Like a lot of people, I have a lot of stuff, and like a lot of people I care about what I throw out. But those two issues are very difficult to coexist.

Enter the Big Brum GiveAway/SwapMeet. The idea is simple, and much like a charity shop, you can take all those random bits and pieces, spare furniture, old CDs and DVDs you don’t want, clothes etc, and give them away to anyone. You have a few tables set up at a pleasent location, people pay say 50p to enter and you can leave with whatever you want.
Everything is as you see it, there is no need to worry about pricing up items, it’s a mad giveaway. Perhaps we can arrange some local drop off points in areas for those who don’t wanna travel on the day.

Surely someone might want that dolls house or LP that you kept for some reason, or the one odd plate, or old cable that doesn’t work with your new equipment. Well this could be the place to find it. And whatever is left goes to the nearest charity shop for second chance.

Is that a good idea? Has it been done?Is it anything better than giving to charity? Let me know what you think, if you would be willing to help for a few hours, or if you can offer a venue or tables or just a hand.
Or is this just the worst idea you can think of?

I may have mentioned iBoughtAMac.com - Its a website run by Brent. Well he had a daughter recently, Cadie Spore (lovely name) and it looks like she’s going to be a geek baby. Why is this important? Well because you can get some fantastic onesie’s from his shop at CafePress. If I had a kid, or was going to, I would be buying about 10 of these. They are great. I love the TCP/IP, Beta, and I’m Cute.So if you’re having a kid, like Merlin Mann, and Alex Lindsay did recently, then head on over and buy a few of these. I know I will be when that time comes. iBoughtAMac at CafePress 

So I went shopping this afternoon for my girlfriend and came across two cards in two different shops. The first made me cringe and sigh dissapointedly, the second pointed out how far some companies and organisations go to be “PC”.

This first card spouts the wonderful heartwarming sentiment, “Tinsel Tits”. Now I’ve seen plenty of cards in my life, funny cards, slightly adult humour cards, innuendos with cartoon pictures and potentially rude comments, but then you get some that are just plain demeaning and disgraceful. This is the latter. I can’t think of anyone I know who would appreciate a card calling them Tinsel Tits, let alone appreciate the picture of the semi-naked surgically enhanced woman on the front. Can’t exactly put it on your mantle piece, unless you don’t get visitors. But then this is a card for a woman isn’t it? Would you call your footie mates Tinsel Tits? So why would yor girlfriend want a card calling them that, with a semi-naked woman on the front? Would she want you staring at it when you were at home?

The second card is less harmless, but makes me smile that they are beginning to make cards for all relationship situations. There’s boyfriend, girlfriend, sister and brother in law, sister and husband, and now, since divorce seems to be so high in this country, or single parenthood, there is now parent and partner, in this case, dad and girlfriend. How sweet. There was also brother and “partner”. Why not put boyfriend? I didn’t see any sister and partner so Hallmark obviously aren’t catering to the lesbian society yet. I worry that it might only be another year before we see “dad and mail-order-bride” appear, or for mormen, “For my wives at Christmas”. Why buy 6 when 1 will do?