...was how I spent my day today. Not bad as things go. I helped man the Long Island Herpetological Society table, gave out membership applications, and also passed out vendor packets in anticipation of the 19th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo for this October 4.
I tried selling some of my animals to, a quasi business sort of way to supplement my hobby, and I sold a few, very few, and inexpensive ones at that. I also had a theft. Some dirtbag stole a bearded dragon from me. I am pretty sure I know who it was but did n0t see him, again once I discovered the loss. As it turned out, the show promoter came over to the LIHS table asking us if we had been selling certain type of snake. They had recovered it from a shoplifter along with some bearded dragons, and other reptiles. I told the promoter I had been ripped off to the tune of one baby bearded dragon and he said they recovered 5, and would check around to see to whom they belonged. Apparently, as I found out near the end of the show, some other vendor said they were all his and took them all. I look at it as if I had been stolen from twice because it is very unlikely that the shoplifter stole 5 of the same animals from one dealer without being seen in the act! Its not like you would grab a handful of them without being seen, rather much more likely those animals came from several vendors' tables. Oh well, not the worst loss I have ever suffered.
What surprised me was the action they took with the shoplifter. They took back what he stole, then let him go telling him he was banned from future shows. No arrest - imagine that - and not even a butt kicking. When I spoke to the promoter about it near show's end, and asked him if the guy was a certain race, slim build, mid to late teens, wearing a goatee, and was with another guy of similar build and race - he looked at me as if puzzled how I could know that and then said yep that's the description. Of course it was, because I had figured correctly about whom I had suspected of being the thief who hit me up for the beardie. I guess I should have gotten back one of those baby bearded dragons they recovered, it sure seems pretty clear to me that it was probably the same guy they busted who had stolen mine, so one of the ones he had was almost surely mine. Funny how only I seemed to get that, but maybe because he already gave them to someone else who claimed a loss. Oh well...life goes on.
I managed to spend more than I took in. I had to pick up some mercury vapor lamps for my lizards (sort of artificial sunlight for desert lizards and expensive as a vacation to a sunny part of the world), and some other items like a box of a thousand crickets for the baby bearded dragons.
Then I was off homeward bound. The ride home was drag, way too long. It took me about 40 minutes to get there from my home this morning, but it took me almost 2 hours to get back home from the expo. Traffic was a nightmare on two different roads. It's bad enough I am stuck in that stuff each weekday, when you get stuck on the weekend it really stinks. Arrival at home was nice though. The sweetheart had a nice dinners waiting for me, some BBQ'd chicken fresh from today, and salads leftover from yesterday. That with a tall glass of lemonade ht the spot, and I can say it was the spot that causes one to be quite content.
All the best,
Glenn B.
P.S.: Terrible of me to have neglected to mention I met a friend at the show, a guy who used to work with me but is now retired. He was at the show with his teenaged daughters. Man if you want to see someone who is happy, look at someone who retired of their own volition. My pal Pete K. sure is one heck of a happy man. I guess retirement, and the fact that his daughters share his interest in herps, and spend time with him, keeps him smiling.
