EBay Feedback.....What is the Deal?!?!

Now tell me if I am way off base here.

I buy something from EBay and I pay with Paypal with 30 minuets. Should I not expect positive feedback right away? Should I have to wait until I post feedback for the seller before I get my feedback? I say NO, as resounding NO!

I call it "Holding my Feedback Hostage". They will not post you positive feedback as a buyer until you leave positive for them, they are in essence refusing you your rightful Positive Feedback until they see what you give them. Their product may be broken, not as described, wrong item or very slow shipping, but if you want you positive feedback you must post positive for them or they will give you nothing.

Right now I have about thirty paid for auctions, all paid for right away, but I only have feedback for about nine of them. This is total bullshit.

Today I had a seller send me a request for positive feedback on a item I paid for on the 29th of January. He has still not left me feedback, so this is what I sent to him.

"Well let me see. I paid on the 29th of Jan and you have still not left me feedback. I paid you promptly, so you should have left positive feedback, you did not. So why the hell are you asking for feedback from me? I am not sure I understand. I would have left you positive feedback as you shipped very promptly, buy not receiving feedback from you has left me sour."

I hope that he will get he point here. If I pay quickly, I should get positive feedback right away, and if I do not, you will get Negative or none from me.

JMHO

It's My Eighth Wedding Anniversery

Eight years ago I married a young women, the sister of a friend of mine. She was going through a divorce and I was looking for a wife, funny how that works. I saw her hang around with my friend and when I asked about her he offered to hook me up with her. A few dozen dates and a divorce later we were married on February, 2nd 2002. Yes, 02/02/02, she has a thing for numbers.

I was almost forty and did not know what to expect as I had be single most of my life. A few girlfriends here and there, but nothing serious. Now I was married and had a kid on the way. I was blessed and did not know what I had done to deserve it.

Now eight years later, we are still going strong. It is weird, we seem to compliment each other. I will be thinking of something and she will ask about it. Like she was reading my mind. They say there is a soul mate out there for each of us, I was lucky to find mine.

So here is to Suzy, my loving wife. I look to many, many more years to come.

Thank You.

Do you know what TEOTWAWKI is?

TEOTWAWKI - The End Of The World As We Know It. This is an acronym that I recently discovered. It means what life is going to be like after a major disaster, man made or otherwise. With 2012 coming and the world the way it is I have looked into perhaps preparing for the worst. I am not talking about building a fallout shelter in the middle of nowhere, but perhaps just being cautious and having things ready in case we should need to leave town quickly.

So I have started to put together what is commonly referred to as a Bug Out Bag, or Get Out of Town Bag. It has simple items in it that you would not commonly think of as survival gear. Warm dry clothes, personal hygiene products, food and most important WATER! It will also have medical supplies and some other survival gear and it will all fit in a small backpack, sitting in the garage, ready to be grabbed and tossed into the back of the car and off you go.

It is a little piece of mind, nothing too radical. I have heard of a lot of folks starting to do this. It is simple and when you need to leave in a hurry you do not want to be running around the house looking for stuff. Another way to do it is to get a large trash can, like one you might have in the garage and fill it with the stuff you might need for a family of four for 96 hours. You could also do it with 3 or 4 five gallon buckets with lids. This way each family member can grab their can and get going.

I may go as far as setting up four individual buckets for each of us and one backpack with the common stuff, IE survival gear and medical supplies. You can find out more by Googling Bug out Bags.

I hope it does not come to it, but I for one will sleep better knowing we have the means to get out of town quick if something should go wrong. I have heard it said that civilization hangs by a thread at all times. We can see that this is true and you only have to look at what happened in New Orleans. One disaster and it was total anarchy, every man for himself, with reports of Police even abandoning their jobs to save themselves. You will not be able to count on anyone but yourself so be prepared, you will be the one responsible for protecting your family.

Another thing to think about is your health. I mean right now. How are your teeth? You should make sure to go to the dentist and get your teeth in good health. There will be a serious shortage of Dentist if things fall apart and a tooth ache is the last thing you need. Also, any elective surgery you have been planning, get it done.

So set yourself up a BOB and tuck it way, you could even make a smaller one for your vehicle and that way if you get stranded on the highway you have some stuff to keep you occupied until you get rescued.

