Gone Phishing

Earlier this week I accidentally responded to a phishing e-mail. It arrived as a Message From an eBay Member and asked how much shipping would be to Miami Florida 33287. I thought , "What a dumbshit" but I clicked the item number to see what it was they wanted. I got the eBay sign-in page but my automatic filler-in thingie didn't fill it in... so I did. Then my automatic filler-in thingie asked if I wanted it to remember this password, which I thought was odd since it already knows my password. Which is when I thought: uh-oh. Usually my browser (I use Firefox) tells me right away when a website is phoney. It goes all dark and says FORGERY!! But it didn't.

I thought about it and decided checked my eBay messages but there was no message from a dummy asking about shipping to Miami in my messages, which is when I thought" uh-oh again.

So I went on eBay and changed my password, which grieved me deeply because now there's another password to remember.

So in the morning I was on eBay checking my listings and going to my groups and chatting with my beady buddies and I decided to go bid on a postcard for my sweetie. When I did it asked me to log in again, so I did, and it told me my password was incorrect. I tried again. Nope. I tried the old password. Nope again. New one. Nope. Old one. Nope.

So I clicked Forgot My Password (even though I hadn't) and filled out a bunch of security questions and eBay e-mailed me a link to click. I clicked it, got on, entered my user ID and a NEW new password and was told it had timed out. Hmpf. tried again. Timed out.

I walked away, then came back and tried to bid again. I was asked to sign in, I did, the password was wrong, I clicked forgot password, filled out the security questions, got the e-mail, clicked the link, filled in the new password and got timed out. So I tried Change Password but, of course, that didn't work because my old password didn't work.

I walked away, did some stuff, figured the whole thing was a figment of my imagination, and went to put up a listing, which involved loading up 5 pictures and doing a description and changing my colors and fonts and everything and went I went to submit, I was told that someone had been trying to access my account (me???) and I had been locked out. I kissed that listing goodbye.

I had to leave to teach my karate class in Granada Hills in 15 minutes and it was raining, but this was stressing me out so I tried to contact Live Support. I waited and typed my sad story and waited and waited and waited and finally had to give up and leave.

Went and taught, did various things, got home after 6 PM, by which time much of the help is gone, and tried to log in. So I clicked Forgot My Password (even though I hadn't) and filled out a bunch of security questions, got the e-mail, clicked the link, filled in the new password and got timed out.

I found the phone number where people were still there and called. I got through to Trust and Security, who listened sympathetically (after asking me all the security questions) and then turned me over to a higher level of Security and Trust, which asked me everything again. Then he e-mailed me a temporary password and I retrieved it and he talked me through putting it in and changing to a new new password. And apparently those rotten phishers had tried getting on as me.

So I'm back on eBay and all fixed but geez... I had other things I had planned to do.

Lost and Founf Finchies

Yesterday morning, we got up at 4:30 or something like that because Chris had an early call. I got him out the door and was in the aviary feeding the birds when I noticed that one of the society finches -- possibly the new baby society finch, or else its parent -- was on top of the aviary rather than in it. It seems some of the mesh had come loose and he'd escaped through a tiny opening. I tried to open it more to get him back in but he freaked and flew away. So I put the mesh back and went out to try and catch him.

He was on the outside of the aviary, near one end where, if I stood on a chair and was fast and deft I could catch him. Except then Gracie came out and went into her cat stalking pose and Little Finchie flew off. I spent the next ten minutes trying to catch Gracie, who kept trying to catch Little Finchie, with me yelling "NO, GRACIE, NO!!!" It was falling on deaf ears.

I finally got Gracie locked inside and spent the next 20 minutes trying to catch Gilda, who is possible an even better hunter than Gracie. I finally trapped her in the airlock of the bird cage and locked her inside, too.

That just left the job of catching Little Finchie, all alone in the wide wide world. He truly wanted to get back in the aviary, and spent a lot of time sitting on top, underneath the roof overhang, with the other society finches below him peeping wildly, either giving him instructions "Go around to the side. There's a door there!" or reaming him out. "You idiot! What were you thinking?!"

Every so often he'd fly to one end of the deck and then back to the cage, cocking his little head, trying to figure it all out. I had opened the airlock and baited it with a spray of millet. I also put one on top of the cage in case he was planning to live there for any period of time.

And then, since I had tons to do and I could not sit out there for three hours waiting for a finch to come to his senses, I went inside and did the dishes. Went and checked on him. Still on top of the cage. Went and tidied up the dining room. Went and checked on him. Still on top of the cage. Started emptying the freezer for the Thursday delivery of the new fridge. Went and checked on him. Still on top of the cage. Took the frozen food downstairs. Went and checked on him. Still on top of the cage. Took my shower. Went and checked on him. He was gone.

Oh no, I thought. I was neglectful and a hawk swooped in and ate him.

But then I saw him, way inside the airlock, peeping at his friends through the mesh, trying to get in.

So I stepped into the airlock and closed the door. Then I opened the door to the aviary... and in he went.

Phew. I didn't want my finchies traumatized.

And think about it. How many other birds get loose and spend their time outside trying to get back in? Something must be right at the Cornerstoregoddess Aviary.

I'll try to get a pic of Ms. Finchie... now that she's back.

Skunk jewelry, anyone?

I always tell by buyers that I will extend or shorten a bracelet according to their needs, at no extra cost. I figure no one should be penalized for their wrist size. And when I alter, I always fill in or re-adjust charms and beads so it doesn't look altered.

I recently sold a skunk-themed bracelet and the buyer asked if I would lengthen it for her, and for how much. I assured her it was no problem and there was no charge. How long a bracelet did she need? 8"? 8-1/2"?

She e-mailed back and said she needed it to be 10 inches long.

I had to shake my head at that, but I figured she just had REALLY big wrists. Maybe she was a sex change. Maybe she was a giantess.

Then I realized I didn't have any more of the chain I'd used for the bracelet, so I re-did the ENTIRE bracelet (which was, at that point, about 50+ hand-wired charms) and sent it off to her.

She then e-mailed me with a picture of herself with her pet skunks and I realized SHE didn't have a 10" wrist. She was using my bracelet on her skunk!


Here's a picture of one of her skunks wearing a boa:


And here's the bracelet... before it became 10" long: