Square is Complicit in the Theft of $89 from my Business.

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I want that money back.

In October, I got two orders from my online jewelry shop, which is hosted by Square, the credit card processing company. I switched from Etsy to Square back in 2023 for a number of reasons; you can read about them here. My shop is simple and “free” — I only pay credit card fees when credit cards are used to buy my merchandise. It’s also handy because I can keep inventory in Square and only items actually available for sale can be sold. It’s been working well for me for the past 2+ years.

I don’t get a lot of sales online. I don’t even think the total reaches $1,000 each year. Most of my Square jewelry sales are done in person at art shows. I know Square isn’t the best deal for small businesses, but I’ve always been satisfied. If you just keep saying no when they offer additional services you don’t need, it’s actually quite affordable.
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Seasonal Job at UPS?

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Doubtful. It exceeds my tolerance for bullshit.

I just (virtually) walked out of a (virtual) UPS Rehire Job fair.

My History with UPS

UPS Logo

Back in 2024 (I think) I signed up for a seasonal job with UPS. I figured that it would get me out of the house, keep me more active than I would be at home, and make a few bucks. I got a job as a Driver Helper. That’s the person who sits in the jump seat of the truck and runs packages to the doorstep.
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A Week of Lapidary Learning

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I attend a week-long lapidary class at the William Holland School of Lapidary Arts in Young Harris, GA.

It all started when I watched a YouTube video about lapidary intarsia. I thought the resulting cabochons were very cool and had the potential to help my take my jewelry work to the next level.

Some definitions might be in order before I go on:

  • Lapidary is the process of shaping and polishing stones into decorative items such as cabochons, engraved gems (such as cameos), and faceted designs. Read more on Wikipedia.
  • Intarsia is a method of seamlessly combining stones, normally to make cabochons, but possibly as part of an inlaying process. (The Wikipedia entry discusses wood intarsia; stone intarsia is similar but with stone.)
  • Inlay is similar to intarsia but the stones are cut to fit precisely into a pre-made metal frame. (I’m also interested in learning how to do inlays.)

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50 Days with My RAV4 Plugin Hybrid

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A look at the things I like and don’t like about my new car.

Earlier this month, I blogged about buying my new Toyota RAV4 Plugin Hybrid. It was a (typically) long post that covered a lot of my thinking about buying a new car and, specifically, a plugin hybrid, to eventually replace two of the vehicles in my “fleet.”

The Decision

To recap the decision making process, I was interested in four things:
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Buying My New Car

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I buy a new car a lot sooner than I expect to because — well, why not?

For a single person living alone with no kids, I have a lot of cars. I occasionally refer to them as my fleet.

  • I have my 1999 Jeep Wrangler, which I bought brand new, beat the crap out of, and use as my local around-town vehicle. It’s in decent shape but wouldn’t win any awards at a car show, despite it’s age. A trailer hitch on the front makes it the perfect vehicle for shuffling around trailers in the garage or driveway.

    • Jeep Wrangler
    My Jeep in its younger days, crawling over rocks in Sedona AZ. It’s on its third soft top now.

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