Last week, I shared one of my most embarrassing stories – my decision to blow hundreds of dollars on a product from China to sell on eBay based on a tip I received from a free e-book. This week: the consequences of that decision.

At the end of last week’s story, I finally decided that maybe doing some research before engaging in international trade would be a good idea. My research revealed that I was an idiot. I emailed my supplier to inform him that I would be cancelling my order, and he emailed back to inform me that, too bad, my order was already on the boat. It felt like that moment in a movie where the hero learns the villain has hidden a biological weapon on a ship headed to America and there’s nothing he can do about it.

I screamed from the office. Deserae came to check on me. When I told her what happened, she screamed too.

I immediately started searching for a company that could help get the greenhouses into the country without getting me arrested (a task that is trickier than you’d think if you hadn’t done any research). I settled on C.H. Robinson. Their main qualification was that they were three minutes from my house.

I gave them a call. “Hi, I have a product coming to me from China, and I did not realize that there were so many steps to getting it into the country. Can you help me?”

“No problem, we’ll just need to get some information from you. What’s your company name?”

“I don’t have one. I was just going to sell under my own name.”

“Hm. OK. Who did you designate as the receiving agent?”

“Um, I don’t think there is one.”

“What do you mean? There has to be a receiving agent.”

“I REALLY did not realize there were so many steps to getting it in the country.” Continue reading →

My career goal has always been to not have a career. Ever since I started my first job, I’ve always wanted to get to the point to where I would no longer have to work for someone. This goal has led to many unwise decisions, the unwisest of which was downloading a free e-book on May 23, 2013.

That day, I was scrolling through the free Kindle e-Books when I found one called Million Dollar eBay Business From Home. As someone with extreme interest in both a million dollars and working from home, I downloaded the book immediately.

The book began the way every book that has ever promised a million dollars begins – with a quote from Walt Disney. “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” This was the best possible news — I had tremendous courage.

The author went on to explain why building a million dollar eBay business at home is so great (You’re making a million dollars. At home.) and shared his simple strategy for  making a million dollars (Find 56 products that each make $50 a day. Duh.)

How does one go about finding 56 different $50-a-day products? In chapter 3, the book explains that all one has to do is visit a site called Alibaba.com to find products from China that are already selling well on eBay.

After 20 minutes of reading, I was hooked. I had courage. I had access to Alibaba.com. Soon I would have my millions. Continue reading →

“No. NO. I do not believe you.”

My new girlfriend Deserae was shaking her head at me.

“It’s true.”

“Everyone has been to a parade.”

“Not me.”

“Well you’re coming on the 4^th of July with my family. It’s the best thing ever.”

I grinned and nodded like a fool, thus sealing my fate for the rest of my life.

If you’ve never been to a parade before, DO NOT GO. If you go, you risk it becoming a tradition, and there is no worse tradition than a parade.

I know because this past Saturday, Parma held its annual Independence Day parade, and, eight years after that first conversation, I was there in my place again. Because it’s a tradition. As a service to those who may one day have to lie about having been to a parade, I recorded the experience. Continue reading →

Maybe you, like me, have spent many afternoons fantasizing about quitting your job. You’ve pictured yourself walking into your boss’s office, closing the door to signal this is an “important meeting,” and telling him in no uncertain terms to stick it.

Guess what?

I did it (minus the “stick it” part).

Two weeks ago, I left my job.

You may be disappointed to learn that it does not feel as triumphant as you’re imagining. For me, at least, it felt more like that moment when you’re trying to decide if you should run to the bathroom or sit very still and hold in the barf. Continue reading →

The most stressful part of coming back to college every year is meeting your roommates. Best case scenario – you get a new groomsman. Worst case scenario…actually, there are infinity worst-case scenarios. Lice. Top-bunk toenail clipper. Kleptomaniac. Pyromaniac. Regular maniac.

To take a few bullets out of the Roommate Roulette chamber, many college students choose to room with people they already know. Sure, they may be lowering their chances of making a new BFF, but when it comes time to confront a vindictive shower urinater, you need all the allies you can get.

That’s why I decided to room with my brother Jesse my junior year of college. I was already pretty familiar with Jesse’s work as a roommate after sharing a room with him for 20 years. He had a few annoying habits like leaving his light on after falling asleep, but at least I knew he wouldn’t give me scabies. Continue reading →

I pride myself on my ability to stay calm through anything without getting flustered. When Deserae’s feeling especially feisty, she gets a lot of joy out of testing this ability through poking.

Literally. She will physically poke my belly while saying the words, “Poke…Poke…Poke.”

“Stop! What are you doing?”

“I’m poking you!” she will say with a giant smile on her face. “Are you getting annoyed yet?”

It takes much more than that to fluster me. A few pokes can’t compare to Calm Dustin’s kryptonite: Playoff Dad. Continue reading →

The NBA Finals are all about hope and redemption. Heroes and legends. They’re where stars are made and careers are reborn.

I’m not talking about the players, of course. I’m talking low-tier celebrities.

