Translation lost, new words found?

I picked up a "new" toilet bowl cleaner at a local Dollar Tree and didn't fully read it until a few days later.

The bottle is bright pink and white, has an angled neck exactly like big name brands, and almost smells like the grapefruit it says it should. The brand is called "Homebright" and the cleaner is "Power Clinging Toilet Bowl Cleaner Gel". I think it's supposed to be like "The Pink Stuff", but I haven't purchased any of those products, so I can't say whether or not they're similar. 

When I was finally ready to use the product, I had read the back in more detail. What had jumped out at me was the (very loosely) translated wording and how the more tough stains needed to be cleaned.

Taken from the back (with no corrections):

"A unique fresh, fruity perfume fills the whole toilet. Its foam cleaning action leaves your toilet sparking clean. The thick cleaning gel clings to the toilet bowl removes limescale when used regularly (3 times per week). Cleans above and below the water line.

DIRECTIONS FOR USE: Direct nozzle under the toilet rim and squeeze bottle to apply liquid. Flush away for a sparkling clean fresh finish. For built-up limescale leave overnight with the toilet seal in an upright position."

It does have a unique fresh and fruity perfume, but I didn't see any foaming action. With the directions stating you can just flush the mess away, it was weird because the gel sticks to the sides of the bowl. You actually need to scrub it a little bit to make sure things go down. What's the point of using a cleaner if it's not going to wash away the dirt? Plus, this is the first part of the translation gaff, or at the very least misinterpretation: "For built-up limescale leave overnight with the toilet seal in an upright position". What does that mean - "leave overnight with the toilet seal in an upright position"?? Maybe leave your toilet seat lid up so the fumes can disperse? 

The next bit of confusion on the label comes from the warning and caution:
"WARNING: Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects. Keep out of reach of children. Read label before use. Wash contaminated skin thoroughly after handling. Avoid release to the environment. Dispose of contents/container in accordance with local regulations. 

CAUTIONS: Do not mix with other cleaning products. People with sensitive skin should wear gloves when using this product. 

STORAGE: Store upright in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight and do not expose to extreme temperatures."

Uhm, "Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects"??? What in the actual unprocessed hell is in this thing? This is a product that is meant to go down your drain. Depending on where your pipes lead, it'll wind up in other water systems where the "aquatic life" is around. It might not be immediate, but they'll have their opportunity to swim in it soon enough. Also, "contaminated skin"?? Like this is a biohazard product? Where is THAT on the label?

Moving forward, the rest of the bottle contains ingredients and information about the company (address and phone number):

"INGREDIENTS: WATER, CITRIC ACID, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, DECYL GLUCOSIDE, XANTHAM GUN, FRAGRANCE, RED 33, METHYLCHLOROISOTHIAZOLINONE, METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE.

Contains fragrance allergens.

For more ingredient information visit www.rejoice-us.com.

*Plant-based ingredients: Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Decyl Glucoside.

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS? 1-855-345-5575

MANUFACTURED FOR:

REJOICE INTERNATIONAL CORP.

21800 HAGGERTY RD.

NORTHVILLE, MI 48167, USA

MADE IN CHINA"

Okay, there are a lot of things I can't pronounce in the list, let alone wonder if it's the same kind of wording in all languages. Science is science, right? 

Castor Oil being one of the ingredients would probably explain why the gel sticks so good to the bowl and doesn't move, even when you try to brush it away. It seriously sticks to the sides and does take a couple flushes to fully disappear, as this stuff is pink when it comes out of the bottle and pink when it goes in your toilet. 

The rest of the ingredient list, well, good luck with it. I know there are some regulations with the "methyl" products listed, and it has some restrictive use.

I guess this will be the last time I purchase this product and will truly be reading the label better when I am in the store. I know there are cleaning agents out there that are better and some that are worse. Since this is a Dollar Tree product, it's not that widely available outside of that "less expensive" bubble. Which means, if you search for it online, it'll be a lot more money and come from third party vendors on auction sites (like eBay) or big name seller sites (Amazon did have it as a two pack and grossly over prices from some random seller). 

Honestly, it's my fault for not paying attention to things. I was looking for cleaning products while shopping at the Dollar Tree, and when I saw something that looked like another name brand, I thought I'd try it. Little to my knowledge, this would turn out to be something I'm turning into a big deal, without wanting to make it a big deal. 

I mean, it works to an extent. Once you squirt it in the bowl, it's not as easy as the directions state. You just can't flush it away because the gel is too thick and it stays on the sides. Therefore, you have to take a toilet bowl want and smush it around; do your usual cleaning. Then you flush it away, but the color stays for another flush or two. It's not staining my white bowl by any means, if that's what you're wondering. I think I had more of a problem with a slight stain with one of those blue cubes you drop in the tank and it cleans that way, then this get leaving "it's a girl!!" pink marks. The blue stain only happened once, but it's not getting clean, which is a bummer. Those cubes aren't the best and they're a bigger and better brand. I wasn't impressed, truth be told. 

Not that I'm impressed by this Homebright product either. The citrus smell does hit you, but then it goes away after that second flush, which is a good thing. It's as thick in the aroma department as it is in the gel department. For a liquid, it surely clings! 

This is truly not something I would buy again, and although I've not read the label for other products, I am hoping the translations aren't as bad as this one. The descriptions threw me for a loop, so based on that, I wanted to do a post. Share something I've seen and tried, and hopefully let others know to be careful with what they're purchasing and using. Hopefully something will change, regardless of what that "something" is. It's one thing to buy a knock off or pick something up that is less expensive, but it's something different when the wording on the product is warning you of the materials being harmful for the fishies and instructs you to leave something in an upright position when it doesn't really state what that something should be. Read between the lines and choose your own adventure? 

