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I really, really hate to have to post this as it seemed like everything was being wrapped up so nicely, but I feel like a computer geek answer is needed at this point. This method of culling duplicate votes by IP address does NOT work well. (One of the many reasons we don't vote for important elections... like government elections... online.)
There are two types of IP addresses, static and dynamic. That type of IP culling works well for people with static IP address. I have one of these with my DSL connection. However... people on dial-up and cable connections (like ALL RoadRunner clients) have a DYNAMIC IP address. Each time you connect to the internet, you get assigned a different IP address. Unfortunately, this includes A LOT of people on the Internet right now.
I could point out a million references on this, here's one from Wikipedia and a snippet of quote from it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address
In the past, an IP address could be considered a unique identifier of a particular IP host, in addition to being a locator. When it was usable as an identifier, it was static, and it was assumed to be globally unique from end to end of the Internet.
In current practice, an IP address is less likely to be an identifier, due to technologies such as:
* Dynamic assignment, as with an address that is assigned by the access device by which the user's host connects over a dialup telephone line or by a set-top box for an IP over cable network. However the network provider maintains a database of which IP address was assigned to which access port on dialup, or MAC address on LANs or broadband networks. This information, assuming it is available to the investigator, may help to identify the computer, although that is unlikely if it was a dialup connection where the identifier is of the dial-in port, not the computer itself. More extensive forensic work, with access to telephone records, may identify the calling telephone, although that may itself be a "cutout" on the way to the real telephone.
* Network address translation (or NAT), a feature common on gateway routers in corporate networks or home LANs, where the address visible to the Internet is the "outside" of a device that maps it to a completely different and hidden address on the "inside". See IP Address Translation, below.
Sorry folks, but I felt this needed to be understood.
Best wishes,
Kelly
I posted an update from an email response I received from Mark, and then noticed that Lisa had posted much the same thing above. I'm a little slow 
Sounds like it's just time to keep our fingers crossed!
Kelly
Lisa, I emailed the first link to the McKays through the email address on their site. Does anyone have contact into for the Wilsons?
I must say, this is looking bad. The county inspector has declared the entire building unsafe and all occupants have been evacuated.
<sigh>
Kelly
Just saw this on the news:
http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=598&sid=1264885
What do you think... will the roof be repaired in time for the Hunt Valley show being held there in 3 weeks? Ack! 
Guess I will email the promoters, and make sure they know about it!
Kelly
Edited to add: Video is available on CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/10/roof.c … cnnSTCText
Extremely scary! A glass section of the roof fell 8 stories. They are so lucky there was only one injury and no fatalities!
Drat, I thought I might be able to help, but no such luck. I bought a box of 200 old issues of TB&F and TBR on eBay a few years ago. Just checked and the earliest I have is dated 1984. Close, but no cigar!
Good luck!
Kelly
Hi Debbie, don't worry about this at all, it really has nothing to do with you. The title on that particular page of the guy's site is "Debbies bears", which is why it's coming up in a Yahoo search for that term. Seeing that nothing on that particular page mentions a Debbie or bears, I'm guessing that title is just a mistake, or perhaps he accidentally carried it over from another page on his site. No worries!
Kelly
I have many years of experience selling on eBay (for everything but bears, pretty much) Anyway, I did want to tell you that those comments may not be as insulting as you may think. Think of it like this. The people who want you to stop your auction right away and sell it to them at a fixed price? Often, these people are worried that the item is good enough to warrant a bidding war far above your reserve, and they are worried they won't be able to afford it when the competition kicks in. Also, they may be so infatuated with the item that they cannot stand the possibility of not winning... even if they could well afford it, what if someone steps in at the last second and they lose anyway? Or what if they know they won't be home to bid as the auction ends? And the people who want to buy it "if it doesn't sell", may well be acknowledging how screwy eBay is about what does and doesn't sell. They may also not want to bid through eBay's system, one reason might be that it's a present that they don't want a friend or family member to see (especially going into this time of year). So... don't feel too badly! There may be some hidden compliments in those comments.
