I was literally on my way to the store for bread and milk on a gray Saturday morning. I told my wife there were two yard sales and that I wanted to check out on the way home. Before I did my thing at the store I passed the first house and after hitting the second one (in which I picked up a 2 dollar Chiltons book) I debated, then shrugged and hit the first one that I had passed. Everything in every room of the house was on sale....first thing I saw at the door where CD's laying on the floor and that's really what I was hoping for....but realized there where more DVD's than CD's. I spent no more than 3 minutes there...I continued moving right to left looking at drinking glasses (ok ok beer mugs
as I hit the last corner in the living room BLAM I hit a set of LARGE PURDDY speakers!!! PLUS a purddy bunch of black components!!! Now for the life of me I don't know how I did notice them from jump street cuz normally me lil brain does the quick "electronic scan" for just these types of goodies!! but here I was faced with about 6' of beautiful black lil knobs...ahhhh.....wonderful!!! The first thing that crosses me mind was White Van...White Van....White Van....then...Sears....then Tonka....then Hasbro...then...Carver??...C-A-R-V-E-R...ba..ba...ba..bob carver hmmm (I wipe a small bead of sweat from me forehead) yup...I drop to my knees slowly but at the same time I move in front of the speakers to protect this find..(as a defender would a goalie)...with the cabinet a bit taller then I now, clearly but with a bit of hesitation I read Klipsch...I look over me shoulder an eye an elder lady fumbling through some quilting supplies...she gives me a faint smile but I eye her as a protective mother with cubs would....no time for niceties now...I knew by this time this could be BIG!! The TFM-55 meant very little to me at this point and the unit above that said TFM-35...still the numbers were bouncing 'round me head as my eyes scanned for that big water stain, the gouging tear in the side of the Klipsch, the major dent... but none did appear. I now peeked behind the right speaker to eye the connectors (a sure give away of cheese-dom) and what I saw next took me from my knees to a type of spinning move-butt fling only seen by those who have take advanced yoga classes in collage. "A Driver"...I felt my lips moving unwillingly...Now aloud..."That's a 15"!!"....."A twelve" I argued..."NO NO...15!!!...for sure!!"...I rip my shoe off and tried to use that for a ruler but realized that I didn't bother to put socks on...you know....to just get bread and milk. I finger the driver waiting for the surround to crumble like something unearthed from some middle eastern tomb...just a bit of dust...I thumb it with my palm..."Oh yes...15" all day long!!"....the 12" defender was nowhere to be found...I was on my feet fumbling through my wallet 10...20...5....6...8..9..blue card...drivers err....gold card...flip flip....'nuther 20...61...BLAM....
I hold up my ATM card like He-Man held sword at Castle Greyskull....then I eye the ole lady again...as she attempts to slip by me. Her life was spared only by the timing of the organizer of this now grand event...whom walked over...and clicked on the unit...I really don't remember what was playing on the newish looking Magnavox CD player that was perched just above the double cassette player (not unlike all those that get a whopping 15 bucks at any number of sunny day sales) and the Carver C-5 Pre-Amp. But I do know each one of them powered up!!!...And there WAS power.....she said with a heavy southern draw.."My brother paid 1800 dollars for them speakers alone"!!...."but he's dead now"..With eye's glazed over I peer up at a sign that until now had gone unnoticed..."SPEAKERS COST $1800" and right below was the tip of the arrow..."350 FIRM"....I dropped the 67 cents in my hand..then quickly hip checked a 14 year old looking at toys with his dad...I pulled the "sister" and plopped all the bread and milk money I had left in her hand....I told her I was going to go rob an ATM machine...her middle aged hubby laughed....I didn't. By the time I hit my ATM, I was hitting button like an Vegas gambler at 3 am. I pulled the cash and slip so fast the light had not changed at the intersection that sits by my bank. Just before I tossed the receipt I glanced at the -131.00 balance and giggled....who needs milk and bread anyway....now music, there's a NEED.
The break-down and packing of the equipment was fast and professorial. I did get a bit of a fret when I saw the 16 awg the now deceased audiophile used and the lack of any exotic cables didn't go unnoticed but I struggled through just the same. As the husband helped unloaded the last speaker (from HIS truck
within minutes I had thing kicking in the kitchen!!! No bread...No milk....but one hell'of'a grin sandwich...and Pink Floyd "The Wall" making use of a shweet pair of Chorus II's and over 650 wpc thanks to Bob and company....
I think I'll get breakfast from now on, IF the wife lets me. But that's another story.
