Of course it will be more than a dozen, so here's the trainofthought about my life and what I'm thinking about...
•Jake heading off to school in Southern CA
•Making sure his car is running right how much will THAT cost?
•Angela's birthday dinner went smoothly...we had a fight that day but were
so in sync that it took only an email or two to right it
•I'm tired every night by 11pm from working my regular job and
working the online sales
•I'm not playing enough tennis...have I lost or gained weight? I find out
tomorrow at weightwatchers...
•Stephanie will lend us her car while she's off to Carnegie Mellon
teaching for the Fall Semester...woo hoo...
•There's money in the bank...
•My Peet's job is going smoothly...falling into a nice pattern there
•Haven't bought any new comics collections lately...where are they?
•I need to have sex...sometime in the next six months would be swell
•New TV soon...soon...soon...
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
It's July 3rd; Freedom In Australia!
Yes...yes...eBay has been foiled in Australia from requiring that payments to sellers from buyers in that country ONLY be made through Paypal. The general sense in the Australian eBay community of sellers is, from the conventional wisdom I've scanned, to be quite happy with the outcome.
If this policy had passed muster with the Australian government's financial PTB, Aussies would not be able to pay in cash or check or money order--only Paypal (which is a proprietary online financial system owned by eBay).
Thank gawd.
eBay having had its policy 'run out on the rails' bodes well for trying the same trick here in the US or other countries where it's presence is strong. Another fine example of a big loudmouth corporation getting a just come-uppance.
If this policy had passed muster with the Australian government's financial PTB, Aussies would not be able to pay in cash or check or money order--only Paypal (which is a proprietary online financial system owned by eBay).
Thank gawd.
eBay having had its policy 'run out on the rails' bodes well for trying the same trick here in the US or other countries where it's presence is strong. Another fine example of a big loudmouth corporation getting a just come-uppance.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
What is Entertainment Value?
Being that I'm a comic book seller, and graphic novel and trade paperback seller, I have a general notion of the resell price of most media out there. But for simplicity's sake, let's talk about something I have NO real knowledge about and so I can pontificate as a 'regular guy'.
Movies. Live ones at the theatre, I find myself going less and less these days. Why? Mostly my wife-- every couple of weeks, usually mid-Friday night she'll get the notion to have us go see a movie. I say sure, you do the moviefone thing, and tell me what you like. Nine times out of ten she can't find anything she thinks is worth the price of a $9-10 ticket times two, a couple of bucks for parking, or $10 on junk food. Call it $35 for the two of us to be easy--and we pass.
Is this because we are both over 50 years old? Have we seen it all? Are we jaded? Who knows?
Now, it's not that we're unhip or anything--we're both online regularly, we both use iPhones, and we have the choice of media on our tv sets, our laptops, and for godsakes..now our iPhones! But is the media worth it? On iTunes, for instance, Apocalypto that Mel Gibson flick is $15.00. Would I watch it on my little iPhone for $15.00?
I could rent it for $4-5, right? Or I could rent it right in my home for $4 and not even go to the videostore.
Hmmm...now that I think of it--maybe I am jaded. Agghh. I just think--for a movie that I'd view once or twice, I'd be willing to pay $4-5. Having been a collector of comics for many years, I understand how folks like to collect--and I make money at it thankfully. Still, I have a non-collector's view about entertainment, be it a movie, news, a comic book, or a novel. I want it cheap because, much like the newspaper, once I've read it, I'm totally done with it.
DONE. With it.
I DON'T need dozens or hundreds of DVDs or video cassettes up on my shelf, viewed once or twice for the most part. I certainly don't need 20,000 comic books that I've read once...and may never read again--up...in half of my bedroom.
So--short answer here is this one: media should be cheap and disposable. Or capable of recycled. I buy novels in hardback and read them, then put them on Amazon. Yah, I lose money, but I get a little bit back.
C
Movies. Live ones at the theatre, I find myself going less and less these days. Why? Mostly my wife-- every couple of weeks, usually mid-Friday night she'll get the notion to have us go see a movie. I say sure, you do the moviefone thing, and tell me what you like. Nine times out of ten she can't find anything she thinks is worth the price of a $9-10 ticket times two, a couple of bucks for parking, or $10 on junk food. Call it $35 for the two of us to be easy--and we pass.
