Pass It On

I'm just about to head to the post office to send Angela her copy of Sophomore Undercover. There are three reasons it's taken me so long to mail Angela her well-earned prize.



Reasons:

1. I hate going to the post office.
2. Due to a strong emotional bond with the novel, I'm having a hard time saying goodbye. Yes, I have another copy, but that one's still in the box. I'm not really sure I'll take it out of the box. After all, it is a first edition. It could become a collector's item, and as any thirty-three year old guy who owned his fair share of Star Wars and G.I. Joe action figures will tell you, I could be costing my future self some major moolah by unboxing it.

Aside: I still own many of those action figures and they look like they've actually fought in the battles portrayed on screens big and small. Bossk has only one arm (good luck bounty hunting with that handicap) and Clutch's joints have become so loose he can hardly stand. The good news? Snake Eyes, easily the coolest G.I. Joe, is still in good shape and so is Destro, although he's probably upset about Baroness's missing leg.

Embarrassing admission: When Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (and please, don't even get me started) came out, I sort of had my first mid-life crisis. I was a senior in college. I guess I was trying to atone for the sin of devaluing the old action figures, because I went to Target and bought $200 worth of the new ones (even this worthless hunk of plastic). I've kept them all in their boxes. They're in my basement. They haven't appreciated yet, but I'm willing to wait.

3. I had to decide what to write inside the book. Long-time readers of Murphblog and Ben Esch's blog may remember this discussion. In case you're one of those people who refuse to click on my links (I know you're out there and let me tell you, you're really missing some good stuff. Sometimes.) or you're just too lazy to read the comments in that post, here's a summary.

• chris has the idea to make SU the most won prize on the Webosphere.

• chris makes an analogy so obscure that Dennis Miller is confused.
  

• I think it's awesome. The idea. Not the analogy. Although actually, the analogy was pretty good once it was explained.
  

• I pledge to choose a winner who will pass the book on. I also say I'll write something in the book.

• Ben tells everyone how fantastic I am.

So today, I finally sat down and wrote in the book. There's a picture up above and you can read the message by clicking on the image, but if you'd rather not, here's what it says:

The best things in life are free. (Well, except for Super Bowl tickets, but you know what I mean.) Let's keep it that way by spreading the joy you'll experience when reading this book.

The Rules:

1. Read the book. Feel the joy.
2. Sign and date over there. [arrow]
3. Give the book away. For free. Seriously. It'll make you feel good. Plus, no one person should possess an object of such obvious power for too long. I mean, did you see what happened to Gollum in The Lord of the Rings? Not a pretty sight.

Then I signed the book and dated it.

Here is my hope: I hope that the book brings happiness to so many people that one day, when the aliens attack, we will be able to go to our deaths (or possibly work camps on some distant planet) with smiles on our faces.


Someday, what's in this box is going to make me a very rich man.