I frequent a few websites that profile items that, for whatever reason, shouldn't be on Etsy (but are). They violate the TOUs and, in the case of one website, are just horrific and eye-bleach worthy. On more than one occasion I have found items I was looking at on the websites and, as most blogs also link to the wholesaler catalogue, have been saved from spending money on something I would never have bought had I known the dubious authenticity as either homemade or vintage.
Recently a seller was linked for selling one of those Willow Tree wooden angel ornaments. And that is when it went crazy.
Original Post
It continues into another post.
I thought I had seen it all when I saw a seller, on her professional Twitter, call another seller a "miserable snatch" (between posts advertising her wares and an upcoming sale), but this takes it to a whole new level.
Dear Etsy sellers. Kindly learn to act like professionals.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Going, going....
So B and I are headed to Vancouver Island for three weeks at the beginning of September. We'll be camping right on the ocean (okay, slightly off the ocean and just into the tree line off the beach) in a temperate rainforest, day-hiking, and generally enjoying life away from the city.
I've posted about it on Facebook, getting suggestions on what to bring, and I'm pretty sure 99% of the stuff I post there revolves around me being excited about going. B turns 31 on the trip, and we've booked a sailboat for half a day (obviously with staff, since neither of us knows how to sail) to go whale-watching (it's humpback season in what is normally Orca waters) on the day of his actual birthday.
Then we'll be based out of Victoria for about a week, day tripping around the south portion of the island. I've actually found a great ocean front cabin that we might rent instead of staying in a B&B for that time....maybe I should tell B about that.
In home news....we're going to get rid of our spare bed and turn the second bedroom into a home gym. That is....not really exciting. I know.
Anyway. Time to unpack some of this camping stuff and check it out before I put it in our giant "to take" pile.
I've posted about it on Facebook, getting suggestions on what to bring, and I'm pretty sure 99% of the stuff I post there revolves around me being excited about going. B turns 31 on the trip, and we've booked a sailboat for half a day (obviously with staff, since neither of us knows how to sail) to go whale-watching (it's humpback season in what is normally Orca waters) on the day of his actual birthday.
Then we'll be based out of Victoria for about a week, day tripping around the south portion of the island. I've actually found a great ocean front cabin that we might rent instead of staying in a B&B for that time....maybe I should tell B about that.
In home news....we're going to get rid of our spare bed and turn the second bedroom into a home gym. That is....not really exciting. I know.
Anyway. Time to unpack some of this camping stuff and check it out before I put it in our giant "to take" pile.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Clients and email and cheese, oh my!
My brain wants to write the book I've got mapped out in my head. I can't stop thinking about it. But I don't know how to put it down on paper. It is keeping me up at night.
In actual "getting paid" news...
I am in the middle of developing an inventory process for a client, as well as putting together a sales management application. I received the initial deposit for it earlier in the week and have been steadily taking chunks out of the work ever since.
The consultancy is a nice side gig. It brings in more money than the shopping spy work (which I still do) and gives me good opportunities to put my knowledge to use.
That reminds me, I still need to put together a customer service training module.
In body news...
I don't know what is wrong with my brain, I don't have any answers for it, and all I can do is try and pretend it isn't happening. My brother called me the other night and, until that point, I hadn't realized how very bad it was. I am surrounded by people who sort of get that something is amiss in my grey matter. But my brother, while knowing about it, has never experienced it and wasn't prepared for having to essentially guess what words I wanted to say (but couldn't). I normally end up frustrated mid-conversation and stalk out so I can have a little pity party by myself in the bathroom where I cry and desperately try to remember whatever word I was trying to convey, but I was trying to roll with it. I wasn't fooling either of us. He wound up talking to B later that night (when they both thought I was asleep) trying to figure out how to best help me cope. That made me feel loved.