Until I finish this product and don't purchase it again, stay clean, for the most part. Stay out of the radioactive beds of water as well. 

Cheers;

A couch on the curb... in Florida. What does that make us?

New couch buyers, that's what! 😆

My mother decided that she's had enough of the peeling leather between the seats on our leather couch. This is the... second (?) couch we've had where there's been an issue. 

First couch was fake (aka bonded) leather, which lasted several years before it peeled apart. Purchasing what was supposed to be a high quality leather couch at a higher quality furniture store, turned out to be a rip off because they promised and guaranteed us that this couch would last and it was pure leather. 

Only to have it start getting weird after a year. 

Come to find out, through many a complaint, the couch was actually bonded leather, which means it's "manufactured upholstery material which contains animal hide. It is made as a layered structure of a fiber or paper backer covered with a layer of shredded leather fibers mixed with natural rubber or a polyurethane binder that is embossed with a leather-like texture" ("Bonded Leather" per Wikipedia)(~shudders. I hate Wikipedia). 

According to The Leather Farm, bonded leather is "made from shredded leather scraps glued together with polyurethane or latex on a fabric base. The surface is then embossed to look like natural grain. [...] While it may appear convincing, it lacks the resilience of authentic leather. Bonded products tend to be cheaper, but they crack, peel, and deteriorate much faster. They’re common in budget furniture, office chairs, or entry-level accessories—items where cost takes priority over longevity."

The latter part of the second quote proves why our couch failed. The piece was falling apart. 

Off we went, back to the store to see what could be done. We talked to sales people, management, whoever we could, to be able to get a conversation going as to why part of the staff insisted the couch was one thing and another part of the staff backpedaled saying they do in fact sell bonded pieces and this happened to be one of them.

Which brought us to our second couch. My mother wanted a new piece because she felt this wonderful couch we had, was becoming an eyesore. She felt duped and she wanted something to be done about it. Here, she told all her friends about the retailer in the beginning and how wonderful the sale went. Then the couch started failing and she felt bad for referring people to the store. 

Although there was nothing major that could be done, the store (very nicely) offered a small discount off the purchase of a new couch. 

My mother accepted that and grilled them about it. 

The second couch was to be 100 per cent leather. She didn't want that bonded stuff. The company had to make sure we were purchasing a real leather couch. They assured her this next one would be, and there wouldn't be any problems. She felt that she trusted them enough, she bought a love seat to go with it. 

Fast forward a few years later, and guess what? The couch is peeling. That's on top of the fact the USB port on one side had failed from the word go. Both ends of the couch had reclining capabilities as well as a USB charging station, where you could plug your device (phone) in and let the thing charge away. Her side charger didn't work after the couch was delivered. It wasn't tested when the delivery men dropped it off, so she couldn't have them bring it back to the warehouse or get it immediately fixed. As she thought this was a small issue, she never said anything; we had the ability to plug in her phone to the wall socket that the couch was plugged in to, so it wasn't a huge deal breaker. 

What became of the couch, in the end, was the last straw. 

The inside seams started peeling. Badly. It was so messy, that every time we used the reclining bit, more pieces were scraping off from the seat cushions. Upon contacting the store, they wanted us to come in. We took photos and went to talk to a manager. Once we arrived, we explained what was happening. The staff took one look and said "oh yeah, we know what that is". 

What is it?

Vinyl and bonded leather in between the sections.

Yup. The couch is technically one hundred per cent real leather, but the places that attach together (seams, each seat on the inside, the leg base) is vinyl and bonded leather. 

Why? 

Because, in one respect, you don't look at the inside of the couch. Cheaper materials can be used to attach everything together, while the more expensive stuff is on the outside. 

How come no one told us, especially when we were making it clear that we didn't want to get anything other than real leather?

They thought we knew. Does it really matter?

No, we didn't know and yes, it does matter. No one discussed with us, that whatever we buy, will have vinyl or bonded or other types of materials on the inside (seams) of the couch. When you make an expensive purchase like this, you want to be told what's involved. There was no mention in the fine print, there was no talk about things being not what they were. 

To add insult to injury, when we finally started inquiring about it, we were just out of the window of warranty, so there was nothing the store could do about it. Plus, warranty didn't cover the insides where the peeling was happening. So we'd have to continue living with it or get a new couch then. 

We opted to continue living with it, because overall, the couch was still okay on the outside. The seams were becoming a pain to deal with, but we would carry on and see what would happen. 

Which brings us to Thanksgiving Day Sales 2025 at the furniture stores. My mother had had enough of constantly picking up chunks of peeled upholstery and opted to finally invest in something new.

This time it would be a fabric couch. We had a quality sleeper couch in our guest room for a few years and didn't have any problems with it. It was time to go back to that. 

As we shopped around, we told various places our tale and each sales person we spoke to, seemed to understand our side and apologized for the misgivings and mistakes of the company we dealt with. Even though they had no business / dealings with that particular store. 

Once we found something that would suit our living space quite well, my mother decided she'd buy the matching love seat to go with it. Now we need to find someone to take the leather couch and love seat off our hands, even though the love seat was in some what of a better condition (it was starting to fray, but it wasn't horrendous). 

She contacted friends and neighbors to see if they know anyone, and ended up giving the love seat to a pool friend's daughter. The daughter just graduated medical school and is working locally. She has recently started renting a house within our community with a couple of friends, so they are in need of furniture, and don't mind second hand pieces. If nothing completely matches, at least they have some where to sit until they fully decide what they want to do. After securing a time for the kids to pick up the love seat, the couch was discussed. They didn't have a need for it, and didn't know anyone else who would. It wasn't that they were not willing to take it, but they were getting things from other people as well. Too many big pieces in a small house is over kill and greedy. 

