Take the case of the owl,
He's a very stupid fowl,
And yet is credited
With being very wise.
So how in tarnation does he
Earn his reputation?
By keeping his mouth shut,
And oppening his Eyes.

Copywrite Toby Edmondson 2006

Making fun of "The Owl" or opening your mouth instead of your eyes to critize this mutilation of the english language will result in a month of nights listening to a hoot owl making yippee with a hooter owl. .

The football version of what is going on in education.

No Child Left Behind - Football Version!

1. All teams must make the state playoffs and all MUST win the championship.

If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable.

If after two years they have not won the championship their footballs and equipment will be taken away UNTIL they do win the championship.

2. All kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time even if they do not have the same conditions or opportunities to practice on their own.

NO exceptions will be made for lack of interest in football, a desire to perform athletically, or genetic abilities or disabilities of themselves or their parents.

ALL KIDS WILL PLAY FOOTBALL AT A PROFICIENT LEVEL!

3. Talented players will be asked to workout on their own, without instruction.

This is because the coaches will be using all their instructional time with the athletes who aren't interested in football, have limited athletic ability or whose parents don't like football.

4. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in the 4th, 8th, and 11th game.

It will create a New Age of Sports where every school is expected to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same minimum goals.

If no child gets ahead, then no child gets left behind.

If parents do not like this new law, they are encouraged to vote for vouchers and support private schools that can screen out the non-athletes and prevent their children from having to go to school with bad football players.

Let us not leave any child behind, but let us understand that there are limits to what we can acheive and punishing those who could excel is not the way to go about this task of taking care of our children.

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I had a chat with my Mother at the nursing home today about the last blog I posted. She has been in the nursing home for three years, ever since it reached the point we could no longer meet her needs here at home.

We discussed Private Pay, which she has been until September of this year.  Her entire live savings gone at the rate of $4990.00 a month for the nursing home and $1500.00 a month to meet her medical expenses. She is now on Title 19 and BROKE.

We discussed the kind of care she got when she was private pay and both of us agreed it was better then than now.  For one thing, she had to move to a smaller room with three people instead of two. Mom felt the only advantage she has over some of the people in the nursing home is that we as family are very involved and are always knocking down doors when we see something is not going as it should. Unfortunately Mom is not alway lucid so we can not just take her word for it. We have to SEE IT.

If you have family in a nursing home, spend time with them. Spend time on all threes shifts. Watch not only how the staff interact with your loved one, but watch and listen to how they deal with OTHER people whose relatives are not there.  Then if you see things that need changing. MAKE A STINK!! Knock down doors and if that doesn't solve the matter take it to the state nursing home inspection people. In Iowa that is the DIA (Department of Inspection and Appeals).

Let's get these nursing homes cleaned up, straightened out and take care of our seniors whose lives depend on the care they get.

Copywrite 2006 Toby Edmondson

Anyone not using the above printed matter to make a difference will get old and become one of those seniors living in one of those nursing homes. THE FACT IS: WE ALL FACE THAT POSIBLE FUTURE!!

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My last post went unnoticed and I only surf auctions of those who respond, either positively or negatively to my posts. ( I never care which as I am only stating opinions and those can always be argued.)  So, I guess I will go play poker and later surf the auctions of those posting to this short note, lol. Have a great day.

 

Often times we find ourselves working our butt off and there seems to be no reward at the end of our task.  We research what is selling, we find product, we take our pictures and we write our ads.  We spend our money, time and effort and a bit of emotion to accomplish these tasks. To what end?

It is easy to get discouraged when sales are slow, especially at a time of year one has the hope that items will JUMP off the shelves in our homes.  It is at these times I remind myself that there was once an older gentleman who after many failures in his life was so despondent he was put in a mental institution. 

It was there he had time to think. He came up with an idea and through self motivation left the institution and began a store, and another store and another store.  Most of you will recognize the name. Montgomery Ward. 