It hasn't hurt my ability to function though. I deal with my clients mostly via email so I have the ability to open my thesaurus and find whatever word it is I'm looking for that way. I will admit to spending about six full hours trying to find the word that I meant to say when all I could think of was "square bread". That would be crouton, for those of you not fully versed in playing the guessing game. I'm reading more to try and keep my brain active. I don't want to give up on it, so I keep feeding it whatever it will take.
And with that....I should get back to work. Which I will probably skip out on and instead play the Sims for an hour while doing laundry. Same difference, right?
In actual "getting paid" news...
I am in the middle of developing an inventory process for a client, as well as putting together a sales management application. I received the initial deposit for it earlier in the week and have been steadily taking chunks out of the work ever since.
The consultancy is a nice side gig. It brings in more money than the shopping spy work (which I still do) and gives me good opportunities to put my knowledge to use.
That reminds me, I still need to put together a customer service training module.
In body news...
I don't know what is wrong with my brain, I don't have any answers for it, and all I can do is try and pretend it isn't happening. My brother called me the other night and, until that point, I hadn't realized how very bad it was. I am surrounded by people who sort of get that something is amiss in my grey matter. But my brother, while knowing about it, has never experienced it and wasn't prepared for having to essentially guess what words I wanted to say (but couldn't). I normally end up frustrated mid-conversation and stalk out so I can have a little pity party by myself in the bathroom where I cry and desperately try to remember whatever word I was trying to convey, but I was trying to roll with it. I wasn't fooling either of us. He wound up talking to B later that night (when they both thought I was asleep) trying to figure out how to best help me cope. That made me feel loved.
It hasn't hurt my ability to function though. I deal with my clients mostly via email so I have the ability to open my thesaurus and find whatever word it is I'm looking for that way. I will admit to spending about six full hours trying to find the word that I meant to say when all I could think of was "square bread". That would be crouton, for those of you not fully versed in playing the guessing game. I'm reading more to try and keep my brain active. I don't want to give up on it, so I keep feeding it whatever it will take.
And with that....I should get back to work. Which I will probably skip out on and instead play the Sims for an hour while doing laundry. Same difference, right?
Monday, June 22, 2009
So apparently if a pop blogger says something you don't like about your "talent", you can harass him all night at an event show, stalk him afterwards from club to club, and then get your manager to beat him up.
Must be nice to be the Black Eyed Peas.
Must be nice to be the Black Eyed Peas.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Apparently journalism is dead...
Dear Blog,
I know we haven't hung around much lately. I'm not going to lie. I've been on Facebook. I'm really sorry. I will still be using you, but not much has been going on. We'll hang out later, okay?
Love, Me.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
My laundry is trying to maim me.
Yesterday I was hanging clothes up in my closet after pulling them off the rack from air-drying (I'm sure I've told you all how much I love my mini washing machine and drying rack many times, so I'll spare you this once), and I had dropped a hanger on my bed. So I bend over a bit to pick it up and I feel a snap in my lower back. And then a jolt of pain up my spine, then back down it again.
And then I couldn't move.
This is the second time I have done something like this, and the first time it has happened when bending over slightly. I spent five minutes bent over and sobbing because I couldn't push myself up and my lower back was starting to burn even more with the effort of keeping in this half bent limbo. Another five minutes spent trying to stand up straight, and then ten minutes after that attempting to get comfortable in any way possible.
Heat packs, muscle relaxants, pillows shoved into my lower back....I've tried it all. The only time there is non-pain is for a few minutes while standing straight up and walking around. It takes a few minutes for the creakiness to wear off and for my back to adjust to being upright, but then I have a few blissful minutes of being pain-free. Walking around never felt so good. Then, maybe five minutes later, I have to lie back down because it starts to hurt again.
I had been hoping to head to the farmers market today, but I woke up so sore today that even going to the bathroom required a massive military effort. You know those commercials that air late at night that feature those walk-in bathtubs for old people? There is a little chair and you shut the tiny little door after you walk into it? I'd slay for one of those right about now.