Understandable.

We tried calling a local thrift store, which every single furniture store recommended. It was the number one thrift place in the area and we were told the couch would be accepted, regardless of it peeling. This particular thrift, if they couldn't sell it, would donate it to a shelter (or halfway house).

Great! That's such awesome news to hear. 

Well, with high hopes, we set up a date and time for the thrift store to pick up the couch. They came, they saw, they denied wanting it. It was too far gone in the seams to sell. They can't take it.

What about giving it to a shelter? 

They don't know anything about that. Whoever told us, doesn't know what they're talking about. 

What this place can do, is put it on the curb for trash pick up because they can't even take it to the dump. It costs them over a hundred dollars to drop stuff off at the landfill and they aren't willing to do that. 

As this was Monday, my mom was not willing to let the couch sit outside until this morning. We'd get ticketed by the community for that. 

We thanked the thrift store guys for coming out and were saddened to hear they are limited in what they do. We weren't lied to, necessarily, but we weren't told an exact truth, apparently. 

Since the new couch was going to come Friday (yesterday), we would have to wait a few more days with this old one.

Which we did.

The unfortunate side effect now to this experience, is the delivery guys said they can't touch the old couch. This was even when we were told they could, if the thrift store didn't take it. This is becoming a fiasco. An entire crazy circle of information, in order to enjoy seating in the living room. 

Once the old couch was taken outside and the new couch brought in, it was time to do some re-arranging in order to now wait the week out for the love seat because they didn't arrive together. The love seat is on back order. 

Okay, fine. We can live another week without the second piece of furniture. I keep telling my mother maybe we need to get one of those blanket covers for the couch so it's not ruined so quickly. That the nice beige doesn't show dirt and grime and so forth before the end of 2026. We have a decent warranty with this new couch, but we don't need it going to hell soon. It needs to last a while, and if the fabric quits on us, then what? 

It'll be time to move, because Florida ruins everything. That's what. 

Considering the years we've lived on the old leather, there are some stains happening with it. Rubbing of clothing, human oils (sweat), etc. We weren't shy about using this as the main sitting area. It was lived on. 

Proof in point - this is a picture of it outside in the sun:

Shadows and various points in the day and all.

No editing has been done to the photos. There is not mold on the legs. I promise you that. It's several years worth of being used as an every day piece of furniture. Heat, humidity, cold, sweating, non sweating, lotions.. just plain old hanging out and enjoying life. 

The thrift store's point of this being destroyed wasn't the way the seats look. They immediately went to the in-between sections and saw the peeling. They raised the legs of the recliners. They saw how bad it was. That's why they wouldn't take it; it wouldn't sell. 

Even at night, the couch looked sad.

The shadows made it look weird and creepy. Like it belongs on an abandoned property, waiting for a horror movie to happen. 

Or, it belongs on the front yard of a local home where no one cares what their property looks like because everyone has similar lawn decorations around.

Either way, it was picked up this morning and my mom was super glad. She's in love with the new piece and is relieved to be done with all sorts of leather. 

I'm honestly surprised no one was riding the community with a pickup truck and took it, as we are so used to that happening up north. Maybe because we're currently in a gated community, so you can't get in unless you're visiting someone. Maybe because no one really wants a big couch at the moment. I don't know. But knowing we didn't have lookie loo people around, is quite surprising. Guess that's the big difference in where we were and where we are. 

Until the love seat comes in and completes the room, make sure you take care of yourself and research what you're buying. Don't regret your purchase, even years later. Make the best of it while you can and if you could donate to charity, do so. We don't need more trash in our landfills right now. Recycle when possible. 

Cheers; 

See also

* "Blanket for couch protection" via Amazon

It's like they know...

WARNING

The post below talks about a pet store and my opinion on what the animals looked like, with pictures. This is not a paid advertisement for the store or any animal cause. It is just my thoughts by themselves and does not reflect those around me. For the readers who are animal lovers or have a hard time watching an ASPCA ad, please visit again and don't read this post. Unless you want to. I'm not going to stop you. However, this is your fair do's. It might not be for everyone to read and I understand that. I thank you for stopping by and continuing to stop by. Please return on another day and check for an update, should you decide not to stay on this post.

Yesterday my mother wanted to go to a specific store to check their "sale", so I walked in to Petland, which is in the same plaza.

Well, "you know there's a problem, when..." the store is pretty clean looking, the accessories are seemingly marked down, and there's a candle burning as you walk in to the store. 

Yes, there was a good size candle burning at the registers, masking any type of smell there may be. Plus, there were hand sanitizers every two cages, asking people to "please sanitize your hands before and after touching the puppies" (I didn't get a picture of this, and I probably should have. It was a "huh??? moment). 

I'm not sitting here trying to call out Petland for anything shift and shady. I'm here just to say how sad it was, walking around the store. The associate seemed nice, but a little desperate to take a dog out and have me play with it. The first question you're asked is if you have an appointment, or are you just walking in to check things out. I chose the latter because I didn't want to go to the store my mother was in. The associate said that I should let him know if I want to have any of the puppies taken out and played with, because it will be no problem. I thanked him and looked around. 

As it wasn't that busy, sans a family in one of the play areas fawning over a puppy, it seemed like the place was rather empty. I could feel eyes on me as I walked around. I took my time doing a circle around the store and once I got back to the babies, the associate asked me if I have any animals. I said no, and he laughed. He said "everyone should have a puppy" and did his best smile to get me to agree. I kept quiet. He then said that I "should play with one of the puppies here. They are puppies after all, and puppies always want to play". I thanked him but said I was just interested in looking around.

