Hi. I'm doing research for a humorous "non-fiction" (well, mostly) book.

I plan to include these comments as part of the basic outline of the book (along with input I am getting elsewhere). So, if you respond, you understand and agree that:

• Your comments may be published in a book at a later date.
• You won't get paid for your comments (sorry about that; I'll be lucky if the book gets published and I get paid).
• eBay also maintains the "non-exclusive" right to publish comments in these blogs.

I have already given married women a chance to answer the following question:

"What do you wish your husband had learned BEFORE you married him?"

This time, I am looking for married men to answer the following question:

"What do you wish you had learned BEFORE you married your wife?"

These are items that might help a guy in married life. They could even come in handy to survive bachelorhood (and perhaps find a wife). They could be warnings about what to expect. But - mainly - what do you as a husband wish you had learned before you married your wife?

A couple of things to keep in mind:

• This will be a "family-friendly" book.
• Your comments don't have to be about your marriage; they can be about a married guy (friend of relative) that you wish would just "get a clue."
• This will be humorous non-fiction (perhaps along the lines of Dave Barry) so, if / when the book comes out, there is a good chance that my "solutions" will not be what you would have thought of.
• If you specifically do not want me to include your eBay Username as a contributor in the book's appendix, just include "ANONYMOUS" at the end of the comment.
• Have fun!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions, and have a great day!

P.S. For those women who want to comment (or supply pet peeves) on what they think their husband should have learned, please add your comments to my September 30th post:

RESEARCH - Married women's suggestions for their husbands: What women wish their husbands had learned BEFORE they were married.

Okay, here's another random thought. Actually, I did not create this idea, but I cannot remember where I heard it. It states, simply:

"Do you clean where people cannot see?"

I would like to add:

"Do you clean when people cannot see?"

For example, a friend of mine just stopped by. I'm not an especially vain person. But I did take a few minutes to put away some boxes. They were on my to-do list. But, until he came, they were never "to-done."

So it could be talking about housecleaning. But, more completely, it's talking about what's inside you. Here's just a few examples:

• Do you do you quality work, even when your boss won't notice?
• Do you do a complete packing job on items that you ship, even though the customer might not be able to tell the difference?
• Do you stop at the stop sign, even when you don't see someone else coming?
• Do you only pick up one paper for your quarter, when you could easily take 2 or 3?

Anyway, this is just a thought. It's mainly something I need to think about myself, and figured I'd share it. Along with this possible scenario:

"How would you clean (live) if you knew that, whatever you did, Someone could Always see?"

Have a nice day. And happy cleaning. :-)

With the renewed interest in Star Wars, I was considering selling a few collectibles I have had kicking around. I was wondering if an eBayer or two could give me an idea of what they might be worth. That will help me decide if they're worth selling, or if I should keep them (or give them away).

I have the following items:

• Star Wars Original Soundtrack records (+ booklet)
• Figures: X-Wing Fighter, R2D2 and Boss Nass
• Sealed Figures: Han Solo, Anakin and Obi-Wan
• 2 Qui-Gon Jinn LightSabers (one in box)
• 4 VHS tapes from original trilogy (2 in boxes)
• 4 Star Wars books
• 2 Star Wars Fan magazines (on in bad shape)

I have attached photos below, as well as a little more informational text. Thanks in advance for any information you might provide.

Have a great day, and happy eBaying!

Star Wars Original Soundtrack records (+ booklet).

This is a 2-record set of the original soundtrack. The inside cover has photos from the movie. It also includes a booklet titled: "The Story of Star Wars."

This looks a bit worn. Inusable condition, but nowhere near Mint.

Figures: X-Wing Fighter, R2D2 and Boss Nass

I have 3 figures:

*  X-Wing Fighter - This is the coolest. When you open the wings, it actual plays a recorded sound (I'm amazed that the batteries still work).

*  R2D2 - He may have done something before, but his batteries are missing.

*  Boss Nass Cup - This is unused. I think it's from either Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut (it has all three logos on it).

Obviously, these items do not need to be sold together.

Sealed Figures: Han Solo, Anakin and Obi-Wan

This is 2 different sealed packages:

*  Star Wars Episode I Figure Collector 2-Pack - This includes Anakin Skywalker with Comlink unit and Obi-Wan Kenobi with Lightsaber and Handle. They also include CommTech chips for speech, but you have to have a special reader for that.

*  Star Wars The Power of the Force - This actually includes 2 Han Solo figures, one free-standing and one encased in the carbonite block. 

2 Qui-Gon Jinn LightSabers (one in box)

This is just a pair of lightsabers of the style Qui-Gon Jinn used. One still has the box, but it is not sealed.

