Bunny would like to wish you all, a happy and joyous New Year!

Having said that, Bunny is at work, as he usually is every New Year's Eve. No, not the virtual work on eBAY, but at an actual, he had to commute to get there type of work. Later on, Bunny may decide to take the elevator to one of the upper floors and watch the fireworks. Two hours into the New Year, Bunny might be able to commute back home and have a sip of almond champagne before going cross-eyed and passing out.  Then, a glorious day off. YAAAY! (Said in the tone of Kermit the Frog running around wildly on the stage.)

Peace and love to all! (and for goodness sakes, everyone please plant extra carrots this year)

Remember when you were a kid? For some of us, it may be difficult. So much time has passed. But back then, imaginary friends were easy to come by, although some frowned upon ones having them. But what child hasn't sat around and fought some sort of imaginary battle while making up the plot, characters, voices and mayhem as they went. Or perhaps it was a tea party with plenty of special guests, each rife with a story to tell.

For many children, books were the beginning of a new outlook on the world, starting with nursery rhymes, Cat in the Hat, Scholastic readers and who knows what else. It was there, as our mothers, fathers, grandparents, or reluctant siblings read to us, that we began to realize that imaginations were useful. How else could the grups (grown-ups), manage to make up stories while holding those big blocky chunks of paper they called books? How else could we understand them?

As we grew older, we grew to like certain books over others. Comics over, say, math text books. Teen angst stories over...um..those darn math texts again and so on. I found that the more I read, the wilder my imagination got. I have been reading for so long now that I have completely lost touch with reality and couldn't be happier. The wind howls, streams babble, and trees whisper, all telling tales of worlds beyond my own. The boundaries between magic and technology blur and one is virtually indistinguishable from the other. If it wasn't for space suits and wizard's robes and pointy hats, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Spies lurk around every corner, no one can be trusted.

This is why I need some more imaginary friends. We need help. The forces of evil are on the move and the few imaginary friends I have are involved in schemes above and beyond my ken. So I guess I'm looking for recruits. So if you are imaginary, and not above skulking around dark alleys, can leave the galaxy at a moments notice, and have a hankering for adventure, then drop me a line. If you are one of those who are wondering just what in the heck I'm talking about, then you'd better pick up a book and begin to read. It's never too late. Start at page one and keep going until you get to the end. Then get another book and do it again. Pretty soon you'll begin to see what is taking place around you. Remember, paranoia is just one sign of a healthy imagination. Insanity is our inability to comprehend someone elses world, or their inability to comprehend ours. Besides, as the blog says, sanity is highly over-rated and, it's also arbitrary.

Now it just so happens, that I sell books in my store. Just click on show items and see what I have. While I don't have any Dr. Seuss at the moment, something I'm more than a little upset about, I do have comics, graphic novels, science fiction, fantasy, romance and a smattering of who knows what else. Just a few clicks and a whole new world, or even an old one, can be yours.

Ooops! The clowns are coming. I gotta hide.

Thank you everyone. All of your good wishes also helped me to reach my first 1,000 blog views. What a nice present. Oh dang! I opened it a day early. Shhhhhh...don't tell anyone. I'll just tape the 2,000 pieces of shredded paper back over the package and no one will be the wiser. Ooops! Used the last of the tape on presents. Guess it'll have to be the stapler then. Ka-chunk. One...Kachunk....two... Only 1,998 to go. Ka-chunk...three... Hmm...this is going to take a while. Kachunk. Have a great Christmas/Tuesday all. Give someone, or something,  you love a hug, but don't pick their pockets while you do it, that would be cheating. Besides, it wouldn't leave anything for me. Whoo Hoo Hoooooo! BOOM!

That's it. Nothing else. Well...except for the usual peace, love and carrots. Now for some fun. Let's go to the hop. Yeah baby!

I am approaching two different eBAY milestones. The first is my blog. It is only 101 views from my first 1,000. The second is my feedback rating. As of this blog entry, I am at 96...only four short feedbacks away from my first 100. I must admit that I have become addicted to this site. I like selling things, I love getting good feedback, so I can print it out and wave it in front of my parents nose while I shout something like...See, you were wrong about me. They ususally have some snippy reply like...Who are you?...but I never let that put a damper on my good mood. I have also met a wide variety of interesting and wonderful people, buyers and sellers alike. Well...sort of. The buyers are usually giving me money, so I tend to like them just a little bit more. So I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everybody. Those who offer and give advice freely, those who cheer and jeer one one, those who just like to chat and cajole and especially my customers, who have been the greatest. Thanks everyone! Warrior Artworks truly does appreciate your business.