Is this because we are both over 50 years old? Have we seen it all? Are we jaded? Who knows?
Now, it's not that we're unhip or anything--we're both online regularly, we both use iPhones, and we have the choice of media on our tv sets, our laptops, and for godsakes..now our iPhones! But is the media worth it? On iTunes, for instance, Apocalypto that Mel Gibson flick is $15.00. Would I watch it on my little iPhone for $15.00?
I could rent it for $4-5, right? Or I could rent it right in my home for $4 and not even go to the videostore.
Hmmm...now that I think of it--maybe I am jaded. Agghh. I just think--for a movie that I'd view once or twice, I'd be willing to pay $4-5. Having been a collector of comics for many years, I understand how folks like to collect--and I make money at it thankfully. Still, I have a non-collector's view about entertainment, be it a movie, news, a comic book, or a novel. I want it cheap because, much like the newspaper, once I've read it, I'm totally done with it.
DONE. With it.
I DON'T need dozens or hundreds of DVDs or video cassettes up on my shelf, viewed once or twice for the most part. I certainly don't need 20,000 comic books that I've read once...and may never read again--up...in half of my bedroom.
So--short answer here is this one: media should be cheap and disposable. Or capable of recycled. I buy novels in hardback and read them, then put them on Amazon. Yah, I lose money, but I get a little bit back.
C
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
The Secret World of Pain==Andropause
Yeah, whatever.
Last couple of days I've been 'off' a bit, you know? A general malaise of the blues with no specific one thing making me any sadder than usual. A lot of my angst seems to center around what I've done with my life and what I'm currently doing with it-- those dreams of my younger self and the reality of that 54-year-old's life.
So--is it andropause, the male equivalent of menopause? Jeez, who can say? Ordinarily I'm a fairly upbeat guy, with positive thoughts and outlook, but more and more, now into my 50s, I'm feeling like an 'adult' with all that it carries in terms of responsibility. I've got a good paying job--which is stressful--I've got a GREAT part-time, self-employed gig which is satisfying on many levels--but the time together is making even that a bit stressful--but at least my family life at home is smooth with a wife and son and mother who love and care about me. That's something; perhaps my greatest accomplishment to consider when I'm moldering in my grave---or will I just be cremated? Haven't decided.
Next topic... iPhone!
Ahh, that such a tiny little device could bring such odd, technolustful joy. Phone is cool, check the weather, get driving directions, listen to music, watch videos, send texts, take pictures, see maps, surf the effing web, check email...anywhere.
ANY-FUCKING-WHERE!! (pant pant)
Last couple of days I've been 'off' a bit, you know? A general malaise of the blues with no specific one thing making me any sadder than usual. A lot of my angst seems to center around what I've done with my life and what I'm currently doing with it-- those dreams of my younger self and the reality of that 54-year-old's life.
So--is it andropause, the male equivalent of menopause? Jeez, who can say? Ordinarily I'm a fairly upbeat guy, with positive thoughts and outlook, but more and more, now into my 50s, I'm feeling like an 'adult' with all that it carries in terms of responsibility. I've got a good paying job--which is stressful--I've got a GREAT part-time, self-employed gig which is satisfying on many levels--but the time together is making even that a bit stressful--but at least my family life at home is smooth with a wife and son and mother who love and care about me. That's something; perhaps my greatest accomplishment to consider when I'm moldering in my grave---or will I just be cremated? Haven't decided.
Next topic... iPhone!
Ahh, that such a tiny little device could bring such odd, technolustful joy. Phone is cool, check the weather, get driving directions, listen to music, watch videos, send texts, take pictures, see maps, surf the effing web, check email...anywhere.
ANY-FUCKING-WHERE!! (pant pant)
Monday, September 10, 2007
What I'm Thinking About Today
I dreamed last night that my company asked me to place dirty bombs in certain retail accounts of mine.
(shudder)
This had me tossing and turning enough of the night that I feel like I've moved toward a supporting rolein a zombie flick this morning.
Last night my wife at 1215am announced to me that she'd just ripped her first DVD movie onto the iPhone. My response was a wall-shaking, wet fart two minutes later that she heard in the next room. "Was that YOU?" she shakily queried, nearly dropping her iPhone.
