"Mingoitis"

I've got this uncle. His name is Mingo. That's short for Domingo. He's my moms brother and Grannys oldest son. He's like 60 something years old. Mingo moved in with Granny several years ago. It was supposed to be for a couple of months, but has turned into several years! I don't think Granny minded too much, even though they don't get along all that well. I guess it beats being alone.

Anyway, Mingo is an "entrepreneur" of sorts. He sells things. You name it, he sells it. If he doesn't have it and you want it, he'll find it. Once, Granny asked if I wanted to go with her to the flea market. She said Mingo would be there too. Joy. Well, we find him and there he is, pushing DVD's. Hundreds of them. Only problem was they were all copies, no originals. He had copied them on the VHS/DVD (also for sale) and was selling them for $5 bucks a piece! I guess Mingo's never paid attention to the piracy warnings threatening jail time and fines for doing this very thing! This is so illegal!

Anyway, so that's Mingo. When you visit Granny, you can expect an "MSP" (mingo sales pitch)". I am convinced the most exciting part of his life is when he hears the front door open and company has arrived! I believe this because it's the only time he comes out of his bedroom! Without fail, he enters Granny's living room, never empty handed, with his "latest" video camera or some other electronic device. Promising to "give jew a good deal"! Goes something like this: "Hey, Bikki, jew ever seen one of dees before?" "Not sure, Mingo." He goes on: "Well, I'm gonna give jew a good deal. Jew need one of dees. I'm gonna give it to jew for just $200." I find myself almost saying yes just to help the poor guy out. Problem is, the items usually not worth more than $25 bucks! Then there's my mom, Mingo's sister. She's the yard sale queen. She lives for Saturday mornings to either have one or shop them! Just a few weeks ago, Brenda had a yard sale. Mom was her best customer!

And this week, Brenda listed some items from her house on craigslist.com. She heard about it from a friend. When she called to tell me about her new "business", she was pretty excited! She sold everything within 48 hours! With her profits, she was able to fund a new screen for her pool!
It got me thinking. Is there an incurable disease known as "Mingoitis" making its way through my family? Is it hereditary or contagious?!

I'm keeping my eye on this. If it gets worse, I want a vaccination.

Then again, maybe it's time to clean out my attic!