What I could do is to contact the seller and ask them to relist the item. But then I have to wait another week and it goes back into full auction status, unless it’s a Buy It Now.

So the feature I want is the ability to make a “Buy it Now” on an item that didn’t sell at auction. I’m assuming eBay has avoided doing this because they think it might undermine the regular auction if people have the option to just not pay attention, then bid when they feel like it at any future date.

But I suspect many things are listed, and if there’s no interest, people may never relist the item. They may be busy and never get around to it. They might think it’s priced too high to sell, and they’re not willing to sell it for less.

In actually, there might be a buyer sitting there who doesn’t want to contact a seller through a closed auction and ask them to relist it because, they didn’t bid during the regular auction.

There are many reasons I’ve failed to buy an item during auction, then regretted it after the auction ended. Mostly I get busy and forget. It’s easy with “Buy it Now,” you just buy it now and the seller ships it to you. But with an auction, it requires you to invest time and energy into following a process that may span 3-10 days. Then end when you’re at work or asleep. Of course I could place a bid now and just wait it out. Easier said than done.

I never considered eBay a REAL auction because it’s not like a real auction. In a real auction, it keeps going until someone stops bidding. eBay keeps going until the clock stops. And whoever bid LAST is the winner. eBay wants you to plug in your high bid before the auction ends, then wait to see after the fact whether or not you won. We all know much of the auction activity happens in the last minute or two. But this is neither here, nor there. What I’m talking about are auctions that end without bids.

Often I debate an item, compare it to other items, try something out that doesn’t work, then come back to the item that is now no longer for sale.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a button to “Request the seller relist”? The unsold auction could be converted to a Buy It Now item with the click of a button, and sold to me. The seller could determine during the listing of their auctions if they want this feature, and what the Buy It Now price would be after the auction ends. This means nobody has to think about anything. The auction ends, and most of the time the starting price would be the Buy It Now price. A seller could also opt to NOT have this feature. So if it doesn’t sell in regular auction, they can opt out. Once I click this button, I move directly into Paypal and pay for it.

This is a great way to make it easy for someone like me, and millions of other buyers, who missed an auction, thought about something too long, needed more time, or whatever. And the sellers get an unexpected sale. eBay processes more transactions. If this could bump up transactions by say 3% at eBay, this would be a huge increase in profit.

All this is doing is to give buyers and sellers one more avenue to make transactions, which makes eBay more money.

And while you’re at it eBay, I would love to be able to find the Feedback section without going on a wild goose chase each time. I’ve been on eBay since the 1990s and I always have to stop and search. How about a big, visible button at the top that just says FEEDBACK?

Here’s the Weight Watchers Tweet: Congrats to @JessicaSimpson, Eric and big-sister-to-be Maxwell! Your WW family is so thrilled for you. What an amazing year you’ve had!

I haven’t blogged about pop culture in months. But this one is literally impossible to resist.

By this point, everyone should know that everything a corporation puts out into public is designed to manipulate your view of the company. And because we’re basically aware at this point, when a company makes a statement like this, it seems plastic/insincere/planted, etc. etc. etc. It’s not just WW, it’s everyone from Toyota to BP.

Now I have no evidence Weight Watchers did any of the following, but generally, corporations have a system in place. Jessica may have called them before making the official announcement to avoid any surprises for Weight Watchers. Common decency. Give them the head’s up so they can prepare. After all, she’s a major spokesperson.

There was possibly, allegedly, some type of emergency meeting in the public relations and/or advertising departments. Now you can probably eat moderately when you’re pregnant, but nobody wants to put out the implication that you’re starving or under-nourishing a baby. Pregnant women are not ideal weight loss spokesmodels. But a month after she has this baby, she’ll probably be the ideal spokesmodel. So obviously, the campaign goes into hibernation while they await the birth of baby number two.

WW knows they can’t do anything, I repeat ANYTHING, that seems less than enthusiastically excited about the fact this campaign is shut down. Imagine the PR nightmare if their target audience of women and moms thought for a second WW was annoyed that they had to slam the brakes on a huge advertising campaign. There would be outrage — a company that is anti-mom!

