Greed or How To Earn Money The Old Fashioned Way (Steal It)

I love what I am selling right now on Ebay, it's real gemstones, good jewelry at cut-rate prices.  I've been pretty lucky going to various auctions and bidding low to get my merchandise.  I put a really reasonable markup, people save quite a bit and everybody is happy.

Except.   Ah, yes, there has always got to be an EXCEPT...

You see I have an Ebay Store (link on side bar) I pay each month for that privilege, I also pay an insertion fee, an extra picture fee - anything you want even a pretty border is an extra fee.  But wait, it's not over....when you finally get your item sold...hell, you have to pay an "end of item fee, a percentage based on the value that you received".  Oh, you say Ebay has to make money too? Sure, but it's still not over...Ebay owns Paypal...people pay by Paypal...they deduct a percentage of whatever the item price is too.  My last monthly "usage" bill just from Ebay was $329.00 -

Now Ebay has decided to "reduce" some of the listing fees. Hooray, right? WRONG!  On the tail end of everything they increased the percentages for the final valuation. Like we sellers aren't capable of doing any math. On one hand you giveth and the other hand you taketh away...people are mad.

There is talk of a boycott of Ebay by certain sellers, people are signing petitions, they are searching for other places to sell their wares. Unfortunately, I do not know of anything that come close to what Ebay has become.  It's a shame that they are killing off the very people that helped make them so huge for all these years.  But money can do that. Greed by all means.

There is more to this than just the money too for the sellers. Ebay has decided to become like Big Brother and police their sellers with a hard hand. I guess they figured since their stock took a dive it must be due to something that we sellers are doing wrong? Idiots.  Well, they've decided to implement a policy where the sellers cannot defend themselves against a bad buyer, and are not to be allowed to warn anyone else about a buyers bad behavior either. The feedback process was supposed to work both ways...so you could judge whether you were dealing with a reputable person or not. Now we will only be "allowed" to leave "good" feedback for buyers only. The buyer on the other hand can leave either. 

I've been on the receiving end of some crazy people out there in Ebay land, where I had postal proof of mailing, and receipt and the people still claimed they did not receive the plants.  Make you a sure bet if I visited their garden I would find a whole dam row of my plants growing now.

They are going to police how fast you mail out, how much you charge for postage (this of course right after the post office raised their rates) what kind of feed back you get and if it isn't good they are going to penalize sellers by not rotating them on promotions to get people to their sites. In other words, when you do a search they will just block out whoever they feel is not up to "par".

Oh, that's a good thing right? Get rid of the rotten apples? No, they are so loose with their reasons...they can do it if you don't have 100% feedback...hell, after 1100 sales dealing with the public I don't have 100%....I'm like 99.3 - folks there are people out there that no matter how nice you treat them they will screw with you. 

I don't know how many of you have bought stuff on Ebay or even sold there, but I feel a little better just venting about it...thank you for bearing with me.

This whole episode is reminiscent of when AOL put the ads up and we had that mass exodus...I don't know how many will leave Ebay...time will tell.

Oh, if any of you need jewelry or plants for J-landers I will discount .20% just let me know.

 

 

 

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_5

Astrology Sort Of

"Let's get this show on the road by telling the Aquarians out there exactly what they want to hear (which, fortunately, also happens to be the whole truth about this sign): You, Aquarius, are one of a kind. Every single Water Bearer is absolutely unique in every possible way -- and there's a very real reason for that. These folks work hard to ensure that they're completely and noticeably different from the crowd. And just in case others don't pick up on it from the way they dress or the jewelry they wear, Aquarians get their point across the moment they voice their opinions. But those opinions, while radical and rebellious, are also somehow completely, totally and inarguably logical. In short, those born under this month's sign are the ultimate observers of humankind, which makes them able to not just understand but also empathize with any and all points of view -- no easy task.

When it comes to relationships, the influence of Aquarius's ruling planet -- unpredictable, freedom-loving Uranus -- is obvious. If you're a Water Bearer yourself, you know you've got a taste for what might gently be called 'the unusual.' (In other words, anyone who's liable to startle your friends and family when you bring them home for Sunday dinner will do just fine.) But before you issue that all-important invitation, there's a very specific list of qualities you run over in your mind: If they're completely different from anyone you've ever known, that's a plus. And if they honestly don't know how to be prejudiced against anyone, in any way, you may well be in love -- and you've certainly found a potential match.