Seasons Greetings to all and may your New Year be fun and prosperous.

I'm not sure how many of us can answer this question without violating our eBAY agreement by doing so. LOL! Spam is nothing more than polite, informative messages that we put out for the publics perusal. If the public is interested, they can then click on the link and dive in. It's the inconsiderate *$&$^#(#))'s that ruin it for everyone. People who send 5, 10 or even 20 messages in a row, bumping everyone else off the main screen. I understand that we're going to be bumped off anyway, but why be inconsiderate about it? Then there are those who insert their spam into your posts, uninvited, without permission and obviously without any class. People in either of the last two spam categories can count on me for three things. One, to report them immediately. Two, to delete their messages as I come across them. Three, I will never, ever do business with them.

Please, all of you, be sure to report spammers every time and for every instance. I am hoping that eBAY will eventually tire of our e-mails and get rid of the spammers just to shut us up. And I'm okay with that. Barring that, the next spammer that leaves his business address should be the subject of a very large mailing campaign. Imagine what would happen if a spammer received mail from even a tenth of the people he/she has spammed? On one hand, it would let the spammers know how many people they have reached. On the other hand, they'd have to sort out their mail from the spam mail and it might impact their business enought that they would quite spamming us. Just a thought. What about you. Any opinions, any ideas/suggestions? Let me know!

I'd ask you all to fill in the blank, but I assume most of us would violate our eBAY agreement by doing so. LOL! Spam is nothing more than polite, informative messages that we put out for the publics perusal. If the public is interested, they can then click on the link and dive in. It's the inconsiderate *$&$^#(#))'s that ruin it for everyone. People who send 5, 10 or even 20 messages in a row, bumping everyone else off the main screen. I understand that we're going to be bumped off anyway, but why be inconsiderate about it? Then there are those who insert their spam into your posts, uninvited, without permission and obviously without any class. People in either of the last two spam categories can count on me for three things. One, to report them immediately. Two, to delete their messages as I come across them. Three, I will never, ever do business with them.

Please, all of you, be sure to report spammers every time and for every instance. I am hoping that eBAY will eventually tire of our e-mails and get rid of the spammers just to shut us up. And I'm okay with that. Barring that, the next spammer that leaves his business address should be the subject of a very large mailing campaign. Imagine what would happen if a spammer received mail from even a tenth of the people he/she has spammed? On one hand, it would let the spammers know how many people they have reached. On the other hand, they'd have to sort out their mail from the spam mail and it might impact their business enought that they would quite spamming us. Just a thought. What about you. Any opinions, any ideas/suggestions? Let me know!

BUMP!

BUMP!

Heck...I think my kids are doing that already, but then again, they're teenagers, so that's considered "NORMAL". What if your kids are younger. Don't you want them to be on the cutting edge of technology? Then come to my store and get them a comic...I mean...an educational graphic novel.

Each short story contains an epic tale that may include, but is not limited to, advanced government weaponry, advanced alien weaponry, a challenging environment for learning and bettering ones self, or peers.

Learn the top ten signs that will tell you if your boss, parent, friend or pet, is actually some type of fiendish over-lord bent on world, possibly galactic, domination.

Learn how to handle, or avoid, comlex romantic entanglements between people of differing races, religions and anatomy and how to antagonize those who didn't.

Improve your vobcabulary and learn hip new phrases like, "Nuff said", "Avengers assemble", "Hulk mad", "By Odin's sock drawer" and my favorite, "Don't step in the proto nuclear..stuff".

All of this starting at the low, low price of twenty five cents. And the really great part about this is that you get to learn at your own speed. That's right, you can order one issue a month, one issue a week, or ten issues all at once. Learn at your own pace. Plus, most of these items are portable and can be used while travelling, but please, make sure that someone else is operating the comlex machinery while you are busy expanding your intellect.

But wait! There's more....wait..no there isn't. That was it. Got a quarter? Then don't you think it's time  you invested in your own education?

P.S. If the answer was no, then you can take that quarter and...use it to buy a sportscard. Sure, commodities are risky, but sportscards always go up in value. Sure, you might have to wait 10, 20, maybe even 100 years before they do, but you'll be the talk of the nursing home when you finally cash in your sportscard horde.

So what are you waiting for? No...the question was rhetorical. I didn't want an answer, I wanted you to spend some money. I don't think I can make it any clearer than that.

BUY! BUY! BUY!....uh...bye bye.