The fact that this happened right as the weekend began has NOT gone unnoticed, body. I don't know what your game is, but you clearly didn't want me to pick up any more of that delicious and fresh red pepper and tomato pickled relish at the market again today. WTF? That stuff is AWESOME and I know my stomach enjoyed it and I normally hate relish. Remember when we forced B to drive us to go get smokies and buns just so we could have smokies with this relish on top EVEN THOUGH WE NEVER EAT SAUSAGE-LIKE FOOD (because we like to know what sort of meat went into them and there was that one time we found a medical glove in a breakfast sausage) (seriously, I hadn't eaten a hotdog or a sausage from that point on) (until the other day) (that was about 7 years sausage-free).
In conclusion. Laundry should only be done by trained professionals with serious core strength. I wonder if I could get a doctors note....
And then I couldn't move.
This is the second time I have done something like this, and the first time it has happened when bending over slightly. I spent five minutes bent over and sobbing because I couldn't push myself up and my lower back was starting to burn even more with the effort of keeping in this half bent limbo. Another five minutes spent trying to stand up straight, and then ten minutes after that attempting to get comfortable in any way possible.
Heat packs, muscle relaxants, pillows shoved into my lower back....I've tried it all. The only time there is non-pain is for a few minutes while standing straight up and walking around. It takes a few minutes for the creakiness to wear off and for my back to adjust to being upright, but then I have a few blissful minutes of being pain-free. Walking around never felt so good. Then, maybe five minutes later, I have to lie back down because it starts to hurt again.
I had been hoping to head to the farmers market today, but I woke up so sore today that even going to the bathroom required a massive military effort. You know those commercials that air late at night that feature those walk-in bathtubs for old people? There is a little chair and you shut the tiny little door after you walk into it? I'd slay for one of those right about now.
The fact that this happened right as the weekend began has NOT gone unnoticed, body. I don't know what your game is, but you clearly didn't want me to pick up any more of that delicious and fresh red pepper and tomato pickled relish at the market again today. WTF? That stuff is AWESOME and I know my stomach enjoyed it and I normally hate relish. Remember when we forced B to drive us to go get smokies and buns just so we could have smokies with this relish on top EVEN THOUGH WE NEVER EAT SAUSAGE-LIKE FOOD (because we like to know what sort of meat went into them and there was that one time we found a medical glove in a breakfast sausage) (seriously, I hadn't eaten a hotdog or a sausage from that point on) (until the other day) (that was about 7 years sausage-free).
In conclusion. Laundry should only be done by trained professionals with serious core strength. I wonder if I could get a doctors note....
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Leaving negative feedback.
I have a loving relationship with Etsy. For reals. I adore it. I love the people that create things with their own hands and have the tenacity to make a living from it. I admire it. The fact that I've only had one negative experience my entire time on the site is seriously pressing the odds.
Until this morning.
I received an automated email letting me know that a purchase I made three weeks ago shipped. Today. I expected this to arrive last week! I had been in contact with the seller a number of times before actually making a purchase (mostly due to international shipping requirements), and was led to believe that shipping would occur once payment cleared. The seller even updated the purchase status to "payment received" the same day payment cleared. I received nothing to let me know that this wasn't being sent out, or that there was a delay, and I'm a little irked.
The urge to send a "What the hell?" email to the seller is great. I also noticed that the seller, despite my stating multiple times to use my correct name, shipped it under my no longer valid name. Which means that if I'm not here when they attempt to deliver, I have to bring a metric ton of paperwork to prove who I really am to the depot AN HOUR AWAY FROM ME. Paperwork that has to be recent, which means that I have to PAY FOR COPIES TO BE MADE AGAIN. That involves waiting in lines. Actually, two lines. NEITHER OF WHICH MOVES QUICKLY. And depending if I am bitchy or not to the guy behind the counter at the shipping company, it could drag out. DRAG OUT.
