HI ALL!!    " If you're happy where you are, then you need not look too far, if you've found your place at last, then you need not use the looking glass ".    Well how goes it? Been a little sick the last two days, I think a cold, took cold med's and just chilled. The cold med's just wipe me out. It becomes sleepy time REAL quick. And I usually take them all day. Did have my 220 listings on eBay end. Sold some stuff, I just keep plugging along. I do have two non-payers though. I have filed a non-paying bidder report on them, but I want the money instead. OH well part of doing eBay stuff. I should have another 15 or 18 items to add to my listings when I re - list Friday. And one of them is an " IN YOUR FACE, DON'T MESS WITH ME LISTING " I had emailed a guy about his inaccurate listing. Well he got right back in my face, telling me it was guys like me that make eBay a bad place, and I had NO IDEA what I was talking about, and since I had questioned his listing he was going to put me on his " no bids allowed " list. WOW So I fired back, a little warning shot off the bow. And he came right back in my face again. SOOOOO, just so happens I have the exact set that I was going to list anyway. Well I will list it and have ALL the correct items included that he doesn't, then I will give him a constant reminder of such. Look you can disagree with me and that's fine, everyone is entitled to their opinions. You know the old saying, "Just like ass holes everybody got one ". But when you come back at me like he did and start telling lies, well I feel it's my place to correct him. And I will!! Plus I am going to reference his listing in my own. so everyone who reads it will know. I should probably advise him to get down off his high horse before someone knocks him down. WHOOOPS may be too late for that. CHOW MOI

HEY ALL!!  Well how goes it, I love it today. I am basking in the Mountain Shadow. The weather is coming out of the North West and the rain is being blocked { pushed around } the mountain. So I have a dry day, while it rains else where. COOL Doesn't always work that way. Well Sunday was a quick trip to grocery store, then some packing of eBay sales and a quiet day. Monday was the same, I had to take care of a printer problem. It sometimes doesn't want to print Magenta. I discovered it does that after printing an item out of Microsoft Works program. Last time I had to go buy anew cartridge to get it to work, Yet the old cartridge had 86% left in it. Well today I re-loaded the drivers and that seemed to work. So I will keep an eye on it. Also, spent some more time playing around with my tax stuff. WOW. And then this afternoon loaded more items for sale on eBay, will start a new sale on 02/01/2013. I like to end all activity for one month and start new the next, without any bleeding over from one month to the next. Seems to be " cleaner " that way. Also have been VERY sore and stiff the last three or four days. Not sure why but it seems more than normal. One more thing to watch for. Hope to have lots of sales by Wednesday. CHOW MOI

HI ALL!!    Well I am a BAD BAD MAN!! Yesterday was up early, again. Since we got the new coffee pot, I have been getting up early. I can smell the coffee brewing with the new pot, I could not smell it brewing with the old pot. But this is the 3rd or 4th day I have gotten up early. Then at night I am SOOOO tired. But the new coffee pot makes great coffee. We really love it. Spent time yesterday working on the tax stuff. I am still amazed that I will have a higher Gross Income this year than the last 6 or 8 years. AND, I never worked a spot all year! Just still don't believe it. Probably 4 hours or so yesterday, gathering up all the costs, eBay listing fees, shipping fees,more fees,etc, etc. Still got more work to do. Then spent time on eBay and getting more stuff ready for posting. Today, again up early, and eBay stuff. I really get a charge out of some of the people I run into through eBay. I have a guy who emailed me today and wanted to know if I would make a deal with him on a set. So I sent him back an email. Then he replied, I had given him a lower price last week when he emailed me. I told him, YES I knew that, and if he emailed me about it again next week the price would go up even more! And if he wanted the item, put a " best offer " on the auction. Most of my auctions are fixed price, you like it, you pay my price and don't worry about any bidding war. If you don't like the price most of my auctions have a " best offer " feature. You can send me an offer. And I have pre-set minimum on that offer that no one knows about. So he then turned around and sent me a best offer, and I accepted it. So funny the way you can play around with some of these people. But bottom line I sold some items and just keep on trucking. CHOW MOI

HEY ALL!! Well been a busy couple of days. Had some stuff sell on eBay and had to get packaged up. Some great stuff sold, some insert sets. Insert sets are great to sell, they usually go for $40 or more, and I spend $5 or so on shipping. I could do a BUNCH of those. The problem is they don't sell all that often. I went to my regular doctor yesterday, just a follow up. He agrees with my internal med doctor, time for a colonoscopy. OH JOY of JOY!! SO that will get done in a couple of weeks. And I should be loosing weight also, REALLY DOC?? I have kind of fell off the program, so I need to get back on track and see what I can loose. Today took mom to her appointment in Olympia. Then afterwards we went to Red Lobster for lunch/dinner. Pretty good, I pigged out on shrimp. So much for getting back on the weight loss thing. Had a chance to chat with an employee from Dennys. Sounds like the new owner is not making any points. OH WELL .. NOT MY PROBLEM ANY MORE HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! It looks like I will have more gross income in 2012, even though I didn't work a second, than I did in any of the 5 or 6 years prior working 50 or more hours every week. How can that be?? Well it seems there was a new tax law passed in 2011, any third party network transaction company { ie Paypal etc} have to report to the IRS anybody who has over $20,000.00 in payments AND over 200 separate transactions. Well I did, so now it gets reported. Then I have the annuity cash out thing, and then I get a notice about "some of my SSDI" might have to be reported. WOW .. I just can not believe that. But, what's the saying " It is what it is!" The real amazing part is that I NEVER considered me selling stuff [ my hobby ] would cause me to owe taxes. CHOW MOI

HI ALL!!  It has been a busy last couple of days. Sunday was grocery shopping, WOW. Not as expensive this time around, that's GOOD. Monday I spent about 5 hours packing up an eBay sale. Had a customer buy 26 3-ring binders. Had to get a BIG box to pack them in, and then they barely fit, and spent several hours getting them packed right, and then took them out to my truck to take to FedEx today. Went on line for FedEx and found out $64 to ship, WOW I only charged $15. Looks like I loose on this deal. But that is all of the binders for now. So cleared up a lot of space. Took them to local FedEx place today and $107 to ship?? She tells me that's the best deal?? So I sent them, came home and called FedEx and got quoted $56 over the phone?? So three different sources and three different, very different prices. So asked FedEx to tell me why $107. Well I have to talk to "revenue" after my package gets "into the system". So probably tomorrow. I don't mind someone making a profit, but how can there be an $8 difference from phone to internet, and another $43 difference from internet to live?? Seems very odd. I will stay on it until my questions are answered. The funny thing, USPS wanted $120 and UPS wanted $75 when I checked from the internet. Also today started my 2012 taxes, I go through H & R Block online. I can call and talk to a tax pro if I need one. And this year it looks like I will. I have "reported income" from my eBay sales. I had over $20,000 in sales and over 200 individual transactions. I got form 1099-K from Paypal. Paypal is required to report it to the IRS because they are considered a Payment Settlement Entity. OH JOY. It looks like even though I was only selling as a hobby I may have to pay taxes on it. I don't understand why. It was a HOBBY not a BUSINESS. But tax laws are tax laws, and you don't want to be on the "other side" with the IRS. They are not nice. I now wonder what effect that may have on my SSDI too??? OH it ONLY gets BETTER!!!! It's bad enough that you don't have two cents to rub together, now they want to tax you on how you got them in the first place!?!? CHOW MOI

HEY ALL!!  OK well not much yesterday, did some eBay stuff and then got really light headed and dizzy, my legs got pretty wobbly too. So I got some lunch and sat in my chair, took a nap and started to fell better. So kind of non - productive. Today was better more internet baseball stuff, trying to fill out sets. The helped Mom get her new phone set up, then a little Barrett Jackson Auto auction. Watched the #1 Bat Mobile sell for $4.2 Million. WOW, first time it has been up for sale. Then original designer and builder sold it. And some other very cool cars that sold as well. Some dinner, then  more internet baseball stuff. Just a slow day. Nice to have. CHOW MOI

HI ALL!!  Well out and about today. Had to go get a new black ink cartridge for my printer. They make a regular and a high capacity, but Staples only had the regular. Also been having problems with the new printer, not printing magenta [red]. So not sure if it is the cartridge or the printer. I will find out that problem tomorrow. Also had to FedEx my paperwork back to Chase Mtg. And OF COURSE had to mail out some eBay packaged items. Then took time and had lunch at Puerto Vallarta Mexican, oh man was it TASTEEEEE!! Then back home and a nap!! Not much else happening, just on easy mode. CHOW MOI

HEY ALL!!  How goes it today? Another day of handling eBay stuff. Had auctions end and then re - listed them. Did sell some stuff this week, not too bad for the time of year. It is tough to sell baseball stuff in the middle of the HOT STOVE time. Should start to pick up first week of February. Hot Stove by the way is what the winter time is referred to in baseball terms. It references hanging around a hot stove in the dead of winter to stay warm. And then discuss moves and trades your favorite team should make to get ready for the up coming season year. The other inside " hot stove " reference that I think of is the Jimi Hendrix  song, " Let me stand next to your fire ". Which really happened. It was a cold snowy night and Jimi had come into this house that had a roaring fire going, so being cold he asked " Can I stand next to your fire? " And hence a song was born. Any way so I will keep listing items on eBay and still look for more items to list. I hope stuff will pick up in February, and am confident it will. Other than that the day was quiet, and I started laundry. TOO much fun. CHOW MOI

HI ALL!!  Well another sunny and COLD day in the great Pacific Northwest. No rain!! I had another chance to listen and watch the Kennedy Center Awards, where Heart played tribute to Led Zeppelin by playing their song " Stairway to Heaven". AND WOW, just a fantastic remake, I am a big burly guy, but I do have an emotional side, and to watch the three living members watch Heart and the Choir and the Orchestra play their song, was truly cool. You could tell it impressed them and touched them. What a great remake on the song. WOW, Ann and Nancy really have a great feel for re-doing Zeppelin songs. They have remade several, and every time it turns out fantastic. Well finally sat down and paid some bills today, OH BOY!! and some more eBay stuff. Not as many sales today as yesterday. Even started to do some laundry, how can one guy have sooo many dirty clothes, and I am not even going to work every day. I think I got more laundry now than when I was working 5 days a week. CHOW MOI

HEY ALL!!    OK  OK I am   SOOOOO   sorry for missing yesterday's post!!?  But I just got busy doing nothing!!?  I had to watch the Seahawks fall, and then it was off to support my most favorite nephew. His scout pack was doing a restaurant "takeover" to earn some money for the pack. So I took G'ma and we went and had dinner, with about 10 other 10 year old scout's and their families. OH what fun that was?? Anyway did my part and annoyed my nephew all in one visit! It was good, not great. I think I have been a little spoiled about restaurants after working and managing them for almost 20 years. But I try to keep that internal and roll with it. So kind of a quiet day yesterday, and then today BOOM!! eBay is like on  FIRE!!  I have sold 12 items already today, of course 8 of them to one previous customer. BUT, HEY that works. And the real nice thing is that the sales have been for insert sets. Card companies come out with "regular" sets, usually 500 cards to 1000 cards in size. Then they also make "insert" sets for the same year, usually 10 cards to 50 cards in size. And insert sets are constructed out of some kind of theme. Most people chase after the regular sets and just ignore the inserts, unless you are a player collector, then you want EVERY card of that certain player. Well with me being a "set" builder, I would also build some of the insert sets. I would have to be selective on which insert sets to build, some of them can get VERY pricey. Well all this selling I have been doing on eBay has been mainly the regular sets. So today was nice to see 9 of the insert sets get sold. It just helps clear out the bookcase and makes things a little more organized. CHOW MOI

HI ALL!!  Well did do a little celebrating last night after the GREAT news about my liver. What better way to treat your liver than with alcohol?? It was GREAT Bourbon!! Anyway a quiet day, more eBay stuff, finally got some of my magazines listed. Then a little football, not really my sport, but it IS the playoffs! Some golf, some sorting of baseball cards. I get all these packages of cards throughout the week and then I have to take time and sort the cards into the sets I bought the cards for. I am having problems with my coffee pot. It is NOT brewing the coffee completely. I have cleaned it, but no change. So I bought a new one today, back to the drip instead of the percolator. And helped mom get a new phone ordered, I think she wants to start TEXTING her GRAND kids!! Heads up grand kids!! You have been warned!! Couple of other computer things and that's been it. Like I said a fairly quiet day. It was nice after running around for Doctors visits three different days last week. CHOW MOI

HEY ALL!!    "All your liver functions are back to normal."  BARKEEP, line 'em up, the drinks are on me!! Oh Yea, great trip to liver Doc today. Must have been the slow release niacin. COOL!! My liver doc is located very close to where "Tamale" works. And of course;               " As you poured out the drinks for me, I could feel your hooks sink right into me. And I knew you were my destiny, and I thought you would get the best of me"               Roads were in great shape, very cold still, but no slipping around. What a week for doctor visits, but it's done and back to normal {what's that} next week. Hope to get caught up on eBay stuff over the week end. I want to get my magazines listed and several other card sets. And, then go looking for more stuff to list. Got a chance to listen to more Stones, very, very nice. And heard this week that they WILL be touring in 2013!! Hope my daughters love me A LOT $$$$$$$$$$$. It would be cool for them to buy daddy a ticket, after all he has bought several for them before????? OH what will I stoop to, just to see the STONES!?!?                " In the first flush of ecstacy, as you lay naked next to me, While our love put the dawn to flight, I just ignored all those warning lights ".                            What can I say, she still has a little hold on me, some would say that is NOT healthy, and they would be right. CHOW MOI

HI ALL!! Well managed to stay out of the snow today! Even with a trip to Olympia! Then a little baseball card stuff, and some relaxing. I seamed to be more cramped and uncomfortable today driving than before. Not sure why, a simple trip to Olympia is nothing, but today it seamed to bother me. Use to be I could drive for hours, like 8 or 10 without any problems. I once drop from Houston to El Paso on Interstate 10 in ONE day!! Look it up some time, that's a LONG ways!! But now, less than an hour and I am bothered by it. Anyway had a GREAT lunch at a Teriyaki place in Olympia, soup, salad and the short ribs were done JUST right. Then a simple dinner tonight. Had a few little flakes this evening, but only enough to wet the driveway. Should be VERY COLD tonight, so we'll see. Have sold a few things on eBay but nothing super. This auction ends on Wednesday. Getting a kick out of all the feedback on the Baseball Hall of Fame voting. The New York Times ran big headlines on the sports page. " WELCOME TO THE HALL " and then the whole page above the fold was blank. That's very cool. I like that kind of journalism. Hearing lots of feedback from all sorts of different people. Funny how everyone has an opinion. CHOW MOI

HEY ALL!! Well how goes it today? Did some more pre-loading for some eBay stuff. And spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME watching the MLB channel on the Baseball Hall of Fame voting. I agree with most of the final results, but there are a couple of items. I am disappointed that Edgar Martinez dropped a little in his percentage. With all the chatter about him prior to the vote I would have thought his percent was going to raise. And then No One got elected to the HOF? I am confused should have been a 1st timer elected [ Craig Biggio ] and then Jack Morris has been on the ballot for 13years, he should have been voted in this year. I did agree with the PED guys, and where they ended up. I am surprised about Edgar because there has been a lot of talk about the sabre metrics and the effects they have had on baseball statistics. And the more you look at Edgar's numbers through sabre metrics the better he looks. But the overriding theme today was that the HOF voting is a process, and not a 1 year event. So on to next year and let's see where things fall. CHOW MOI

HI ALL!! Well had my doctors visit cancelled today, Doctor had to take care of some kind of family matter. So had a chance to stay home all day. Did some scanning of Magazines for eBay listing. And even sold some eBay stuff as well. Got more Tax information gathering done too. So a productive day, weather is suppose to turn nasty for the next several days, and then very cold for a few days after that. So now I still got two doctors trips to make this week, but not until later. Very anxious waiting on the Baseball Hall of Fame vote. Results are to be posted tomorrow around 9am my time. This years vote has a lot of interest to it, every channel is talking about it. I hope Edgar gets more votes than last year (36.5%). And of course every one is waiting to see what the "steroid" guys will get in votes. Should be lots of chatter after the vote comes in. Everyone will have their opinion and there will be lots of words written. But, to me that means we are just one more step closer to opening day, and the start of a new season. CHOW MOI

HEY ALL!! and "A KISS FOR THE GOVERNOR" I think that saying refers to sales tax. When you buy something and then they add the sales tax, it goes to the state, the Governor so to speak. So it's a little extra, a kiss. Anyway, when I was working at Skippers my trainer, mentor, and best friend was Lisa. When we had meetings in Edmonds we would meet at her restaurant and commute together. I would buy latte's and the barista would put a sticker over the drink hole on Lisa's latte so as not to spill it. The sticker was a pair of red lips. When we took my truck Lisa would take the lips off the latte and stick them to my dash, above the glove box. Well Lisa passed about 7 years ago, but the 3 red lip stickers are STILL where she placed them. I even had the interior of the truck detailed about 3 years ago, and told the guy " DO NOT REMOVE THE RED LIPS " or else!! Well today as I was going to have blood drawn I was thinking about the red lips and Lisa and we use to call them " A Kiss for the Governor ". WOW I sure do miss her, what a lot of fun and hard work we had and did. While on my way to blood draw I plugged in The Stones USB and WOW, how quickly the universe aligned and how everything became "right in my world". I really was missing hearing them. Well more eBay stuff out the door, YEA!! And two more days of medical driving this week. A Kiss for the Governor. CHOW MOI

