At the Auction

I clerked the auction tonight, the second time I've done so.  Interesting experience, seeing the nuts-and-bolts of actually running an auction, trying to keep the buyers numbers, lot numbers, prices and items straight.  It's a basic, straight-forward accounting process, but it moves quickly.  Everybody on the floor, and the auctioneer. has to be feeding me information, and I really didn't have time to look up during the process, it's number-crunching, plain and simple.  Really basic number crunching.  Prices, lot, buyer and description, over and over and over till it's done.  Pass the ticket sheet along to the cashier, and move to the next sheet.

Don't ask me who bought what five minutes ago, or what a particular item sold for ten minutes ago.  I've moved past that, and I'm purely in the present.  What happened ten minutes ago is history and consigned to the bid sheet.  It's tickets, tickets, tickets, all the time and I don't have any idea what that clock sold for.  Not a clue.  I wrote down what they told me.  Go find the ticket and let the cashier tell you, I'm moving forward.

It doesn't pay anything, a piddling $35.00 for three hours work, but it's fun, and it's fast, and it's a good way to learn a business that interests me.  I've toyed with the idea of becoming an auctioneer, and that might be something to do in my retirement.  It's a great way to make a little money (or a huge amount of money) in a fascinating sort of commerce.  Selling other people's  stuff.

What a helluva a way to make a living.