After a Long Break…

Posted by Simon on August 22, 2011 No comments

Wow… it’s been a while, hasn’t it?

Here’s the thing.  Real life sort of kicked in, and I’ve been spending a lot of time looking for work. There have been two trips to Oregon in between it all, and I have to say, I love it up there! Absolutely planning for that right now – a move to Salem, Oregon is in the near future. I just need to find gainful employment up that direction.

In the meantime, I’ve been ignoring A Pen for a Dream, which is absolutely uncool. Well… no more, I say.  No more. I’m here and I’ve got a certain young, azure bear desperately in need of a home. Will you be the person to provide one?

Let’s recap. I’ve got this:

I want you to offer me something. Anything. Make it fun, make it cool, make it odd, make it awesome. I’m taking any and all offers right now – all you have to do is click on the Trades & Offers tab and make an offer!

So what’ve you got?

Pooh is Blue!

Posted by Simon on July 28, 2011 1 comment

Things have been quiet around Dreamland lately, and there are a lot of good reasons for it. Foremost, of course, was the wait for the trade to happen. Waiting on the mail to get the pen to Rochester, Minnesota, and to get Winnie the Blue from Rochester to Dreamland took a bit, but the painting of everyone’s favorite cuddlebear has been in my hands for at least a week. There’s just been so much going on here – a trip to Oregon for a job interview (and planning for a second run to the Pacific Northwest) chief among the busythings – that I haven’t had the time. But here I am today, and the painting is right here, in my living room, just waiting to be offered up.

Now that it’s here, it’s ready for offers! That’s right… the table is open! What would you trade for Winnie the Blue? And what do you think I could take that would get me one step closer to the Dream?  If you are interested, see the Trades & Offers page and send your offer. You can send pictures, too, if you like, right from the form on that page, so I can see what it is you have.

Let’s make this happen!

In the Interim…

Posted by Simon on July 15, 2011 No comments

While we’re all waiting for Winnie the Blue to show up, I’m heading out on a roadtrip! This weekend I’ll be on my way to Salem, Oregon, where a job interview and testing await me on Monday. Along the route, we’ll be passing through Wichita, Salina, Denver, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, Boise, Portland, and – of course – Salem. And do you think I would let this opportunity pass me up, a chance to make trades elsewhere in the nation?

No way.

With me will be going two phones – the HTC Surround posted on the Barterzone! page and an HTC Inspire 4G I just picked up this morning.  I have to admit, the Inspire really did very little for me, and it didn’t take long for me to switch back to my Samsung Focus.  Here’s what I posted about my Android experience on Google+:

Well, I bit the bullet and bought an Android phone today. I’ve got to be honest with you, I don’t find myself all that impressed. Now, you might be thinking, “Oh, you must have picked up one of the lower end models”, to which I am forced to reply, “No… no, I picked up an HTC Inspire 4G, which has been compared favorably to the Samsung Infuse and the Motorola Atrix”. There are just too many things about the Android OS that feel unfinished.

It took all of twenty minutes for me to realize that the phone – despite its huge 4.3 inch screen and solid metal unibody construction – was not for me, twenty minutes to go from my Samsung Focus to the Inspire, and then back again. Did I not give it enough of a chance? Of course I didn’t, but first impressions are the ones that matter, and the first impression I got from that phone was that it just didn’t run with the smooth precision to which I had grown accustomed with iOS (on an iPhone 3GS) and Windows Phone 7 (on the Focus).

Now I have two options. I can take the poor thing back to the store and open up my upgrade again so I can pick up the new iPhone that will (hopefully) come out this fall, or I can try my luck at Craigslist and see if I can trade it for a HTC HD7S. For now, I’ve given the latter a shot, posting sale messages for Wichita, Salina, Denver, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, Boise, Portland, and Salem (Oregon), since I’ll be driving through all those places this weekend. If I don’t get any bites on that journey, well, I have two weeks to return it with no questions asked. (The third alternative, of course, would be to give the phone another shot, but that would mean buying yet another case (fifty bucks for an Otterbox!) and more screen protectors. I’m not sure that’s a viable option for a phone I’m still not convinced meets my needs.)

Here’s to options, and to choices. I know someone is going to have my Geek Card™ revoked for not hopping on the Android bus, but when Google (and its partners) polish up their OS a bit more, then maybe I’ll join the ride. Until then, I’ll go back to Windows Phone 7 and/or iOS, both of which feel as though they’re ready for prime time.

And… that explains what I’m doing, too.  I’d like to trade the HTC Inspire 4G for a HTC HD7S, and it would be extra-groovy if I could do it during this weekend’s journey.  Like I said, though, I’ll also have that snazzy little HTC Surround with me, and who knows what else I’ll bring along?!

Maybe I’ll see you – or hear from you – this weekend!

And the Winner Is…

Posted by Simon on July 11, 2011 2 comments

Okay, quick recap.

A couple of days ago, I decided to open the decision for the first trade to Facebook fans. I told them to get 100 “Likes” on the page and 100 votes on the poll and they would decide which offer I took. As of last night at midnight, there were only 36 “Likes” and 43 votes.

Not. Quite. There.