Of course, persuading an Aquarius to give up their precious freedom is a tall order -- but the rewards are well worth the efforts! In short, holding on with an open hand is absolutely the only way to keep things going when you're flirting with unconventionality -- but once Aquarius has found the one, they'll make of their partner not just a lover and a spouse, but also a lifelong best friend." 

Astrology is an interesting thing to study. Oh, I do not believe that one can plot the future or anything like that. However, there are certain quirks to a person's personality that do fall within the parameters of an astrological study.

Take me for instance, I know I do not like feeling fenced in. When someone tells me, " No!", it makes me want to do just the opposite. I also know I am set in my ways, a tad bit stubborn but I do lend an ear and I do listen.

As far as being unique, I don't know about that. I believe each person is unique in their own way - anyway.  I do love meeting new people, hearing their stories, their backgrounds...personal life experiences. I do try not to judge people, unless they hurt me in some way.  I've also heard it told that an Aquarian lives fifty years into the future...I think that's true.  Sci-fi to me isn't make believe but a vision of what the future could become. 

My grandma Sophie was born in 1889...think how many things she witnessed in her life. That was the year that the Statue of Liberty was erected in New York Harbor, she lived in Brooklyn in a cold water flat. The iceman delivered ice for their ice-boxes to keep food fresh.  Electricity was also a new thing, not readily had by the common public.  So oil lamps were the norm. How far we have come.

Yet, if I were to go back in time to her youth, she would have laughed at any suggestion that people would flip a switch for light, plug in a fridge for keeping food fresh, or that we could communicate with lightening speed over a computer.  Sophie would of thought of all of this as science fiction. Walk on the moon anyone?  I love it. I hope I'm around to see what the coming future does hold for mankind....something good I hope.

 

Pumpkin's Meme

Pumpkin's Meme - Who are you?

1.   What is your name?

       Sandi
2.   How old are you?

        Oh, I'll be 64 Tomorrow actually
3.   Where are you from? Originally NY, but I am in Tampa Fl
4.   Do you smoke? No, not good for you
5.   Do you drink?   Only sometimes, red wine
6.   Do you have a family?  Please explain, if yes. Oh yes, I have two sons 41 and 24 and a daughter 39...four beautiful grandaughters and a hubby too.
7.   What are your hobbies? Writing, reading, drawing, jewelry making oh too many things...not enough time
8.   What is your favorite ice cream? Mint Chocolate Chip..yum
9.   What is your favorite animal? As my little picture above shows Siberian Huskies are my most favorite of all.
10.  Do you wear glasses? Yes, I do...since I was 17
11.  What nationality are your ancestors from? Irish/English/German/Greek with a little Scots Irish thrown in..lol. And my kids are 1/2 Japanese with this mixture...
12.  What color is your hair? er...box color is blonde, at this point real color is unknown and probably grey...lol.
13.  What are you wearing now?A kimono style wrap dress
14.  What is your favorite color? black with white touches
15.  What teacher do you remember most from your childhood?My art teacher he was so creative and brought out the best in his students.
16.  What are your pets and their names?Right now we are pet-free and I'm not happy about that. We are seriously going to be looking for a puppy soon.
17.  What is your favorite food?It is a toss up between Greek food and Japanese cooking...impossible to choose.
18.  What is your job?Well, sweetie, because I sort of semi-retired I had to find something to do with myself. Both my hubby and I love gardening and have over 1/2 acre of gardens...so I started an Ebay store and I sell lovely plants and now I am selling really good jewelry at great prices. It's fun to do.  Thank you for all your questions...

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

Glass Is Half Full

Oh, I like fairies, I really want to believe that somewhere in this great universe they exist.   It can't be that I am alone in my feelings about them either, because too many tales have been written about them.

I believe I was done in early in life by watching a Mid Summer's Nite Eve...of course, falling in love with bad boy Puck.  I love fantasy, anything that can remove you from the mundane routine of everyday life.  Reading something that could not possibly happen, yet it takes you away to places that are amazing. I think it brings out the "inner" child in all of us.  Right now I need that.  Why? It's nothing serious just facing another birthday.  This one though makes me think, only because of the song "Will You Still Love Me When I'm Sixty-Four?"