However, if those kind of comments do bother you and you receive a great many of them, I would recommend adding some text to your auctions. Something along the lines of "Thank you so much for your interest in my auction! Please do not ask me to end the auction early, this auction will run uninterrupted until it ends to be fair to all interested parties." And then just copy and paste that response whenever someone emails you anyway.
Best wishes,
Kelly
Both delivery confirmation and registered mail have the same downfall... the most info you will get out of either is when something was accepted at a post office and when it was delivered, with a big BLANK in between the two. A couple of thoughts. Don't panic yet! A week is actually not that long. Yes, priority is *supposed* to be a couple of days, but that is only an estimated time and it is not unheard of for it to be up to 10 days, not counting Sunday or holidays (and Monday is a postal holiday in the US, so no mail will move or be delivered that day). Don't even consider panicking until it's been more like two weeks, I guess is what I'm saying.
Another thought if your package does not make an appearance by the time your friend gets back from her trip. She may want to either call or visit her local post office and have them check to see if it is sitting there waiting. I have, occasionally, heard of priority packages that got stranded at the receiving post office for various reasons. If she can get them to dig through their packages, it may be there.
Good luck!
Kelly
If you don't mind using FTP to transfer your files (as opposed to submitting them via a web upload form), definitely consider Pair Networks. I use them for all of my hosting, domains and so on. Their cheapest service is a $6/month account which is, as they say, perfect for auction photos. I have been using Pair for years and have been a very happy customer.
I'm very glad Michelle recommended calling your health insurer, and Daphne suggested an urgent care facility... both were at the top of my mind as well.
Here's something else to chew on, though. You mention that you recently made drastic changes to your diet. Cutting "cold turkey" off of some things (caffeine, aspartame, etc.) can cause nasty withdrawal symptoms, some of which can last for weeks. Sad to say, but things like that (and they aren't even medications!) also need to be tapered down for sensitive individuals. If you really did make this dietary changes recently, you may want to consider going backwards a bit... see if adding a little bit of your old foods back into your diet helps your symptoms.
Take care of yourself!
Kelly
We tell our customers to never, ever send their credit card information in an email, as it is not secure. We tell them to either call us, or send their phone number and we will call them to get the card information. The cost of a short phone call, even internationally, has not been a big problem for us if it helps us make a sale, keeps our customers happy, and lets them know we care enough to protect their card information. Besides, most customers are willing to make the call, and then it isn't an expense to us anyway. If dealing internationally, just remind your customer of the time difference between you and her, so you don't get a 3am phone call, though I imagine France to England isn't really a problem in that respect.
(That all having been said, Jane's idea is a good one if you have to stick with email!)
Kelly
Jodi, I was just looking into cell phone plans the other day. This "pay as you go" plan seems to be the cheapest through Cingular Wireless... who was just bought out by AT&T so they are now both "AT&T Wireless". I have not personally used this plan, so don't know if there are any hidden fees, but it looks awfully reasonable on their web site.
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone- … ltoaction&
Good luck!
Kelly
I love Sage, too
Now if you wanted a TYPE of sage (sorry, used to garden a lot), Clary would be an interesting girl's name. And "Clary Klokocka" sounds wonderfully international and not too bad at all. Actually, plant names are great references for people names. Lily, Angelica, Rose, Emilia... I could go on forever.
Fat lot of help I am
Kelly
Sounds like jewelry stuff to me
http://www.artbeads.com/wood-rings.html
http://www.firemountaingems.com/details … =H207565NB
I can highly recommend both companies, and you should get them fast (especially from Artbeads).
Hope this helps!
