I think the nesting instinct has kicked in and Amanda is ready to get the baby's room going. While we're at it, she also wanted to sell the futon in our 2nd extra bedroom so we could buy a more comfortable mattress for when family comes to visit. I got a call at work on Wednesday saying that she found a full mattress on Craigslist that she wanted to buy. She called the guy and let him know we would be coming to look at it. I got another call later letting me know that I was to go get the mattress after work, she had arranged for a friend with a pickup truck to come pick me up around 6. This is the most promptly executed plan I have ever seen from my wife. She must really want this mattress.
As a rule I try to avoid Craigslist if at all possible. The whole process of going to some stranger's house based on a shady internet post feels kinda rapey to me. Regardless, my ride arrived and we headed to some unknown location in the Arkansas backwoods. Actually it was only a few miles out of town, but it wasn't a very nice neighborhood. We pull up to this house with an old man standing in the driveway. His garage door is open and it is filled will all kinds of shit. He had at least 6 mattresses stacked up, along with several appliances, and pretty much any other junk you could think of. I knew nothing of this mattress I was sent here to buy. He pointed out the merchandise in question that my wife had called him about. At that moment I wanted to kindly thank him for his time, and get the heck out of there. However, I didn't drive... and I would feel really bad making this guy that was nice enough to drive me all the way down here just have to turn around and take me back home. So, I bought the dang thing. It was a clean mattress, which was what the posting had claimed. However, I wasn't expecting it to be from 1975. It was also very clear that this was not THIS GUY'S mattress... not saying that would have made me feel any better. The point is, I have no clue where the hell this thing came from. He probably bought it at some estate sale. There was probably a dead body lying on this mattress mere months ago.
I really was not excited about the whole situation. I am all about saving money. I am so all about saving money that I will do almost anything to get a good deal. With this mattress I did not feel like I got a good deal. The only other piece of furniture that I bought like this was the very futon that we were replacing. I saw an add in the local paper, went to a very nice house inhabited by some very nice old people, and purchased a very nice futon that was just as described. That was such a positive experience. This one was not. I am just glad this bed is not going to be in the baby's room. The baby will be getting all new furniture.
We have the mattress in our back bedroom, and now the room smells like that old dude's garage. Our futon has already been sold. We also got rid of a desk, and attempted to get rid of the twin bed I've had since the 4th grade. Unfortunately nobody bought it this weekend. I don't think we have anything else to sell, but there are a few more things we need to buy. We are going to order a crib and dresser for baby. The only other piece of furniture we need to get is a rocking chair. I might try peruse the classifieds or craigslist, but this experience has left me wary.