Concrete hurts. I experienced that first hand last weekend. I had put on a new pair of sneakers, grabbed the Great Dane and went for a run. BIG MISTAKE! The real problem was me. I didn't take into account the new sneakers. Wasn't use to them yet. So me and Bowie (the 180 lb puppy) were running along as usual, when my new sneakers caught me off guard. I stumbled. I would have recovered, but I failed to let go of the leash. First reaction...didn't want Bowie to get loose. 2nd reaction....OH SHIIIIIII$$$$$$$*****(((((! THUD! Hit the ground, left shoulder first. Impact snapped my head down so it too could experience the joy of concrete. As I lay on the concrete, stunned, I realized two things. I had dropped the leash, and concrete hurts. Bowie stood watch over me as I assessed the damage. Head ringing, shoulder aching. Tried to check the head wound and found out that the aching arm was not really usable. Hmmm! Used other arm...no blood. Vision was normal. Went to get up, Had to roll over on to knees first and use my one good arm for leverage. Finished the run and took the dog to visit all the people and animals in the pet store like always. Got home, took some aspirin and waited to see what the results were going to be. A week later, the brusing is beginning to come out. A nice deathly yellow all around the shoulder. Where was this on Halloween when I couldn've taken advantage of it? I am beginning to get some range of motion back, although it is still painful, but not nearly as bad as the first two days. I can finally dress myself without swearing up a storm. The dogs no longer watch me, with heads cocked askew, to see if I'll make it through the house without bumping my shoulder on something. I'm sure they had bets going on that. I was on the phone the other day and went to take a sip from a cup of coffee. I lifted the cup up, and like a puppet whose string just doesn't go quite far enough, my arm came to a halt half way up. The muscles refused to bring the cup up any higher. My arm was on strike. This injury, of course, during the busy season for just about everyone. Whether I'm wrapping, shipping, or just trying to down a rum-laced egg nog, my arm keeps reminding me of what I already knew. Concrete hurts! If pain is a good teacher, then I, am an excellent student. I just wish the course weren't so long. LOL! It's a shame...but I'm pretty sure this won't get me a new home from Ty. Besides, he just built a home here in Washington, for some other family. There arms didn't hurt, I'll bet. LOL! I hope I am never needy enough to get a house from Ty, but I'd still like one. Maybe, some day, he'll surprise me. It'll be a Christmas special. They'll pick one lucky winner, me of course, and build them a new house for no reason what so ever.

IT COULD HAPPEN! But I'm not going to hold my breath while I'm waiting. LOL! It's been a late night. Went to a Christmas Party and didn't get home until 3am, then stayed up to 5am taking care of auctions on eBAY! Why I'm up at 9am is beyond me, but I think it's time to try for another couple of hours. Maybe then, when I get up, my eyes won't be burning as much.

IT COULD HAPPEN!

Take care and Happy Holidays to all.

P.S. Watch out for the concrete....it hurts.

How does one protect ones self from those who, instead of honest work, choose to prey on society? The best way is to use common sense.

First, if you receive any e-mail that claims to be from eBAY or PayPal, in your private e-mail account, DO NOT answer it.

ALWAYS go to your account via your own links and see if those sites have a message waiting for you.

NEVER hit a link in an ad/message claiming to be from those sites.

NEVER answer those messages.

ALWAYS report them to the site the claim to be from.

These people are good and will claim something that sounds believable. The funniest one was from someone telling me not to take that tone of voice with them and that they would report me to eBAY if didn't respond. Since I never take anything except a polite tone of voice with my customers, I was amused.

Another was more insidious. It claimed that someone over seas was trying to access my account and that if it was me, not to worry, but if not, I was instructed to log into my account and resolve the issue immediately. The funny thing about this e-mail, is that they copied the PayPal e-mail so closely, that it told me in the e-mail not to click on any link, but to go to PayPal via my usual route. Then the e-mail provided me with two links to click. I guess they figured if the e-mail looked authentic enough, that I'd ignore the warning and click the link.

In all cases, I reported the e-mails to the appropriate sites and they all turned out to be frauds. Never let someone use your fear against you. These people are counting on you to respond out of fear. You can't stop these people from trying, but you can make it a waste of time for them and, if you're lucky, they just might get caught and punished. Maybe someday catching these criminals will work like America's Most Wanted. We'll see pictures of the offenders and everyone will be able to provide clues that will the cyber police capture these criminals then, on next weeks episode, we'll get to see these people getting caught and hauled off to jail. I would like to see a jail sentence in which the offender has to serve time, but doesn't get out until they have reimbursed every dollar stolen.

Just remember, when you see any e-mail that gets your heart thumping in anger or fear, don't panic. There will always be time for that later. Next week...scheduling your panic attacks and how to get the most mileage out of them. AUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!