ago, when shopping through stuff people had lost was a true adventure. Every time I went I came home with a camera, a lens, a tweed jacket or a trench coat. And books, always books. But I took the cure and swore off the place. It grew larger, went upscale, organized like a department store, culled the junk and raised prices to near retail. They opened a Starbucks. You didn't even get dirty shopping there anymore. Unclaimed Baggage had already appeared in a feature news story now and then, attracting a few tourists. The store has now been reported to death. Everybody with a video camera has discovered the place where suitcases wind up when they are lost. While they are in Scottsboro, most of the reporters feel compelled to seek out the snake handlers made infamous by Dennis Covington's book "Salvation on Sand Mountain" and the television show "City Confidential." Seems they can't get the proper color into a report about lost luggage without rolling film at a snakehandling church and retelling the story of a vodka-soaked preacher who tried to kill his wife with the family's pet rattlesnakes. So I quit going to Unclaimed Baggage. When I still drove my old VW bus, my wife and I used to go there dressed in sandals and matching Liberty overalls. But the atmosphere changed to the point that I feared being taken for a local redneck and interviewed on camera about my choice in vipers. Tour buses lined up out front, and visitors flocked in from all over the world, but I was not among them. I assigned Unclaimed Baggage to the fond-memory locker. One of the best parts of the store used to be the book section. After I had scoured the camera cases, I rubbed my hands together and got down to some serious browsing. Books were only loosely sorted and randomly piled on shelves, in boxes and on the floor. All subjects and all languages were represented. It was like digging through the attic of a world traveler. Which brings me to the new Russian copy of "Anna Karenina." Except for the $4 price tag, I might as well have bought it at Barnes and Noble. I found the book section at Unclaimed Baggage as organized as any library or bookstore - religious and self-help here, hardcover novels there. Paperback romances have their own shelves. Part of the fun of coming across an odd book is in imagining the story behind its loss. When I look at an old photograph of a farmer sitting in front of his house with wife, children, granny and the horse, I try to imagine what they were doing before they put on their best clothes and what life awaits them when the pose is broken. I have the same curiosity about my new book. It is from the World Classics series of a publishing house in Moscow. Through what cities and through whose hands did it pass on the way to Scottsboro? Before I paid for the book, I took it to the coffee shop and ordered a cappuccino. Then while my wife shopped through the clothes, I sipped my brew and dipped into the turmoil of the Oblonksy family after Dolly learns that Stiva has had an affair with the French governess. Before I got to the part where Stiva's sister, Anna, comes to reconcile the family, I was hooked on Unclaimed Baggage again. The book was a bargain and the coffee was good, too. --- Darrell Norman is a correspondent for The Times. His e-mail address is: daxnorman@mindspring.com. |
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It's true, we do pay for that in higher prices, but the stores have cameras and are paying people to catch those scuz bags.
