My life has taken a horrible turn. After twelve years of being self-employed, which involved having a lot of free time, especially mid-day, I now have a 'regular' job. I’m chained to a desk during what I consider to be prime-time figure hunting hours: 10am-5pm. My days of showing up at Toys "R" Us at 1pm are over. I like the new job. But I’m getting real fidgety.
I’ll be making more money now, so I can finally pay-off my PayPal Credit account, and return to buying online. But the hunt - being out there, walking into stores, getting lucky, comparing sculpts, analyzing paint…when will I be able to do that? Saturday? When parking lots are full of cars and with parents yelling at their kids in the aisles? When store lines are long, and traffic, especially in Los Angeles, is an utter joke? This is my new life?
I pulled out of the office today, and made my way to the two local Walgreens to find the new Funko Pop! Venom figure. (I’m not a Funko Pop! collector, but I need this!) I couldn’t believe how long it took me to get to those stores, which are both within only a three mile radius of my office. I got stuck in one of the store’s driveways, trying to make a left turn to head back on the road. No one would let me in! I had to back-up and drive all the way around the block to get onto the proper street. Oh, and did I mention that neither Walgreens had the figure?! Wait, was this figure a Walgreens exclusive? I’m thinking…
“You never know what you have until it’s gone.” We’ve all heard that expression. The bulk of my figure hunting took place during ‘work hours.’ Now, with evenings occupied with chores and tasks, I might have only Saturdays and Sundays to collect! Oh the humanity! I hate going to stores on weekends, just as I hate going to stores at Christmastime. I’m a shopper, a consumer, but I’m also a lone wolf. I don’t want to be out there with everyone else!
I’ll probably get no sympathy from career 9-5ers. But this is a new way of life for me. Of course, I’ve bought many, many figures online, but that’s not my preferred method. I like my peace, my space, and plenty of elbow room when I go out hunting, in person. I feel like I’m mourning the loss of a life – mine! I’m already thinking of ways to get fired. You know, respectfully – “Sal, this just isn’t working out.” And when that happens, mid-day, hopefully around 1pm, you know where I’ll be headed.
Sal Rodriguez pounds the pavement in Los Angeles as an actor, comedian, writer, and now newspaper editor. He began collecting figures upon discovering UFC and WWE figures by Jakks Pacific. He lives with his two cats, Fluff Daddy and Little Mister, and over 2,000 action figures. Subscribe to his YouTube channel.
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