Since I moved to the US, I’ve become an expert in selling stuff online…
You name it: books, luggage, lamps, used shoes (can you believe that there’s people that buy them? YUCK!)… Everything can be sold in the magnificent online market that’s Ebay.
As you gain good reviews, your score goes higher and you get to sell cheaper, longer and securely… I have a 100% feedback (the best there is); this gives me the advantage to be perceived as trustworthy from my buyers.
My most bizarre experience was when I sold a pair of Tod’s yellow shoes, too small for my husband, which had been used at least two times.
I still can’t picture the guy who received the item using them; I mean, does he wears them with two pairs of socks? Disinfectant?
It’s not that my husband has smelly feet, I can vouch for that… but the buyer didn’t know my husband, or his hygiene freakiness, or my cleaning compulsions… so, we could have been the most disgusting people in the planet selling used shoes, and he still would’ve bought them.
Not cheap either… I think he paid more than $150 for the pair; he won the bidding with eleven other buyers… eleven other people that were ready to wear my husband’s used Tod’s yellow shoes; not a soft, light yellow either… a vivid yellow, so strong that you could become blind just by staring at them.
I really mean it when I say EVERYTHING!.
Last week a sold my Aunt M.’s used luggage. It was in really good condition and we received $215 for the transaction, only 30% cheaper than the new item in the stores.
I think we ripped the guy off.
Are you convinced now?
Ebay is the best market there is for selling all your junk, there are people buying a bunch of weird stuff, old, new, used, damaged, second hand, incomplete sets… it’s been documented the sale of a small town in the United States also; the guy was stupid enough to believe that he could buy a whole town, with the people living in it, and their houses, on Ebay, without propriety documents.
Me in particular, I don’t plan to buy nothing used in the near future… I’m just planning to sell…
I love this country!!.
www.ebay.com
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Home alone… well, not entirely alone, considering our neighbor (aunt M.) and Buono (my dog)
Last week, my husband had to travel to the Dominican Republic for a family matter. It was a last minute decision, so I stayed home while he went there to accompany his relatives.
The best thing to have the house all by yourself is that you don’t have to lower the toilet seat every time you go to the bathroom, you have the TV remote all to yourself (so long to fighting games, winter Olympics, the news, action movies), cooking is out of the question and best of all, you get to sleep late because you don’t have to wake up at 7 am when your husband goes to work everyday (this is only for unemployed wives, as me).
I was looking forward to five days of tranquility and relaxed time… reading is my hobby (or obsession, my friends would say) and I had some pretty interesting subjects to start with.
Buono is a fine companion for these situations, he doesn’t bark (strange quality in a dog), he only eats, drinks his water and visits the balcony twice a day…
Aunt M. is the only member of our families that lives in NYC and we share this routine of getting together over coffee every afternoon.
So my to-do-list wasn’t bursting with events… five days weren’t that bad… were they?
My only problem was that hours on end I spent it home alone, reading or job hunting (searching is too-soft a word for my aggressive application process) or cooking… so I started to really miss my husband’s company.
Well, not all the time… having the TV remote at my command was a good thing… and sleeping late wasn’t that bad… but, by day two I was fed up with being by myself.
After some crouching and whining I decided that comfort food was all I needed; but then I remember this stupid gall-bladder diet!!
So I headed for the supermarket, scouted the Ice Creams section and had to settle for a Fat Free Sorbet... fruity flavor, of course… it’s too much to ask for the Ice Cream makers to develop a Chocolate sorbet??? Where is the "cream" in Sorbet??.. There were supposed to be called: "Ice Fruity flavors, nothing like Ice Cream"
P.L.E.A.S.E! I’m being punished for something… I know it!
Luckily, I got the opportunity to get together with my friends and go to NJ where we had lunch, talked endless hours about us, our husbands, their problems (we are too perfect to be criticized), Yoga lessons (no matter how my girlfriends sold this one to me, I’m not buying it that it’s even an exercise) and of course, recipes.
