eBay Adventure – Weather or Not

                I have been checking the USPS mail tracker feverishly because one of my packages is going to Florida. As many of you know, Hurricane Matthew has wrecked the Sunshine State. Whenever I check the tracker, it says weather delay. It is all up and down my tracking notes. I will be the first person to tell you when I started my eBay decluttering process that I had no idea that I would have been shipping into the eye of the hurricane; yet, here I am shipping my order on Saturday directly into the middle of Hurricane Matthew. I just pray for everyone’s safety (including the postman!) and that my buyer receives her package unharmed.

Visit my store: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

eBay Adventure – Sales Solve Everything

                Sunday I uploaded new items and started promoting them all over social media. I also made a $1000/week goal accompanying my new merchandise. I thought that it would take some time to get a sale but, nope, out of nowhere came a sale and payment. Usually, I would have to wait 1-2 days for payment. Buyers would inundate me with ‘please’ give me 1 more day to pay. However, receiving the money is great because now I can prepare the item for shipping. This sale also moved me beyond the whole negative review thing because someone wants to buy from me. The only downside is that I will ship it out Tuesday because DC has a 115 heat index. I am not passing out in that because I will have to also go to Staples and re-up on boxes and tape. Like I have said in the title, ‘sales solve everything!’

Visit my eBay store here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

eBay Adventure – Staying the Course

                I awake this Monday pissed at the fact that my store has been hit by fraud. I still have to mail out these four packages. I get up very early at 5:30am (which is rare) to do my daily walk and baby – it is 81 degrees (Accuweather says that it feels like 89 degrees!). I can only imagine what 9am will feel like when I have to go to the post office.

                I combine the two purchases and one thank you card for my repeat customer. I am thankful that I have every tape and surplus boxes to mail so that I won’t have to go outside. Since I have so many boxes, I have to pack them into my rolling suitcase which works wonders. The suitcase makes it organized (I have noticed that I am one of the few people who have everything ready when I am in line at the post office.). I have noticed that because I am shipping to the West Coast, USPS wants more money. This means that I have to set a domestic shipping flat rate like I do with international shipping. I have to make a profit you know. However, dropping off all of my packages equal income generating activity which has calmed me down a little bit over those fraudulent buyers!

Visit my eBay store here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

Ridding Myself of Cabin Fever at Doi Moi

            Since I stayed home today due to inclement weather, I RSVPed at Doi Moi for dinner.  When I arrived at 5:30pm, there was virtually no one there. I bet that I was the only person who made a reservation. Anyhow, I sat down asking my waitress if there was anything new on the menu. I saw the Cambodian dish (Doi Moi was Thai and Vietnamese so why not?). The ginger made the pineapple pretty tangy but it was good overall.  Next was the crab fried rice.  The Cambodian pineapple dish filled me up forcing me to take the rice home but I was happy to get out.

Doi Moi Plai Manoah Cha Cambodian Style Stir Fried Pineapple and Ginger

Doi Moi Khao Phat Puu Blue Crab Fried Rice

Taking Time for Me

            After being in the heavy snow flurries yesterday I thought that the federal government would close today. My body was all ready for a ‘snow day’ (DC is a Southern city. As a native Clevelander a couple of inches of the white stuff doesn’t shut down my city! But, I will take it however I can get it!). However, that wasn’t the case: raggedy Office of Personnel Management (OPM) only gave a 2-day delay. Ba Humbug! This was the Christmas season. Why OPM wanted to put a coal in my stocking was beyond me. After checking my leave calculator, I (and my body) decided to stay home today. I took time for me because I needed to with everything that was happening.  I needed a break plus I didn’t want to fall on the sidewalk en route to the metro; fight it out in freezing sleet during the afternoon and the very real possibility of it freezing overnight. Hopefully this time OPM will close the government doing everybody a favor. In the meantime, I am taking it easy.

Surviving the DC Swelter

            Today is the third day of the DC 90+ degree heat wave.  I slather on as much Banana Boat sunscreen as possible in order not to be burnt. I drink no less than 5 cups of water and wear only cotton because I can’t have my clothes suffocating my pores. I have been managing this hotter than Hades spell way better than in other years because I’ve mastered walking in the shadows that the tall buildings provide and to get to work early. Every minutes matters because the humidity kicks it up a notch every 15 minutes.  There is a huge temperature difference between 7:45am and 8:00am. I am too fabulous to look scorched!

Cherry Blossoms at the US Capitol

During the first day of spring here in Washington, DC, I took time off during my lunch break to walk to the US Capitol building and snap some more cherry blossom photos. I enjoy the breeze, weather and scenery.  Enjoy!

2013 Washington DC Cherry Blossoms in Bloom

This Sunday I enjoyed the balmy DC spring weather. While strolling down DuPont and Scott Circles, I started snapping cherry blossoms trees in bloom.  Enjoy!

Stuart Weitzman Gladiator Sandals

I am so ecstatic about receiving my gold nappa Stuart Weitzman Gladiator sandals today because I’ve waited since December for them.  Last week I called the company’s HQ and learned that the gold would be available this week.  I followed up calling the Madison Avenue store to reserve my size just for backup.  Since it snowed in DC yesterday, it doesn’t look like I will be wearing them anytime soon.  However, weather permitting, you know I will!