It really is a sad store, this Petland. You walk in and you can feel something bad is happening, and once you see the puppies, you can definitely tell something bad is happening. They're all beautiful little animals, but they're all drained looking. Meaning, they look sad and defeated. It's as if they know people aren't going to buy them and they're going to spend however many days and months locked in their crate before the store decides to do something else with them. 

Which I do not know what, and I don't want to know. 

The puppies I saw were 2-4 in a cage and if they weren't sleeping, they were sitting there waiting for a human to look at them. A few saw me approach their window and immediately came over and pawed at the glass, as if to say "pick me up?". I didn't want to, because I didn't want to have to sign my life away and get conned into a sale of an animal. 

My mother would kill me. Haha. 

But more importantly, if these dogs are already looking sad and lonely, they're going to end up going back in their cage when it's time for me to leave and that's not fair for them. Plus, if you have to sanitize yourself before and after, what underlying issues are there in this place? 

As it is, the cages up and down units. Imagine a 2 shelf bookcase, but instead of being shallow for books, it's big enough to hold a crated dog. The crate is built in to the wall - the top, left and right sides are wall, the front is plexiglass so you can see the animal, the back is a lockable double door (with bars) for the employee to get the dog, and the bottom is a grate with enough space between that and the flooring, so the dog can use the bathroom when it needs to. I'm not going to go into details about bathroom usage, but I did notice a few cages that really needed to be cleaned because the flooring didn't look like normal bathroom behavior. 

I took some photos, and they all have various reflections of the store in the glass, so don't mind the lighting. You'll see how the dogs look almost abused, but they're also so pretty at the same time (the husky, for example, sat like a champ and his eyes were spectacular blue). 

My heart breaks for them because it really makes you feel so bad for them. Again, there were ones I didn't get photos of, as they were sleeping. There were ones who were awake, but they looked just like these ones - they know their fate and they're going to be here for however long with no home to go to. 

It's a struggle because I don't want to be negative about this, however, I really truly walked out of there feeling awful for them. I had told my mom what I saw, and I think she felt bad too, even though she didn't want to go in. 

This is a place I one hundred per cent could not work for. Seeing what the puppies looked like (they were clean, admitedly, and some were spunky, ready to play. Although, it could have been just boredom for them and seeing a new person they wanted to meet), I could not morally try to sell a customer one of the dogs because there's some thing scratching at the back of my head, telling me "this is wrong". There's some big bad aura in this place and I've read some horror stories about the mistreatment of the animals, so seeing them kind of puts it all in place. It almost felt sterile when I walked in, but not in the good way. Maybe that's why there was a candle burning. Who knows. But to work here? No. It's not worth my going home at night, wanting to scrub my skin clean and wonder what will happen to the dogs and if they will be there tomorrow, not only safe, but okay. I can't sell an animal knowing there might be something wrong with it, especially since this is the type of place you get commission on because it's an upsell type of job. Petco or Petsmart, sure. Maybe I could work at those places because it feels more uplifting, more positive. They seem to help all animals get healthy by selling food and treats (at a huge markup, yes), as well as getting animals a makeover with a haircut. You're not actively selling a sentient being that is cooped up looking battered. Yes, there are random little creatures, but I honestly don't get the same dark impression from them as I got in Petland. 

Maybe it's because I'm not an active shopper? So I don't know all the ins and outs?

It's strange, I know, and I don't know how else to explain it. Like I said, there's been horror stories about this brand and I'm sure there are just as bad reviews about the other pet stores. I feel that there's a difference when you walk into them as they seemed more inviting. 

There are no words to really describe any of this correctly. I know there are problems in every store and I'm really trying not to be so bad on one and good on another because my experiences have been different in each place I've walked in to. That's what it boils down to: personal experience. What you see and do, what happens, how you're treated, etc. Everyone is different and every moment is different. Someone reading this could disagree with me wholeheartedly, while the next person could completely agree. I'm fine with that. We are all entitled to speak our minds and have a conversation about it. All I ask is to not be mean or play dirty. Be respectful and you'll get it back. 

Do your research. Grab life by the chewy toy and run in the grass like a maniac. 

Cheers;

Minty fresh?

The other day when I wrote about the Aura Cacia "Calm" oil, I didn't talk about the Peppermint "Cooling" oil. 

As with the other version, I had a free sample. 

When I opened it, I knew better than to get it everywhere, so I poured it all into a two ounce cup with a cover and took it from there. 

The oil smells amazingly pepperminty. It's sharp enough to wake you up and know that you're sterile for a minute. 

However, my smelly challenge at the moment is... I've got Bath & Body Works' "Eddie's Leather Jacket" foaming hand soap in my bathroom and the scent of that collaboration doesn't jive well with the mentha piperita. At all. In fact, I feel like this particular B&BW Stranger Things fragrance sucks on its own. I'm sorry for all the things that the retailer does with it's brand management, but hopping on the nostalgia train with the sci fi show about kids in the 1980s, I'm not totally sold on it. 

The "Fragrance notes" are: "black leather, soft musk and smoked suede". It's currently discontinued from the B&BW site and Amazon seems to be out of it too. Some third party vendor was distributing it at one point, and another vendor has the candle version for $41.90 because they're including a charcoal scrub bar soap with it (which probably is not Bath and Body Works approved). 

