October 25th Update, and Danny's Dreams and Nightmares...

            Welcome back My Dear Readers, to The Other Shoe. I wanted to update everyone on; my eBay experience and how things are going in my new place to live. So far as eBay goes… well, my experience with this company and the buyers there has been less than stellar. I found that items that I had kept in pristine condition (for years) had all original packaging and manuals for were getting bids for 99 CENTS. Then, as if to add insult to injury, having asked they wanted to know ‘does this come with ___”. ‘Blank’ being an extra not contained in the item when originally sold.

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Bottom line, I found that the buyers I had encountered wanted something for nothing and then some. I have used eBay since 2007, but only as a buyer. Until now I had never attempted to sell anything I owned on eBay. Now, as a disclaimer, I am sure that not all buyers on eBay are expecting something for nothing, I am just expressing my personal experience and nothing more. I have made the decision that I have more time than patience.

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Therefore, as each and every listing I have at eBay ends, I will be moving all my items over to Amazon. I have looked around Amazon (I have been a buyer there since 2006), and I think that I will have a much better experience. I am gravely concerned about my ability to ‘Make ends meet’ with my current rent. However, selling my personal items for 99 cents is not going to radically change my financial standing and will only add insult to injury.

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[caption id="attachment_1767" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Daniel at Disneyland Christmas 2001[/caption]

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Now for my new home. I am happy beyond expectations. In the four weeks I have lived here I have; baked more in one month than in six months prior, used my power chair to go shopping and just get out more in one month than in the previous year, have written more (except when I was running an Indiegogo campaign) than I have in many years, and greatly enjoy the manager, Ed. Example, today I received some boxes I ordered for shipping. Instead of just putting a note on the door, Ed brought the boxes to my door. We have lived upstairs for the past decade. I understood that it would be a transition living on the ground floor.

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I was quite willing to overcome noisy upstairs neighbors, just to be able to use my power chair more often and easier. However, I had not anticipated a very heavy young granddaughter with a habit of jumping off the couch and bed onto the floor. Running like a stampeding elephant, and yelling and screaming whenever she does not get her way. I endured this problem the first weekend I was here, she only visits on the weekends otherwise the upstairs neighbors a very quiet. However, when the second weekend came along and the situation not only continued, but became much worse. I went down to talk to Ed, the manager.

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I was very pleasantly surprised that when I came down to explain, Ed was very understanding and supportive. I found out, on Monday, that when he went up to talk to the grandparents, he actually saw her jump from the couch to the floor… and run around jumping. He instructed the grandparents that she could not be making such noise and that the downstairs neighbors had complained. The following weekend, it happened again. This time Ed put a notice in writing and informed them that any further complaints would result in the end of residency. Since then, it has been very quiet.

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The apartment is nearly twice the size of my room at the Cypress Lodge. There is a living room area, where I have; my bed, the TV stand, my computers, book shelves, my power chair and the majority of the remaining boxes to be unpacked. That is the room that is, easily ,twice the size of the same living area at the Cypress Lodge. Off the living room is the kitchen, and the bathroom. The kitchen is a full kitchen. There is a gas range top and oven, a full sized (and relatively new) refrigerator, the kitchen sink and a small amount of counter space.

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The counter space is occupied by; my microwave over, my small toaster/convection wave oven and my dish rack. Under the counter are four under counter cabinets. There is very little cabinet space, in the kitchen. However, there is a large area (meant for a dining room table or breakfast table) that is currently filled with the (other) remaining boxes to be unpacked. Once we have the funds I am going to purchase some shelving units/kitchen cabinets to put all our; pots, pans, stoneware, cooking/baking supplies and remaining small appliances.

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Off of the kitchen are a dressing area and the (quite small) bathroom. Unfortunately, the dressing area is also where clothes closet is, and it is uncovered. Humidity (and odors from the bathroom) get easily into the clothes. This is the part of the room design that I find the most disturbing.

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I find that I will be able to write here… once I have put the financial stressors to rest and Allen is working full time… somewhere. My adventure with eBay has been an unmitigated failure. Regardless of how much I read, and studied, about ‘eBaying’ the market place (IMHO) has devolved into the ‘Dirt Mall’ of the internet. It is wonderful for buyers, but a bit of a nightmare for sellers. eBay is set up to push you to start all of your items as auctions, and that all auctions should start out at 99 cents. This rigs the entire marketplace in favor of buyer, and is done this way to keep stock prices high.

