Tag Archives: life

Errant Literary, Travel

Workplace Woes and a Visit

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Back in May of 2012, about 8 months after I started working at the pharmacy, I injured my back. I had been stacking cases of water for a display near the store entrance.

Initially I tried to walk it off, so I kept soldiering on for a couple of days, but by the end of the week I was having trouble staying mobile and I was in a great deal of pain.

I visited my doctor and during the talk she asked if the visit was for a workers comp claim. I said no. In hindsight I should have gone through the official channels and placed a claim.

What stopped me from following the standard practices I had learned about at Job Corps, was Reddit.

Radicalization

Around this time I had only been working for 2 years and I had gotten a little miffed about my pay and the hours worked. This led me to looking up my company online looking for other people experiences. I found a Reddit community that was full of disgruntled current employees and former employees.

Leading up to the injury I had read several horror stories of mistreatment, conflicts with bosses, sudden unwarranted firings, and union busting. It all got to me and put me in a very defensive and agitated mindset while at work.

So, when I got injured, I didn’t report it and I came up with an excuse to resign. I was convinced that if they knew I had been hurt on the job, they wouldn’t consider re-hiring me later. I told my boss I was going to look for seasonal employment with my trade skills (landscaping and facility maintenance.)

It took a little over a year to recover. I had been bedridden for awhile. Eventually, I was able to use take short walks around my neighborhood, supported by a cane. I had a noticeable limp and my body was twisted, so that I looked to be bent at the waist, leaning to the right.

An Invitation

About four months into my recovery, my father invited me to visit him in Brooklyn, he hoped a change of environment would speed my recovery.

This was my second trip to New York. I don’t recall which form of transit I took. It may have been a Greyhound bus; I know my 2016 trip had been on Amtrak (I still have the ticket).

Tomorrow we are going to check out an electronics shop near Wall Street and then head to Koreatown which has got to be my number stop here in NY. Ever since I started riding the “wave” back in 2010 I have looked forward to a bigger role for Korean culture here in the States. Signing onto KORUS FTA way back then and finally seeing it passed was great.

Excerpt from Stone Soup Travels Blog 2012-09-18

My Camera

For my second visit to NY, I had with me the Fujifilm Finepix S700 camera I got in NYC before going on the European trip back in 2007.

My phone at the time was a Microsoft KIN TWOm, one of the many failed “windows phones,” the company tried to release. They had actually cancelled the project prior to me getting the phone from Verizon. Both I and my Aunt got one of these phones in 2011.

But I had no idea, the marketing materials all raved about it being a Microsoft phone. In fact the ads were referring to the original phone, not what I was sold. The second version had been nerfed on many fronts. But not knowing this, I was very pleased with my slide out keyboard semi-smartphone, having graduated from a “clamshell” flip phone.

I say semi-smart because the phone only came with preinstalled apps and didn’t have any way to add new ones, but it did have a touch screen and a web browser, WiFi, and Zune Media.

I flipped it on eBay earlier last year (2025), as a collectors item for $55.

I had wanted to include several galleries from my trip, but I cannot seem to find the folder that included the pictures. I fear I may have deleted it somehow. I have a very clear image in my mind of the folders and their names, but I can’t find anything on the computer, cloud storage, or memory cards. I’m just completely befuddled.

Manhattan

We visited the Occupy Wall Street anniversary event. Wow there was a lot of people and TONS of cops, also saw some scooter cops which seemed funny since I ride around on a scooter and always envisioned cops on the more beefier motorcycles.

Brooklyn

After I got used to riding on the subway and wasn’t too fearful of getting lost or off on the wrong platform, I began exploring the nearby parks. In particular I enjoyed Prospect Park. There were many couples getting wedding photos taken during my stay in NY.

Korea Town

Sometime in 2008-9, I had been introduced to Korean shows and music. I was quite happy to visit Korea Town in New York City. We ate dinner at a BBQ restaurant.

Wow. I am way full. I Just got back from New Wonjo down in Korea-town (NYC); and had me some bomb ass BBQ an rice wine. Great experience also stopped by a grocery store and picked up some cans of kimchee and big ol’ jar of red pepper and other ingredients so I can make some of my own when I get back to North Carolina.

Excerpt from Stone Soup Travels Blog 2012-09-18

Sailing

We went sailing down to the Sandy-hook state park which I think was in Jersey, and then we sailed by the Statue of Liberty.

J&R

Text taken from Stone Soup Travels Blog 2012-09-19

So yeah I went through the store (1), I started off on the 3rd floor checking out hardware then went up to the Apple store.

After that I headed down to the first floor and it was a fucking wonder land for a computer aficionado like myself.  But something seemed off when I went downstairs looking through the laptops and then in amongst the desktops.

Intel, everywhere. All the laptops, desktops, CPU’s everything. I asked a clerk and he checked the inventory and yeah holy cow the whole store was devoid of AMD chips, I was totally blown away.

It was like going to a drugstore and all they have is Pepsi or Coke but not both. WTF.

