My daughters talked me into going back to afternoon naps before work, due to what they refer to as my "bitchiness" and it has done wonders in my attitude adjustment. It was never more evident than last night when a woman rushed into the shop wearing sunglasses at 9:30 p.m. and asked, "do you sell sodas?" I frankly felt that her sunglasses were part of the problem, however it could be drugs, alcohol, or just plain stupidity. I started to direct her to the soda machines right outside or down to Thrashers at the end of the building...I mean this idiot actually had to go out of her way to come into the shop..we're not just sitting right on the boardwalk..we're part of the hotel. But this is so typical of what crap I have to endure during my daily shop sitting. Idiots, I'm telling you...my world is filled with this type of idiot. But, with the nap I'm becoming better at handling it. Instead of saying, "Look you stupid bitch, take off your frigging sunglasses and look around..so I look like I'd sell soda?"...no I simply said a polite, "No." I decided that directing her to the soda machines or to Thrashers just required more energy than I cared to exert. My final customer (and I'm using that term here loosely) stepped into my oasis and said, "Oh, I should never have walked in here...they will never get me out." I knew then that there was no need to exert any energy with this one either because I've never had one person make that statement that ever purchased anything. They love to talk about it, love to ask 50 million (and I do mean million) questions, but at the end it's always, "Well thanks so much I just love your shop." So I just looked at Sara and we kept on talking. In the end, she did what Sara refers to as the "Victory Lap" which mean they walk around the shop and then out the door without stopping to purchase one thing. She did manage to ask 3 questions which I couldn't of cared less about regarding the use of fibers for necklaces....really not my area of expertise and I won't bullshit if I'm not certain of the answer...so she left with no fanfare at all. That really ended my evening and I closed. Since Monday was my deadline for the "cough be gone" I went back on my NyQuil regimen on Saturday. I did get a good night's sleep (as good as I ever get) and for longer than normal and I don't think I coughed as much so I'm staying on this regimen...even if I become addicted (I don't take the liquid only the capulets) because at my age, who really gives a crap! And today I don't think I've coughed at all...whoppee...no doctor for me! I wasn't going to admit something that I'd done, but what the hell...I have no shame! Let me first say, I don't do Ebay normally because I waste too much time on it. But periodically I go on just to see if anyone has put a kits by designers I love on it...for instand Merry Cox. In fact, it was Merry Cox that got me in so much trouble. I went on before Lauren Sauer's class and typed in Merry Cox and pushed enter and low and behond 2 of her class kits came up. I was so excited, and while I knew I wouldn't be able to get them, I bid on them anyway, just to be part of the process. Actually what I was on ebay for was the oil can that goes with one of the pieces I was stitching. I had bid on the oil can previously and lost it, so I was back on to bid on another. While I was there, I thought I'd look to see about Merry Cox pieces. Anyway, I won the oil and when I went into my account it said I won 3 pieces. I thought, Uh, Oh, what the hell have I done. I recognized the oil can, but the other was from a "mountainbeads" or something like that and I thought, "Good, God, they will have to take my computer away from me since I'm now buying beads worth over $200." So I took a look at the bead company and it turned out to be the 2 Merry Cox pieces. While I was excited, I had only bid on them thinking someone would outbid me so I hadn't really even looked at which kits they were...but anyway, I got them and now they are added to my stash. So I went on a couple of weeks later since I was temporarily bored and for some reason typed in Just Nan. Now I had looked for over 3 years for Queen of the Needle needlecase and smalls but that was it from her and my dear friends Debbie L, and Phyllis Y., were able to locate the chart from the kit and gave it to me as a gift. So I didn't need the kit anymore, but low and behold, there it was. The bid was at $51.00 so I put in $75 and went on about my business. The next day when I went to do mail, I saw that I lost the bid...which didn't surprise me, but for some reason I was compelled to bit higher, so I put in $125, which was automatically rejected since someone else had bid higher than that. Now I was getting pissed off...after all, at least give me a couple of hours before rejecting me...so I put in $175.oo thinking no one would bid any higher, after all it's just a kit. Well, when the bidding hit $250, Sara came to me and said, "Mom remember the Queen of the needle kit you wanted so much and Debbie and Phyllis gave you the chart?" I said, "Yes," and then she says, "You are never going to believe this but someone has bid $250 on that kit on Ebay." I just looked at her with shame in my eyes and said, "I knew it was I." She just looked horrified and said, "Mom you already have the chart, what the hell are you doing." I then said, "I don't know...it's become some sort of one up man's ship, I can't believe someone keeps raising the bids and now it's become a case of I'm going to get this no matter what." Sara then tried to remind me of all the money we are spending because of the elevator incident...$40,000 for new freight lift...fines, fines from OSHA over $10,000...but this had become bigger than that. Someone was going against me and I couldn't stand it. So I now had to have this kit. On the last day I still had the highest bid of $300 (yes, I said, $300)...but I still wasn't confident. We all knew that at 4:15 when this auction ended every computer would be turned to Ebay to see the results...but I had to go to Walmart around 2:30 and worried that at the last seconds I would lose the bid. So Vernon said, "You have to figure out how much this is worth to you...how much are you willing to spend and then put that figure in." As I told him I didn't want to bid $300, but I just knew in the last seconds they were going to try to grab it. So...and I'm embarrassed to say it, but I put $500 in the bid and went to Walmart. When I got back I was in time to watch what happened....at 12 seconds before the auction ended the person bidding against me put in $415.00 so I was smiling and shouting, "I knew they'd try that, but why would they go from $300 to $415 in one movement?" And then they tried $425.00 but ran out of time. So whoppee...I claimed it for $427.00. And they shipped it for free (glad I got a little extra with this one). Anyway, I was thrilled as Sara kept saying, "But Mom, you already had the chart and you spent $427.00. What the hell were you thinking." Let me just say, I was drunk with Ebay. I kid Vernon all the time because he orders from here continually. I will now try to stay away from it because like my $272 lobster, I am now saying, "O.K. I'm not going to order that which I normally would order, and that brings the cost of the Just Nan piece to..." Sara says I can't rationalize like that, but I'm going to until this makes sense to me. I can't stand losing and can't afford to win. But I will cherish this piece whether I stitch it or not...simply because I paid so much more for it. Now I wasn't going back on Ebay, but Sara did the next week and there was another Queen of the Needle kit. People, please stop putting these things up. I started bidding on that one as well, but for an entire different reason. I bid up to $300 just to raise the bid...after all, why should I pay $427 and the next person gets it for $100. Sara kept saying, but Mom, what if you win...you will have spent $300 more dollars. You know you just can't be rational in the heat of battle. But I did say, "Don't worry, the person that kept upping the bid on me will be bidding up to $425 like they did last time. I won't go higher than $300." Truth be told, they didn't have to go higher because they outbid me at $300 and I didn't look back. I didn't want to spend another $300 so I ended it. I'm not expelled from Ebay...or at least until I can rationalize that I got a deal. So far I haven't paid for 2 kits which I would have purchased normally so in my mind the $427 is now down to $282. Before I get done rationalizing, I'll have the cost down to $50 and then I can go back on ebay to see what's new. Stitching is my drug of choice....and I can't stop myself. Well, I've got to get back to Jamboree brochures, which are going out today.
Talk to you later.
3 days ago
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