Elena 
oin Jen and the other Quicktakers over at the Conversion Diary.
1. The problem I had with my eBay buyer was really a lesson for me on a lot of levels. First of all, as soon as I saw her user ID with the word private where a feedback number should be, I got a bad feeling.I was always so proud of our feedback rating and I thought everyone was. Why would someone want to keep it private unless they had something to hide? And yet I allowed myself to be talked out of that feeling. Other sellers told me that it was no one else’s damn business what they bought on eBay and that is why they kept their feedback private. Other sellers told me that most of their customers had private feedback (and judging by what those sellers sell, I guess I can understand that!) I should have listened to that little voice. I now think this buyer targeted us. I don’t know why. But there was never anything I could say to her, no matter how pleasantly or professionally that could keep her from escalating things first to a Paypal claim (you know, where they block your Paypal account and take all of your funds!) and then to leaving negative feedback.
At first when I saw that I had, (as I am prone to do in stresstul situations) an immediate physical reaction. My stomach got a sharp pain in it and I had a quick sharp blinding headache that I had to talk myself out of.
But after sleeping on it for a while I feel much better this morning. I sort of feel like now that my feedback is less than perfect, I have more freedom (within limits of course). No more will I have to cow tow to abusive buyers who insinuate they will ding my feedback. It’s already pre-dinged! And there is now a certain relief that comes with it. Strange I know.
2. I would be a terrible witch. As I was laying down trying to get rid of that headache, I thought about what I would do to that person if I were to put a curse upon her. It ended up with me praying that she develop a little more patience, understanding, compassion – and that she leaves eBay. Then I fell asleep.
3. On the positive side, while I am working to get the feedback removed and my fees returned, I decided the only way to raise my current feedback score is to get more positive feedback. The easiest way for me to do that quickly is to buy some things. So I have happily started shopping for some things I need for next year.
4. Mom has moved into a different nursing care facility. This is where she wanted to be in the first place and when a spot opened up, she was anxious to take it. So far the transition has been pretty good, although yesterday a nurse called to tell me that she had accidentally given my mother an overdose of her pain narcotic.
“You’re kidding!” I said, “is she okay?”
“She’s fine,” the nurse assured me, “but she says her legs still ache a bit!”
Now whenever I see my mom she is moaning and wincing in pain someplace or another. This accidental overdose actually met her pain needs! So I asked the nurse to talk to the doc about upping her dose. I think she’s being under medicated – and really when you have two terminal cancers, is there any such thing as too many pain meds?
5. I am fascinated by Farrah Fawcett’s program tonight. I’ve heard people criticize her because this should be private in their view. In the last 15 years or so there are several programs that show birth. So why not share natural, peaceful death and how people prepare for that? I think this might just be a big gift that Farrah is giving us by documenting her hopes, fears, struggles and acceptance.
6. Calvin had to perform CPR this week. They picked up an elderly lady who was already pretty much dead, but they were required to do CPR on her on the way to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Calvin had mixed emotions about it. He was glad to get the experience but sad that his first CPR case was one that was going to end with the patient’s death. I was proud of him.
7. Calvin also got pulled over by the police this week. He has to be to work at 5 a.m. so he has to leave the house by 3 a.m. He had a headlight out and he was going a little fast but he got pulled over. But when the officer saw that he was an EMT and that he was heading to work, he let him off with a warning as a “professional courtesy.” I was pretty happy about that too! We did however get the headlight fixed and told Calvin about the consequences of increased insurance payments should he ever get a real ticket!
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