"Just ripping my own CD," I told her.
So, yes, there are still laughs in our life--thank God.
Still, I was talking about angst. 'Angst'. Some online dick says, 'A feeling of anxiety or apprehension often accompanied by depression.' That works, sure. Dropping dirtybombs on under-performing accounts might qualify easily as some warning sign. Regardless, I woke up in an odd state; feeling a miasma of pointlessness to life, tired of its repetitiveness and sameness (as far as my work goes). Is this andropause; the feared 'male menopause'? Aggh, it could be. I don't often suffer from feelings of depression or the blues, as more often than not I'm able to pull myself out of it in a relatively short time.
Oh, hell. Nothing more this time around. Short one, eh?
(shudder)
This had me tossing and turning enough of the night that I feel like I've moved toward a supporting rolein a zombie flick this morning.
Last night my wife at 1215am announced to me that she'd just ripped her first DVD movie onto the iPhone. My response was a wall-shaking, wet fart two minutes later that she heard in the next room. "Was that YOU?" she shakily queried, nearly dropping her iPhone.
"Just ripping my own CD," I told her.
So, yes, there are still laughs in our life--thank God.
Still, I was talking about angst. 'Angst'. Some online dick says, 'A feeling of anxiety or apprehension often accompanied by depression.' That works, sure. Dropping dirtybombs on under-performing accounts might qualify easily as some warning sign. Regardless, I woke up in an odd state; feeling a miasma of pointlessness to life, tired of its repetitiveness and sameness (as far as my work goes). Is this andropause; the feared 'male menopause'? Aggh, it could be. I don't often suffer from feelings of depression or the blues, as more often than not I'm able to pull myself out of it in a relatively short time.
Oh, hell. Nothing more this time around. Short one, eh?
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Bought an iPhone--no, wait! TWO iPhones!!
I admit that I had no hardon going for the iPhone, despite being a regular Mac user. My wife was in technolust, though--yet at $500 for the basic 4GB unit and $600 for 8GB, a purchase wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. Of course, 'soon' is a relative term, isn't it?
Moreover, my wife mentioned to me in no uncertain terms that if I bought one for myself, that she'd immediately put the hammer down to me about my credit card responsibilities, that we shouldn't indulge ourselves, and that there was no way in Hell that she would allow me to keep it wthout knowing her dismay, ire, etc., well, you get it. So when I got the urge (and the cash) to go ahead and get one, I had a problem. What would be the solution?
Simple: I bought two iPhones.
One for her and one for me. If she insisted that it was an indulgence, the answer was simple--they'd both go back.
Like THAT would happen.
So now we both have the devices and we love them. Great fun, excellent manufacturing and engineering and all that. But--but--well, there's always a but: ATT service.
$20 for a data service package each month. OK, not too bad, but what about the folks who just want the iPhone, an iPod, and the cool factor? No such luck--you NEED the dataservice plan--even for voicemail! Yes, there's something called 'visual voicemail' that REQUIRES the data service package. Now, on balance, I wouldn't mind--and don't mind so much--paying the $20 data package service but to have to have the data service in tandem with basic voicemail services--it's kinda like...like blackmail.
Yah, blackmail. You can have the phone, you can have basic call and receive calls, but if you want voicemail, you gotta pay $20 a month. This. Fricking. SUCKS. It does NOTHING to ingratiate ATT with me, and I've been with the company for nearly ten years and have had increasingly more complaints about the company every year. Just little things, mind you--but now, with the iPhone now, well--if it weren't for the iPhone being tied to them, I'm not sure I'd stick with them at all. And just on general principles.
More and more it seems that large corporations are STICKING it to the consumer in little, inane, or horrific ways. I don't like the trend, not at all.
But the iPhone is pretty awesome, I must admit. Going online in the middle of the day to check email from work or for personal--to check movie listings? Directions to some address? You can do most anything electronic with this marvel, and it's SO COOL...
Chris
Moreover, my wife mentioned to me in no uncertain terms that if I bought one for myself, that she'd immediately put the hammer down to me about my credit card responsibilities, that we shouldn't indulge ourselves, and that there was no way in Hell that she would allow me to keep it wthout knowing her dismay, ire, etc., well, you get it. So when I got the urge (and the cash) to go ahead and get one, I had a problem. What would be the solution?