Anyways the good window shopping came after heading over to housewares (7.) We looked at the coffee machines and I saw the Keurig model that my dentist office has which was a nice coincidence.

Then we headed over to Cameras (10) oh right the numbers: The whole store is like a giant building and it extends down like a whole block with multiple store fronts each focusing on a different subject’s which is way awesome.

Yeah so there I saw the new camera I want. It’s a Fujifilm so I will be sticking to the brand (Loyalty is life,) It has a nice telescoping lens but without being a full on SLR which I would feel silly carrying around to take pictures of ducks ‘n’ stuff.

I feel like a SLR should be used for cool shit like racing and basically any sport where you could easily break or ruin this high priced toy you’ve just bought.

Side Hustles

eBay Sales 2025 (Q1-3)

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I was checking the dates on another series, WordAds quarterly, and realized I had spaced out the eBay reports.

My last report for eBay was Q4 of 2024.

Early Difficulties

It had been a decidedly slow year for me with my sales prior to the start of the fourth quarter. I also made a $280 blunder along the way, that didn’t help my bottom line by any measure.

I had given some though to looking for other employment after considering my auto insurance bills. I’m keeping that on the table for the time being.

I of course did try to get work after graduating, but found I couldn’t pass the background checks, which led me to self employment.

June and September were my worst months, bringing in under 100 dollars. March through May were excellent by comparison averaging 433 dollars per month.

Estate Sale

In January, I attended my first estate sale. I bought a biker jacket that turned out to be not what I was expecting, but it was actually worth quite a bit. I managed to sell all the items I got there and made a nice profit.

Resourcing

I continued to purchase new inventory at the Treasure Hunt store and Goodwill for a time, but eventually gave up on the Goodwill. Earlier in the year they had stopped accepting American Express at my local Goodwill store and so I stopped going.

I think I went back a couple of times and used my Altitude Go card, but for the most part I got hooked on dollar day at the bin store.

I lost my head at one point and ransacked the bins for all of these swimsuits.

In all I bought 67 swimsuits that I will likely never be able to sell.

Treasures Found

But I have picked up some good items.

I have a large collection of Target brands including Wild Fable, Shade & Shore, and Future Collective now listed on LaFemme1st. I have received deposits of $379 from sales on LaFemme1st so far this year.

The majority of items from the mentioned brands have been swim wear, so these sales are mostly seasonal. But I have had some holiday sales, so I remain hopeful. All of the items are new with tags attached.

I am keeping a list of my Target brand sales included in the eBay Style Code Catalog post. I hope this post will become a resource for other sellers.

Bin Purchases and Pricing Legend (Jan-Oct)

After the recent trip to Washington, I decided to halt purchasing new stock for my shops. I have been good so far and have not visited either the Goodwill or the Treasure Hunt bin store this month.

Wednesday makes up the vast majority of purchases for me at the bin store. I did decide to stop buying air and water filters. There is just too much competition for them on eBay.

Filters also take up a large amount of space and they are heavy. The bag I have them in is a real killer to move about the room.

I’ll see about returning to the store next year in January to see if all the swimwear is gone. I hope to find more dresses and tops. Maybe some jeans if I am lucky.

Personal Health

I’ve also made some changes in my life beyond reselling. I have removed milk, candy, and coffee, from my diet. I am making this change now rather than wait for further bad news from my doctor.

I remain on medication for cholesterol, but I expect my numbers will improve soon. Cutting out candy will reduce my chances of developing type 2 diabetes and eliminating coffee will improve my sleeping habits.

I’ll be turning 40 in nine days. I’m not where I had planned to be, but I am still alive, so I will count that as a boon.

Errant Literary, Travel

The Flight Home

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My father scheduled a pickup by the SeaTac Rocket Shuttle at around 10:30 this morning (PST). The drive was around 2 hours, no ferries, just bridges.

We stopped for a break at a McDonald’s restaurant and I went inside and ordered a McCrispy Sandwich. I haven’t eaten at McDonald’s for maybe 5 years. It tasted delicious.

The McCrispy
I spent $6.11

At the airport, I printed my boarding pass. This time it didn’t ask me to volunteer my carry on, so that meant I couldn’t skip the line at the gate.

I did see some folks with roll-on luggage that had the volunteer tags. I don’t know how they got them. Lucky folks.

My flight being at 3:50pm, I wandered about the terminal and took photos of the planes arriving and departing.

Papa gave me his old Olympus camera. It’s the same one he had from my 2019 trip to NYC to see my uncle Rupert, come over from England.

This camera is around 7 years newer than the one I have at home. A true DSLR with 2 different lenses and a filter. It includes WiFi for wireless transfer of photos to a smartphone. Quite fancy. I am looking forward to how it performs photographing apparel for my eBay shop.

Around 2:30, I sat down and did some blogging. By chance I gave up my seat to a family of three. I made the excuse of being at the wrong gate, which was true, but after I got to the right gate, I noticed the sign was wrong.

