Fieldnotes 1

Taylor Made Auctions: 6:30pm

Wow, where do I begin. From the outside, you would never know that people would gather here. Open every Saturday, but looks like it should be condemned. Inside it smells like a musty basement with the occasional wiff of mold. it is cramped with old chairs for customers and surrounded by piles an boxes of junk (or merchandise to some). Everything looks to be covered in a thick layer of dust. There are three to four tables located in the front of the auction house, at least I think its the front, all the chairs are pointed in that direction. There may be more tables but I cannot see through the clutter. Brandon tells me that the tables closest to everyone hold the items that will be auctioned off. Someone is walking down the isle collecting money for the raffel that is held at the end of the night, one dollar per ticket.

7:00pm
The auctioneer is up in the front now, reading off "today in history" fun facts, singing blips from random songs, and making really bad jokes. There is no heat in this building, it is getting colder by the minute, and my jeans and sweatshirt just aren't going to cut it. The misquitos in this place are horrible, I am afraid to swat at them because the auctioneer might think I am bidding! I don't think there is anything in here I would bid on either. So far two pairs of boots, a clock, a beebee gun (that doesn't work), and a fleece jacket have been up on the block.

When something doesn't sell, it is placed in a pile of other unwanted items. As the auction continues, the auctioneer groups these items with what is currently on the block, so that when someone bids on the current item, they get the whole lot of junk with what they actually bid on. Most of the items he is selling won't even go for $1!! Almost everything is broken, half working, or "fixer-uppers" as the owner of the auction house says. I asked Brandon if he thought the owner would ever go through all the suff crammed all aroun the room and he said that most of it he keeps, it doesn't go up for sale. There is a lot of stuff!!!

7:30pm
It has been a half an hour since the auction started and my ass is hurtin up a storm! My toes are officially numb and I have to pee, but I am afraid to use the bathroom. It doesn't help that Brandon won't use it there.

Windchimes covered in dust and cobwebs hang from the rafters, traffic signs cover the back wall, deer antlers along with various plastic mounted singing fish hang on the wall to the right. To my left are boxes and boxes of random items, and plenty of mystery boxes. Little Debbie snack cakes are on the block now and they seem to be the most popular item of the night. Seven for $1 is the going price and almost everyone is on their feet filling plastic grocery bags full of sweets. It is funny to watch.

Now up for auction are boxes stuffed with more random items. Those who might be interested in bidding go up and rummage through to see if anything is worth it, if you like what you see, you get the whole box.

9:00pm
I am getting tired and I am very cold. The auction looks to be winding down and I can't wait to get out of here and back in my car. I probably won't come back to this place, because quite frankly, it scares me!