My husband came home, tired out of his wits and missing me like crazy… it’s nice to know that he was suffering as much as I do while we were apart; even thou he was in a tropical weather, and I was freezing my butt off in a glacial climate.
The best thing to have the house all by yourself is that you don’t have to lower the toilet seat every time you go to the bathroom, you have the TV remote all to yourself (so long to fighting games, winter Olympics, the news, action movies), cooking is out of the question and best of all, you get to sleep late because you don’t have to wake up at 7 am when your husband goes to work everyday (this is only for unemployed wives, as me).
I was looking forward to five days of tranquility and relaxed time… reading is my hobby (or obsession, my friends would say) and I had some pretty interesting subjects to start with.
Buono is a fine companion for these situations, he doesn’t bark (strange quality in a dog), he only eats, drinks his water and visits the balcony twice a day…
Aunt M. is the only member of our families that lives in NYC and we share this routine of getting together over coffee every afternoon.
So my to-do-list wasn’t bursting with events… five days weren’t that bad… were they?
My only problem was that hours on end I spent it home alone, reading or job hunting (searching is too-soft a word for my aggressive application process) or cooking… so I started to really miss my husband’s company.
Well, not all the time… having the TV remote at my command was a good thing… and sleeping late wasn’t that bad… but, by day two I was fed up with being by myself.
After some crouching and whining I decided that comfort food was all I needed; but then I remember this stupid gall-bladder diet!!
So I headed for the supermarket, scouted the Ice Creams section and had to settle for a Fat Free Sorbet... fruity flavor, of course… it’s too much to ask for the Ice Cream makers to develop a Chocolate sorbet??? Where is the "cream" in Sorbet??.. There were supposed to be called: "Ice Fruity flavors, nothing like Ice Cream"
P.L.E.A.S.E! I’m being punished for something… I know it!
Luckily, I got the opportunity to get together with my friends and go to NJ where we had lunch, talked endless hours about us, our husbands, their problems (we are too perfect to be criticized), Yoga lessons (no matter how my girlfriends sold this one to me, I’m not buying it that it’s even an exercise) and of course, recipes.
My husband came home, tired out of his wits and missing me like crazy… it’s nice to know that he was suffering as much as I do while we were apart; even thou he was in a tropical weather, and I was freezing my butt off in a glacial climate.
Monday, February 15, 2010
After Saint Valentine’s Day: all romanticism goes down the sink and you’re back to your regular routine.
As Saturday came to an end, midnight arrived with the starting of a new Valentine’s Day, accompanied by adorable remarks and warm embraces (at least for me, who lives with my better, or other half)… and most of all, the promise of a day filled with mushy love!
My husband and I decided not to give presents to each other… we didn’t talked about it, but as we had made numerous additions to our home’s décor, it was a mutual arrangement to let this one pass and just enjoy the actual meaning of the day: to be together.
As a personal resolution, he decided to accompany me to the cinema and watch the “Valentine’s Day” movie, which was an over the top chick-flick being launched that weekend (so you can imagine how packed the cinema was), but he managed to swallowed all his manhood (as other eighty guys in the theater) and sit by my side in complete and utter silence while I ohhh… and ahhhh… during the two hours film.
He even bought me my favorite frozen yogurt (a praiseworthy chore, considering the freezing temperature outside) and abstained to do any wicked remarks of the movie’s plot or girlie dialogues after it ended.
All in all, it was a regular day for us… minus the chick-flick, and the valentine thing, and the frozen yogurt, and the softie remarks… because, you see, after midnight that Sunday, Cinderella’s carriage was back to being a pumpkin and all the soft feelings that men tend to show during those special occasions, were hidden back again under layers, and layers, and layers of manhood and testosterone (Men.Are.Such.Putz!)
Quite, peaceful Valentine’s days are overrated… I prefer to unleash my exhilarating and joyous self (at least, once in a while) to do crazy stuffs… Prepare for 2011 my dear hubby!!
