dante3000 Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 It's 07-13-08, are you ready? Short version: Today at (roughly) 5:30pm PST, I will begin selling a ton of records on ebay. All proceeds will go towards helping pay for Ben Conoley to attend this year's The Fest 7 in Gainesville, FL. All items should be listed at: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZdante_blaze. So bid high, bid hard and bid $10 higher than you normally would as the money goes to a good cause. Long Version: Many people may know Ben Conoley. He’s an editor at Punknews.org, a staff member on the Vinyl Collective message board, a law student studying labor law and practices and an all around awesome guy. I met Ben for the first time at The Fest 6 in Gainesville Florida. I had an awesome time getting to know Ben and quickly found he was not only a person I liked to hang out with but a person I admired and respected. We developed a friendship that was (at least in part) centered around music and our love of The Fest. As early as November 2007 we were already talking about next years Fest and how excited we were. Recently, (with the announcement of the official Fest 7 dates) Ben and I have been chatting quite heavily about the upcoming event. My joy was, unfortunately, constantly tempered by a statement Ben kept making. “If I have the funds”, Ben would say. Now, I realize a freelance writer/editor (if that’s what you call it) and law student doesn’t exactly sound like a tag team of big money but I found this option was unacceptable. To help ensure Ben’s attendance at this year’s Fest I have decided to sell a number of my records on ebay (you can find them here http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZdante_blaze). All proceeds will go to helping Ben attend this years Fest. If the sales cover his plane ticket, all remaining money will go to hotel rooms, rental cars and any other expenses. Ben is an amazingly awesome guy and shouldn’t miss out on such an opportunity because of funding. Help out and pick up some awesome records in the meantime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hickey Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I love Ben. And I think what you're doing is quite noble. But why on earth would I pay money to send someone to the Fest when I can't afford to go myself? Do I get a picture of Ben drinking the beer that my money bought him (like those Ethiopian kids Sally Struthers schills for and you get a picture of them eating rice)? Again, I love Ben (I have met him in person) and I like what you're doing, but I have to miss the Fest too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobe Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I also would like to go to the Fest. Put together a fun for me and I'll pick Hickey up on the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottheisel Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 To quote Michael Ian Black: "Gaaaaaaaaaaaaay question marrrrrk????" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjustinxschwierx Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 what, he can't bankroll his trip on his poker winnings this year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante3000 Posted July 13, 2008 Author Share Posted July 13, 2008 I love Ben. And I think what you're doing is quite noble. But why on earth would I pay money to send someone to the Fest when I can't afford to go myself? Do I get a picture of Ben drinking the beer that my money bought him (like those Ethiopian kids Sally Struthers schills for and you get a picture of them eating rice)?Again, I love Ben (I have met him in person) and I like what you're doing, but I have to miss the Fest too. I'm not asking for donations, I'm actually selling stuff. If you can't afford the records that's fine and I'd highly recommend you don't buy anything you can't afford. But there's no paypal set up for you to just send money to. I'm only asking for money from the people who win the auctions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hickey Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Why won't punknews send him to cover it? Or AMP, or some other publication? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hickey Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I love Ben. And I think what you're doing is quite noble. But why on earth would I pay money to send someone to the Fest when I can't afford to go myself? Do I get a picture of Ben drinking the beer that my money bought him (like those Ethiopian kids Sally Struthers schills for and you get a picture of them eating rice)?Again, I love Ben (I have met him in person) and I like what you're doing, but I have to miss the Fest too. I'm not asking for donations, I'm actually selling stuff. If you can't afford the records that's fine and I'd highly recommend you don't buy anything you can't afford. But there's no paypal set up for you to just send money to. I'm only asking for money from the people who win the auctions. I get it. And it's a nice gesture...pat yourself on the back. But promoting why you're selling the records and asking people to up their bids is pretty much asking for donations, is it not? I just think promoting that you're doing this is kind of lame and I likely won't be bidding, unless you're selling something I want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante3000 Posted July 13, 2008 Author Share Posted July 13, 2008 I'm not asking for donations, I'm actually selling stuff. If you can't afford the records that's fine and I'd highly recommend you don't buy anything you can't afford. But there's no paypal set up for you to just send money to. I'm only asking for money from the people who win the auctions. I get it. And it's a nice gesture...pat yourself on the back. But promoting why you're selling the records and asking people to up their bids is pretty much asking for donations, is it not? I just think promoting that you're doing this is kind of lame and I likely won't be bidding, unless you're selling something I want. I'm not really sure why you would bid on records you didn't want anyhow. Perhaps I'm missing something here. Sorry