Doubled Down

ENTRY 0010


I don't go by the post office every day.  Usually, once or twice a week is sufficient.  And it can be depressing to stop by the post office a week after the last visit, just to be staring into an empty mailbox.

I didn't know if anything would be waiting for me.  I was hoping that at least one of my recent Ebay purchases would be waiting for me.  When I opened the door, I found a key waiting for me.  Good sign.

I walked over to the lockers, found the match for the key, and gave the key a twist.  Much to my surprise and delight, both of the items I was waiting to receive were inside the locker.

Once I found a place where I would be undisturbed for a few minutes, I opened the packages for my usual quick inspection.  Both were securely packed, and took a little careful maneuvering with my knife to get them opened.  Not that I'm complaining; to me, that means that it's less likely that anything was damaged in transit.

First up was the copy of Dreamwatch #16.  It was in great condition, and everything looked just as it was described in the listing.

Then came the copy of the July 1997 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction.  This particular auction turned out to be an even better deal for me than I originally thought.  When I sent the seller a message asking for the mailing information, I mentioned that I was also looking for the August 1997 issue.  Just as a longshot, I asked if he had a copy of the August issue, and if so, when he might be listing it.  He said that he did have a copy, and told me how much it would cost.  So when I sent the payment, I was paying for both issues.

The issues of Asimov's were probably in better condition than the copies I had lost a few weeks ago.  (Long story; don't ask.)  And I was definitely relieved that I had been able to replace what I thought would be the most difficult items of the bunch.

It took a few hours before I could get online.  As soon as I could, though, I left messages that I had received the packages, then went to Ebay to leave feedback.  My feedback rating was still at 233, but as soon as I posted feedback for each item, feedback was left for me, upping my rating to 235.

Yes, later this evening, I will be taking some time to enjoy my new acquisitions.


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First Gap Filled

ENTRY 0007


At the time I purchased that issue of Asimov's that I mentioned in Entry 0005, I also filled in the first true gap in my collection.  For reasons that shall be soon revealed, I haven't been able to write about it until now.

This missing item was an issue of Dreamwatch.  Now, this was not the long-running British magazine, but a US edition published by the same publisher (Titan Magazines) beginning in 2004.  As I recall, the US edition ran for 24 or 25 issues before Titan discontinued both the British and American editions and turned the magazine into a website.

The issue that I was missing was Dreamwatch #16, the February 2006 issue.  There is nothing particularly unusual about my missing the issue.  I saw it when it was on the stands.  I merely miscalculated when Dreamwatch #17 would be going on sale.  Most of the time, when I see a new issue going on sale, and I have not picked up the previous issue, I can usually find it at another outlet, because not all stores put out their new magazines at the same time.  This was not the case with Dreamwatch #16, though.  It was one of those rare occasions when every place that normally carried Dreamwatch had issue #17 out before I could acquire issue #16.  (This, by the way, is the usual reason for most of the gaps in my collection -- not paying attention.)

As I have mentioned, I started back on Ebay by doing a number of searches.  Dreamwatch #16 was among those searches.  I contacted one of the sellers, asking the usual question of whether or not she accepted money orders.  She did, and I put the item on my watch list.

A little over a week ago, I decided that I had watched the item long enough, and I clicked the Buy It Now button.  I also sent a message to the seller, asking where I should mail payment.  There was just one little snag.  I got an automated message saying that the seller was a couple of days, and would be contacting me once she returned home.

I already knew what the total amount would be, so I picked up a money order for that amount.  And I waited for a couple of days.  I finally heard from her Friday, and I quickly got the payment ready to mail, and in the mail.

Now, it's a matter of waiting again.  But I have filled one gap completely -- that was the only issue of Dreamwatch that I was missing.


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