Long day

Wow, I am truly tired tonight. It's around 11:30pm right now and I JUST finished purchasing my contact lenses! I got Colorblends Freshlooks... something...? I can't remember! Thats how tired I am! Anyway, they've got a touch of gold around the iris- should be a hit at work! :D. I purchased them through one of my favorite stores online. Drugstore.com. It has everything; you can buy all your personal items, prescriptions, and more PLUS get free shipping on orders over 25$! Can you tell I'm excited!? :)

So now, I'm staring at the candle that is sitting on my dresser. It smells SO good. It's made by that Yankee Candle factory company. It's called sugar cookie, and it smells just like one... I want to eat it! Heheh. This post isn't going to be very long, I had already made a post earlier regarding that darn virus stuff. But in any case, new years is just around the corner! I pray you all have a safe one! Until next time.

- Nita

Finally up and running!

Whew! I was up till 2:00am fixing that darn PC! I finally went to sleep around 2:30, then I woke up at 8:00 to get the Router configured. The whole problem of it all was, the setup CD was defective! So I called Netgear customer support; the lady was very helpful and was able to have me set up and ready to go in 10 minutes! Now I'm back to blogging on my laptop in my bedroom. WOO HOO!

I am however kind of glad that I didn't know that it was the CD right away. I ended up purchasing Norton Anti-Virus with Internet security protection. I'm glad I did! I had 6 bugs on my PC! One of them that continually bugged or interrupted daily PC usage was the Vundo Virus. That lil sucker was a horrible mess! It wouldn't allow me to access the task manager, registry and gave continuous pop ups among a myriad of other problems!

I was happy that Norton was able to remove it without my help at all. Couldn't do that with McAfee. I guess my co-worker knew what he was talking about! :D I wanted to post some information on the Vundo Virus here incase there are others who are experiencing the same difficulties. Read what I've found below;

Discovered: November 20, 2004
Updated: February 13, 2007 12:30:10 PM
Also Known As: Vundo [McAfee], Vundo.dldr [McAfee]
Type: Trojan Horse
Systems Affected: Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP
Trojan.Vundo is a component of an adware program that downloads and displays pop-up advertisements. It is known to be installed by visiting a Web site link contained in a spammed email. Note: Virus definitions released prior to November 20, 2004 may detect this threat as Adware.VirtuMonde.

Threat Assessment
Wild
Wild Level: Medium
Number of Infections: 50 - 999
Number of Sites: More than 10
Geographical Distribution: Medium
Threat Containment: Easy
Removal: Difficult
Damage
Damage Level: Medium
Distribution
Distribution Level: Low
Writeup By: John Park and Sergei Shevchenk

That little bug is pain in the butt! Constant pop ups made it unpleaseant to just check email on my PC. I even resorted to installing Firefox just so I wouldn't deal with those pop-ups. I'm just glad its fixed now. Watch out for this bug, it infects so easily if you don't have your firewall up and ready! I guess thats what I get for going a few months without virus protection software :).

- Nita


sources:
http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2004-112111-3912-99&tabid=1
http://www.norton.com

PC Problems

Well, I'm blogging from my cell tonight. I went to bestbuy and purchased a new router! Unfortunately, my PC has a terrible virus :(. AND it's the primary Pc that harbors the network. In any case, thank god today was payday, so I purchased Norton Anti-virus with Internet security.

I did have McAfee once upon a time, but my PC always managed to get bugs! A co-worker suggested that I use Norton. So if it doesn't work, it's his fault! It's still installing... It'll probably go on most of the night.

Ebay ROCKS!

I absolutely LOVE Ebay! I bought all my Christmas presents this year off of there! Are you an ebayer? If not, you should consider becoming one!

It is probably the most talked about auction site on the internet. Ebay! From the commercials to the emails, Ebay is talked about everywhere! What gifts did I purchase at what prices? Allow me to elaborate:

• Sony PSP 2GB Memory card: $24.00
• Insignia 2GB MP3 player: $42.00
• Blackberry 8700c: $118.00
• Potty Mouth Pens (2) (Yeah! Weird stuff too!): $5.00
• Java Cellphone games for Moto Razr: 0.97.

All the prices above include shipping and handling! I was stunned! You can truly get a good deal on Ebay if you look. I have shopped on Ebay for about 5 years, it has probably been one of the greatest online shopping experiences that I've had.

I've also sold on Ebay as well, and that is a different story. While good profit can be made and you get really good exposure for your product(s) and websites, there is one area that I personally feel Ebay could work on.

For example, the last 3 months of 2007 were probably my worst sales on Ebay. Mostly in part because the buyer would back out once I sent an invoice. What I asked each buyer that backed out was, "Why did you outbid everyone else by a good 50$ and then not pay up??" It was highly frustrating. Out of all the 'back-out' bidders, I could not get them to answer this question! So then of course I'd file a non-payment dispute. And then I would receive nasty emails from those 'back-out' bidders stating they could not pay, it was their little brother, someone else used their account.

