Thursday, March 31, 2005

not much happening

It's been a pretty non-eventful week. Work is tolerable, but no longer enjoyable. There's just too much background stress for my liking. I'm looking forward to a time where I can perhaps be my own boss. My health has been slipping a bit, as I am not taking very good care of myself. I went on the treadmill a couple of days ago. First time in over two years, so I don't want to overdo it. Still, it was a bit of a workout, and I'm looking forward to my next session.

That's all for now.

Friday, March 25, 2005

ebay transaction complete

There were a few false starts along the way... having never done an ebay sale, I goofed the initial money transaction - accidentally refusing the payment from the buyer! But everything got straightened out... I got paid, and a few minutes ago, the buyer got his stuff. Everybody's happy!

Friday, March 18, 2005

I'm back

Just got back from Toronto a few minutes ago. Thought I'd catch up on email before unpacking. Well, I'm still employed, but the company is growing and things are changing. On the plus side, things like profit sharing and overtime. On the minus side, I don't qualify for either.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Off to Toronto

The meeting is tomorrow morning. Here's hoping for the best.

Monday, March 14, 2005

That was special

I tried selling something on ebay this week. The motivation for the sale is a story unto itself, but once I made the decision to place an ad, I did my homework. I had researched past sales of the same item and figured to get about $350US for it. Everything I had read about ebay said you should set a low starting price, and no reserved bid. Things like reserved bids tend to piss off people who would otherwise bid low, but continue to raise their bids as more interest developed.

It was a gamble. I set my initial price to half of what the average selling price should have been. I got an opening bid within a few hours. That meant I knew the sale was a done deal from the very earliest moments of the auction. During the course of the week, some serious bidders joined the fray, and by yesterday, bidding had surpassed $350US. Entering the last minutes of bidding, the high bid was over $400US. With under a minute, things seemed like they'd end at that number. All of a sudden, during the last 30 seconds, there was a great flurry of bidding; with the winning bid coming in a shade over $600US.

I think my wife has finally found a way to get me to clean out the garage!

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Bad moon risin'

I'm thinkin' the 17th might not be a good day to get out of bed. A terse email, sent to all in the company, asks that we convene in the company boardroom for a morning meeting. A special invitation was directed at the three telecommuters among us. That's it. That's all I know. Kinda gets the head spinnin'.

I work from home. It's a 4-hour commute (1 way) to the office; so if it's bad news I'll be getting, it will sure be a long way to go just to get mugged. And that's all I'll be saying on that matter.

Sunday, March 06, 2005

How do you please a geek

Yesterday, I had the most wonderful day. I was asked by two independent parties to provide advice on personal computer issues. Both parties accepted my recommendations and immediately put their money where my mouth was. It just seems so incredible that it would make me feel this happy!

Friday, March 04, 2005

Happy Birthday, Mom

It was my mom's birthday today. My wife and I took her out for dinner, then back to our place for a movie. We invited my mother-in-law too. By sheer coincidence, my brother-in-law and his wife showed up at the same restaurant, so they sat at the next table over. Seeing mom in horns was a real hoot!



Anyway, it was an interesting way to spend an evening...