I am frequently bitchy to the guy behind the counter at the shipping company. He knows why.
I don't want to leave negative feedback without consulting the seller first, if it even warrants negative feedback, should I leave neutral feedback instead, and I don't know what on earth the seller could do to rectify the situation at this point and I don't want to be all "Learntoreadandsellproperly" without something to follow it up with. Because I can't adequately type out the sound a raspberry makes and that is pretty much all I have in the way of coherent response.
It'd be nice if said seller spent as much time making sure their business functioned properly as they do pimping themselves out to Etsy-folk.
Which is what I'd say if I didn't have a filter.
Look at me growing as a person! I actually thought about having a filter! I also refuse to go back and ease up on the use of my shift key. Screw that. I can and will bold and hit my shift key without thought to cohesiveness and clarity. You're the readers. You figure it out.
Dudes. My cat is SNORING. It sounds like a mini-whale. Humpback, if I analyze the dialect.
Until this morning.
I received an automated email letting me know that a purchase I made three weeks ago shipped. Today. I expected this to arrive last week! I had been in contact with the seller a number of times before actually making a purchase (mostly due to international shipping requirements), and was led to believe that shipping would occur once payment cleared. The seller even updated the purchase status to "payment received" the same day payment cleared. I received nothing to let me know that this wasn't being sent out, or that there was a delay, and I'm a little irked.
The urge to send a "What the hell?" email to the seller is great. I also noticed that the seller, despite my stating multiple times to use my correct name, shipped it under my no longer valid name. Which means that if I'm not here when they attempt to deliver, I have to bring a metric ton of paperwork to prove who I really am to the depot AN HOUR AWAY FROM ME. Paperwork that has to be recent, which means that I have to PAY FOR COPIES TO BE MADE AGAIN. That involves waiting in lines. Actually, two lines. NEITHER OF WHICH MOVES QUICKLY. And depending if I am bitchy or not to the guy behind the counter at the shipping company, it could drag out. DRAG OUT.
I am frequently bitchy to the guy behind the counter at the shipping company. He knows why.
I don't want to leave negative feedback without consulting the seller first, if it even warrants negative feedback, should I leave neutral feedback instead, and I don't know what on earth the seller could do to rectify the situation at this point and I don't want to be all "Learntoreadandsellproperly" without something to follow it up with. Because I can't adequately type out the sound a raspberry makes and that is pretty much all I have in the way of coherent response.
It'd be nice if said seller spent as much time making sure their business functioned properly as they do pimping themselves out to Etsy-folk.
Which is what I'd say if I didn't have a filter.
Look at me growing as a person! I actually thought about having a filter! I also refuse to go back and ease up on the use of my shift key. Screw that. I can and will bold and hit my shift key without thought to cohesiveness and clarity. You're the readers. You figure it out.
Dudes. My cat is SNORING. It sounds like a mini-whale. Humpback, if I analyze the dialect.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Shut down the ports.
So I'm browsing the local news website (it's my homepage, look how savvy I can be!), and I come across this story. I had to read it because a) I think that people freaking out about this are hilariously uneducated about the world around them and b) I enjoy reading stupid people freaking out post comments equating everything to their hatred of 1) a political party or 2) a regional people which are usually 2a) the native indians or 2b) the french. For reals, Canadians are just as bigoted and xenophobic as the rest of the world....we just hide it better. If any other country knew the level of intolerance that a vast number of Canadians exhibit, their people wouldn't be slapping the maple leaf on their backpacks.
Seriously.
Anyway.
And within the comments (which are usually fucking ridiculous and insane) I find this perfect gem:
"The media has to bring to attention the fact that PEOPLE ARE DYING!!! this is like a communicable form of cancer people!!! If it weren't for the appropriate media response to the PANDEMIC, people coughing in Brazil would have caused the president of Madagscar to shut down everything. If that happened, millions of people would be dying. We all know that when Madagascar shuts everything down, everybody else in the world dies. So please people, keep panicking, it's the only appropriate, rational response to this virus that will kill us all."