I can remember when that song was very fresh and so was I.  Singing to it, thinking oh lord...sixty-four how old is that!  Oh, how the sins of our youth do come back to haunt us. Trust no one over thirty...got through that pretty well. And somehow mentioning Big Brother in 2008 doesn't have the same impact that it did before 1984.

Oh, well...they are saying that forty is now the "new" thirty...are we all going backwards? Did I miss something here. Being on the edge of the "Boomer" generation do I get a pass to go back to looking like fifty?

What's funny is that I do not feel old. I know I'm slower than I used to be, but I find I laugh more and I take more time to grasp a situation instead of plowing right into it as I used to do. I know I am blessed not to have any really serious health problems and I am grateful for that. If I follow my parents and grandparents in longevity I could still have 30 more birthdays...only time will tell.

I was born on the cusp of Capricorn and Aquarius..January 20th, I've also had to share my day with the President every four years. I tend to think I'm much more Aquarian than Capricorn.

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_4

Oops...I did it Again :)

I do not know what I did, but trying to put that video of Hillary screwed up my comment section, not only that it won't let me back in to fix it....so any of you have any comments....please throw them at me here...be gentle...love, Sandi

Tears on the trail...

   

Well I hope this works, trying to embed a video. The political pundits are making a big hoopla out of the fact that Hillary became "emotional" in New Hampshire.  Well, why not?

She's not human? Can't get damned tired? Especially surrounded by all the horse manure provided by the good ole boy system.

I can understand Obama doing well in the Iowa primary, I do believe that having Oprah on your side contributes tremendously also.  I believe he is a good man, a good politician (hell those two words don't seem to fit together do they?)  My problem with him is that he has very little "real" experience in Washington, and that place is not easy to deal with.  That place has eaten alive many a motivated professional within nano seconds of going "against" the establishment.  He probably would make a good President, in about ten years. But not now.

Not now when we as a nation stand on the very edge of crumbling precipice spiraling downwards at an extremely fast rate of speed.  Our national debt is larger than any nightmare budget thatan accountant could dream of, compliments of the reigning President. Oh, yeah, he was handed a clean plate - debts swept clean by Bill Clinton...it only took him a short while to have us enter this maze of debt.

Our banks are being bought out by foreign interests, the very land that our "landmarks" stand on no longer belong to any American corporation.  Our immigration policies are a joke, if you listen hard enough, you can hear the collective laughter from around the world.  Our dollar is no longer the money to have, the euro is "in".  Even our white collar jobs now are farmed out to India, the Philippines, and only God knows where else. 

Yet, we still have this cowboy mentality that "Hey, we are the guys in the White Hats..the good guys..people should love us". Actually, folks, that is Hollywood hype at it's finest, I love John Wayne riding into the sunset after saving the day too. But this is reality.

We need someone with experience, fortitude, strength under pressure yet able to deal diplomatically. Someone who will put our nations best interests FIRST, not putting the interests of a Haliburton ahead of you and I.

Living in a state where so much political crap has taken place, and my anger over it still has not subsided. Florida now is told that we don't rate having a primary count for anything...the Democratic party is banded from doing any campaigning during the primary race because Florida changed it's voting date or some such total crap. Forgive my use of that word but it's the only thing that fits.  

Eight years ago we were kicked to the curb because of "hanging chads" and ridiculed beyond belief nationally and internationally. It also cost the Democrats the election. If I saw the face of Kathleen Harris one more time I think I was going to throw up. I actually heard someone say that they were thinking of running her for President? Now really folks is that a political pay back for doing what the big boys wanted or what? It is disgusting.

Now, one of the largest states may or may not have delegates at the convention. I think this violates our states constitutional rights...hope someone is doing something about it somewhere.

It's time for change...big time.  Vote Hillary.   Okay I am stepping off my soap box....

Falling Apart

 

These beautiful pictures make me want to write fairy tales...but unfortunately the story that I will write about is no fairy tale.

Brit made the headlines again today. Carried, tied up out of her home and loaded into an ambulance to be taken directly to a "secure" ward in the hospital. Wow, how much more messed up is this girl going to get?