About this Tweet. It’s not a WW family, it’s a WW business agreement. After this contract ends, these people are not coming over to celebrate birthdays and the holidays with Jessica Simpson. Jessica is making money, WW is making money. They collaborate to make money.

From WW’s perspective, this is a PR “challenge.” But I think they went over the line by pouring it on a too thick. In order to compensate for the fact most people would assume this messes up a major advertising campaign, so they can’t visualize WW being actually happy, they used the term “thrilled.” Multi-million dollar advertising campaigns that center around one person who messes everything up, are not things ad agencies are thrilled about. These are things they are stressed about.

WW is now cornered into the silver lining, which is to exude an image of “being supportive to pregnant women.” Champions for moms.

I wish I weren’t bitter about corporate public relations, but I am. I don’t trust anything they say. In fact, I generally look at what they’re doing and analyze what they’re trying to make us believe by doing what they’re doing. Every step is choreographed after getting feedback from several professionals in various meetings. They might have thought if they congratulate Jessica’s husband and her younger daughter, who is too young to understand the concept of being congratulated by WW, that it would hit people on a personal level. Aren’t they so nice to congratulate a seven-month-old baby who can’t talk?

What corporations really need to do is have a mission statement that involves doing things for the good of the people, and keeping things real. Every press release or Tweet shouldn’t be a move in a chess game.WW could simply congratulate her and leave it at that.

I think people have moved to a new stage in this game. They know the deal. They know McDonald’s and Walmart are not non-profit organizations here to serve and better humanity. But really, they should be. Every statement about making more money or improving the bottom line should also include a real conversation about how this will help not only their own company and employees, but how it will help their customers and the rest of the world. And it should be sincere.

Everyone is laughing at WW because of their response. And they should be.

This is the walking trail near London Bridge.

Photo by Terry Aley

Photo by Terry Aley

Photo by Terry Aley

Photo by Terry Aley

Photo by Terry Aley

Photo by Terry Aley

Photo by Terry Aley

Photo by Terry Aley

I was perusing through my local Safeway, or Vons as it’s known elsewhere, and started scanning the “nutritional drinks” section. I’m not usually big on these kinds of drinks because I personally think you get the best results by juicing produce and consuming it immediately. But this particular series of drinks caught my eye because it’s “living food” in drink format. In other words, it’s kind of like a mostly non-alcoholic version of lemonade yogurt in wine format. Which sounds insane. I can’t really describe the taste because I’ve never had anything quite like it. This particular “multi-green” bottle is a green liquid that scared me at first. But it kind of tastes like a hearty woody unsweetened Snapple. It has a nice acid to it. I want to say it has an aftertaste similar to potato chips, which probably makes no sense at all. It says on the bottle DO NOT SHAKE. I’m assuming this is to keep the “cultures” from breaking up. It contains a bunch of interesting and healthy ingredients like blue-green algae, so I wanted to try this.

The flavor, though I wouldn’t say it’s in the same category as a soda, is much better than I expected. I also grabbed a bottle of the cranberry version. (Haven’t tried it yet.) So if you’re feeling a little under the weather, want to maximize health or want a healthy substitute for a soda, you might try one of these. I think it was around $3 a bottle. Not cheap, but I’ve seen “health drinks” cost 2-3 times this in the same section. You’ll find these with the refrigerated drinks, usually next to the produce section of your grocery store.

This drink came about because the owner’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and was a frequent drinker of “Kombucha.” Click here to read her story.

For more information and to locate a store with this tonic, click here.

How I got to this point was a process of about ten years that started with removing meat from my diet. Then I removed dairy because I’m allergic to it. Then I removed eggs because I read The China Study, and they noted that for health reasons, if your diet is under 5% of meat/dairy/eggs, it doesn’t affect your health in a bad way. I think it’s 5%, but it’s been a couple years since I read this book. But this rule removes risk to food related disease like diabetes, artery clogging, cancer, etc. etc. I used to regularly get colds, the flu, sore throats, etc., but I never get these anymore. This 5% rule gives flexibility, so that if you’re eating out at a restaurant with friends, you can eat nachos with cheese once a month and be fine. I generally do avoid dairy, but maybe once a month I’ll eat something that does include milk. A small amount every now and again doesn’t seem to have any effect on me. I’ll spare you the details of what happens when you have a dairy allergy.