Simple: I bought two iPhones.
One for her and one for me. If she insisted that it was an indulgence, the answer was simple--they'd both go back.
Like THAT would happen.
So now we both have the devices and we love them. Great fun, excellent manufacturing and engineering and all that. But--but--well, there's always a but: ATT service.
$20 for a data service package each month. OK, not too bad, but what about the folks who just want the iPhone, an iPod, and the cool factor? No such luck--you NEED the dataservice plan--even for voicemail! Yes, there's something called 'visual voicemail' that REQUIRES the data service package. Now, on balance, I wouldn't mind--and don't mind so much--paying the $20 data package service but to have to have the data service in tandem with basic voicemail services--it's kinda like...like blackmail.
Yah, blackmail. You can have the phone, you can have basic call and receive calls, but if you want voicemail, you gotta pay $20 a month. This. Fricking. SUCKS. It does NOTHING to ingratiate ATT with me, and I've been with the company for nearly ten years and have had increasingly more complaints about the company every year. Just little things, mind you--but now, with the iPhone now, well--if it weren't for the iPhone being tied to them, I'm not sure I'd stick with them at all. And just on general principles.
More and more it seems that large corporations are STICKING it to the consumer in little, inane, or horrific ways. I don't like the trend, not at all.
But the iPhone is pretty awesome, I must admit. Going online in the middle of the day to check email from work or for personal--to check movie listings? Directions to some address? You can do most anything electronic with this marvel, and it's SO COOL...
Chris
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Customer Service...what a bitch!
Oh, no gender implications in that. Really!
So, it turns out that a fellow who named himself after a famous comic book dog for his eBay moniker ID emails me, then phones me, to complain that of the several items that he had ordered, only one had arrived. Where were the other items? And having heard that my son was helping me to manage fulfillment, proceeded to question my son's reading ability, and then demand that the remaining items be shipped to him OVERNIGHT in a fevered cell phone message.
Now, I've been selling on eBay for a number of years now, and have been moderately successful at it. My sales have increased comfortably over the years, doubling at one point a couple of years ago, and now...this summer I'm finding that sales are getting close to doubling again. Which is great, though it puts demands on my time, and given that I have a regular full-time job to hold fast to, the increased business, while delightful, has also proven to be a bit stressful, as well. So, I hired my son to assist me in fulfillment each week. He gets paid a handy sum per hour in cash, and I'm freed up to do other things in my online business.
And along comes ol' 'Ace' here--complaining of my poor service, demanding immediate fulfillment, and in essence insulting my son for his poor performance. What would YOU do?
Yet...here's the capper: it wasn't my son. It was MY error, from the word go. All on me. I admit as much to my unhappy customer, still in a fairly calm manner tinged with only the barest measure of sarcasm (I AM a good writer, remember), and his response to me was that...
'If you bother to look at you paid invoices. You would see a multi sale. This
is what it looks like. There are NO EXCUSES....
and then...
'After reading an invoice I do not understand the "oversight"
PLEASE SEND ME THE OVERNIGHT CONFERMATION # & TRACKING #
The only book I did receive is 223...
'If I receive the comics on MONDAY it would have taken a MONTH to complete
the order. How is that reasonable. '.
Hmm. So, here's the thing. In most every way, it's completely understandable that he's upset, and that taking a month for all the items to arrive is certainly not reasonable. Points to him for all this. A mistake was made, and he bore the suffering of having to wait.
I'm going to send his books out to him on Monday and pay either Priority Mail (a week to deliver) or, if I'm feeling particularly generous and stupid at the same time, I may send them overnight. Which will be about $36 vs $9 for Priority Mail. I'm really undecided on this--but the 'thing' remains--
He was a total dick about it.