Here are some link to get you started.

Captaindaves

and a list of good items to collect.

Basic Bug Out Bag/Kit

Packing it:
* Large hip bag or fanny pack

Directions
* Flash cards or small booklet (purchased from local bookstore)
* (Tom Brown's books of Survival are good, though too big for this smallest of the kits.)

Environmental Protection
* Space blanket
* Hand warmer packs

Water
* Stored
^ 1 or 2 Qt. canteen. (I like the canteen, since it lets me use the water as needed for non
emergencies, and that trains me to keep it in the car.)
^ You can buy retorts of water (like juice boxes) if desired.
* Carried/found - baggies 1Qt. size
* Purified - iodide tablets

Food
* Stored
^ Soup packets or bullion cubes (Herb Ox brand is best!)
^ Coffee packets with sugar packets.
^ A salt and pepper packet is nice too.
* Gathered
^ Folding can opener
^ Small fish kit (Hand line, 2 swivels, 2 sinkers, 2 hooks)
^ Snare wire
* Preparing
^ Sierra Club stainless steel cup, fork, spoon

Fire Making
* Bic lighter
* Fresnel lens
* Waterproof matches
* Hexamine tablets and maybe a stove

Light
* AA flashlight w/ spare bulb (Maglight) or candle

Health and First Aid
* Minor Kit (purchase) Band-Aids, aspirin, smelling salts
* Bug repellent
* Lip balm - find some that doesn't melt
* Sunscreen

Signaling
* Mirror
* Whistle
* (see also: Fire making and Light)

Navigation
* Compass - small keyring type
* Local map

Social Survival
* Coins and Bills ($1 coins/ $20 bills)
* Ammunition (one or two 50 round boxes for trade, money may have no value)
* Pen and paper, waterproof
* Swiss Army Knife {for scissors and corkscrew}

Cleaning Up and Sanitation
* Toothbrush
* Small hotel type soap
* Condoms +/or Tampons

Entertainment
* Miniature Bible or cards or dice

General Tools
* Swiss army knife (Captains)
* Cordage
^ Dental floss
^ String - Use fish line
^ Cord - 20 ft. 1/8" nylon
^ Wire - small spool
^ Sewing kit - hotel type
* Screwdriver disk
* Aluminum foil 1ft/sq
* Hacksaw blade - short
* Bobby Pins
* Safety pins
* Fingernail clippers
* Red Bandanna
* Rubber bands
* Nails
* Cup hooks
* Small file
* Super glue +/or epoxy, small
* Tape

Carry Also
* Clothes, lots of them
* Money
* Water
* Food
* Cell phone, CB radio and/or Emergency Location Transmitter (ELT)
* Duct tape
* Flares and/or strobe
* Larger flashlight
* Any personal medications & glasses

Dying Young and Those Left Behind

First of all, I am not dying. I just had my well visit and everything is good to go.

I know a this guy. He is rich, has a great job, big house, two cars, pretty wife and two kids. But he works all the time and spends his off time doing his hobby, refereeing soccer games at the international level. He seems to have what most would call a great life and now he is dying of cancer. He is around 42 years old and his children are seven and three.

Now he is where I was 5 years ago roughly, and that is when I made the decision to leave my job and the big city to spend more time with my family. He does not get that choice, he will be dead by my birthday and his children will grow up without a Dad. That kills me. It makes you think about the choices we make in life. Do we work all the time to support our family and never see them, or do we take a lesser job and spend more time with the kids. I chose the latter and I think my life is better for it.

The other thing I have done is ensure that I have enough life insurance to pay the mortgage and all the bills. I would hate to think of me dying and leaving my family in a tight spot. Suzy is finishing her degree so that she can get a job if she needs to. What I am trying to say is hope for the best, plan for the worst and play with your kids like you are going to die next month. Leave them with a memory of you that will last them a lifetime.

This man's diagnosis has reaffirmed my resolve that my children will know that their Daddy loved them and that he was there for them when they needed it. In addition, I am going to record myself reading a few of my favorite books, just in case. I have had several friends tell me one of the big regrets they have about relative that have past is that they do not have voice recordings of them. One even told me he kept on paying his wife cell phone bill just so he could hear her recording. That is very sad. I will not make these mistakes and I am planing also to do some videos too.