if me trying to help a friend out comes off as lame but the items I'm selling are all mine and (honestly) likely to be sold anyhow. I just used the opportunity to help a friend. That's why I'm promoting it. People post threads about selling records all the time, many are prefaced by "totally wrecked my car" or "overdrew at the bank" and those are ignored. Suddenly I'm doing it to help out a friend and it's a lame money grabbing gesture? I'm confused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hickey Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I get it. And it's a nice gesture...pat yourself on the back. But promoting why you're selling the records and asking people to up their bids is pretty much asking for donations, is it not? I just think promoting that you're doing this is kind of lame and I likely won't be bidding, unless you're selling something I want. I'm not really sure why you would bid on records you didn't want anyhow. Perhaps I'm missing something here. Sorry if me trying to help a friend out comes off as lame but the items I'm selling are all mine and (honestly) likely to be sold anyhow. I just used the opportunity to help a friend. That's why I'm promoting it. People post threads about selling records all the time, many are prefaced by "totally wrecked my car" or "overdrew at the bank" and those are ignored. Suddenly I'm doing it to help out a friend and it's a lame money grabbing gesture? I'm confused. I'm sorry you're confused. Good luck with your auctions. I'm sure the Fest will be fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jailhouse Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 haha, This is awesome! I wonder if people are going to bring this up on the next vinyl file. "Hi everyone. Bens poor" damn. That's an awesome gesture but just funny as hell. Sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jailhouse Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 haha,This is awesome! I wonder if people are going to bring this up on the next vinyl file. "Hi everyone. Bens poor" damn. That's an awesome gesture but just funny as hell. Sorry I mean no harm by that, it's cool as shit!, to help someone out like that. Your a good dude for doing that. just funny. Best of luck on the E bay sale! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottheisel Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I'm not asking for donations, I'm actually selling stuff. If you can't afford the records that's fine and I'd highly recommend you don't buy anything you can't afford. But there's no paypal set up for you to just send money to. I'm only asking for money from the people who win the auctions. I get it. And it's a nice gesture...pat yourself on the back. But promoting why you're selling the records and asking people to up their bids is pretty much asking for donations, is it not? I just think promoting that you're doing this is kind of lame and I likely won't be bidding, unless you're selling something I want. Dude, he's just helping out a friend. How is this any different than when Eric The Red sold stuff to buy a plane ticket for Justin to fly down to Florida for some show? It's just boardie camaraderie, that's all. Don't get upset because no one's offering to pay your way; no one's offering to pay my way, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jailhouse Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I get it. And it's a nice gesture...pat yourself on the back. But promoting why you're selling the records and asking people to up their bids is pretty much asking for donations, is it not? I just think promoting that you're doing this is kind of lame and I likely won't be bidding, unless you're selling something I want. Dude, he's just helping out a friend. How is this any different than when Eric The Red sold stuff to buy a plane ticket for Justin to fly down to Florida for some show? It's just boardie camaraderie, that's all. Don't get upset because no one's offering to pay your way; no one's offering to pay my way, either. That is a really awesome thing to do, it is kind of fucked up to knock someone for it. Honestly though, it does come off as really really funny though. But doesn't take away from the fact that it is a really good deed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante3000 Posted July 13, 2008 Author Share Posted July 13, 2008 Dude, he's just helping out a friend. How is this any different than when Eric The Red sold stuff to buy a plane ticket for Justin to fly down to Florida for some show? It's just boardie camaraderie, that's all. Don't get upset because no one's offering to pay your way; no one's offering to pay my way, either. That is a really awesome thing to do, it is kind of fucked up to knock someone for it. Honestly though, it does come off as really really funny though. But doesn't take away from the fact that it is a really good deed. It does sound a little like, "Help my Cambodian child". Ben's certainly not poor but the fest is a big expense and a plane ticket for him is roughly twice what mine cost. So I can see how it'd be a harder call for him. And I'll admit it's a bit cornball to post a story and all that but that's part of why I did it up like I did. Ben and I had joked a bit about other things (setting up actual donations etc.) and everything seems a bit hokey. So I thought we'd do the hokey up right. Make a little story, some bromance, maybe throw in an illegitimate child. I could honestly, post these items make no announcement and they would sell for a ton (most of them) but I figure why not have some fun and hopefully giving the earnings away will detract from the hordes of "flipper" that normally come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hickey Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I get it. And it's a nice gesture...pat yourself on the back. But promoting why you're selling the records and asking people to up their bids is pretty much asking for donations, is it not? I just think promoting that you're doing this is kind of lame and I likely won't be bidding, unless you're selling something I want. Dude, he's just helping out a friend. How is this any different