So--yeah, I'm going to OVERNIGHT the books to him, and only because under the circumstances it's the 'right' thing to do-- but the guy is STILL a dick and I'm going to remove him from ever ordering from me again on eBay. I don't need this aggravation, and prefer the multitude of my customers who, generally, are nice and patient with my occasional errors. Yeah, I'm not perfect and I tend to broadcast that fact to whomever will listen. And if I screw up, I'll go that extra few kilometers to make things right again--but I swear, if you start insulting my son, act like an asshole, and generally come across like a demanding !@#$, how far do you think that'll take you in this world? A series of pyrrhic victories as you browbeat your way through the world.
What remains is the issue of feedback. The guy's not happy, and his books are going to be way late, so I risk getting a pile of negative feedback from this fellow, ol'... 'Ace' as I call him, referring to his seeming attachment to Batman's faithful canine friend. Well, whatever. If he negs me, he negs me, and he runs the risk of my own ire should I choose to respond to his negs with my own.
Still, that's plainly NOT fair--and I don't play that game. The best I might feel compelled to do would give him some NEUTRALS, just for the attitude. That's probably not fair, either. Jeezis!!
Anyone know a good therapist?
So, it turns out that a fellow who named himself after a famous comic book dog for his eBay moniker ID emails me, then phones me, to complain that of the several items that he had ordered, only one had arrived. Where were the other items? And having heard that my son was helping me to manage fulfillment, proceeded to question my son's reading ability, and then demand that the remaining items be shipped to him OVERNIGHT in a fevered cell phone message.
Now, I've been selling on eBay for a number of years now, and have been moderately successful at it. My sales have increased comfortably over the years, doubling at one point a couple of years ago, and now...this summer I'm finding that sales are getting close to doubling again. Which is great, though it puts demands on my time, and given that I have a regular full-time job to hold fast to, the increased business, while delightful, has also proven to be a bit stressful, as well. So, I hired my son to assist me in fulfillment each week. He gets paid a handy sum per hour in cash, and I'm freed up to do other things in my online business.
And along comes ol' 'Ace' here--complaining of my poor service, demanding immediate fulfillment, and in essence insulting my son for his poor performance. What would YOU do?
Yet...here's the capper: it wasn't my son. It was MY error, from the word go. All on me. I admit as much to my unhappy customer, still in a fairly calm manner tinged with only the barest measure of sarcasm (I AM a good writer, remember), and his response to me was that...
'If you bother to look at you paid invoices. You would see a multi sale. This
is what it looks like. There are NO EXCUSES....
and then...
'After reading an invoice I do not understand the "oversight"
PLEASE SEND ME THE OVERNIGHT CONFERMATION # & TRACKING #
The only book I did receive is 223...
'If I receive the comics on MONDAY it would have taken a MONTH to complete
the order. How is that reasonable. '.
Hmm. So, here's the thing. In most every way, it's completely understandable that he's upset, and that taking a month for all the items to arrive is certainly not reasonable. Points to him for all this. A mistake was made, and he bore the suffering of having to wait.
I'm going to send his books out to him on Monday and pay either Priority Mail (a week to deliver) or, if I'm feeling particularly generous and stupid at the same time, I may send them overnight. Which will be about $36 vs $9 for Priority Mail. I'm really undecided on this--but the 'thing' remains--
He was a total dick about it.
So--yeah, I'm going to OVERNIGHT the books to him, and only because under the circumstances it's the 'right' thing to do-- but the guy is STILL a dick and I'm going to remove him from ever ordering from me again on eBay. I don't need this aggravation, and prefer the multitude of my customers who, generally, are nice and patient with my occasional errors. Yeah, I'm not perfect and I tend to broadcast that fact to whomever will listen. And if I screw up, I'll go that extra few kilometers to make things right again--but I swear, if you start insulting my son, act like an asshole, and generally come across like a demanding !@#$, how far do you think that'll take you in this world? A series of pyrrhic victories as you browbeat your way through the world.
What remains is the issue of feedback. The guy's not happy, and his books are going to be way late, so I risk getting a pile of negative feedback from this fellow, ol'... 'Ace' as I call him, referring to his seeming attachment to Batman's faithful canine friend. Well, whatever. If he negs me, he negs me, and he runs the risk of my own ire should I choose to respond to his negs with my own.
Still, that's plainly NOT fair--and I don't play that game. The best I might feel compelled to do would give him some NEUTRALS, just for the attitude. That's probably not fair, either. Jeezis!!
Anyone know a good therapist?
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