It was not my idea to get Eddie's Leather Jacket soap or anything else. It was gifted to me by someone because they thought I'd like it, due to the fact I was watching Stranger Things. I didn't like the smell of it when I saw it in the store, so I didn't buy it when I had the opportunity. I felt like it was something that I'd want to immediately scrub off my hands because I didn't feel clean with it. I don't feel clean with it as I type this. However, when I had the opportunity to buy a B&BW x ST product, I did buy the The Demogorgon Candle in the store, because it was the only one I thought smelled good. Yes, it has "Black Orchids, Spicy Cedarwood, and Dark Patchouli" as its "fragrance notes", so I'm going to be filling the air with patchouli again. Guess everything comes back to that? LOL. No, I haven't burned it yet because I'm working on the Flannel candle. Now that's sharp and clean scent too, but it gives me a headache after a while, honestly. 

I know.. I've been (negatively) circling the aroma post with everything.

TL;DR: the hand soap I use in my bathroom doesn't jive with the Peppermint oil I put on my arms and legs. The mix of the two (very different) products is horrible. I want to take a shower because of this, but if it's just to wash off the hand soap, I don't want to waste a warm shower (considering it's 67° out right now and will drop another 10-15 degrees over night. I'm already in my long pajamas and ready for bed (at almost 6pm. Dude, I'm so old). 

It's sad, really. I think the peppermint oil would be nice, but also, I'm thinking as it's sitting on me, it's not so great. I mean, there's no residue on my arms or legs so it has done its job by keeping me feeling clean (although rubbing my arms, I feel a bit staticy, which isn't the best feeling), but my room smells like a mix of things and I don't like that. I probably should have waited to open the oil when I was finished with the hand soap, but I just opened that the other day. 

Since I have the cup marked, I think I'm going to wait it out. I'm going to finish the hand soap and not use the oil. I'll just keep using regular lotion to heal my hands and feet, and see how long it lasts me before I totally throw out the soap and start new with something else. I hate to be that type of greedy waster, but there's only so much you can take of a product, when you didn't buy it yourself. It's a nice gesture, sure, but I wish I was asked first. I buy the soaps all the time, but I am very particular about which ones I get. Everyone has their preferences, and I sometimes walk out of that store with a headache, but I know I've gotten things that I can stand and use. 

Hopefully no one will send me to the Upside Down for this post... 

Cheers; 

Come and buy my toys | New era of technology

Yesterday my community had it's yearly fall yard sale. 

As per usual, we were out at 6:45 in the morning, setting up our driveway. We tend to get people strolling around by 7:30, even though the official start time is 8. By 7:25, we were ready for the early birds to somehow get into the gates. 

Even Ed and Joanne (3 units down, the people we spent the hurricane with) were all set up. Our two houses seemed to be the only ones on the block with stuff out. 

My mom and I had enough random items that it would potentially make the sale pretty easy, but as we've been learning the last few years, people tend to go to the houses and don't bother coming to the condos. So it's a crap shoot in actually getting people to buy something versus getting no one and you're boxing everything for the donation center (which we usually do for half the stuff. The bigger items we try again the next time).

Some of the things we keep trying to sell every year is a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer. 

When this juicer was brand new and all the rage, it was retailing at over $100. All I'm looking for now is $50, even though I'd consider going as low as 35. It's so hard to find now, that the auction sites seem to be the ones carrying it. Even Amazon is selling parts at this point, including someone trying to get over 350 dollars for it (which is far too much for the machine). 

Another thing we try is a Samsung Blu Ray DVD Player, which obviously, no one uses anymore since majority of the people I talk to, are streaming. 

Which is weird since we are also looking to sell an Apple TV streaming box (it's a third generation). Everyone that looks at it, seem to be Android people because we also have a few Apple Watch bumpers, and various adapters. 

One of the new things was a Crest Toothpaste Crest Man phone from the 1980s. 

He looks like this:

And again, the auction sites have him listed for high money since he is a collectible at this point. There is only one seller on Amazon that has it in stock, and they want over $95 for it. My "make an offer" sticker means people think it's cute but not for them. 

Don't get me wrong; it's not like we're looking for hundreds of dollars on everything. Books were listed as a dollar, some of the plastic house ware stuff was ranging from 10 to 25 cents, things had appropriate stickers. However, it's the "art of the deal" and people want it for close to nothing (even a dime is too much). 

Yet, one of the people who looked at the juicer didn't want to pay 50 dollars. We said the lowest was 35 and they said okay. When they pulled out a fresh, clean, hundred dollar bill, I said "sorry, I can't make change". 

At the time the person came, it was 9am and we had only had 4 people come by; one person bought something for two bucks. If I attempted to change out that big bill, I'd have nothing left for the rest of the day.

I mean, it's one thing if it was a 5 dollar item and you were giving me a ten. But to ask for that much change back, I'm sorry (not sorry); I'd rather lose the sale than not be able to work with people for the next four hours. That's not fair for me - what if someone decided to purchase the DVD player ($15) and two books ($2)? I'm going to need to give them 3 dollars back if they gave me a twenty. If I didn't have that, I'd be stuck. 

I know I sound like I'm not being grateful because someone wanted to buy the juicer, but I'm also not a bank. I don't have hundreds of dollars to dole out as change because someone gave me a bill I can't handle. Like one of my friends said - "it is a yard sale, people want things for low costs", which also means, come with low bills or go to the bank during the work week. 

Needless to say, the woman walked away not buying it. Which, had she also wanted to buy the frozen fruit ice cream maker with the juicer, I would have made her a deal and given her back the change she was possibly looking for. 

So when another person comes in at 11 looking at the health food table, they were asking serious questions about the juicer. They took it apart to make sure every piece was there. They scoured it to make sure it was legit. When asked about the price, we said "make an offer; it retails for over 100", they said they didn't know. They don't think they have more than a few dollars on them. We said we could talk about it - how about 50, and she said no because she didn't know what she had. She put everything down and was looking at other things for under 5 dollars, and we said we'd go down to 35 but that's as low as we would go. She thought about it, and asked if she can pay us via Zelle. We said we didn't know what that was, and she said it's a cash app and that she paid via her phone and the app at a house around the corner and the transaction went fine. All you do is search someone by name, email or phone number and then you transfer the money. No bank account info is stated anywhere in the transaction. Her issue is that she just doesn't have any cash on her and she uses this Zelle a lot. We explained it's cash only because we don't do those money transfer apps; sorry. She insisted another minute and said that that was okay, she would continue to look around. 