Kelly
Ooh! I liked your first cut, but this one really is even better! That is such a complementary look for you
Hugs,
Kelly
Congratulations and big hugs to ALL the nominees (and yup, to the winners especially!). I wish I could see the WHOLE winner list right now, partial lists make me extra curious to see the rest 
Hugs
Kelly
What a timely conversation for us! We've been waiting for just the right opportunity to have our first mailing list drawing for a free bear... well, our web site counter is just about to hit 10,000 and we have a beautiful new bear all ready for it! Just need to take her picture and tell our mailing list about the surprise
We also do some other promotions. Our repeat buyers get free shipping. And just so our email mailing list doesn't have all the fun, we will also ship any bear purchased at a show (valued over $150) to anywhere in the world. Some people don't like to travel with a ton of bears (or any), especially if they fly, so we've actually had people buy some bigger, more expensive bears that way and were very happy to use the free shipping offer.
Hugs,
Kelly
OK, our app is in! Hope they still had room
Bear Guys, Daphne or anybody else going from Schaumburg to Hunt Valley... seriously, we can probably find room for quite a few bears in our car. It's a van, it's big. As long as they fit reasonably well (like we can still sort-of see out the windows), it's OK by us! I'll just request that everyone have a back-up plan for their bears on the off chance that our car blows up the week before the show or something, and we have to fly, too. 
Cheers,
Kelly
Hi Laura, thank you for the offer! We left a phone message for Connie & Amber to send an app if they had space left, so *hopefully* will receive one soon! I feel like I have been ten steps behind on everything this year.
Cheers,
Kelly
Aw, come on, Daphne! We're doing Bristol, Schaumburg and Hunt Valley. (At least, I hope we are... just recently realized we hadn't actually received the fall Schaumburg app, much less turned it in!) Anyway, perhaps you could hook onto the back of our van...
Bear Guys, I do not envy you the customs *twice* thing! Well, you could give us your bears after Schaumburg (if you have any left!) and we could drive them to Hunt Valley with ours. We do a lot of driving...
ARE WE THERE YET?
Kelly
Good for you Charlotte, and you look wonderful! I'm going to do a big haircut as well this year, and was planning to send it to Locks of Love. My hairdresser arched an eyebrow and said "you could do several donations and still have long hair", when I asked if I had enough to make a donation.
Maybe I will get my courage up to do this soon, you're certainly an inspiration! I've lost almost 20 pounds since April, so perhaps it's time to justify a bit of a make-over.
:dance:
Hugs,
Kelly
Chloe is correct, the Wacom tablet is the way to go. "Tablet and stylus" would be the terms used, IIRC. I didn't watch the videos as I've seen quite a lot of digital painting in person, my mother does them! Tablets are not just for artists, I actually know quite a lot of computer folks who use them for various tasks. When my mom bought her Wacom (some time ago), it came with a decent mid-level graphics program, called Painter (?). Photoshop is more like $600-800 for a full version, I think. Good grief, are they on CS3 already? Make that $650, I just checked.
Of course, being an actual artist is what one really needs to create a digital painting, just like in any media. I sat down with my mother's set-up to show her how to use it one fine day, and created the worst piece of garbage you've ever seen, with whales in the ocean against a sunset background. Terrible. She sat down the first time and made ART. Big difference!
Cheers,
Kelly
Ha! What a riot! I love the apple one best as well, is she "sour apple"?
Best wishes,
Kelly
I am so sorry you experienced this Paula! I am another who tends to be very trusting, I have been lucky so far with the bear business but am bound to get wronged eventually. We do have to submit a matching billing address with all credit card transactions on our machine, which is some level of protection. I'd actually rather have one that also accepted the security code, just to be that much more safe! Debbie is right, business is business unfortunately, and even bearmakers get mired in bad business dealings from time to time.
Best wishes,
Kelly
Oh, truly beautiful Sue Ann! I never knew anyone that harvested caterpillars before, but the results seem well worth it 
We just bought a few hummingbird and butterfly plants today for the back garden, so this seems a very timely thread for me to look at! We won't mention the dog leaping through the air, trying to eat a passing Tiger Swallowtail. Ahem. Nope, definitely won't mention that one.
Bear hugs,
Kelly
