posted on October 22, 2007 07:32:49 AM new
Hi, all: The winds here in Southern Calif. are really ferocious--the worst we've seen in the 6 years we've lived here. We all have our evacuation lists handy. The power is out--but fortunately we have solar so have the ability to hear the radio and get online.
My BIG QUESTION is this: I have 20 or so auctions ending tonight in about 10 hours. I'd like to get a message to all buyers and potential buyers that computers may be knocked out later today and I won't be able to get EOAs to winners. Is there a way to contact current bidders from the auction page? Or would you, in my situation, try to add a message in huge red letters at the bottom of the auction page? Or? What's the best path to follow?
_____________________
From Ellen Goodman on the coming Supreme Court case re lethal injection:
...as the Supreme Court takes up this issue again, I remember what Justice Harry Blackmun said after a 20-year struggle about just ways to administer the death penalty: "From this day forward, I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death."
We are still tinkering. This time, we're tinkering with the dosage and the training. Tinkering with competence and mistakes. We are tinkering, tinkering, tinkering to avoid the possibility that we can't have our death penalty and our humanity, too.
posted on October 22, 2007 07:42:09 AM new
You could set up for automatic invoicing and warn in your invoice that you may not have access to a computer due to weather. Hope all goes well for you!
posted on October 22, 2007 09:01:04 AM new
I was about to email you Adele. My daughter lives in Fallbrooke and she said the fires were close. Surely you won't have to notify your bidders, if they are up on the news. We heard all about it here in Fla.
posted on October 22, 2007 09:36:11 AM new
Thanks for the suggestions. I was able to contact the bidders so far on a few of my auctions, but then I got the Message from H--l from eBay saying I'd reached my contact limits for the day. Grrrrr.
I was unable to add anything to my auctions, not even a message at the bottom, that I could see.
Pixi: I've never used automatic invoicing. All of my auctions ending tonight are books, with media mail shipping charges stated in the auctions. But I'm not sure how the invoicing would take care of foreign buyers.
Niel: So far, Fallbrook looks okay, but other areas (a huge area) in N. San Diego Co.) is evacuating. Since Temecula is at one corner of that area, it's possible Fallbrook, Oceanside, Carlsbad, etc. may also be in that grid.
Solar power is really saving our lives here at our house! We're very grateful to have it. TV is out, but we have radio and can get info from "Winky" (WNKI, a local station with old geezers manning it--valuable for times like these).
The fires are huge and all over So. Calif., it seems, even at Lake Arrowhead. We're crossing our fingers.
We have a lot of woo-woo psychics in our town, and they've all reported, during the last big threatening fire in our mountains, that they saw angels in the air, holding hands around our village, protecting it. I'd LIKE to believe that! Gives me the shivers.
_____________________
[ edited by roadsmith on Oct 22, 2007 09:36 AM ]
posted on October 22, 2007 10:00:24 AM new
This is why smart sellers include a blank image file in each of their auctions. Death in the family, fire, flood, earthquake, you name it, all you have to do is create an image with your emergency message, give it the name of the blank image file and voila: Your message appears in each of your auctions without you having to edit or append each one.
posted on October 22, 2007 10:01:55 AM new
Bill: We're in Idyllwild, Riverside County, an art and tourist village in the San Jacinto mountains above Palm Springs (between Palm Springs and Hemet.) Arrowhead is to the east of us, in a far mountain range; the San Diego fires are to the southwest of our area, the LA-area fires are to the northwest, Ontario-area fires are to the NE. Nothing closer, as of now. (Our mountains had the fire that killed all those firemen just a year ago, but our cabin area, and our town, where our home is, weren't touched.)
Even though we have evacuation lists ready, it's awfully hard to make decisions, not knowing how much extra room we'd have in our cars. We have an A list, a B list, and -- maybe -- a C list. Meds, jewelry, changes of clothing, family memorabilia (about 14 big boxes full!), current auction items!, computers, maybe some artwork on the walls. Sigh.
_____________________
posted on October 22, 2007 11:56:42 AM new
I assume you use some sort of image editing software, like PhotoShop Elements or such. (I use a really, really old version. I think it came with my iMac -- the original Bondi Blue one -- but it works fine.)
Just open a new file. Select a 1 x 1 pixel box and save it. As the orchestral string section says, "Viola."
posted on October 22, 2007 12:37:35 PM new
hey Adele - My daughter called me about an hour ago. She is a school teacher and she said they sent everyone home to take care of their property. Her main concern is that the dogs are safe. I wish you well and stay safe too.
posted on October 22, 2007 02:29:36 PM new
My daughter just called, Adele and they are under mandatory evacuation. They don't know where they are to go yet but they have shelters somewhere for them. Hope you will be OK
posted on October 22, 2007 03:15:25 PM new
Neva, so far so good in our mountains. (Crossing my fingers, though.) I'm sorry that your daughter has to evacuate. An enormous section of San Diego County has been ordered to evacuate--about 250,000 in that county alone. The shelters are asking for blankets, clothing, toys for kids, etc. The governor just announced that this is a Major Catastrophe.