That doesn’t change one overriding fact: I promised a decision this weekend. Well, I’m happy to report, a decision has been made. I’ve decided to trade for…

… the painting of Winnie the Blue! Talk about a rough choice – it actually had a couple strikes against it. For one, the person who offered it is not within my “circles”, the range I said I’d be willing to go to trade. Also, it wasn’t first place in the vote I put to the Facebook community, coming in a distant second to the BB gun. However, there were some benefits, too. It was an art-for-art trade, which makes it an interesting swap. More importantly, there have already been a couple of people who have expressed interest in the painting, and are presently deciding what they could offer in trade.

So there you have it. The trade will happen this week, just as soon as I can work out the details. More to come!

In the meantime, plan on me trying the Facebook (or maybe Twitter!) votes thing again with a future trade!

Crowdsourcing the First Trade!

Posted by Simon on July 9, 2011 No comments

While the basis behind A Pen for a Dream is crowdsourcing, I decided to take it one step further with the first trade. Rather than just decide myself, I’ve offered it up to the Facebook community to decide. How does that work? Well, at the Facebook page for A Pen for a Dream, there is a poll asking which of the three offers should get the trade for the Pen. Those three offers are…

… a handmade pot, a painting of Winnie the Blue, and a BB gun.

If any one of these three offers gets more than two-thirds of the votes, that’s the offer I’ll take.  But!

(Doesn’t there always have to be a but?)

There are two caveats, two conditions that have to be met. There must be at least 100 “Likes” on the page, and there must be at least 100 votes. (If not, I’ll get all selfish and make the choice myself.) So go! Vote! Get your friends involved! Let’s make this happen!

Shootin’ Up the Town!

Posted by Simon on July 8, 2011 No comments

A new offer came in last night, one that I thought had some merit to it. Someone sent an offer of a BB gun – cracked but working – for the pen. Here are a couple of pictures.

I grew up with a BB gun – and even BB gun wars! – but I’m not sure about how tradeable the gun is with its cosmetic and mechanical flaws. What flaws, you ask? Here’s the description:

A BB rifle made to look like a pump shotgun. It has a silver barrel, all markings are complete. The pumping mechanism works beautifully, and is easy to operate. The Firearm holds pressure and delivers rounds with a nice sounding ”POP” The only 2 things wrong with this firearm are

  1. It is missing its safety mechanism.
  2. The plastic covering is cracked, however it is all complete, and can be used in current condition.

The cracks are merely cosmetic, and can be fixed with a little TLC. A great BB gun. With one pump it will deliver a round or you can keep pumping to charge it up. The stock is mounted with a replacement steel bolt making it secure. I’m sure you will enjoy this cutie of a gun.

What do you guys think? Is the BB gun a worthy trade for the Pen? Do you have something you’d be willing to trade for the BB gun?

Also, if you have a trade offer for the Pen, tonight is the deadline! Be sure to get your offers in by midnight!

Another Day, Another Offer!

Posted by Simon on July 5, 2011 No comments

Got this offer in late last night – a trade of a painting for a painted pen!  The painting is, well… it’s called Winnie the Blue, and for good reason.

The painting is acrylic on canvas, and is fourteen by eighteen inches.  And boy, does Winnie look blue. What do you people think?  Is Winnie the Blue the way to go to make the Dream come true?

Now that means I’m up to two offers, with a decision pending this weekend!  Do you have something else I might consider in trade?  Hit me up on the Trades & Offers tab with a description and pictures, and we’ll see where this goes!

A Phone for a Bow

Posted by Simon on July 1, 2011 No comments

The title says it all.  This evening, a little before six, I met up with a man named Brett (two Ts, I hope) and made a trade.  This is the very first barter swap I’ve ever made, and it was done in the parking lot of a Casey’s General Store.  Brett was a great guy and excited about what he had to offer – a Bear brand Black Panther 65-pound draw weight compound bow.  It’s not a pen-trade, but I figured I’d put it up on the site anyway.

So, I started with this:


… and ended up with this:

No, not the guy.  That’s Brett.  The bow.  It’s sitting here, begging for me to take it out for some target practice, but I haven’t used a bow in nearly twenty years.  I’m pretty sure I’ll be a little rusty.

The whole thing was a ton of fun.  Here’s hoping more offers roll in, so I can make a pen-trade.  I’ll be making a decision next Friday, so get those offers in soon!

First Offer All Over Again!

Posted by Simon on June 29, 2011 No comments

Two nights ago, I got a first offer all over again.  You might look at it and roll your eyes, but give it a second (and even third) glance.  It’s an interesting little piece of artwork – a hand-built pot in the coil pottery style, glazed and kilned.  Will this be the first step toward the Dream?  We’ll see!

So, what do you have to offer?

After a Couple Days…

Posted by Simon on June 27, 2011 No comments

So here I am, having to start this all over.  That doesn’t change what the site is all about: The pen, the dream, the fun, the challenge. I’m taking offers again! If you don’t know for what, it’s the pen at the top of this page. Last trade fell through – no fault of the other trader, mind you! Things just didn’t work out on my end to get to where he would be to make the trade. He was accommodating and offered to make the swap over mail, but I’d really like to get pictures of the trades as they happen, especially the first one.

So… back to the drawing board. I have this awesome pen, hand-painted by Independence, KS artist Heather Henry:

I’d be willing to go this far to trade it:

And the dream?  I trade the pen for something, then trade that something for yet another thing.  That other thing gets traded for something more. Eventually, I trade up into one of these:

Pretty awesome dream, right? I thought so, too.

I want to hear your offers.

What do you have?  What would you give for the pen, to make that dream come true?

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