eBay is trying to compete with Amazon and Zappos and all of those cheap, free shipping, free returns companies, but many sellers don't handle those kinds of products. You have to spell out that you don't do it eBay's way if you're a small vendor selling vintage stuff, etc. I don't do much international shipping any more because there are so many hoops to jump through. I've bought things from just north of the border that were probably mailed on this side.

Time to order new glasses, and this year I'm not even considering going to the optometrist's shop in town, they are way too expensive. It actually costs the same with insurance as without; people without insurance are given a 1/2 price offer. With insurance it is "full price" and the insurance brings it down to about the same amount out of my pocket as those without, so what is the point of insurance? I'm surprised they haven't been busted - they just make a lot more money out of every insurance holder.

Related to nothing in particular, this evening I plugged in my lava lamp (my mother always called them "Oobleck lamps" - did anyone else love that Dr. Seuss book as a child?) It's quite a nice mesmerizing thing to have at my computer desk, to fixate on as I'm thinking.