HI ALL!! Well nothing like getting corrected by your daughter, the one who is ALWAYS in town. Yes, I know one is in town and thank you, but I also know she has a very FULL schedule. And I know competition is getting stronger as you get closer to State. But, I do want to come up and see you, and your sister!! Well I missed yesterday, went to the grocery store, and that still just wipes me out. Then was able to get some miscellaneous things done around the house today, and spent a moment watching the Seahawks WIN!! And was able to sell a couple of items on eBay and had to get those items bundled up and ready for shipping. This week will be filled with doctors visits, two for me and one for mom to Port Orchard, Silverdale and Olympia. Got some other matters to clear up. Should have more items to list on eBay as well. It's funny how busy your schedule can get when you are retired!?!? Hope to have time to get "Stones injected" also, should be able to slip the USB drive into the truck stereo and rock out on two of the medical visits!! OH YEA!! Let's get the universe back in order!! CHOW MOI

HEY ALL!! Well another great day of getting stuff done! Got a chance today to sort through some more stuff for eBay. I got 23 Playboy Magazines and 24 Sports Illustrated Swim suit issue Magazines. So got time today to go through and compare prices and values and form some kind of game plan to list them. I think I will put them in a couple of groups, maybe 2 listings for each. Some are in very good condition, and some are not so much. But I would think I should get around $40 or so for each listing. Then was able to take care of some other various stuff. Not bad weather either. So I think I have spring FEVER early, feel like I should be going through stuff and sorting out, I still got the BIG urge to list EVERYTHING!! But, I am trying to go carefully. Have not been spending much time doing any thing else. Thinking I should be planning a trip to Bellingham and see my daughters some where around the end of the month. It will depend on their schedules and when they will have free time for DAD. CHOW MOI

HI ALL!! Well what a great day. Got all my medical stuff put together for tax filing. Got Doctors, Clinics, drugs, etc. Then was able to go through all my 2012 files and sorted them out. So all set for 2013! Not any action on eBay so far. And got to watch Oregon take apart KState in the bowl game, chalk up one more for the Pac 12!! The radio station I listen to every morning is KZOK, the 9am to 2 pm DJ is from Richland, and I often wonder if my Dad taught him at any time in school. Dad taught for a lot of years in Richland. So any way, every year they have a top 1002 songs of the year. The listeners vote on the songs. And for the last 10 or 12 years, Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" has been #1, usually followed by something from the Beatles, then the Stones, Jimi , and usually Pink Floyd. Well this year "Satisfaction" [ by the Stones ] was #1. I think due to the fact that there has been so much pub for the Stones the last 3 or 4 months. But, great to see the listeners responded. I usually agree with most of the votes, although I am not a big Floyd fan, I usually put in AC/DC instead, and an F Mac song instead of the Beatles. So looking forward to the rest of the week, finish up the Tax stuff and sell stuff on eBay. CHOW MOI

HEY ALL!! Another bright day out, very nice, but cold. Well did we miss the "fiscal cliff"? Some reports say yes, others no, and still others are not happy with what came out of all that last minute voting. And now I read that some in Washington DC are going on vacation!?!? What?? You have to WORK a few days, and NOW you want to go on vacation. Well I may NEVER understand the political life, and you know that's just fine with me. I think Led Zeppelin summed it up best, " Cryin' wont help ya', and prayin' won't do ya' no good ". They must have been singing about the American Politician. Well a new year and back to eBay. WOW, I got over 230 listing done today, "COOL". And now let's hope they ALL sell. I might be able to RETIRE if they ALL sold?!?! Other than that, just a resting up day from yesterday. Funny how it use to take a few minutes to recover from strenuous activities, and now it's a few days!! CHOW MOI

HI ALL!! Well another VERY chilly but DRY day in the great Pacific Northwest. Got the Christmas stuff down AND put away!! Very cool, got the garage put back together and now got room to park BOTH cars in the garage. BUT, most importantly, I got the other speaker fixed and working on my garage stereo system!! OH YEA, now I got stereo in the garage, always a plus. Long day in the cold, really takes it out of me. But gutters are cleaned out, and everything packed away. So SO happy. Watched some college football, the Pac 12 actually won a game!  WOW .. I think tonight will be laying low in my chair. CHOW MOI