She ended up not buying anything, but it's like, how far have we come in our society, culture and world, that now no one carries cash or plastic and they rely too heavily on their phones? My same friend who remarked about "it's a yard sale", said she "hates when people want to use those digital cash apps. This isn't retail". Which is true. Not everyone has those apps. You just never know with them. When cash used to be king, everyone got along and knew what was going on. Cash goes away in favor of plastic, and people scratched their heads. Now plastic has gone away and people are using their pocket computers for everything. 

If we had a booth at the flea market (and sold every week), I could see setting up Square or using the cash apps, but for a twice a year home yard sale, please be nice and get cash out, in low bills. Not everyone has the ability to make change for large numbers or do a wireless money transfer. 

I asked Ed and Joanne about that, and even they agreed - low bills, cash only, no checks or digital transfers. Considering Ed is hip with a lot of technology (to a point), for them to say "cash only" is as old school as what we want to accomplish. 

Sure, I am of the age where I should be relying on my phone to do stuff, but I don't. I still write checks, I still get money out of the bank. I use my credit card for stuff I know I don't have the cash on hand for (or if I'm ordering something online). If the right amount of greenbacks aren't in my pocket, I don't buy it. 

Not being a math genius, I really have to watch what I'm doing. I know not to go crazy in stores if it is something I like. I have enough money in my pocket for an emergency cab ride plus a trip to the store, but I am not keeping a lot on me. Yes, I have a credit card, but I'm not taking it out every single time I'm shopping. At one point, prior to moving to Florida, I had gone almost two years without using my card. I was paying cash for everything, including gas for my car. I wasn't buying online. I was watching what I was doing. Minimalist spending. Can't afford it? Don't get it. 

Which is why you don't go to a yard sale and look around, pick stuff up, and ask to pay with other means people may not have. That is a super big ask. 

It's like last year, when my uncle gave me permission to sell his golf clubs, someone came by and wanted to Venmo me. The guy saw the price listed on the whole kit, was amazed because he knew everything in the bag was worth more, and said that he'd buy it from me. He just needs to Venmo it over. I said that I don't use the app, but am willing to hold it for half an hour for him, if he is willing to go to the bank (we were selling everything for $250). He agreed, asked if I knew where the local bank was for him, and he left quicker than you can say "I'll make you a deal". He came back in less than 30 minutes, cash in hand, and thanked me immensely. He loaded it into his car and off he went. 

So proof is that if someone wants it so badly, they are willing to work with the seller. I would have been willing to work with the Zelle lady, had she not kept saying it's all she had and other houses accepted it. If you aren't willing to work it out, why bother going to these?

I mean, sure, I use Paypal, but it was originally set up for when I was selling books on (the now defunct) Half dot com website. I still use the pay site occasionally, but it's only tied to a couple sites that I trust. 

I know there is going to come a time when certain things we currently do, don't exist, but until that happens, I'm sticking to the things I know. Some people don't handle life changes well, and they can't be expected to jump right into things. Considering I've got one app on my phone that is going away permanently next month, and I've got to decide what I want to do about it. I have to uninstall it for sure, but do I install the app they're recommending (it's the coupons app and they got bought out)? Frivolous spending, me, but is it really worth creating a new profile, downloading the app, making sure everything is connected, to only use the app a couple times a month? I don't know. 

I really have to sort things out better. Figure out what's important and what's not. Hope the 3 tubs I put back into the garage sell next year in the spring sale, and vocalize about this issue once more. 

Until then, do your own research and be respectful of people and places you're buying from,

Cheers;

Is it the same? No. Is it similar?

Perhaps.

I know I have talked about seeing a sticker on a car, where it is some sort of crying nocturnal animal, asking that people don't honk since they "hate it here" already. 

Well, I found a (what looks like Rocky Horror-esque) version from a completely different artist. 

Link is here

The guy goes by "Ludwig Van Bacon" and he has a lot of very "not safe for work" (NSFW) artwork, mixed with some very "safe for work" artwork. 

Aka "cute and creepy art"

PLEASE BE ADVISED: 

Graphic nature warning in the following storefront link.

Ludwig Van Bacon storefront on Amazon

Please note / fair do's:

If you're checking this blog post out when you're not in the comfort of your own home and click on the Artist's storefront link, there will be pictures that will come up that are offensive or not politically correct for mass viewing. 

Or, you're home and are offended by NSFW / political / dark items / satire, please do not click the aforementioned Ludwig Van Bacon storefront link. 

For example, the ones that are naughty are of (mostly) nude characters in various posing. 

This includes a series called "Deer Daddy", which is a man (typically in a business suit) wearing a deer skull over his head and has a naked female pictured with him (sitting in a sexual manner).  Other naughty pictures are of genitalia parodies (like something called "KY Jellyfish" which is a drawing of a penis but is drawn to be an exaggerated jellyfish swimming). 

There are also dark images and fear mongering images, but among all of this, you'll find the positive ones include scenes from Labyrinth, Beetlejuice, The Never Ending Story, Rocko's Modern Life, and other movies or shows my generation and older might get nostalgic over. There are also cats (the "Rainbow Bridge" one is amazing for someone who has lost a pet), Al Pacino's Scarface and Brandon Lee's The Crow also are listed.  But it's not just movies and television. 