I tend to like the taste of foods with Wheat, though gluten is another one of those things, less is better. If I eat more than a certain amount of wheat products, I can definitely feel the effects. If you’re trying to move towards optimum health, this is what you generally need to do. Another thing I recommend is that when you’re not feeling great, don’t eat. Only drink to quench your thirst. This allows your body to eat up viruses and pathogens instead of food. I know this from personal experience, because I’ve tested it a couple times over the years. (In other words, “fasting” is good for you. I don’t care what anyone says. And you don’t need to drink gallons and gallons of water to “flush out” your system. The body knows what it’s doing, if it’s not distracted by an influx of food and drink.)

A couple things about going vegetarian or vegan that I wasn’t expecting when I started.

1. On a regular basis, someone tells me they think it’s so cool. And they were a vegetarian for a couple months. But their doctor told them they needed to eat meat to stay healthy. So they ditched it. What really probably happened was that a person stopped eating meat, then lived off PopTarts and Ramen Noodles. But they should have been eating a lot of fresh raw produce in their diet. Then they didn’t look or feel great. After a series of questions, the doctor decided it must be a lack of meat! I haven’t eaten meat in ten years and I’ve never felt better.

2. Being a vegetarian or vegan is political? I had no idea Republicans/conservatives on Fox News considered us mortal enemies. I was actually surprised to hear them trashing the term “Meatless Monday” last week as an attempt to control what you eat. (Those LIBERALS are shoving their values DOWN OUR THROATS) And the poor farmers who make their living from cattle/dairy/chicken/eggs/pigs. It’s downright Communist to be a vegetarian. The sad part is that many conservatives could save their lives and live healthier, longer lives by cutting back on the meat. I don’t have a problem with people NOT celebrating a Meatless Monday. (Every day is Meatless Monday around here.) But I do have a problem with the polarization of EATING.

3. People will not want to socialize with you for various reasons. A couple months ago someone said to me “We were going to invite you over for dinner, but we knew you didn’t like tacos.” Well, if you’re only serving tacos loaded up with hamburger and cheese, that probably wouldn’t be a good thing for a vegetarian. So you do become an “imposition” at times. You do need to eat before some events, then stare at people while they eat. Bring your own food (why bring your own food? Wouldn’t it be easier to eat at home?) I read this story earlier today about a vegetarian fire fighter being ostracized for his eating choices, and I thought, you know, I have the SAME issues. And everyone thinks I’m a big baby, just a picky eater. I make my own food most of the time. I know this firefighter is setting himself up for some massive ridicule by Fox News and people who love their steaks. But hey, people are different. Give them a little room to breathe.

I find that most restaurants do have vegan/vegetarian items on their menus. You may have to look. But often there is a veggie burger or spaghetti or you can make your own nachos and pick your own ingredients (black beans, guacamole, salsa, peppers, olives, onions, etc.). I usually scan a restaurant menu online before I go to figure out what I’m going to eat in advance. And you should also know, waiters only rarely understand the difference between a vegan and a vegetarian. Cooks also don’t understand this often. And they will screw up your order about 75% of the time. I’m not even exaggerating. Recently I ordered a veggie burger which showed up with a couple slices of bacon. (Neither waiter nor cook thought it was odd that someone who ordered a veggie burger wouldn’t want bacon on it.) I’ve learned not to make a scene about it. Just watch your other friends greedily snag your bacon and move on. I figure since I ate meat throughout my earlier life, it probably won’t kill me if some bacon residue is left on my soy burger. You really do have to give yourself some flexibility or it becomes maddening. If a waiter comes back with a bean burrito and it’s full of chicken, that’s a different story. You have to send it back. And often, I get my meal comped for that kind of error. Which I really don’t care. It would be preferred if a waiter/waitress were listening closely, took notes, then discussed it with the cook to make sure everything is clear.

The idea is that I’m a representative for a certain eating lifestyle that more people probably should be enjoying. But it’s become something other people find annoying, actually, many people find annoying. So realizing we’re all in this thing called life together, I try and be a little flexible and accommodating. And once people realize there are now a lot of non-meat substitutes that taste just as good as real meat does to them, and a lot healthier, they’re often surprised.

