Living In the World, Not on It

That makes it sound like I sat in a dark room, glued to the computer, eyes wide open and affixed to e-bay. In fact, other than Friday's countdown to sharking that incredible crystal point, I hardly looked at e-bay. Most of what I bought fell into the $10 - $15 range. I needed anklets now that I'm wearing skirts so I found a lot of nice, inexpensive anklets that went from $0.99 to $14.99. One was $44.10 but the whole thing is sterling silver and I have a bracelet that matches; I like sets when it comes to jewelry. (I should search for footprint earrings and necklace, too, come to think of it.) I bought seven candles (including the grapefruit rosemary pillar for the uncontested amount of $17.50) and one, the Beanpod Green Tea candle, arrived yesterday and is filling the sun room with its delicious aroma. I won that lovely quartz point, which will come to a great home, along with another rainbow obsidian sphere stand. I can never have too many stands. In fact I need to get more, ...

You cannot believe this staggeringly beautiful crystal! I haven't been on e-bay in some time. There's a reason for this: it is dangerous. I love what can be found on e-bay - it's all there. Movies, bank notes, candles (I'm bidding on what has to be the last Grapefruit Rosemary pillar candle from Illuminations in the world), pens, CDs jewelry (yes!) and of course, crystal balls. This one is not a ball, but it is still amazing. One of my favourites, Crystal Art World, has an amazing quartz crystal point up for bid. I made the mistake of bidding a couple of days ago when it was a mere $14. It is now a mere $66.99 with 30 minutes to go. There have been 19 bids and it will be a miracle if I can shark this sucker out from under the other bidders. There are 8 bidders at this point, and gods know how many are watching. Most of the time I remain a watcher especially when it is a hot ticket item. Malachite is usually a problem - everyone wants it. There happens to be a lovely ma...

We came back to the squad house from a call and on the table was the latest Galls catalog. I started leafing through it while we were chatting. And there on page 53 in the lower corner is Sabre Red Civilian Defense key chains... in black and pink . Seriously? Pink pepper spray? What for? I'm sorry - my pepper spray has to match my outfit. I guess I'll have to go for the black one, since I don't own anything in pink. It gets worse. As I leaf through more pages, I find the plastic disposable handcuffs. Those come in black, blue, orange, pink, red, yellow and grey. When I think about arresting people, I want to be able to offer them options. "What colour would you like to have your handcuffs?" Never say I'm not all about what people want. One can also purchase items that quite frankly I doubt anyone needs to have - such as leg irons. Why does the public need to have the ability to purchase this? Who needs to buy ballistic protection? Does the police department no...

10 Ways You're Getting Ripped Off by Forbes, Edited by Brett Nelson Tuesday, May 18, 2010 provided by Think you're not getting a fair shake? Here's how bad it really is. Economists call them "market inefficiencies"--those periods when the price of something veers from its underlying, inherent value. Consumers on the short end of these misalignments call them rip-offs. We're not talking fraud here, though there's plenty of that going around, too. We're talking about all the ways, within the law, that we allow ourselves to be taken for a ride. Rip-offs imply choice. If there's truly no substitute for a particular good or service, then you'll put up with sticker shock. (Think movie theater snacks and certain life-saving medications.) That's good work for businesses that can get it, but plenty rely on our collective naiveté, distraction, shortsightedness and high stress levels when pushing this flimflam. To be sure, in some cases we know we...

...to blog about. We went to the mall today. I really needed to have my eyebrows waxed (hey, if you did not want to know, why are you reading this?), stop in at Yankee Candle Company and get my eyeglasses adjusted. The wonderful guy at Lens Crafters told me I need new glasses, so I will do that after Boston. He's right. It's been about three years, so I am overdue for them. While in the mall, we saw closed stores (including a wonderful jewelry place - very disappointing) and school displays. And fat people. If you want to see what a fat nation we are, spend ten minutes in any food court of any mall. There were also a million and one teenagers. Ugh. You know I think kids are best when sautéed and I stand by that assertion. Crying kids, whining kids, stubborn kids, pissy looking kids, kids running loose down the hallways, kids yakking away - it was sensory kid overload. There were even two little monsters running loose in the place where I was getting my eyebrows waxed! Who goes ...