It turned out my flight had not only changed gates but was boarding already. I had to rush a bit to get to the actual correct gate. Once there I was able to relax a bit. I was in Zone 8 at the back of the plane, so I had some time before my group got called.

The flight was okay. I listened to music and edited the blog posts to remove broken links and redundant files. I got some shots of the Rockies from the plane using the Olympus and also filmed the entire taxiing and take-off sequence on my phone.

It got dark fast since the sun was setting behind us. I played some games and kept editing until we landed. I ordered 2 coffees and got 2 Biscoff wagers. I didn’t spend any money on my return flight.

I got a bit lost after landing and mistakenly told the driver I was at terminal 1, which is what it said on the sign next to me. I was actually at terminal 2.

After some back and forth with the uber reserve driver, I got to the awaiting car. It was a quick ride home, (somebody was speeding in the rain). While I appreciated getting home fast, I think 40 in a 25 is probably not a great idea.

Mama was up late waiting for my return. It was about 1 am when I walked through the front door. Maybe 45 minutes later I realized I wasn’t wearing my watch. I’m not sure when it came off, but I’ve messaged Uber for assistance.

I had switched the shoulder I was carrying my pack over, it possible I dislodged it either in airport, when I entered the car, or while exiting the car. Although, the strap was new, so I think I would have noticed it getting tugged on.

So, one dark spot at the end of a wonderful trip to my hometown and a touching reunion with my father.

I may have some additional posts to make. I’ll have to check the photos to see what I may have missed.

Thanks for reading!

Errant Literary

Surprise DIY Project

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Last week, while sweating buckets out under an especially enthusiastic Mr Sun, I asked myself why on earth I had “fixed” the deck stairs the way I did.

What should have been a simple stair replacement morphed into a full removal and replacement of the staircase on our back deck.

Perhaps I got tired of the work years ago and decided to call it “good enough” and pat myself on the back for struggling through. Any future problems could be handled by my future self.

So, here I am, Mr Future-self, and I am shaking a fist at my past-self for being such a putz.

After some confusion logging into my Lowe’s account, I managed to put together a full list of items I would need for the new stair project.

As I was about to place the order, my mother reminded me that we could charge it to our Home Depot card and also get some rewards if we shopped through MyPoints.

So, I emptied my cart and navigated to the Home Depot site and filled it anew in the shopping cart. The lumber was available right away, but the metal brackets would need to be shipped to the store.

I bought two 5-step stringers and two 2×6 boards, 12 feet in length. The help file on the site said they would cut the boards in-store to fit in the car.

The Pickup

The next day, we left the house at 2pm and drove to the Home Depot to pick up the wood. We also had a doctor’s appointment for our cat Mei Mei at 4pm.

We arrived at 2:40, pickup was quite quick, and an employee delivered the lumber to the cutting shop.

Several uncut wooden boards in the Home Depot cutting department. The boards are sitting on an orange cart.

I was told the employee who cut the wood was occupied moving lumber, but he would be available in 2 minutes.

40 minutes later and after multiple requests for assistance, I finally managed to get the wood cut. Unfortunately, my ride had left for the doctor’s appointment at 4pm.

several cut wooden boards measuring 2in x 6in x 3ft sitting on an orange cart in the Home Depot.

So, I sat on the floor near the entrance to wait for her to return. That’s also when I decided to write this post.

The store was busy, and the staff appeared physically exhausted, but at least the work got done.

The next steps of my project include staining the wood and pre-assembly. I still need the steel brackets, which should be shipped to the store next week.

The Assembly

I swung by the store to pick up my order a few days later and then went home and procrastinated the project for about a week.

Once I got myself together, I went out and stained the stringers one morning, and then over the course of several days, I managed to get the steps stained as well.

I decided it would be simpler to pre-assemble the deck near the basement door and then drag it up the hill to the deck. This sort of worked, but I ended up only attaching two of the five steps cause it was damn heavy.

It was an absolute struggle trying to do this without another person handy. The stairs just wouldn’t stay in place long enough to nail them in place. I had to get something to prop them up so that my hands were free to handle the hammer and hold the joistner in place.

Once I got the joists solidly attached to the deck, things got easier. I screwed the joist in place and then drove several nails through the eyelets, into the top of the stair stringers.

The hillside was sloped, so the stairs weren’t properly level, but I was able to use some shims to balance it out. I may need to drive some stakes into the ground and attach them to the staircase as additional support later on.

After I got the staircase lined up, I noticed that there was a gap on either side. Somehow, I missed that the old staircase was four feet across, and I had asked for 3-foot boards at the store.

The Last Step

The new stairs are 3-footers. Not a crazy change, but it does seem a bit off.

The next step was to add the remaining steps and then finish it off with an extra coat of wood stain. For the fifth step, I reused some of the older two-by-fours from the previous set of stairs. I forgot to stain these, though, so they only got a top coat and not an undercoat or the sides.

After I finished the project, my mother reminded me that we needed a railing. So that will be the next “last step.”