4 VHS tapes from original trilogy (2 in boxes)

This includes 4 VHS tapes from the original series:

*  The Making of Star Wars (no box)
*  Star Wars (no box)
*  The Empire Strikes Back (with box)
*  Return of the Jedi (with box) 

They all appear to be in fair to good condition.

4 Star Wars books

*  The Empire Strikes Back - Story of the original movie, by Donald F. Glut

*  Star Wars, Dark Force Rising - Volume 2 of a three-book cycle, by Timothy Zahn

 *  Star Wars, Ambush at Corellia - Book One of the Corellian Trilogy, by Roger Macbride Allen

*  Star Wars, Heir to the Empire - Volume 1, by Timothy Zahn

2 Star Wars Fan magazines (on in bad shape)

*  Star Wars Insider #36 - Cover torn, but otherwise appears to be mostly there

*  Star Wars Heroes, Official 20th Anniversary Poster Magazine - Appears to be in very good condition, since the posters haven't even been unstapled yet; this is just a set of posters (2 main ones I think that are multi-page foldouts, with smaller positioned on the same posters at different angles)

Okay, here's just a random thought that came to me the other day:

"Treat the other driver like they were someone you cared for."

Note that I don't say treat them like you would want to be treated. Why? Well, perhaps that could be a bit of an excuse to be too harsh.  For example, you might say:

"If I was driving that slow, I would expect somebody to honk and wake me up."

But let's look at this scenario. Suppose the other driver was your dad or grandfather - or other elderly man you care about. He's not feeling well. He's driving slowly because he's in pain, and wants to make sure that he doesn't want to risk hurting someone.

Would you really want to honk and make him feel even worse than he was?

Suppose the driver was your married sister. She has seven kids in the car. She is trying to get to the soccer game on time. She might only pause at the stop sign instead of come to a full stop so that you can cut across.

Would you really want to add stress to your sister's life?

See, here I have tried to give possible explanations why some people might be driving poorly. But remember, don't think just of the explanation. Remember that you care about the person.

Even without a valid explanation, you are likely to cut some extra slack for those you love. You might think:

"You know, you're being a bit of a jerk today. But, since I know you and don't want to hurt you, I can forgive you. And not try to make your driver harder."

Or even possibly:

"I don't know why you're driving that way. Is something wrong? Can I help?"

If everybody started doing this, it would make for a more pleasant drive. But - and here's the surprising part - even if only you do this (and nobody else does), you will still find that it makes your drive more pleasant.

And one final note:

If you treat other drivers like this then, maybe the next time you do something stupid in a car, the other drivers will treat you like they care about you.

Anyway, just a thought. It's a nice world to hope for.

Have a great day!

Okay, this is a repeat. But I wanted to get a few more ideas. I'm doing research for a humorous "non-fiction" (well, mostly) book.

I plan to include these comments as part of the basic outline of the book (along with input I am getting elsewhere). So, if you respond, you understand and agree that:

• Your comments may be published in a book at a later date.
• You won't get paid for your comments (sorry about that; I'll be lucky if the book gets published and I get paid).
• eBay also maintains the non-exclusive right to publish comments in these blogs.

I am looking for married women to answer the following question:

"What do you wish your husband had learned BEFORE you married him?"

These are items that might help a guy in married life. They could even come in handy to survive bachelorhood (and perhaps find a wife). They may also be a bit stereotypical (and even slightly sarcastic). For example, how to:

• Cook a meal that doesn't come in a cardboard box.
• Program the VCR to stop blinking 12:00.
• Shut the toilet bowl lid (after - not before - using it).

Basically, I'm looking for your pet peeves. Please add your comments below. If you like, you can also suggest a "solution" to the "problem."

A couple of things to keep in mind:

• This will be a "family-friendly" book.
• Your comments don't have to be about your husband; they can be about a guy (friend of relative) that you wish would just "get a clue."
• This will be humorous non-fiction (perhaps along the lines of Dave Barry) so, if / when the book comes out, there is a good chance that my "solutions" will not be what you would have thought of.
• Please keep the comments civil; it's possible to point out pet peeves without risking major marital discord.
• If you specifically do not want me to include your eBay Username as a contributor in the book's appendix, just include "ANONYMOUS" at the end of the comment.
• Have fun!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions, and have a great day!

Just a few words that I thought I'd like to toss out:

"Experience is what you get after you need it."

This is not my own quote. Sorry, but I don't remember the original reference.

Enjoy the day.

Isn't there a word for that....

As they say: "All good things must come to an end."

Have a great week, and thanks for reading my jokes!

The second most common hazard centered around the driveway.

At last, truth in advertising. Keep a smile on your day.

And the Truth will set you Free?

You win some, and then you don't. Welcome to the week."

What do you keep on your knick-knack shelf?

And I bet he sold them on eBay. Have a nice weekend. I'll be back Monday with another joke.