Every Thanksgiving is the same, whether we go somewhere or not. When I was little, Thanksgiving was a Grandparents' holiday. I was exchanged at Checkpoint Charlie (The then-lone Howard Jonsons restaurant on Route 80 right at the Delaware Water Gap on the Pennsylvania side) from my mother to my paternal grandparents, Grandma and Pop-pop (usually both grands have funny nicknames, but I wonder if my grandmother would have considered that beneath her dignity. I don't know, and it is unlikely I will ever know, but that sort of fits her. That lasted into my 11th or 12th year, maybe into my midteens. Once my grandmother allowed herself to show anger that I was getting my menstrual cycle, Thanksgiving became the Platt Family sideshow. Just a freaky little behaviour from my grandmother that no one could have predicted. All families have their idiosyncrasies and homegrown weirdnessess, but this was so pervasive that I elected to stay home for every holiday. They'd send gifts, but the...

I'm on the fence about a seller. I had posted on 28 August that there is a Labradorite sphere that I just have to have! I really do - it is huge and gorgeous in only that way that this stone is. I think most people would find it boring but I find it fascinating. I usually gravitate to fluorite and quartz - I like the way you can see into or through it - but there are some stones I love that are much more opaque. Garnet, obsidian, hematite and of course, Labradorite. These all have their own interesting and unique looks. Well, the spheres are wonderful, but I am torn. The seller had sold me three items and one still hasn't arrived. As far as I can tell, it did not even ship. The other two arrived on Monday, when I'd ordered them on Friday. Very fast - faster than I'd expected. And the other thing that has me a little unhappy is the seller's communication. No communication. Most sellers have automatic e-mails that generate when you pay for something, thanking the buye...

It is a grey, rainy, icky, stay-inside-and-read-a-book kind of day. What does one do when down? SHOP! I made a quick foray onto e-bay and started with candles. I love candles and of course I'm heartbroken that Illuminations has closed its doors. Not that I have been able to find some of the really old fragrances like Pear and Wasabi but there was a teeny ray of hope that maybe I could when they still were open. I found a couple of candles under Woodwick (new to me) and White Barn Candle Company, but nothing exciting. I skipped around then, looking briefly at office organisers, DVDs, etc. And then I typed in "crystal". Crystal brought up all sorts of stuff - bowls, jewelry, etc., but I realised that this was too general. So I typed in "flourite", and then got specifically flourite items, but again, most cut into gemstones or jewelry. Ah. So I typed in "flourite balls" and hit gold - or in this case, flourite! I did do some fast shopping - two beautiful ...

I could not believe my eyes when I read that American fashionistas criticised the President - you know, the leader of the free world - on his choice of jeans! Honestly, who cares? Just because you want to give up fashion for comfort, that is up to you. I know I would always go for comfort over looking fash, but I don't bug people who don't. Let's look at the average fashionista. Can you say, "Shallow"? I can. Caring about what the guy running the country - a whole nation and one as big as this - is wearing is just a little ridiculous. Actually, it is completely ridiculous. Absurd. Buy a life if you can't get one. Check ebay! You never know. Someone may be selling theirs at a really good Buy It Now price. So here it is: "Obama On Mom Jeans: 'They're Comfortable' Last week, when President Obama threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the All-Star Game in St. Louis, he was probably more concerned with getting the ball over the plate than with hi...

I am often bamboozled by people, clothing choices and the obsessive need to have the latest, greatest... or even the need to be dressed up. I am a jeans and sweater person, or (even worse), a cargo pants and tight but too casual shirt person. This has been a bone of contention in every company I worked for that had any kind of dress code at all. Imagine what I've been experiencing the last three and half years. I've become used to my husband. As much as Luis will not bend his will for my insane requests (put dirty dishes in the kitchen, put dirty laundry in the bedroom, please don't leave the cereal box open - note that none of the requests are quite what they should be - put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher , put the dirty clothes in the hamper , put the sealed cereal box away in the pantry ), he does acquiesce to my greater knowledge of what colours work with one another. This is a miracle and a boon. It's bad enough that he is the equivalent of a 14-year-old (immat...