Every year, B- and C-list celebrities find a way to become HUGE fans of a team just before the Finals through some tenuous connection (my dad lived in Ohio when he was in third grade, so maybe I could sing the National Anthem or at least get floor seats?)  The ultimate goal, the gold medal, for these celebrities is making the ABC broadcast. Silver medal is the arena jumbotron and bronze is the People.com slideshow the next day.

The NBA Finals start tomorrow, and Games 3 and 4 are in Cleveland. Today, celebrities across the world are trying to figure out if a chance at Jumbotron glory is worth spending a whole day in Cleveland.

To those celebrities, I would like to offer the Cautionary Tale of Judy Greer. Continue reading →

Matthew Dellavedova is not very good at basketball.

That is not something that I would normally feel comfortable saying about a professional basketball player, but it’s OK because it’s basically the same thing his own team has said many times.

Dellavedova plays backup point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers. A few months ago, the Cavs tried very hard to find literally ANYONE ELSE to play backup point guard. The GM talked openly about it – “We are trying to find a backup point guard,” he’d say to reporters during practice with Delly missing layups in the background.

The Cavs called a lot of free agents.

“Hi Steve Nash! Can you be our backup point guard? Matthew Dellavedova is not very good at basketball.”

“I’m 41, and I can’t walk.”

“…Like we’d really only need you to walk for 10 minutes a game. Surely you can walk for 10 minutes?”

If you are unfamiliar with Matthew’s work, he is a smallish white man from Australia who spends most of his playing time upsetting players on both teams, getting thrown to the ground by bigger people and attempting passes like this.

He’s also my favorite player on the Cavs to root for.

Watching Delly compete in basketball is a lot like watching Australia compete in the Winter Olympics. Australia is a wonderful country that is blessed with beautiful coral reefs, friendly people and kangaroos. But no snow. As a result, Australians are AWFUL in the Winter Olympics.

I know this, because Deserae and I visited Australia during the Winter Olympics last year. Watching the Winter Olympics in Australia is very different from watching in America. For example, since the country doesn’t have much interest in winter sports, it doesn’t produce many knowledgeable broadcasters. The result is kind of like watching the Olympics with your mom.

American broadcast: “You see how she lands on the inside edge of her skate so she can immediately launch into a second triple axle. She’s landing blind, so degree of difficulty is incredible.”

Australian broadcast: “Ohhhh! That’s pretty!” Continue reading →

Mother’s Day is a week behind us now, but I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to point out something special that should qualify my mom for a Congressional Medal of Honor.

My mom raised five kids without killing any of them, which is commendable but not especially unusual in the scope of history, since pioneer women averaged nine children apiece and had to churn butter for all of them. However, my mom’s five children were all afflicted with one unexplainable malady that I’m betting the pioneer moms never dealt with: we were physically unable to throw up in the toilet.

Every incident would play out like this one: After school, I’d develop a tummy ache and ask my mom to take my temperature. She’d feel my head, find that I did have a fever, then set up the Sick Spot on the couch and give me the throw-up bucket – a purple witch trick-or-treat pail from McDonalds (No one knew where the throw-up bucket – pictured above – came from because we’re a Burger King family, plus my mom HATES witches).

That evening, I’d bring the throw-up bucket upstairs with me, and my mom would tuck me in. Before turning off the light, she’d turn around with pleading eyes and make one simple request.

“If you throw up, can you PLEASE get it in the toilet?”

I’d nod my head with all the sincerity in the world, then she’d sigh, nod back and shut off the lights. Continue reading →

Throughout my life, I’ve perfected a method for learning anything – guitar, snowboard, driving, etc. Last week, I used it to learn how to windsurf. As usual, it went fantastic.

If you’re ready to learn something new, follow these simple steps, and you’ll have it mastered. Probably in a day.

Step 1

Go in with extreme confidence that has been fueled by lifelong dreams and YouTube videos. For as long as I can remember, learning to windsurf has been among my top 3 dreams (It’s right between hang gliding and getting a job at the CIA). I have spent HOURS watching windsurfing videos online, becoming more and more confident in my ability to do sweet spins off of waves if I ever got a hold of a board.

Last week, Deserae and I were in Aruba, an island that was having its windiest week in more than a decade. As we were driving back to the hotel from a long morning of snorkeling, I spotted a beach with signs advertising windsurfing lessons and an ocean with tons of people zipping around on little boards. I pulled over, explaining to Deserae that I “just wanted to see how expensive it is.” The next thing Deserae knew, her husband was giddily forking over $50 for a lesson and board rental.

Step 2

Listen to the first two minutes of instruction before tuning out. While he was setting up the board, the windsurfing instructor explained that the wind was blowing 30 mph out to sea. I wouldn’t get good enough today to sail back into it, so I needed to stay inside the buoys. If I went past them, I’d no longer be able to touch the bottom, and I’d have to swim my board back to land, which would be nearly impossible with this wind.

After he finished his set-up, he let me stand on the board and hold the sail. He gave me a bunch more instructions that I didn’t hear because I WAS STANDING ON A WINDSURF BOARD. Continue reading →