Harold & Susan Vordos writes:

She is having a hard time
understanding your position. What makes your interests more important
than hers?

My interests are not important at all. I'm sure your wife is a fine and
virtuous woman. I have no disdain, only respect, for both of you and
your hobbies. Collecting useless stuff is a fine hobby. Most of us
have one or more such pursuits.

But your error is in pursuing your dispute at law, out of vengence, or
"the principle of the thing". Based on your description of the
situation, you have no reasonable hope of any economic recovery. All
you can do is harass the crook in an attempt to get even by inflicting
harm on him, not that it will do you any good. You are clinging to and
cherising this injustice. If you are honestly self-interested, you will
forget all this and move on.

What I do disdain is getting all uppity-righteous over silly possesions
like "art glass". Look, there's nothing wrong with collecting it, but
fer cryin out loud, is IT WORTH THE LEAST UPSET IN YOUR LIFE? NO.

I assume you'd feel the same way if a deal in which you had a real
interest had a similar outcome? If you bought, for example, a lathe
that was represented as new, but came to you a rusted piece of junk,
it's just a crummy lathe?

Yes, I would *feel* the same way. But I would hope that I would follow
the principles that I have learned over the years, that in civil
disputes, one must coldly assess the economic return from going to law
for a recovery. Usually when one is cheated, the scale is too small to
be worth legal action. Or the adversary is too well defended. The
rational man forgets it and moves on. The hot-tempered man swears
vengeance at any civil cost as you have done.

Frankly, I'm surprised at you, Richard. This is about unscrupulous
people screwing other people, not about art glass. I gather from
your comments that it would matter only if it involved you and your
interests.

No, you misunderstand. Learn to major in the majors and minor in the
minors. In life's scheme, this is a minor, and you should drop it.
Otherwise, you are straining at gnats. Unhealthy, and unhappy.