About Today
Apr. 12th, 2009 11:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
la_samtyrWell, by now everyone knows about the stupidity of amazon. *sigh* It really pisses me off because it's one of the few places I can buy stuff online since I do not have plastic or Payepal and had to use prepaid plastic. I used to get things from eBay since I could use money orders but it *seems* that every seller there has either gone with plastic or Payepal, and I cannot get the prepaid plastic to work there. And since over 98% of what I bought was either a book or dvd/cd, well... you see where this is going. I try to buy as much as I can locally but when you're looking for things that are either out of print or not carried by local stores, it's hard.
I have to admit, part of me is very tempted to go and buy a new prepaid card tomorrow and then max it out on the same books and dvds that Amazon is "protecting" me from. As my old economics prof used to say, "Nothing is more effective than your dollar vote." So while part of me thinks a boycott is effective, wouldn't a massive buying spree on the things that are no longer "sales ranked" be just as good, especially since people are cutting back on their splurge items?
In any case, it's somewhat moot for me since I don't have the money to spend anyway. Right now just keeping bills paid and caught up are more than enough to deal with. I am going to write them a letter though -- you know, a real paper letter to send by snail mail. Remember the mailbags in the courtroom scene from "Miracle on 34th Street?" Yup! I doubt if my letter will ever be read; it will probably go straight to the shredder for recycling, but at least they will actually be aware of its physical presence, if only for a second. Of course, lots of emails (*polite* emails, please -- let's not give them anything to complain about) and of course, the old 800 numbers, etc. Maybe a server crash or two, combined with flooded phone lines will make the point.
Also, a link to click, courtesy of one of my sibs (and most of the following words are hers too, I just borrowed 'em since it's essentially what I would write anyway):
Smart Bitches also set up a Google Bomb to redefine "Amazon Rank":
http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/amazonrank/
If you post about this issue, and I encourage you to do so, please include a link to that definition page. It's already the first entry shown whenever someone Googles "Amazon rank," but more is always better and will make it harder for Amazon or any publicity-doctor firm they hire to bury it.
Clickity-clickity, everybody. Let's see how many hits we can score. [vbeg]
Now, on to family stuff under the cut...
I spent most of today on the phone or e-mailing family, just touching base and all. Most people want to know about Auntie and Uncle. *sigh* They are fine, but they are not happy being in the nursing home. Which I *knew* was going to happen because they've been able to do just as they pleased for most of their adult lives and all of their married life. They've been married almost 65 years, and they were in their own home until last September. So *of course* they are not going to be happy in a nursing home. So why does the family think I can do anything? I have no idea. Really no idea. They waited too long to make the move and when they had no choice, they had to take what opened up first. And they damned sure are not going to listen to me -- they never did before, why would they start now? ::head desk, head desk, head desk::
I also spoke to My Cousin Donna(tm) and sadly, she has fallen even farther than I feared. Yes, she too has been lured into "Twi-Lite". >>.<< She said "how wonderfully romantic" it is and I started to make gagging sounds into the phone. (Hey, I never said I was going to be adult about this.) She asked me if I read and I said No, I did not have maggots for brains yet and then I asked her when she became terminally stupid. For reasons unknown she forgave me, maybe because she just said it to see what I thought; otoh, she has been talking about joining Scientology so maybe that has something to do with it. I don't know.
Ok, I'm off to bed. Niters all. And please click on the link.
I have to admit, part of me is very tempted to go and buy a new prepaid card tomorrow and then max it out on the same books and dvds that Amazon is "protecting" me from. As my old economics prof used to say, "Nothing is more effective than your dollar vote." So while part of me thinks a boycott is effective, wouldn't a massive buying spree on the things that are no longer "sales ranked" be just as good, especially since people are cutting back on their splurge items?
In any case, it's somewhat moot for me since I don't have the money to spend anyway. Right now just keeping bills paid and caught up are more than enough to deal with. I am going to write them a letter though -- you know, a real paper letter to send by snail mail. Remember the mailbags in the courtroom scene from "Miracle on 34th Street?" Yup! I doubt if my letter will ever be read; it will probably go straight to the shredder for recycling, but at least they will actually be aware of its physical presence, if only for a second. Of course, lots of emails (*polite* emails, please -- let's not give them anything to complain about) and of course, the old 800 numbers, etc. Maybe a server crash or two, combined with flooded phone lines will make the point.
Also, a link to click, courtesy of one of my sibs (and most of the following words are hers too, I just borrowed 'em since it's essentially what I would write anyway):
Smart Bitches also set up a Google Bomb to redefine "Amazon Rank":
http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/amazonrank/
If you post about this issue, and I encourage you to do so, please include a link to that definition page. It's already the first entry shown whenever someone Googles "Amazon rank," but more is always better and will make it harder for Amazon or any publicity-doctor firm they hire to bury it.
Clickity-clickity, everybody. Let's see how many hits we can score. [vbeg]
Now, on to family stuff under the cut...
I spent most of today on the phone or e-mailing family, just touching base and all. Most people want to know about Auntie and Uncle. *sigh* They are fine, but they are not happy being in the nursing home. Which I *knew* was going to happen because they've been able to do just as they pleased for most of their adult lives and all of their married life. They've been married almost 65 years, and they were in their own home until last September. So *of course* they are not going to be happy in a nursing home. So why does the family think I can do anything? I have no idea. Really no idea. They waited too long to make the move and when they had no choice, they had to take what opened up first. And they damned sure are not going to listen to me -- they never did before, why would they start now? ::head desk, head desk, head desk::
I also spoke to My Cousin Donna(tm) and sadly, she has fallen even farther than I feared. Yes, she too has been lured into "Twi-Lite". >>.<< She said "how wonderfully romantic" it is and I started to make gagging sounds into the phone. (Hey, I never said I was going to be adult about this.) She asked me if I read and I said No, I did not have maggots for brains yet and then I asked her when she became terminally stupid. For reasons unknown she forgave me, maybe because she just said it to see what I thought; otoh, she has been talking about joining Scientology so maybe that has something to do with it. I don't know.
Ok, I'm off to bed. Niters all. And please click on the link.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 11:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 03:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 06:57 pm (UTC)Oh, and if I confess that I've read the teenievamps too, will you unfriend me? ;)
no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 08:36 pm (UTC)No I won't unfriend you for reading the teenievamps. ;) I've read my share of those books too -- just not 'Twi-Lite'. In fact, I think I still have one romance that takes place in CO, where the town is a gathering place for all sorts of magical creatures and beings (the lady sheriff in the story has an elven lover who likes being handcuffed and resembles my icon, lol! ;) Hello, Legomance! And I used to have a lot of Laurell K. Hamilton and Poppy Z. Brite books (though I haven't seen them for quite some time so I don't know if they're in storage or someone walked off with them.)
no subject
Date: 2009-04-13 10:15 pm (UTC)So I was completely oblivious to what's going on until I saw your post. Since then I've seen more about it. I'm just going to wait and see what happens after the dust settles.