I know she doesn't get any privacy from the press, but it's almost like she goes out of her way to egg them on too. The no panties bit was over the top. Every woman, sometime in her life, has gone commando...but for comfort...not to flaunt it maneuvering out of an auto!

I hope, for her sake, they keep her in there a while, get her head straightened back on. It has to be mood altering drugs doing this, it certainly isn't PMS. To be sure, she's too young for menopause too.

Those little children of hers are going to be affected by all this...they are not just infants anymore. Where is her mind? Oops, it left the building with Elvis.

When my oldest Grandchild was born Brittany was an impressionable cute teenager and she was loved by so many kids. She has not managed that leap from childhood to adult very well...not at all well....

Hope something works this time.

 

 

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_2

Voted Most Annoying

You are probably looking at this entry trying to figure out what am I doing? Well, believe it or not these are all things that are or have been deemed "annoying".  During WWII sailors in Norfolk Virginia were not too well received...this is an authentic sign that was posted on someone's lawn. Guess people were not appreciating the Naval Base too much, my Grandmom told me it was because the sailors chased the neighborhood women...lol. So sailors were annoying.

Now I find the fact that they created a "perfect" replica of a woman in robot form...instead of spending that money to help "real" people like survive cancer!! 

Actually find a cure...think of all the resources that are spent on totally dumb ass,stupid ideas, wars,research on an ant's butt...now that is annoying.  I find it annoying that my (Joe's) Cannas do not bloom like the ones pictured above..,aren't they glorious? Downright annoying.

See the kitty cat relaxing? Well, it's my favorite pose..lol..it also "annoys" my hubby to no end. Favorite recliner, thrown back, soda or coffee...couple of munchies...it's all good. But "annoying" to Joe. lol.

Now people you have to admit the other picture of our current and past El Presidentes has to contain one of them that has annoyed you at some point in their leadership. Come on now, be truthful. I can truthfully say that at some given point all four have been annoying to me on some level. So there I said it. That felt good. Yes, even Jimmy Carter was annoying.

The last one is the poor, poked forever Pillsbury Dough boy...man can you understand why he's armed himself? He's suffering from a condition known as pokeitis...makes you very irritable and ANNOYED!

In ending, I just have to say that voting Rosie O'Donnell "the most annoying" celebrity of the year is funny.  I've found her a refreshing voice in a sea of complacency, one that speaks her mind no matter what it costs her. How many stand up today? Not many. There was an old saying..."Put your money where your mouth is"... she has, the others only talk.  (Yes, Elizabeth I meant you)

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_7

Thoughts On Life

I guess I'm in a quandary right now, lost in introspection rethinking my life and all those around me. I think the grim reaper, that awful spector that we all want to avoid is troubling me.

 

Perhaps I've been too sheltered from the facts of life for too long? My grandparents, on both sides, lived well into their eighties and beyond. Grandma Sophie was born in 1889, the year that the Statue of Liberty was installed in New York Harbor...oh, the sights that she saw in her life time. Coming from a cold water flat, using an actually "ice" box. Her "toaster" was an old fashioned contraption that you fit on top of one of the gas burners to toast your bread..I can close my eyes and I am back there at her kitchen table...waiting for my breakfast...wishing for some faster way to toast!

 

She marveled at the future as I marveled at her past. She lived to be 103 years old...my family gave her a 100 year birthday party with relatives and friends coming from far distances to spend the day with her. She was healthy, in control of her faculties...eyesight was good, only her hearing was gone. But she communicated by writing, speaking and we did the same. With love. My Mom and Dad took very good care of Grandma Sophie and now the circle of life is still turning. My Mom & Dad just moved into a new house with my younger sister and her husband. My brother-in-law deserves a medal for the consideration and gentle way that he treats my parents.

 

It's hard bringing generations together, you definitely have to work at it. Clashes can happen, hell they do happen...but everything has to be tempered with kindness and love. My Mom and Dad have gotten a bit crotchety as they've aged (someone smack me please if I do) and any change such as a move like this is going to be upsetting. This is also on top of my 91 year Dad giving up his driving licence...he has been driving since he was 13 years old. (Didn't need a licence back then).  But, I give him credit for realizing the time had come, his eyesight is not what it was nor are his reflexes agile enough to drive.

 

Anyway, I guess I have come to the conclusion that family is a wonderful thing...I love those who have passed and those in the present...circle of life

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1