Talk about frustrating! I ended up losing $250.00 worth of profit. It may not seem like much profit, but to me every little bit counts! In any case, I ended up filing a claim with the BBB (Better Business Bureau). It took about a month before I got an answer from Ebay. All I was told was to set my selling options so that people less than 5 or 10 feedback couldn't purchase.

Honestly, that didn't really solve anything. Some of the people that had backed out did indeed have really good feedback and high scores. So, how does that help me? I had sold on Ebay several years before then and had a nice fat checking account from it. I had stopped due to family issues and personal problems. However, when I tried to pick it up again it seems I can't make a decent sale!

That is my only problem with Ebay at the present time. If they could somehow weed out those annoying non-paying bidders, business could certainly pick up tremendously! I'm not sure Ebay really cares they make billions in profit from the seller accounts alone!

Please excuse the rant. I still do like purchasing off of Ebay. I really do think its a great place to find deals or items that cannot be locally purchased. I also began to wonder if maybe perhaps my selling techniques were not viable anymore? I mean, I had done so well in the past, I figured I'd have a pretty good shot at increasing my income.

Also, it seems that really GOOD Ebay seller books elude me at every turn! I would like to find an advanced Ebay sellers guide or tips on how to sell on Ebay. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know! I would like to start selling again, but not until after the new year. Oh what am I saying? That's next week! Alright people, start hashing out the info! Thanks!


- Nita

Test: blogging from cell phone

This is a test blog from my cell phone. I wanted to make sure that it works before I use it away from home.

I normally type from my PC, but in the event that I am not able to use my PC, I can use my phone!

Cool! :)

- Nita

Anew

Exactly 1 week from today will be the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008.

Majority of society looks at this as a new beginning, a fresh start or more opportunities. For what you may wonder? One of the most common 'resolutions' or beginnings is the desire to 'lose that weight!' or 'tone up!'. Or the new year could possibly be the start of a new job, relocating to a new area, achieving a goal that was yet otherwise unattainable in the year before. The reasons, desires and lists could go on and on.

For myself; the new year means hope. It means thanks for making it through another year with my family and loved ones. My strength and belief gives me hope, so that I may continue on year after year. I give thanks that my father is at the present time, cancer free. During my birth month, about 3 weeks before my birthday, my dad was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer. My sisters and my mom were all in a state of dis-belief. My grandma had died of kidney cancer about 6 years ago- to be honest. We never thought it would happen to our family.

But it did, and that was probably the hardest idea to swallow. The fact that we were affected by this wretched disease. A disease that had taken my grandma, among other friends and relatives that we knew. I was in denial for all the time during my dad's diagnosis. I didn't want to believe it! I couldn't believe it! My family had our trials and tests sure, but never anything this extreme. Cancer? In my family? In my daddy?

It did affect me right away. I cried and only thought about the outcome. All I could think in my head was, "It's not fair.". After all I had done, all that we had been through in the year before. All the money problems, the loss of my Abuelo (Grandfather) the year before, my own personal problems. After all of that; to learn that my daddy could possibly pass away and I would never see him again.

I was sad yes, but I pretended that nothing was wrong. I continued to go to get up every morning, go to work, smile and act that everything was fine. But it wasn't. Up until the day before my dad's surgery I lost it. I snapped at people, I wouldn't answer the phone, I paced in the hallway with no thoughts in my head! Just walking circles for almost 10 minutes! I felt empty and angry at the same time. I wasn't mad at God, I was mad at myself. "What did I do to make this happen?" I thought to myself. I know it wasn't my fault, but I always feel responsible for my family. I always think; if I am kind and give all I can to other people, if I share, if I help, if I do my most ultimate work and give it my all- My family will always be ok.

Needless to say, my dad's condition affected me badly. My boss ended up sending me home. She said I was in a state of shock and panic. I was told to take a few days off, a week if necessary, and spend time with my family. I did so, and I was there at my dad's surgery. I remember all of his family was there, including my sisters and mom. She cried the whole time. She is a nurse, so she new of what may be going on in the operating room. I tried not to look at her if I didn't have to. I didn't want to cry anymore. I had to be strong, I didn't want to break down.

Dad's surgery was about 3 1/2 hours long. Finally the doctor called us into a little room. We all held our breath as he gave us his report. "I was able to remove all the cancer. There is no sign of spreading." Oh my gosh, did we jump for joy! We hugged and cried and held each other! We were all so glad that it was all removed! "Thank you God! Thank you for letting me keep my Daddy." I said over and over in my head.

The good news came a few days before my birthday. My mom was upset that she didn't get me anything, but I told her, "I got my present already. I still have you and dad and the girls. That's all I need." Of course, my dad has follow-ups starting in January to make sure the cancer doesn't start growing in his remaining kidney. We all pray that things will go OK.

So I look forward to the new year with hope. The hope and prayers that will keep my family with me for many more years. In comparison to this experience, my other obstacles seem trivial. I now feel, if I can cope with what happened to my dad. I can definitely deal with those obstacles no problem.

Here's to you reading this! I wish you a happy new year!


- Nita

Dedicated to families who have been affected by cancer. There is always hope and my prayers are with you.