 

The artist seems to have an array of eye candy to sell and you really have to sift through the dark to get to the light.  

Check it out, but don't say I didn't warn you. Or, as Kate Lister (host of Betwixt the Sheets) says, you've been given your fair do's. 

Until I can scrounge some cash to buy one of the Laby prints (and buy my own house).

Cheers

See also (aka extra link[s]):

• Rocky Horror
• Labyrinth
• Beetlejuice
  
• The Never Ending Story
• Betwixt The Sheets podcast
  

"Has it been that long?"

I was going to post a screen grab of a scene from Carnivàle that matches the post title (episode 4, "Black Blizzard"), but my laptop is being fruity and won't let me play a DVD with subtitles at the moment. So no matching "meme" to this post. 

Yesterday, the Whirlpool refrigerator beeped at me. 

No, it's not like that scene in Ghostbusters where I opened the doors and a voice said 'Zuul' and shot fire and lights out of its face. "You don't typically see that type of behavior in a major appliance". You just get ferociously beeped at when it's time to fix something.

The beeping was because the filter for the water is on its sixth month of use. 

We have one of those French door refrigerators with the water and ice maker on the door (and the ice maker takes up a good piece of shelf location on the inside of the fridge). 

From what I could search for a model number, it closely resembles the WRF555SDF line.

Every six months, the water and ice area ding at us when we go to use the filtered water, reminding us to subsequently order a filter, replace a filter and screams bloody murder (okay, close to Zuul) to really replace the filter. 

The "order filter" noise and wording lit up when I went to get water to make the coffee, and I asked my mother "Didn't we just replace the filter?". She said yes... after the hurricane. 

Which means it was six months ago. 

The storm of the decade that fucked southwest Florida was six months ago. 

It still looks and feels like it was just four weeks ago in some areas. 

I talked to someone the other day that said her area close to Sanibel is still a mess and she doesn't wish anyone to see what chaos it looks like (she's a free spirit... I know her from my last job and run in to her on the little beach area located on the property. She does yoga and Tai Chi and all sorts of other things... for being over 65. Plus she is on the major health bus). So she basically says how sad it is... the destruction and the mess... and if you haven't been that way yet, don't bother because it will break your heart. She and everyone else living in it, are trying their best to stay positive (which she sounded great, by the way) but where they are located is known for the views of the water and the nature. Not for piles of broken pieces of nature. Which is why she said she doesn't wish anyone to see it. I told her I've heard stories about it all.. it's being slowly picked up but I haven't been that way yet to see what's going on. People are telling me it's still a bit of a war zone. She didn't want to use that verbiage exactly, but she did say I was on the right path. 

Anyway, to have everything back in perspective, the fact we put a new filter in the fridge when we got power back and everything cleaned up and out, to realize it's been six months since the storm is crazy. We're all counting the days for the area to get back to just a quarter of normalcy (Fort Myers Beach is still down, the islands are still down) but it's taking a long time and will take a long time. 

The Haul Away trucks are constantly moving thru the city and are filled to the brim with stuff. It's coming along but at a snails pace. 

It's just so weird to use a water filter as a judgment of how time is progressing. As strange as it is. 

I guess when we replace the filter, it'll allow us to keep wondering how slow things are going around here..

Until then,

Cheers

Everything really goes in threes?

Thursday I was talking to a coworker about her upcoming wedding (February 4) and we were joking about decorations (she thinks she'll be getting more "yes" RSVPs than anticipated, and will have to scramble to buy more linens off Amazon and rent more tables and chairs).

Something came up relating to the decoration, and I told her she should get this Dragon "Your Butt Napkins My Lady Tin Sign" and hang it somewhere. 

She laughed and made some excuse not to get it, but when I saw the raccoon one, I immediately had to forward that to Emi, as she's had a raccoon incident at one of her jobs (long story short, she named him Meeko and was living in her office area for a while. Hopefully he has escaped and found his way).The response to the message from Emi was "YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I love that so much! 😁" and she went on to tell me about catching up on the DVDs I set her. If she buys it, she buys it, but I know she will be thinking about it. 

That was number one. 

Number two is the fact I saw that white Mitsubishi yesterday that has the crying animal on it. I had posted about it in the summer, so look backwards if you want to find it. 

I know the animal on the sticker is not a raccoon, but I think the timing is quite funny, since I haven't seen the car lately, and I was just talking about the butt napkin sign. Yes, I realize the only correlation to both instances is the animal referenced is a nocturnal trash thieves, but it's still something to discuss. Especially when you consider the timing of it all and the Mitsu being MIA for a while. 

I mean, usually there are certain cars you recognize on your daily commute because of their stickers and what not, and sometimes you see them every day. But when you stop seeing them for a while, you suddenly pay attention when they pop up again. 

Which means the big 4x4 needs to show up again.. the one with the political sticker and the vanity plate. I saw him about 2 weeks ago but hadn't seen him in a while either. 

The third thing that I wanted to talk about... now I forget. I should have written it down before I started this post because I had three things in mind to talk about. I hit the first two, but the last... completely fell out of my brain. I'm sure I'll remember it later. 

For now it's time to watch the rain clouds roll in and the birds go crazy. 

Stay sane.

Cheers

Are we cold yet?

 The "real feel" of winter is currently 39° as of the start of this blog post (Christmas Day, 12/25/22, 11:30am).

However, it's supposed to be 45°.

Choose your coat wisely. 

I was going through a box this morning, looking for a bling'ed out watch bumper to give to someone today because they got a new Apple Watch for Christmas and you know they're going to scratch this one at some point (the whole reason they got a new one - they cracked the old one to the point that it's worth nothing as a trade in and she can't use it in the pool anymore because the insides will get totally destroyed). 