I actually woke B up to read this to him. WOKE HIM UP. Now if you'll excuse me.....I'm off to try and kill the citizens of Madagascar with a viral infection with a long incubation time so they don't shut down their fucking ports. One time I SWEAR they were the first country that fell to my pandemic wrath. It was awesome and of course I have no witnesses.
They all died suffering for lengthy amounts of time.
*steeples fingers and laughs maniacally*
Seriously.
Anyway.
And within the comments (which are usually fucking ridiculous and insane) I find this perfect gem:
"The media has to bring to attention the fact that PEOPLE ARE DYING!!! this is like a communicable form of cancer people!!! If it weren't for the appropriate media response to the PANDEMIC, people coughing in Brazil would have caused the president of Madagscar to shut down everything. If that happened, millions of people would be dying. We all know that when Madagascar shuts everything down, everybody else in the world dies. So please people, keep panicking, it's the only appropriate, rational response to this virus that will kill us all."
I actually woke B up to read this to him. WOKE HIM UP. Now if you'll excuse me.....I'm off to try and kill the citizens of Madagascar with a viral infection with a long incubation time so they don't shut down their fucking ports. One time I SWEAR they were the first country that fell to my pandemic wrath. It was awesome and of course I have no witnesses.
They all died suffering for lengthy amounts of time.
*steeples fingers and laughs maniacally*
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Friday, May 01, 2009
Tesla
Alright. If your name is Dan, this is going to sound an awful lot like an email I just sent you, but it will be new to everyone else.
We're seriously considering (B and I, not Dan and I) forking over the $5k refundable deposit for a Tesla Motors Model S, which will begin rolling off the line late 2011 and deliveries begin in early 2012.
If you've known me for even a little bit, you know that I yearn for a Tesla Roadster more than all the tuna sammiches in the world, but these cars.....I think I would need to pull over every few minutes to change my underwear, if you catch my oh-so-subtle drift. Room for 5 adults and 2 children AND two storage compartments (one located where a traditional motor would be). There is storage enough to fit a 50 inch flatscreen in the car WITH passengers. It is enough room and storage to satisfy anyone who lives within the suburbs and says that they could never give up their precious SUV because they make, like, alot of trips a month to Costco. The PR for this vehicle has been that it can fit 7 plus all their luggage. Seriously. I don't know if I believe it, having seen the pictures and comparing it to a station wagon.
B and I sat down and calculated out the cost of gas over a period of time versus upkeep and battery replacement costs (which Tesla says should be around every 5-7 years) and I just don't see why there aren't more people throwing their money at electric cars. Gas prices will continue to rise and I personally, yes PERSONALLY, don't see how anyone will be able to afford to drive a gas vehicle for much longer (that is providing that it isn't already driving them into debt already). $4 for a full charge? Fucking hell. Even without EV commercial infrastructure in place (ie: quick recharge stations - which are being built in a few locations already), this vehicle can power up in most regular outlets with a few modifications.
Yes. 49k for a vehicle is a *lot* of money. Especially since Tesla has been working on a version for less than $30k which should unveil soonish and first generation ANYTHING is generally iffy.
But here is where I am at odds.
Tesla does not operate a mass production facility. And they have to manufacture in small runs because they do not have the capital to manufacture the enough vehicles to meet the sheer demand (multi-year waiting list for the Roadster, fyi) and keep profitable doing so. By investing $5k in a refundable deposit, we are injecting a small amount of capital to aid them in their development. We are also supporting the company in a time that is most critical to all businesses, where the demand exceeds their capacity and the life of the venture depends on the business plan to walk the tightrope. GM has been touting their Volt for a while now, but they are failing to mention just as loudly that the Volt only gets 40 miles to the charge. Tesla cars can get up to 300. 300 miles for $4 bucks. Gasawhatnow?