Where is your cell phone? It is sitting ignored in my bag. Your significant other? He is laying ignored in bed... Your hair? Dark brown with a lot of dark red/burgundy Your mother? Bedridden. Or did you mean hair colour? It would be completely white but she has it dyed. Your father? Bald, like my husband, who is laying in bed ignored... Your favorite thing? My iPod, what else? Maybe my camera... it is a toss-up... Your dream last night? You know, I did have a weird one. I was dreaming about our Major Medical changes, but also about driving the ambulance and I was turning around via a jug handle on Route 80 and my right knee kept banging against something that was sharp and cutting up the skin. I awoke to find the cat sticking her claws under the blanking and clawing up my right knee! Your favorite drink? Room temperature water with cran-each flavour in it. Your dream/goal? To be happy... which I am! What room are you in? I'm in the living room, listening to Spock vs. Q on my iPod....

I'm catching up on our Wife Swap recordings. I'm watching the epiode Burroughs/Padovan-Hickman one that aired on 17 April 2009. The one I watched just before was really quite satisfying - the families both learned a lot and seemed to really take it to heart. This one, however, is back to the familiar mold of putting families that are so totally diametrically opposite families together that they almost can't get along. This is interesting, though, because the Padovan-Hickmans have electricity but don't use it, don't flush often, go for a week without showering and then the whole family uses the same bathwater... I can see where that would be hard, especially for me in that I have very oily skin and hair and would look rather wretched after the next day. But the family themselves are very likable and fun, the father looks more like a kindly grandfather, but really is quite intelligent and pleasant. I would have trouble with the clean thing and I'd miss my iPod ...

Dear Chadwicks, I am writing to you in regards to your catalogue of late April 2009. Just a few small pointers. When selling clothes to "women", the nice way that the clothing industry sizes "plus-sized" women, you might want to show a plus-sized woman in your ultra slim tummy-control pants (pages 24 and 25). Show us - in this case, your target audience, how it slims and controls the tummy. The size 0 or 2 woman wearing those pants is not a selling point. Take it from a plus-sized woman, this is not convincing. I will admit that I plan to purchase some. However, if I did not work for a private club I'd never crawl out of my EMT pants or jeans. It is your good fortune that I work for a place that demands I look at least semi-presentable fashion. This is a wonderful job, so I grudgingly agree to it. These pants come in my size and look more than semi-presentable. But even so, this is a good suggestion. Fat women don't respond to skinny women selling tummy-con...

How often do I want to blog weekly about a show? So far, though, I think I have had something to say about most of the episodes. And I have never been a fan of Donald Trump - there is no denying his prowess as a business man, however, tycoons rarely appeal to me and his employment practices where the show is concerned bother me. Yes, I know... it makes better television and apparently the normal employment laws don't quite apply to this sort of thing. Still... I've posted "Just Fire Dennis Rodman Already" (30 March) and "Celebrity Apprentice 2009" (20 March) - I thought I had said more, but apparently not. I'd thought I had posted about the wedding dress episode but I don't see anything. Well, onto the last airing (Sunday, 5 April, 2100)... Clint Black and Melissa Rivers faced off as team leaders in the last episode, entitled "Trump Makes a Surprising Decision". They have the rather unenviable task of developing a "viral video", ...

Springtime is here, and with spring comes mass insanity for me where work is concerned. So much so that there is little time for casual reading. So this morning, my first completely inactive morning in ages, I am just sitting around, listening to my iPod playing Slainte Math by Marillion, and looking through some older issues of People while (now) blogging. This one is not too old - the 30 March issue with Natasha Richardson on the cover. Oh, now... that is a topic worth blogging about. Here is something that hits close to home for those in the emergency services. I'm always telling people to go to the hospital to go get checked out - even if it seems minor. If someone called 9-1-1, it was not major to them at that time. And Natasha Richardson, had she not refused medical care, might have lived. In her case, it seems a very strong likelihood that she would have survived. And now, three weeks later, all kinds of blame is being assigned to different things by the survivors. I guess ...