When things look the bleakest, when the darkness of seeming failure is upon us we will find that the smallest light will shine brightly.  We must will that light to come on for us, back up, take a look at what we are doing, why it is not working and then forge ahead trying new and unique things.

We will find the key to our success. It isn't a matter of time. It is a matter of consistent effort, consistent getting up when we are down and consistent consistency. (I like the word consistent lol)

Now if this describes how you are feeling, GET OFF YOUR SORRY BUTT and do something about it.

Copywrite 2006 Toby Edmondson

Unauthorized use of the ideas presented are DEMANDED if you want to succeed. Any other use of this blog entry will cause you to get BUTT SORES!! 

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I'm not sure why.

Two weeks ago, Jane told me we had to cut back on expenses, so I'd have to give up drinking beer. I was not a big drinker, 4 or 5 after work and maybe a 12 pack on weekends.

Anyway, I gave it up but the other day she came home from grocery shopping and when I looked at the receipt and saw $45 for makeup.

I said, "Wait a minute. I've given up beer and you haven't given up anything!"

She said, "But honey, I buy that makeup for you, so I can look pretty for you."

I told her, "Hell, that's what the beer was for!"

I have this feeling she won't be back.

No Copywrite 2006 Toby Edmondson

Comments, support, or advice for my wife or any other unwanted stabs at my sense of humor, will be dealt with by signing you up to my Motivational Graffiti column and subjecting you to my Polly Anna attitude for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of life.

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When and how does payment for our efforts come? Is it when someone buys or bids on our item or is it something more illusive?

First one must define payment. 

1. Make due return for goods or services
2. Discharge indebtedness
3. Status of being paid

and much later down in the definitions it says:

1. Yield Returns

We all know about the first three definitions, but rarely think about the last one listed.  We sometimes must look for payment in forms other than cash or trading item for item. We have to look at the pleasure we took from our efforts. The excitement of trying and and winning or losing.  (You simply have to beleive me that without failure we would never appreciate success at all.)  The true pride we should have for the sweat and tears we put into our daily activities (including listings). 

Payment comes in many forms.  We just have to learn to appreciate the payments we receive and celebrate the rewards no matter how they appear in our life.

 

Copywrite 2006 Toby Edmondson

Any use, misuse or abuse of me, my statements above or unauthorized cash payments through my paypal account will be rejected, infected and reflected. (Oh wait, except for the payment to my paypal account.)

The statements above are not necessarily those of Ebay, President Bush, The Doublemint Twins or anyone else connected with Jimmy Hoffa, and I do not stand behind any part of this post that doesn't include a Check, Money Order, or Paypal Payment.

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maybe it is time to take a break.  I often find myself getting up early, starting out strong and accomplishing a lot.  I then reach a point at which I am spinning my wheels.  Somedays I do not recognize the spinning and continue to struggle on because I feel a need to accomplish great things this day. Other days, (like today) I realize that a break, a short nap and then maybe something to eat to refresh my body may be in order.

We can't always work those 10 - 15 hour days and really be on top of our game. We sometimes just need to step back, take a nap, take a walk, grab a snack or read a book for a while to let our batteries recharge.

We at those times are doing ourself a favor that will result in more productivity and better feelings about the accomplishments of the day.

YEP, you guessed it!! A nap is in my near future.  Make sure you take care of YOU FIRST and all other things will come to completion.

Copywrite 2006 Toby Edmondson

Anauthorized waking me from my nap, telling me I am lazy, or agreeing in any other way with my wife will be dealt with in an individual basis and no you don't want to find out...

The opionions above are not necessarily those of EBay, my wife, my two children, my ten grandchildren or on any given day myself. lol

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A few years ago I purchased something from a seller and never received it. I emailed (no response), I phoned (no answer), I paid with a money order but didn't keep my reciept so there was no recourse.

About six months later I received an email concerning my item. ( A remote control Airplane) asking if my address was still the same. I answered them back and told them it was. 5 days later I received my package with a note of appology.