It is a large investment for us. $5 sunk into something that we don't actually have the funds currently to buy outright (although we could theoretically have the rest of the money saved with serious penny-pinching from rightnow until delivery). But much like Tesla Motors, we have our eyes on the future. And if people are in a position to do so, they should. In any industry and with every venture. We should be thinking of our children.
There are seven places to sit in this vehicle. Seven.
We're seriously considering (B and I, not Dan and I) forking over the $5k refundable deposit for a Tesla Motors Model S, which will begin rolling off the line late 2011 and deliveries begin in early 2012.
If you've known me for even a little bit, you know that I yearn for a Tesla Roadster more than all the tuna sammiches in the world, but these cars.....I think I would need to pull over every few minutes to change my underwear, if you catch my oh-so-subtle drift. Room for 5 adults and 2 children AND two storage compartments (one located where a traditional motor would be). There is storage enough to fit a 50 inch flatscreen in the car WITH passengers. It is enough room and storage to satisfy anyone who lives within the suburbs and says that they could never give up their precious SUV because they make, like, alot of trips a month to Costco. The PR for this vehicle has been that it can fit 7 plus all their luggage. Seriously. I don't know if I believe it, having seen the pictures and comparing it to a station wagon.
B and I sat down and calculated out the cost of gas over a period of time versus upkeep and battery replacement costs (which Tesla says should be around every 5-7 years) and I just don't see why there aren't more people throwing their money at electric cars. Gas prices will continue to rise and I personally, yes PERSONALLY, don't see how anyone will be able to afford to drive a gas vehicle for much longer (that is providing that it isn't already driving them into debt already). $4 for a full charge? Fucking hell. Even without EV commercial infrastructure in place (ie: quick recharge stations - which are being built in a few locations already), this vehicle can power up in most regular outlets with a few modifications.
Yes. 49k for a vehicle is a *lot* of money. Especially since Tesla has been working on a version for less than $30k which should unveil soonish and first generation ANYTHING is generally iffy.
But here is where I am at odds.
Tesla does not operate a mass production facility. And they have to manufacture in small runs because they do not have the capital to manufacture the enough vehicles to meet the sheer demand (multi-year waiting list for the Roadster, fyi) and keep profitable doing so. By investing $5k in a refundable deposit, we are injecting a small amount of capital to aid them in their development. We are also supporting the company in a time that is most critical to all businesses, where the demand exceeds their capacity and the life of the venture depends on the business plan to walk the tightrope. GM has been touting their Volt for a while now, but they are failing to mention just as loudly that the Volt only gets 40 miles to the charge. Tesla cars can get up to 300. 300 miles for $4 bucks. Gasawhatnow?
It is a large investment for us. $5 sunk into something that we don't actually have the funds currently to buy outright (although we could theoretically have the rest of the money saved with serious penny-pinching from rightnow until delivery). But much like Tesla Motors, we have our eyes on the future. And if people are in a position to do so, they should. In any industry and with every venture. We should be thinking of our children.
There are seven places to sit in this vehicle. Seven.
J. Shepard Responds
Eat it, Foxx. While the tag reads stupid people, the stupid people are not Maddow and Shepard. Just for the sake of clarity.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Jonah and Ali, leave your boots at the door.
I can't stop listening to the No Stranger album by Tom Cochrane. The only shame is that the stripped down version of Northern Star that he performed on the tour isn't on the album.
Did I mention before that the only stage element beyond instruments he had was a curtain set up with some incredible lighting to make it look like there was a teepee with the northern lights moving behind it during the *entire show*? Yeah.
I love Tom Cochrane.
Did I mention before that the only stage element beyond instruments he had was a curtain set up with some incredible lighting to make it look like there was a teepee with the northern lights moving behind it during the *entire show*? Yeah.
I love Tom Cochrane.
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