The winds are still strong here. The weather people are promising it should abate about 3 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday). We fervently hope for that!
_____________________
posted on October 22, 2007 05:08:09 PM new
Wow, Adele - those shelters are no fun. They were in such a hurry to get out, I don't know what they were able to take. Hope it does abate tomorrow. Stay safe.
posted on October 22, 2007 05:44:06 PM new
fluff, how do you go about this??
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is why smart sellers include a blank image file in each of their auctions. Death in the family, fire, flood, earthquake, you name it, all you have to do is create an image with your emergency message, give it the name of the blank image file and voila: Your message appears in each of your auctions without you having to edit or append each one.
posted on October 22, 2007 05:51:21 PM new
Hi all,
Adele, sorry about your situation. Hope it improves very quickly.
All's well here in San Luis Obispo. We aren't even getting Santa Ana winds. The closest fire was a smallish one in Santa Ynez Valley and it's pretty much contained.
I heard from my niece, who lives in Rancho Santa Fe. They have evacuated. All the horses have been moved to the fairgrounds. She said it was like a war zone there. They put all their valuables in the big horse trailer rig (with living quarters)and are now out helping move more horses. The fairgrounds were full; so they are moving animals up to San Juan Capistrano area. She said they had limited cell phone use so the computer will be our means of communication.
Hopefully all will be well with their home. Seems their animals are safe for the moment.
posted on October 22, 2007 06:03:03 PM new
Thanks, Lucy.
Here's what's fascinating to me: the power of the internet. Without telephones, people can still communicate, just as they do from war-torn countries, closed societies, telling the secrets of their region in spite of the dictator(s) running the place. Now I think I know how that feels!
Just heard from my sister-in-law in El Cajon. She's leaving before the evacuation is mandatory, two cats and ill husband in tow. She's heading for the beach (a motel, I guess).
Our power is out only because the power company knows fires can start by downed power lines that spark. Thank goodness they're thinking ahead.
_____________________
posted on October 22, 2007 06:41:02 PM new
Adele, I have nothing useful to add but I just wanted to wish you well, stay safe and know that up here in British Columbia we are thinking of you.
posted on October 22, 2007 07:39:29 PM new
OhMsLucy, he is doing fine, just another ebay burn out, we have coffee now and then. Don't know how you exchange email address on this site with out everyone knowing??
posted on October 22, 2007 07:53:10 PM new
Adele - its 10:50P here and just heard from my daughter. They and others are driving around trying to find a safe place. The cops are directing them. The wind keeps changing so they have to go in a different direction. They were headed for a military base and then switched and are heading for Oceanside. She is pretty sure their house is gone. She has nothing but the clothes on her back. At least they are safe for now and have the dogs with them. We got cut off but she will keep in touch when she can.
posted on October 22, 2007 10:16:59 PM new
Keep us posted on your daughter's doings, please! And my sister-in-law, headed for the San Diego beach area to stay in a motel for the duration, is, I'll bet, driving around, as well. I'm sure all the nearby evacuees had the same idea!
_____________________
posted on October 22, 2007 10:50:41 PM new
Nope, no evacuating here. No fires in our mountain range at this time. And the winds should die down tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday), so knock on wood!
But. . . every time the phone rings, I jump. That's the automatic announcement we'd all get with our phone system, telling us either to prepare to evacuate or to do it now.
Our skies were clear and beautiful today, sunny even, and tonight the moon is almost full. No hint of smoke unless we looked 'way down the mountains to the valleys far away; there was smoke there, of course.
_____________________
posted on October 22, 2007 10:52:52 PM new
good, hope all goes well with you. I am very worried about my daughter. Its late so guess you doesn't want to call, but can't sleep.
They were headed for Oceanside so maybe they will be OK there.
posted on October 23, 2007 04:21:44 AM new
I wish all of you in the fire zone well. It looks so very bad on the T.V. please stay safe and alive and healthy. I am so sorry this is happening.
posted on October 23, 2007 07:43:25 AM new
Its about 10:45 in Fla. My daughter just called and said the smoke is bad but they are in Oceanside near the Pacific Ocean, staying with relatives. Cramped but they are OK. They are pretty sure their home is lost. thanks everyone for your concern. Neva