PS: when my husband starts to read this blog, I can picture his face, completely unimpressed by my wisdom… men!
http://www.valentinesdaymovie.com/#/home
My husband and I decided not to give presents to each other… we didn’t talked about it, but as we had made numerous additions to our home’s décor, it was a mutual arrangement to let this one pass and just enjoy the actual meaning of the day: to be together.
As a personal resolution, he decided to accompany me to the cinema and watch the “Valentine’s Day” movie, which was an over the top chick-flick being launched that weekend (so you can imagine how packed the cinema was), but he managed to swallowed all his manhood (as other eighty guys in the theater) and sit by my side in complete and utter silence while I ohhh… and ahhhh… during the two hours film.
He even bought me my favorite frozen yogurt (a praiseworthy chore, considering the freezing temperature outside) and abstained to do any wicked remarks of the movie’s plot or girlie dialogues after it ended.
All in all, it was a regular day for us… minus the chick-flick, and the valentine thing, and the frozen yogurt, and the softie remarks… because, you see, after midnight that Sunday, Cinderella’s carriage was back to being a pumpkin and all the soft feelings that men tend to show during those special occasions, were hidden back again under layers, and layers, and layers of manhood and testosterone (Men.Are.Such.Putz!)
Quite, peaceful Valentine’s days are overrated… I prefer to unleash my exhilarating and joyous self (at least, once in a while) to do crazy stuffs… Prepare for 2011 my dear hubby!!
PS: when my husband starts to read this blog, I can picture his face, completely unimpressed by my wisdom… men!
http://www.valentinesdaymovie.com/#/home
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Snow, blizzard, white rain, whiteout, flurry… different ways to describe the scenery
Tuesday arrived with a blizzard warning that closed the schools, cleaned the streets from people and crammed the supermarkets with crazy shoppers, supplying their refrigerators for any unexpected event.
By 5 pm, snow had slowed the line of cars to a crawl and our lovely grayed colored city, became a wedding cake in a matter of hours.
As a Latino woman, you can imagine that the thought of going out to the street didn’t even cross my mind; warmer climates are much more appealing.
I stood in front of our balcony window and watched in amazement the incredible process of the city being veiled by a white coat.
After four hours, my amazement became a tedious wait for the white thing to stop pouring from the sky; I mean how much water the clouds can hold!! Stop it already!!
Buono, my dog, was really excited to be let outside and walk the balcony from side to side, stepping every inch of the snowed floor. I don’t know what is with dogs and the white thing, they love it!
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful sight to have the opportunity to witness Manhattan covered in snow; but you’re not expecting to be all day inside doors, dying of boredom, waiting for a clear sky to finally be able to go outside and enjoy the scenery.
It’s the Murphy’s Law; when the sky is blue and the sun is out; if you stay at home is by your own choosing, but as soon as it’s prohibited or impossible to go out, then you’re dying to be there, in the middle of the street, suffering a brain freezing cold and covered with all the coats, gloves and scarfs you could get your hands on.
As I didn’t attain to go outside, and I don’t watch the news to be prepared with a full refrigerator, when the night arrived and my husband came back from work, the usual “cereals and milk” dish was offered and served.
Some of us get a cranky husband, and other, like me, get a really smooth one…and I don’t mean his skin… His character!!
By 5 pm, snow had slowed the line of cars to a crawl and our lovely grayed colored city, became a wedding cake in a matter of hours.
As a Latino woman, you can imagine that the thought of going out to the street didn’t even cross my mind; warmer climates are much more appealing.
I stood in front of our balcony window and watched in amazement the incredible process of the city being veiled by a white coat.
After four hours, my amazement became a tedious wait for the white thing to stop pouring from the sky; I mean how much water the clouds can hold!! Stop it already!!
Buono, my dog, was really excited to be let outside and walk the balcony from side to side, stepping every inch of the snowed floor. I don’t know what is with dogs and the white thing, they love it!
