What: "5 used candles, almost 3" diameter, each 3-4 inches of candle left. They've burned down in irregular shapes, and are in a small plastic shopping bag." (From my successful Freecycle post.)
Origin: 4 of the candles were part of a display some friends and I created for a workshop when our yoga teacher came to town.
How Long Kept: 2006? I've used them since then, but the last time they melted into these interesting shapes...
Why kept: Indifference. They were in sight, but out of mind. I guess I thought I might light them again at some point, so maybe a little bit of They Might Be Useful. But, no.
Destination: Freecycle pickup today, or trash. (They're not coming back into my apartment!)
This is not by far the weirdest thing I've Freecycled. (I've also given away some nice things, namely furniture.) It's good creative fun to write a Freecycle post to "market" (for example) a jade plant that has grown into a really bizarre shape.
In NYC, the downside of Freecycle is what I'd call Freecycle drama: people who really really really want something...and then come up with dog-ate-the-homework excuses for not coming to pick it up. That's why I'm making this a one shot deal: if it's not gone by tomorrow, it's landfill, baby.
Bonus: Congratulations to me, for not even thinking about some secondary use for these things.
M adds: That is Freecycle drama everywhere I'm afraid. One woman I promised items to on more than one occasion came up with the most creative excuses. I've heard from my Freecycle buddies that they have received similar excuses!
Monday, November 30, 2009
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Did someone ever come get the candles?
ReplyDeleteI've never had "freecycle" drama. I tell the recipient, "Sorry it must leave the house, it goes to the next on the list if you don't arrive on time."
The weirdest thing I ever freecycled... When my husband and I moved into our house, we both brought along old microwave ovens & the house came with a built in. Our old ones sat in our basement for 10 more years.
The freecycle post read something like, two 20+ yo microwaves, probably don't work. Take 'em both, use for parts?
I got a ton of responses like, "Would like this for my daughter at college." A broken microwave? Really? I knew they were home with the response reading, "Want this for my retro college art project."
Yes, not an issue. They were gone on schedule.
ReplyDeleteI've gotten tougher about how I write my posts, so the drama is limited. But people will push any limit. (There's 9 million stories here in the Naked City...there's probably only a million of us on Freecycle, but 9 million stories in the Freecycle NYC group!)
Thanks for stopping by, Lisa!