I didn't realize how "expensive" they are, until I just searched on Amazon. No wonder why I got them fairly cheap at the liquidation place... 

Anyway, I found a speaker I haven't used since I won it on Amazon's Giveaway site a few years ago. Amazon no longer does the daily free winnings, and it looks like they don't even carry the speaker anymore either. 

Don't mind what looks like dust in the pictures. It's remnants of a salt lamp I've cleaned up since taking the photos.

After searching for the specific keyword terms on Amazon, nothing pops up with this exact model. It's like it's totally disappeared from the warehouse and has gone over to eBay and other selling sites, as that's where I found it (for under $15 after shipping and handling). 

I figured I'd charge the speaker up and see how it still works. Attach it to my phone and hang it somewhere in my bathroom - I'd like to be able to listen to podcasts while I shower because I seem to be getting to distracted in my thoughts lately. I did quite the doozy of a cut the other day while shaving.

TMI, I know, but that's what happens when I have brain squirrel moments. 

So if I have something else to take my mind off bathroom stuff, maybe it'll help. Who knows; it's worth a shot. 

I just don't remember how long I need to charge it. Therefore, it'll be hanging out, getting some juice, while we go to our friend's house for a traditional family meal (we take turns - my mother does Hanuka latkes while the friend does Christmas ham. We're good like that). 

Considering the house we're going to, feels like family as it is, when even "grandma" treats my mother like the local favorite... instead of her own daughter... some days! It works! 

Therefore, as I sit here in front of an open window, getting the 39° blown at me, I've really got to think about getting ready because we're supposed to go over a little earlier so make sure the host gifts are opened properly (without the scouring eyes of the rest of the attendees) and the non hotline bling is acceptable for the new time piece. 

Enjoy the day, stay warm and continue fluctuating on that naughty and nice list. I know Santa needs to be reminded how crazy we are every once in a while....

Cheers;

Preppers gotta prep?

 As I (briefly) mentioned yesterday, there's a tropical storm (Ian) on track to become a hurricane for Florida. Storm watchers are predicting it could reach Category 4 status by Wednesday just as it merges into the Straits of Florida.

Picture taken from a CNN article (1)

Unfortunately, that means it's going to be a bad storm for Southwest & West Florida since the storm is moving through the Cayman Island and Jamaica area right now, heading towards Cuba. Based on models, Havana is under a hurricane warning because it's still a tropical storm. When it passes through the west side of the island, it's going to come at an angle to Florida. How it ricochets from the neighbor 90 miles to The Wang's south, is up in the air (literally), to see what kind of weather we'll get in Fort Myers. There is a possibility that it could turn any which way, but as of this morning, the cone of concern inched a little more out into the ocean but still focused on us. 

That's not to say we won't get anything because the odds are in our favor that we'll get at least strong winds and lots of rain. Pictures are still showing my area in the 4 range, even though the Tampa area was downgraded from a 2 to a 1 this morning.

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is watching a few storms out in the waters, and there's been a new public advisory notice put out for what is expected here (2). 

As of right now, my mother and I are watching the reports and staying in our unit. 

Which is exactly what we said the last time. 

The only difference between now and 2017 is the house we were at no longer exists. 

Well, it does, but the owner doesn't. Sadly, Joe passed away a year (?) later and his girlfriend Ginger has been having health problems (and doesn't live in that house, as Joe had been living in Ginger's). 

So we'll plan on staying and if we have to, we can go upstairs to our neighbor's place (yet my mom says she's going to tell the woman to come down here if she gets scared) or we walk around the corner to another neighbor's (as my mother said "before the 130mph gets us"). 

Either way, people are prepping this weekend. Lots of long lines at the pump (I went to Mobil yesterday and people were filling up their red cans while places like Costco and Sam's Club had cars parked everywhere waiting for a stall). Surprisingly, the shelves in Publix were pretty full. I think people were learning lessons from the last storm and have begun to hoard big stuff (3). 

We have gas in the cars, batteries ready for radios and lanterns, non perishable food in the pantry, pitchers of water chilling in the fridge (for now), ice made (in case we lose power), cases of bottled water and after I finish this post, I'm washing my bathtub to be able to fill it with water. I'll use my mother's bathroom for showers. 

Yes, we must come from New England (4).. we've always had it instilled in our heads to fill the tubs with water for emergency use. Power goes out and what do you do about flushing toilets or general washing? After so many hours of no electricity, you don't get water. And, if you get flood water somehow, you've got contaminated water in your house. Then what do you do? At least the cleaned out bathtub is untouched enough for you to get washed up or take a pee. 

As of now, it's business as usual. Bright sunny days in the morning, storms in the afternoon. We'll keep it that way for the next 24-36 hours, hopefully, but after that, who knows. 

I'll post when and if I can. 

Stay hydrated (in this 100° humidity).

Cheers;

See also (links):

* (1) picture from CNN article: Floridians brace for the arrival of Tropical Storm Ian, which is forecast to rapidly intensify on Sunday

* (2) Weather nerds and geeks go wild: NOAA's 8am update. 

* (3) Amazon has a slew of  "hurricane preparedness items", but the first page is loaded with lights (lanterns, candles), batteries, charging bricks for electronics, water jugs and first aid kits. There are multiple pages. Florida Division of Emergency Management / Floridadisaster.org has a prep sheet here.

* (4) Or in my mother's case, Connecticut. CT.gov / Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security / During a Hurricane has s small section about prepping, since there's a sub base in the state as well as having previous rounds of bad storms in the past. 

Can I move back to New England yet? Get out of this crazy??? I'll take a blizzard any day over watching / dreading for a hurricane.....