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful sight to have the opportunity to witness Manhattan covered in snow; but you’re not expecting to be all day inside doors, dying of boredom, waiting for a clear sky to finally be able to go outside and enjoy the scenery.
It’s the Murphy’s Law; when the sky is blue and the sun is out; if you stay at home is by your own choosing, but as soon as it’s prohibited or impossible to go out, then you’re dying to be there, in the middle of the street, suffering a brain freezing cold and covered with all the coats, gloves and scarfs you could get your hands on.
As I didn’t attain to go outside, and I don’t watch the news to be prepared with a full refrigerator, when the night arrived and my husband came back from work, the usual “cereals and milk” dish was offered and served.
Some of us get a cranky husband, and other, like me, get a really smooth one…and I don’t mean his skin… His character!!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Airport, Limousine, Central Park, Smoking and Pictures: how can all come together?
My family arrived for a first-time- three-days-vacation, after almost two years since I got married and moved to New York. Who can blame them for not wanting to accept that their little girl is now a grown-up housewife (soon to be employed, fingers crossed please) in an estranged city… Ok, I’ll give it to you that housewife doesn’t suit me, but you should try my cooking before judging.
So, to make their first Big Apple experience very plump and tasty, we hired a limousine and picked them up at the airport.
We were eight passengers doing sightseeing from the inside of a very luxurious car and making random stops in peculiar places, one of them being the Great Lake in Central Park.
It’s a usual spot for tourist during summer, but with a temperature rounding the -8º C (18º F) and winds running faster than a bullet train, it’s most deserted during winter.
The troop made a bee-line for the Great Lake as soon as the limousine parked along the sidewalk and in a rush of movements, we started taking pictures and shouting order to get everyone on “portrait” mode.
Let me tell you how difficult it is to smile when you get brain freeze by opening your lips, or by lowering the hood from your coat… you get our dilemma to get everyone “picture perfect”.
My father was seizing the moment and lightning a cigarette, enjoying his first smoke after a four hour flight…when suddenly, a multitude of runners appear out of nowhere and threaten our frozenness in front of the camera.
They stopped two meters behind us, trying to squeeze by and continue their exercise.
The leader, a seventy year old guy with tights and a sports hat, came forward, directly to my father and with a non-smiling face asked, very adamant, for the cigarette to be put away.
We looked at each other, glanced at the open sky, the blowing wind, the tall trees, and the enormous park and stared at him in awe disbelief for his strange request.
Who heard such ridicule petition?
We understand that you can’t smoke in closed spaces, but out in the open?
I’m not going to transcribe what my father answered, just let me tell you that if words wouldn’t exist, the guy would most definitely be running the other way without even a glimpse back.
What can I say?
We Argentineans are not comfortable with rules, but we try to play by them in other countries to make a good impression… however, in this particular case, I think that revelry was permitted.
Greetings from a superstar diva riding the city in a lavish drive.
So, to make their first Big Apple experience very plump and tasty, we hired a limousine and picked them up at the airport.
We were eight passengers doing sightseeing from the inside of a very luxurious car and making random stops in peculiar places, one of them being the Great Lake in Central Park.
It’s a usual spot for tourist during summer, but with a temperature rounding the -8º C (18º F) and winds running faster than a bullet train, it’s most deserted during winter.
The troop made a bee-line for the Great Lake as soon as the limousine parked along the sidewalk and in a rush of movements, we started taking pictures and shouting order to get everyone on “portrait” mode.
Let me tell you how difficult it is to smile when you get brain freeze by opening your lips, or by lowering the hood from your coat… you get our dilemma to get everyone “picture perfect”.
My father was seizing the moment and lightning a cigarette, enjoying his first smoke after a four hour flight…when suddenly, a multitude of runners appear out of nowhere and threaten our frozenness in front of the camera.
They stopped two meters behind us, trying to squeeze by and continue their exercise.