Saturday 9: Letting the Sparks Fly 1. Where would you go if you wanted to spark your creativity? I can do that anywhere. There is always something to write about, you know. 2. What would be one thing that would embarrass you a great deal? Um... showing up naked in a classroom? Haven't you ever had that nightmare? So weird and completely disconcerting. 3. What values did your parents instill in you? Many of them, but honesty and being true to yourself is high on the list. 4. What’s a fad of your teen years that you remember well? From the 1980s? Good gods... too many! Big hair is the worst. I did not go for that. 5. What is your favorite breakfast? Salt bagel, lightly buttered with hot Lady Grey or Ceylon tea. 6. What is the best birthday gift that you have received? Ooooohhh, I don't know... that is a tough one. Oh, wait! This laptop! This by and far gets the most use. 7. What gadget could you not live without? Well, that is too easy - my iPod! 8. Do you collect anything? Oh, w...

OK, I’m a bit late with today’s Saturday six, I’ve had quite a hectic day anyhow without further ado here it is the new Saturday Six and continuing with the new themes for the Saturday Six this weeks theme is relationships. As usual you can either answer the questions here or copy the questions on to your blog with a link back here (and leave a link in the comments). Are you in a relationship? Yes, I am. Many, but I assume that in this case you are asking about a sexual/romantic relationship. I only have one of those. How long for? We will have our 19 year anniversary on 22 March. Next year will be a biggie for us. I remember how people say things like our anniversaries aren't real because we are not legally married, but I'll tell you honestly that we've seen a lot of couples get married, and almost as many get divorced. It's easy to critisize us for our choices but not so easy to have the relationship we have. If you were to go out with a friend of the opposite sex wou...

I have lots of "cheep" - Luis might even say "cheeps". But I love the sheep! They are really neat! I can't help it if I think they are neat. Not that there aren't many things I don't like. But the sheep are really soft and cute and come in great colours. And sizes... did I mention sizes? I saw the little sheep and the midsize ones. I bought two small ones, then ordered two of the big ones online. I saw a giant one in the mall store and told Luis he has to get me one! He did not... so I went hunting on e-bay, and found the mondo-sheep along with the tiny pink one and got them from a really great seller (OKINeedThat) and got a good deal onthem. And look how gargantuan this sheep is! It is three feet long and at least two and half feet high. I love it and while Luis doesn't get it, he gets that I like them. He finds it amusing to throw them at the cat. The cat, on the other hand, enjoys laying on them. She finds them as soft and cuddle as I do, and pref...

I went onto e-bay yesterday at my parents' house to check on a couple of items and then, out of sheer boredom, began looking for other good buys. I'm always on the lookout for older, outdated flavours that I would still buy from the stores if they carried them. Then I found these! Saying I'm delighted would be an understatement. And I knew - knew - what an amazing deal 3 of these candles at 40 pus shipping was. With just 19.5 hours to go, I figured I'd put a bid in, expecially as no one had put anything in to date. In five minutes, four more bids showed up - from the same person. One person jumped on this - either s/he had been watching it all along or s/he'd been on and found it just as I had. So that bidder missed the first two on this one - I had opened the bid at $45 - and on the third, the price showed as $46. I was looking at this when Ray asked me questions about bidding and how it works. So I showed him by putting in a bid for $47, which still showed as out...

I love the Bath& Body Works Sheep! Luis refers to them as "cheep", as though pronouncing it with a Spanish accent. I have lots of 'em already but now I am getting the mondo-sized sheep. Yahoo! I found it on e-bay and struck a deal. And she's really nice: "Hi Ash! Wonderful; $170.00 for the mondo cream sheep and a small 6" x 9" pink body sheep it is! The shipping calculator should show the correct shipping price as $24.70 if it does not just let me know. I first saw the huge sheep in ONE store in my area... it is the only one that every has the unique items. I loved them and really wanted one of each for myself... black and cream!!... HI, MY NAME IS PAM AND I'M A LAMBIE ADDICT... Well, I waited about three weeks and went back to the store to do some shopping and they were gone!!! I thought I would cry... until one of the managers said they expected some in later that day so I left her my number for her to call me. I live about 45 minutes away fro...