Monday, April 21, 2008

Couches and Craigslist

Well, I used craigslist for the first time. I have, in the past, been reluctant to use what I have been told is a wonderful source for procurring and/or relieving yourself of items of use or non-use. But the time came and I could no longer deny my need. Here's the story:

The Setting: My house
The Date: Sometime last week
The Action: Josh and I were sitting near the computer doing I don't remember what. (I'm pregnant. Cut me some slack.) The phone began to ring... Josh answered it. "Hello?... Oh hey, Mike. How's it goin'?... Yeah, we have Josh and Nakita's phone number. Why?... Well, we need a couch... Yeah, they have a pretty nice one, but ours is basically crappy... Yeah... Sweet... Okay, cool... Okay, see you at church... Bye..."
Turns out, Mike and Terryl got a new couch and needed to get rid of their old one. Cool! Really, our couch is awful. Just ask Karen Rivas, she will tell you. The deal is; we got it as a hand me down when we got married. It's a hide a bed, and I think it's like 73 years old. The people that had it before us we not the cleanliest. When we went to pick it up, there was a peice of BBQ chicken stuck in between the cushions. Hurl! Did I mention that one of the cushions has a huge hole in it and is consequently about 2 inches bigger than the other ones? Well, I just did. When we put this monstrous couch in our house I wouldn't sit on it. I febreezed it. Four times. I just couldn't bring myself to sit on it. CHICKEN!!!!! Gross. We got a slipcover and I conquered my fear of the couch. We got some extra pillows to stuff down in the cushions, so you don't fall to the floor. We made it work. And it has served us well for nearly four years. A couch has been on my wish list for nearly four years. And now we have a new one! Thank you Lord!!!! Never mind that we sniped it from our best friends. They'd never know. They have a couch. Who cares that Nakita doesn't love it. They have a chickenless couch. We deserve this couch.
Great! Now, what are we going to do with the chicken express? I called Goodwill. "Hi, do you guys take couches?...No... it isn't really sellable, I guess...Do you know where there are any dumps?... Okay thanks." I called up my father in law. "Hey Jerry, it's Carlie... Josh says you know when the dump in Monroe is open... The second Saturday of the month?... Shoot.... Okay... What?...Craigslist? I don't really... Are you sure?... Okay, we'll try it... Thanks, bye."
I put that couch on craigslist thinking that nothing would come of it. 2 hours later, we had three emails. Sweet! Did I ever tell you how much I love Craigslist? So Phil is gonna pick up our couch on Sunday at one. We race home from church to be ready for Phil... Josh moves the couch. I vaccuum under the couch. I sit on the couch. Phil doesn't show. Josh lays on the couch. I read on the couch. Phil doesn't show. I friggin' hate craigslist. Josh emails the other people who want the couch. Sam calls us right back. She was online. Nice. I love craigslist. Sam and her bf will come on Monday at noon to get the couch. YAY! I call up the Kaisers. Hey, Brooke it's Carlie. We were sposed to come get your couch, but the guy didn't come for our couch. Could you tell yer dad that we'll call him and get the couch sometime this week? Thanks." Josh and I watch tv way too close to the screen, cause we don't want to move the couch back.
Monday am: I get an email from Sam. They can't come get the couch till Tuesday. THAT'S FRICKIN GREAT! Do they know that the couch is in the very middle of my living room? Do they know that there are other people WAITING for us to get our new couch out of their garage? Do they? I write her back. Sure.. that's fine... we'll wait. But you better bring two guys cause this couch is huge... Thanks!
I did NOT really mean thanks.
Nobody ask me what I think of Craigslist.

3 comments:

Jessica said...

So... is there to be a sequel post when the couch is (IF the couch is) picked up? I must know how this story ends. ...ugh, I'll never get to sleep tonight...

(By the by, LOVE the new blog. I especially like the name "House Full of Boys" and then the two tone pink layout. Eeeexcellent. )

Paul [the convert] said...

What ever became of the chicken? Did Josh eat it? I'll bet he ate it. I'm telling people he ate it.

michellecwelker said...

Carlie- glad to see that you are publishing. I love it! I won't ask you about craigslist, but I will tell to beware of buying from the cranky stay-at-home moms... there's sweet ones and there's cranky ones and the cranky ones have all the good stuff.
ps congrats on your little new man