The leader, a seventy year old guy with tights and a sports hat, came forward, directly to my father and with a non-smiling face asked, very adamant, for the cigarette to be put away.
We looked at each other, glanced at the open sky, the blowing wind, the tall trees, and the enormous park and stared at him in awe disbelief for his strange request.
Who heard such ridicule petition?
We understand that you can’t smoke in closed spaces, but out in the open?
I’m not going to transcribe what my father answered, just let me tell you that if words wouldn’t exist, the guy would most definitely be running the other way without even a glimpse back.
What can I say?
We Argentineans are not comfortable with rules, but we try to play by them in other countries to make a good impression… however, in this particular case, I think that revelry was permitted.
Greetings from a superstar diva riding the city in a lavish drive.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Lunch with the girls… catching up after winter (or summer, for the other part of the world) vacations
If all your friends are from another country, as they are in my case, when December comes, we all make travel arrangements to go to our home country (or not) and enjoy a nice vacation (or not) with the family (or not)…
As predicted, each one of us comes with a different experience all together, so a meet-up to catch-up it’s a must.
We agreed to visit one of my friend’s house in the upper west side of the city, and in a cold winter day, with a temperature below freezing, we arrived to the convened place to have lunch there.
You always start with the awkward greetings after the Holidays… “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” even though it’s been over a month since that happened… and you try to cheat reality by accounting your vacation events as “the perfect getaway ever!”; your family finally learned how to behave in public, you didn’t have a fist fight with your sister and you and your husband were like love-birds over a tree the entire time that you were away…
Pinocchio must definitely be reincarnated as a girl, because you just did a really nice job auditioning for the part!!
But after a couple of hours (and drinks), the story starts to crumble into pieces and you don’t sound that convincing anymore; like the time you are telling them what a wonderful “going away party” your family did for you, when in fact it was a “go away party”… and in the middle of the sentence you just realized that you blew-it big time!!
So long happy story, hello reality!
Your friends are staring at you, and you don’t know if they are horrified for your lie, grateful to you because they finally can share their true recollections too, or because they’re appalled by the craziness of your family and the fact that you definitely need therapy!
At the end, you learn that everyone has the family that best suits them…
I love my messy relatives, they’re noisy as hell, madness is a given and “composure” it’s an unknown term in they day-to-day lives.
I mean, who can blame them? We most surely need a dose of idiotic behavior once in a while…
Gratefully, I live eight thousand miles away… mess; I can cope with only once a year.
As predicted, each one of us comes with a different experience all together, so a meet-up to catch-up it’s a must.
We agreed to visit one of my friend’s house in the upper west side of the city, and in a cold winter day, with a temperature below freezing, we arrived to the convened place to have lunch there.
You always start with the awkward greetings after the Holidays… “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” even though it’s been over a month since that happened… and you try to cheat reality by accounting your vacation events as “the perfect getaway ever!”; your family finally learned how to behave in public, you didn’t have a fist fight with your sister and you and your husband were like love-birds over a tree the entire time that you were away…
Pinocchio must definitely be reincarnated as a girl, because you just did a really nice job auditioning for the part!!
But after a couple of hours (and drinks), the story starts to crumble into pieces and you don’t sound that convincing anymore; like the time you are telling them what a wonderful “going away party” your family did for you, when in fact it was a “go away party”… and in the middle of the sentence you just realized that you blew-it big time!!
So long happy story, hello reality!
Your friends are staring at you, and you don’t know if they are horrified for your lie, grateful to you because they finally can share their true recollections too, or because they’re appalled by the craziness of your family and the fact that you definitely need therapy!
At the end, you learn that everyone has the family that best suits them…
I love my messy relatives, they’re noisy as hell, madness is a given and “composure” it’s an unknown term in they day-to-day lives.
I mean, who can blame them? We most surely need a dose of idiotic behavior once in a while…
Gratefully, I live eight thousand miles away… mess; I can cope with only once a year.
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