Thank God He gave me a daughter last.
This picture was taken about ten years ago.
She's my youngest and is now twenty five.
I've been sixty for a minute.
I didn't have a cell phone until I was well into my forties.
My first computer was a lap top I won off the Steve and Vicki weekday morning show on 94-Q in Atlanta. You had to be the ninety fourth caller after hearing the song "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics being played.
All three of my kids loved this song. Zach in particular thought Annie Lennox was so cool looking with that cigarette holder in the video.
I preferred Massey's version.
This was when the lap top first came out. They were almost considered magical...to a goob like me.
What...no mouse or modem?
What is this sorcery?!
I had to have one of our friends who was IT savvy come over and set me up.
It went through our landline and you had to wait through the screeching tones while AOL dialed up the world wide web connection.
I was blown away.
It was magic.
And let me tell you, having a daughter still living with you when you're creeping up on being a Really Ole Fart, is a technology plus.
Totally.
Plus she's a pretty great person.
This freaking world is zooming through cyber space, with no patience for old peeps like me. I'm being sucked into the black hole.
If you need directions on how to do something online, you shouldn't be online, not without a millennial escort.
Who knows what you will ending up ordering or buying...and from where?!
I say this from a whole lot of experience...and yes, I'm a slow learner.
But it all looks like such a great deal!
Plan on it taking three to five months to arrive...if you're lucky.
And don't expect much when it gets here.
Trust me, this is probably all made, and from the same sweat shop or at least the same neighborhood somewhere in China.
No racism intended, and I feel totally sorry for the people (probably kids) making these items.
It is, unfortunately, simply how the economy works these days.
I have been guilty three or four times over the past few years from ordering.
I've bought a few dresses from them, because I am a stick figure...and the clothes are made for birdlike women.
And I don't mean big birds.
Their version of an adult large is a lot different than ours.
But who turns down a cute dress with side pockets for less than ten dollars?
A couple of cases in my defense:
This was my favorite bathing suit of all time when I first got it.
The only problem is that it is a pain in the butt to put on and take off.
What do you want or expect for $7.99?
All my "smalls" fit like a charm.
Of course so do the "mediums" or "larges" I have also ordered for Massey, on more than one occasion.
And by saying that, I mean her orders fit me as well...especially after they are washed the very first time. After that initial wash they were never the same again; they began to fall apart and looked shoddier with each additional wash.
So basically for ten bucks, you can look killer in something super cute... two, maybe three times.
Tops.
The same with shoes.
Didn't they outlaw foot binding?
I ordered the cutest pair of shoes, European sized but knew my own since I've ordered Danskos time and time again off eBay for work.
They got here, after three months (plus) of waiting. They were so cute!!! My daughter got home from work and asked if they fit okay?
I said they would be a perfect fit... if I cut off all my toes.
I wear and ordered a European size seven. I boxed them up and mailed them to my sister in Georgia who barely wears a size five.
They fit her perfectly. She said she got tons of compliments on them but were the most uncomfortable shoes she's ever worn.
China- 1
Me-0
Then a couple months ago I decided to buy Zachary a bicycle for his birthday, which was at the beginning of July. He doesn't have a car any more and walks to and from work every day.
Granted it is only about a mile, but having a bike would cut that time down to less than ten minutes.
Of course like the idiot I am, I didn't first consult my techno consultant, Massey.
I found a great deal on Amazon and ordered it. They said it would ship in thirteen to fifteen business days.
Seven gears. Folding carbon steel bike designed for mountain or city use.
Sign me up!!
I ordered it to be shipped directly to his address. I even went back on Amazon again the next day and ordered him a chain lock so it wouldn't get stolen and rechargeable head and tail light for it, since he gets off work around midnight.
They drafted the money for the bicycle out of my bank account the very next day.
I even started thinking about it again, after telling Massey I had ordered her brother a bike, and had her order him a portable tire pump and repair kit, and ship them to him as well. She had my card info. I may as well cover all the bases for him, and was only about nine dollars for both.
As you can see, I ordered the bike on August 3rd. Today is September 9th.
I was concerned about the expected arrival date of Sept 23-Oct 21 but received an email telling me delivery should be before the end of August, and was assured it had indeed been shipped on August sixth.
After writing to them five different times, they finally responded earlier this week.
The bike was out of stock in their warehouse and they were waiting on shipments from their factory in China.
They replied "Sorry for the long time waiting."
Wait. What?
They told me over a month ago that it had already been shipped.
In other words, nothing had been shipped?
Massey looked at the order and told me it wasn't coming from a stateside Amazon warehouse...which is what I thought I had ordered.
Obviously this was coming on a very slow boat from China.
She showed me how to first check comments and ratings before ordering anything off Amazon, or any site for that matter.
I demanded and got a total refund.
Then I had my lovely assistant, Massey, find Zachary a comparable bike, order it from a reputable stateside website, and it will be delivered to his address, next Friday.
He's had the combination chain lock, headlight, tail light and tire repair kit for over a month...but is still walking to and from the job.
So I started researching all these sites, with the great, fantastic items, available to purchase at such amazingly low prices.
It's all coming from China.
I clicked on one item, actually one that I had though about ordering. I did just what Massey had told me to do. I clicked on the reviews and comments.
One person asked where the items were shipped from?
Their reply:
"We ship from Atlanta, USA."
Another person asked if they could ship to Mexico as well?
Their reply was ( I kid you not)
"Yes but take long time."
I'll never order from one of these sites again. I'm one of the lucky ones, I suppose. I'm about the size of the people making these items, so it all looks great, fits me fine...after two months of waiting, but is basically junk made by kids who are underpaid, under appreciated workers.
Basically slave labor.
I'm going back to my Goodwill hunting.
You get more bang for your buck.
While some items may have originally been made in China, they came to Goodwill from some house right down the road from where you live.
Someone from my high school blasted Goodwill about how they didn't buy inventory, but instead took donations and profited from selling them.
So what??!!
A lot of people (I'd be willing to bet well over half) shop at Goodwill because that is the only place they can afford to shop.
I've been there and done that.
We were so poor in this picture that I remember Tim and me being worried about how much the tab was going to cost for our breakfast together at the Barbecue Kitchen with the kids before TJ left on a flight to live a year abroad in Australia. (on his dime not ours)
It had been a while since we'd all been together...and was well worth it. But I still remember that kind of embarrassing, almost humiliating and totally awful feeling.
I think what made it even harder for Tim and for me, was the fact that all three kids were old enough to see us (in our minds) seeming to fail at life.
My God, look at poor Tim's expression.
Instead, we were actually teaching them that fumbling, stumbling, bumbling, scrambling, clawing, constantly praying but always being grateful, is sometimes what it takes to get through life, so always be prepared for that possibility...and roll with it.
I was person who couldn't even afford to shop at Goodwill at one time.
I said I would never forget that, but seems like I did.
No more crazy cheapo websites for me from here on out.
I will buy local and homegrown as much and as often as I can.
Even if some items are from China at Goodwill, they still came from right on down the road.
So I will continue and support them.
I will also continue to try and buy from the smaller, more local options, no mater what the product or service.
It takes a village...may as well help your own first.
Till next time...COTTON
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