[Shrek] Learn Something New Every Day

One of my goals in life is to learn something new every day. There is an adage that says "all knowledge is worth knowing", and I firmly believe that's true. Sure, some of the stuff we learn is worthless unless we're playing Trivial Pursuit, but in general having a wide base of knowledge is a good thing. For me, learning something new when you least expect it is the best...and that's what happened to Fiona and I Friday afternoon.

We were heading out to the Super Walmart in Leicester after work when our "low fuel" light came on. We were planning on stopping for gas anyway, but the idiot light served as a good reminder for us to not forget. As we pulled into the gas station, we saw a man filling what looked to be milk cans with gas. It turns out the man was an inspector for Irving Oil (the company who owned the gas station), measuring the pumps to make sure they were dispensing the correct amount of gas.

We've all seen the stickers on the pumps certifying they pump the correct amounts, but who here has ever seen someone actually checking them? It seems Irving Oil checks every pump once a quarter, while the state only checks once a year.

It turns out there's more than one test. First they check to make sure it pumps exactly one gallon by, you guessed it, filling it to a line in the can at one gallon. That part seemed obvious enough. But then they weigh it, and depending on the temperature and humidity (I'm pretty sure he said humidity), it has to match what the chart says it should weight, within 2 grams. Then on top of that, they do it again, this time using a two gallon measurement. They do that for every octane the fuel pump dispenses.

Fiona asked the guy why hardly anyone ever sees this being done, and he replied that it's usually done on Sunday mornings when traffic is light, but because the weather was going to be so nice he wanted to get the job done as early as possible so he could enjoy the weekend with his family.

So the next time you're out on an early Sunday morning, take a peak at your local filling station to see of you spot the guy with the milk cans. At least you'll know what he's doing. Oh, and how often to pumps fail the measuring test? According to the guy, unless they're tampered with, just about never.

So I guess that's two things I learned on Friday.

[Fiona] Love is...

I started taking my Dad to church on Sundays sometime in September of 2008. He was just in car accident and was a little unsteady on his feet. I told myself that I was doing it for his own good and for my peace of mind. My pops worked a physically demanding job his whole life. Needless to say that now in his "leisure" years he is often in pain from arthritis and old injuries.

Isn't aging grand?

In the beginning I would drop him off at the church steps and then go run errands. Slowly something started to change. I found myself thinking that I should go with him. One day my Dad stumbled coming down the steps so the very next Sunday I started going to church with my dad. I am a lifelong non-practicing Catholic. It is not something I am proud of. It is just that the Church has never really spoken for me or the things that I believe in.

I may never resolve all of the issues that I have with the church as an entity but for now I think I get why it is such a big draw for my Dad. There is love. It exists quietly and waits patiently. The parish priest, the deacons and the sister genuinely love their flock. I see it. In the way they greet those that come to Mass and in the questions they ask about your loved ones. I look forward to taking my dad to church. Love is...right where it has always been waiting for you to find it.

I love my dad. It is my job alone to make sure he is ok. I take him to the doctor, to the bank and pretty much eveywhere and everything else he has to do. He is memory challenged and so he is in need of my involvment. I think we make a good team. Sometimes we argue. We are both stubborn. I would do anything for him. He has done so much for me in the course of my life.

[Shrek] Some eBay Tips For Sellers

Lately I've been surfing eBay to fill in some holes in my bookshelf. I hate to read a series out of order so if I'm missing a book or two from a series I prefer to grab them at Annie's Book Swap or eBay.

One thing I've also been doing is going through the wholesale lots on eBay to grab whole series from authors I like. In doing so, I see a lot of things sellers are doing wrong in that category. Even though I doubt any of those sellers will read this, I feel compelled to offer them some advice.

1) Look to see what everyone else is selling.
The number of sellers listing the same things are pretty high, and it's funny to see a bunch of sellers staring their lots at a low price and another couple starting nearly identical lots for five to ten times more. Unless you've got something different, don't expect to make a fortune selling book lots.

2) If you have romance books to sell, save your time and throw them away.
Don't take my word for it, use the search function. People that read romance books must not know how to use the internet, because the vast majority of lots don't get bids. Yours won't either, trust me.

3) Learn your genres
Science fiction and horror/suspense are not the same thing. Political thrillers and war novels aren't the same thing either. Don't put them together and expect bids. And another thing you shouldn't mix together: male and female writers of any genre. Lots of readers have a preference for one or the other. Mixing them, unless you find the right reader, reduces the number of bidders you get.

4) List the books in the lot, and have a picture of the covers
And don't do just one or the other unless you have no choice. I have a list of books I'm looking for, and if you don't list the books in the lot I can't decide if I'm going to bid or not. Having a picture of the covers helps for the folks that are more visual.

5) Multiples of the same book is a no-no
Listing a lot of four of the same book is dumb, even if it's a book people might care about. Listing a lot of four of the same book that no one cares about is just a waste of time and money.

6) Don't bother listing your book as "HTF"
When there were thirty listed in the last month, and a hundred available in the eBay stores, "hard to find" seems like a silly thing to say. Plus if it's a paperback released in the last ten years, it ain't "HTF" under any definition of the phrase.

There's a ton more stuff I could list, but as I have to snipe an auction in 3 minutes I'll have to leave it at this...for now.