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[caption id="attachment_1766" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Allen Christmas 2001[/caption]

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This is not the eBay of 2000, or even 2005. I was really hoping to make enough money to relieve… or at least lessen my financial anxiety. Since this effort failed, I have been forced to take out an advance on my direct deposit on my checking account. This just makes my skin crawl. I am not a gambler and taking out this kind of advance on future funds is not like me. I am not doing this so that we can eat pizza and steak every night… or any night.

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Allen has not, for whatever reason, received any unemployment checks since he got out of jail. That means we are both living on my checks and the money I managed to save from the last campaign. What I wouldn’t give for the $300 ‘Larry’ stole from me, back. Oh, and I have not had enough money to pay the filing fee and service fees for the small claims lawsuit I have prepared against ‘Larry’. I really want my day in court against this thief, but I do not have the money, spare, to start the process.

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I do not know if anyone else, My Dear Readers, suffers with this malady. However, whenever I am under a lot of financial or emotional stress I find it terribly difficult to write. Updates, like this one, are easy enough. As well, outlines for the novel are coming along quite well. I have finally nailed down the through-line for the first three novels, and have managed to complete a lot more of the chapter by chapter outlines for the first novel. The skeleton, as it were, is coming along well. It is just when I sit down to actually write the scenes… the dialogs… the actions… that I get all verklempt. I know that this will pass just as soon as I know how ends will meet.

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I have changed the opening scene, for the first novel. I am very happy how the new opening scene works and how it leads the reader into the novel and introduces the two main characters, Princess Nadia and Daniel. Having said, I am very glad that I had not written the (previous) first scene because I would have to gut that scene and make it work with he newest opening scene. This time has also given me the opportunity to pick the software that I like working with best.

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My two choices were; yWriter5 and Storybook. It has taken some time and effort, but I have finally made my decision. I am going to use Storybook to write the novels. I will still use Word to write the actual text of each and every scene. Once written I will paste the text into Storybook. Storybook really helps me keep my characters in place and all my threads. I can track who is where when, track important items, and make sure that I am touching on all my strands. I really like the interface, and it is just a better software than yWrite 5.

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Well, that is about the long and short of my life and my new home. I apologize that I am not writing more of my creative work. I have a lot of ideas for; ‘The Mars Report’ and ‘Weekend Wisdom’. I even have a lot more to say about our current political climate. I am quite anxious to write more political work. Did you, My Dear Readers, see? ‘The Implosion Heard Around the World’ received twenty-one ‘Likes’! I am thrilled that I received so many likes… it was like when I was writing for the last campaign.

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Funny that… may I confide in you, My Dear Readers? I know that many do not like my campaigns. I do not like… being in that position. I feel unclean and ashamed to have to ask for charity. However, there is something about the pressures… the atmosphere… the deep desire to garner support, that brings out some of the best work I have ever written. Now, I am not saying that I plan to use campaigns to spurn better writing. Nope, that is not going to happen. I fear ostracizing too many of you, My Dear Readers, but running unnecessary campaigns. That would be gravely immoral. I just thought it was enlightening that I write some of my best works for you, My Dear Readers, when I am asking for your financial support.

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That brings us to the end of this Update. It is actually 2 AM on the 26^th, but that is ‘OK’. The update for was the 25^th, and it was mostly completed on the 25^th.

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As always, I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.

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Thank you!

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Addendum:

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Seems I left this article a little premature. In the title I mention “Dreams and Nightmares…” but I do not share the nightmare that woke me up this morning. My regular, My Dear Readers, will certainly get a kick out of this one. As I have, often, written I do not remember my dreams much at all since the head injury back in 1987. In any given year, I will remember one or two dreams or nightmares. So, it is a pretty big deal when I do wake up and remember what I have dreamt. This morning was no exception.

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The nightmare that woke me this morning was ironic. I was with Allen… and we were out and about, in an unfamiliar city. We were walking… yes, I was WALKING! (I often do, in my dreams), and we got frustrated walking. The next thing I know, Allen and I had taken a truck… (this ringing any bells?)… we drove it around… were pursued by the police… and ended up I drove the darn truck off a pier into a marina. Like all dreams/nightmares. I saw me driving it into the marina, then we were standing on the pier watching it go under. Funny thing? Once we were out of the truck and standing on the pier? The police disappeared.

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And, that, My Dear Readers, was the nightmare mentioned in the title of this article.

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ENJOY!

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="234"] The Other Shoe eBay Store[/caption]