No, the note did not come from the seller. The note came from the FAMILY of the seller. He had died and someone in the family finally gave thought to checking his Ebay account. I believe they made right all the ones they could.

Sometimes, because we feel we have been cheated, we jump to conclusions that simply are not true. Things happen in life and when purchasing online from an individual any thing is posible.

I so know that a seller can all of a sudden go bad, but in most cases if past feedback is great, there is probably something else going on and we were just caught in the middle.

Think positive things and when dealing with a situation always think of the posibilites and deal with compassion and understanding as well as professional curtesy.

Copywrite 2006 Toby Edmondson

Unauthorized Sellers using heart attacks, constipation, or sudden death as a reason not to ship an item will be Chastised, Criticised, and Mortified (by a mortician who does these things the best) and otherwise ostracised by blogger new and old.

The last few days I have been looking at POWER SELLERS with more than 100,000 positive feedbacks. I figure it this way, they must know how to motivate people to buy. I looked at their price structure. I looked at the products they sell. I looked at the way they ship. I looked at the potential profit from their items. BOY HAVE I BEEN DOING IT WRONG!!

It seems that "most" sell one kind of item. Whether it is "Pet Supplies" or "Graphic Design" or "Movie Memoribllia" they pretty much stick to that ONE niche market.  They do not try to be the "WALLYWORT" of the internet.

These Power Sellers I looked at don't seem to need to worry about what they charge for shipping because their buyers are so motivated to buy they don't care.

The BIG think I see in "most" of the cases, (not all) is that they are probably making 10 - 20 dollars on each and every sale.  I emailed one person and we carried on an email chat. Her statement was: "It takes as much time to write a listing and process it through to final feedback for a $1 profit item as it does for a $20 profit item."

She also suggested that I might want to find something manufactured locally that interests me and buy direct from the manufacturer, selling their line of products exclusively.  Her thoughts were that she didn't have to carry excessive inventory as new inventory was only 7 miles from her home.

After clearing out my present inventory and consignment items I will be looking for just that kind of situation. Buy locally and item I can repeat sell to a targeted niche market.  Buying it locally from a manufacturer (cutting out the wholesaler) so I can make more per item, write fewer listings and save time for giving great customer service.

The above is Copywrited 2006 and unauthorized critisism, laughter, disagreement or convulsions caused by reading it are not the responsibilty of either Ebay, Me or the creator of the internet: Al Gore!!  LOLOL

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  If email is unanswered and your notes not returned. The computer is at fault, or is it my turn?   I have run out of time but thats no excuse. So to you I will lie to avoid your abuse.   You know I am working cause I made you this page. Your letter is still waiting, will it mellow with age?   I will get back to work now, and go real fast. Cause I know if I don't you will kick my big (word deleted)   Copywrite 2006 Toby Edmondson Unauthorized use, abuse or laughing at my poetry will result in you being added to my SPAM list!   OK, enough playing around. Gotta get some listings ready. Have a GREAT DAY!!   .

IN ALMOST EVERYONE'S WORLD.. there are people who spend this day alone.  Older folks who have lost all their family and friends.  Divorced people living far from relatives with no where to go. Diabled folks, Homeless people. 

As we move through this day, take  few moments and drop off a piece of pie, a turkey sandwich, or maybe just give someone alone a phone call.

Our plans for this day include picking up a lady who has no family.  She is about 45 years old, mentally retarded, non verbal, but very easy to have around. She will join us for Thanksgiving and spend a couple days here with us.  She joins us for almost all Holidays.

Doing this small thing makes our Holiday just a little more special and everyone joining our holiday activities treat this special lady as if she were part of the family.

Make your day special by making someone elses day special.

Copyright: 2006 Toby Edmondson

UNAUTHORIZED FORWARDING, DUPLICATING, LAUGHING AT, CRITISISING THIS POST WILL RESULT IN YOU COMING BACK IN YOUR NEXT LIFE AS A "TURKEY"!! THEN SEE HOW THANKFUL YOU WILL BE ON THIS HOLIDAY!!

 

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