Dying young sucks.

A Turning Point in the Madness

Last night a Republican won the Senate seat in Massachusetts, something that has not happened in over 46 years! The Dems thought it was "in the bag" and when it started to go downhill for them, they started the blame game immediately. The Dems on Capital Hill blamed Coakley, She blames them, and this all started before the results were final. As the news has reported....

Massachusetts Senate race results: Obama's signal that all is changed

Scott Brown did the impossible and this is a resounding signal to the Dems that America does not want their brand of Socialism. I, for one, am jumping for joy, as is most of America, the America that is, that holds the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Our Founding Fathers sacred.

The Liberal Left in this country fooled the youth and independents into voting for them stating that they were "Change", now they see that this kind of change is bad, very bad and they are speaking up by voting out the Dems. 2010 will be a year of reckoning for the DNC and a strong message to Mr. Obama that we do not wish to become just another Socialist member of the European Union.

Let us all stand up and let them hear our voices loud and clear at the polls, NOT one more step will we fall back! No longer will we allow them to take our Liberties one small piece at a time until all our freedoms are gone, and just a memory, something our grandchildren will read about in a book, an illegal book at that.

Dogged out by the Wife......Harsh

Well on my way home for a job I passed the KFC and thought, man that would be good for lunch. But being responsible fiscally I decided against it. When I got home my wife tells me, I could really go for some KFC. Now she never goes in for fast food, for her it is a once every month thing, maybe. So I think maybe she is going to tell me to go get some, but no, she say no more.

Later she asks if I would like some left over chicken and dumplings warmed up for lunch. This was not the what I really wanted, but I said OK. She calls me over and hands me a plate of food that looked like a dog had yaked it up. I sit down and start to eat and she joins me when I am almost done. She starts to comment, "It doesn't look like it warmed up too good." I tell her that is seems to have lost something in the translation. She tastes her's and then pushes it away. She gets up and dumps her's in the trash! She let me eat mine! Here is the evidence....


Then she tells me, full stomach of mush, that she is going to KFC to get some chicken. I am floored! I tell her, "What's the deal, make me eat the crap and then you go get yummy KFC?!" She smiled sheepishly and then asks me if she should get original or extra crispy.

To her credit, Suzy arrived home a few minuets later with a BUCKET of KFC, so I at least get to have that wonderful, crispy, yummy KFC for dinner. I guess I will let her off the hook.....This time. ;)

Battlestar Galactica 2000

As I have stated before, one of my hobbies is Replica Prop Building. Right now I am currently working on BSG2000 props so I thought I might write something about the series.

Now I am 47, so I was around for the original BSG. At the time, it was the bomb as they say. Great special effects and good characters. But face it, by today's standards is was ridiculous. Hooker nurses and Disco aliens, by the time they go to earth they we on flying motorcycles, just too corny. Another thing was the fact that everyone in the fleet was doing OK and you never heard of food shortages or dissension among the fleet.

The new BSG is a bit different. The Cylons return with a vengeance and in a matter of hours wipe out 99 percent of humanity with nukes, very ugly. They use all of the human frailties to do it too as they have evolved to the point where they are now organic beings, flesh and blood, but still manufactured. They have 12 models and they use there human disguise to infiltrate the defense system and shut it down.

But enough of the story in detail, go watch it yourself. I would like to comment on the writing and casting. The writers really did an excellent job writing a gripping story filled with all the weakness and strengths of humanity. You have, drugs, gambling, sex, murder, revenge the whole gambit of humanities failings, but you have bravery, sacrifice, nobility and all the things that seem to redeem us in the end.

The story has high points that make you cheer the characters on and lows that have you wanting to just hold them and cry with them. In the end, it is hope and perseverance the saves what is left of mankind and they endure, despite the overwhelming odds.

I highly recommend this series to any scifi fans out there and anyone who just loves a good drama. You can root for the good guys or bad guys, and the lines blur quite a bit in this series as to who is who. So go out and rent the miniseries, this is the first disc, a four hour movie that sets things up and shows the Cylon attack. I think you will enjoy it.