than when Eric The Red sold stuff to buy a plane ticket for Justin to fly down to Florida for some show? It's just boardie camaraderie, that's all. Don't get upset because no one's offering to pay your way; no one's offering to pay my way, either. I commented about the Eric The Red/Justin donation box too. I disagree with playing on people's sympathy to turn a buck, despite where said buck is going. I'm not trying to piss on anyone's parade here. I am allowed to voice my opinion, yes? And my opinion is that Dante's plea is making it sound like sending someone to the Fest is a worthy and noble cause. My opinion is that it is not a noble cause. Also, I am in no way asking for someone to pay my way and I am in no way upset that no one is. Would I like to go to the Fest? Yes I would. But there are other things I'd rather do with my money. And, if I'm mistaken, I'm sorry, but there must be some portion of the AP expense account funding the Fest for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lydiawesome Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I don't see the listings! I wanna see what you have to sell just for the hell of it. I also think that it's awesome that you're trying to do this for your friend. I hope everything sells like crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottheisel Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Dude, he's just helping out a friend. How is this any different than when Eric The Red sold stuff to buy a plane ticket for Justin to fly down to Florida for some show? It's just boardie camaraderie, that's all. Don't get upset because no one's offering to pay your way; no one's offering to pay my way, either. I commented about the Eric The Red/Justin donation box too. I disagree with playing on people's sympathy to turn a buck, despite where said buck is going. I'm not trying to piss on anyone's parade here. I am allowed to voice my opinion, yes? And my opinion is that Dante's plea is making it sound like sending someone to the Fest is a worthy and noble cause. My opinion is that it is not a noble cause. Also, I am in no way asking for someone to pay my way and I am in no way upset that no one is. Would I like to go to the Fest? Yes I would. But there are other things I'd rather do with my money. And, if I'm mistaken, I'm sorry, but there must be some portion of the AP expense account funding the Fest for you. The sheer hilariousness of your "AP expense account" remark aside, why would AP pay to send me to the Fest? We don't sponsor it; I don't go there for work; it's essentially a vacation for me. I personally think it's awesome that people on this board have developed such strong friendships that they're willing to help each other out like this. Sure, they're pretty frivolous ventures, but who cares? It doesn't take any money out of your pocket unless you want it to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante3000 Posted July 13, 2008 Author Share Posted July 13, 2008 I don't see the listings! I wanna see what you have to sell just for the hell of it. I also think that it's awesome that you're trying to do this for your friend. I hope everything sells like crazy. They should be posted in about 3 hours (5:30pm PST). I'm actually not going to be home when they go up which is why I posted it now. As for being a "noble" cause or "playing on peoples sympathy" all I'm doing is trying to make people aware and asking them to take a look. Sorry if the line about "bid hard, bid high etc." was upsetting but I'm really just having fun with it. If you have a choice between buying one of these records or paying rent, or your torn between this and donating to a charity, please don't buy these records. But if you're thinking about buying these or another record, I feel these might be better as the money's going to help a friend and not just pay my bills because I'm fiscally irresponsible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hickey Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I commented about the Eric The Red/Justin donation box too. I disagree with playing on people's sympathy to turn a buck, despite where said buck is going. I'm not trying to piss on anyone's parade here. I am allowed to voice my opinion, yes? And my opinion is that Dante's plea is making it sound like sending someone to the Fest is a worthy and noble cause. My opinion is that it is not a noble cause. Also, I am in no way asking for someone to pay my way and I am in no way upset that no one is. Would I like to go to the Fest? Yes I would. But there are other things I'd rather do with my money. And, if I'm mistaken, I'm sorry, but there must be some portion of the AP expense account funding the Fest for you. The sheer hilariousness of your "AP expense account" remark aside, why would AP pay to send me to the Fest? We don't sponsor it; I don't go there for work; it's essentially a vacation for me. I would assume that AP would cover things it doesn't sponsor. Anyway, before you get all asshole on me, remember that I said this: And, if I'm mistaken, I'm sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jailhouse Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante3000 Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 That is amazing and horrifying all at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hickey Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Ok. I thought about this a little bit (apparently, I don't have too much to do on a Sunday night), and my initial reaction was too harsh. Apologies to you, Dante. I was being a dick. Sometimes it pays to think before speaking (or typing in this case). Anyway, sorry for the critical judgement. Good luck with the auctions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest conoley Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 I love Ben. You too. Do you want to talk about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgoodcore Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 It first I thought Ben was selling more of his stuff. I'll definitely be checking the auctions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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