Which comes to the point of this post. I’ve tried every meat substitute available at this point. Many taste like flavorless hockey pucks. And many are simply delicious. So I’m listing the ones that I think any meat lover (or vegetarian) would love, because they have great flavor and great texture. I would say you could switch most of these with real meat and nobody would know the difference.

These Boca meatless “hamburger” crumbles are a staple. They taste good and have no wheat, no dairy and no real meat. And they could fool any meat eater.

Gardein Crispy “chicken” tenders and “beefless tips” are DELICIOUS. But they do contain wheat, that’s the only downside. But they’re so DELICIOUS. Find these in your frozen food section.

Tofurky Italian sausages. These are DELICIOUS (unlike many Tofurky products). But somehow, they got this one right. Just the right amount of spice. Great texture. Tastes like the real thing. HIGHLY recommended.

If you eat a lot of “hamburger crumbles,” this bulk box of Yves Meatless Ground is the way to go. Very moist and flavorful. The only downside is that they contain wheat. Frozen food section.

Gardein beefless burgers. These have a similar taste to a Dairy Queen hamburger. Only downside, they contain wheat.

Lightlife backyard grilled “hamburgers.” These have a good flavor. But they contain both eggs and wheat. If you don’t have a problem eating either of those, you’ll love these.

If you’re allergic to dairy, these Daiya cheese shreds are delicious. Dairy free. I keep a couple packages in the freezer. And one package in the fridge. Whenever I need to add a kick to anything like a salad or whatever, I toss these on top. This particular package was frozen, and you can probably see that. But please do thaw before eating.

Tasty Cutie dairy free mint chocolate chip “ice cream” sandwiches.

Annie’s Goddess dressing has been my favorite salad dressing for years. I pretty much use this on everything. I even use it instead of spaghetti sauce on pasta. It’s great as a condiment. Basically, anytime you need a flavorful sauce, you can’t go wrong. And it’s full of healthy ingredients.

Did you know they make “yogurt” without milk? These Almond Dream “yogurts” are a delicious snack.

On special occasions, I might splurge on dairy free ice cream by Purely Decadent. All the flavor, none of the milk.

So there you have it. Products without meat (and some without dairy), that actually taste GREAT.

My goal is to eventually have several hundred or more giclée designs available. Since I create a wide range of styles, there would be something available for any taste. Most of the pieces are designed at larger scale, so 30″x40″ all the way up to “monster size” at 55″x115″ (about 4.5 feet by 9.5 feet). I wanted these to all be on high quality 1.5″ wooden stretcher boards, and arrive fully assembled. So all you have to do is unpack and hang on the wall. Offering giclées means I can also produce multiples of any design (hotels and chains might like this option).

These are reproduced on 19 mil canvas (poly/cotton blend) with a glossy finish that I would describe as a sheen. “Matte” finish is also available by special request. The image extends over the sides. Framing is always good, but not required for this style of art.

One other benefit to “digital” art is that I can often resize these. So if a person loves a giclée in 30×40″ but wants it in 40×60″, it’s fairly easily to rescale and adjust to fit.

I’m posting some photos from the giclée series below. I’m constantly adding new pieces to the store each week, so it will continue to expand and evolve.

You can visit my store by clicking this link.

So I had what I thought was a watermelon. I had serious doubts if this would ever produce fruit. And if it did, the heat would most certainly dry the watermelon up into a huge raisin. The other day I was pushing aside the massive pile of leaves from this plant to avoid garden hose damage, and noticed a small watermelon. It managed to avoid being detected or eaten by any number of hungry desert animals all this time.

Now I know there’s an actual crop I can easily grow in my back yard, besides cactus leaf or agave. I’m not a huge watermelon fan. But I have purchased them for juicing. You can carve up a watermelon, juice them with strawberries or apples, and they make a delicious drink. I just never liked eating “raw” watermelon. I have no idea how this seed landed in my back yard in the first place, but it’s good to know they will grow here. Imagine if I had planted/composted/fertilized these to begin with?

I think I will plant more of these.

Photos by Terry Aley

Photo by Terry Aley

Photo by Terry Aley

Yellow Bells or Trumpet Bush – Photos by Terry Aley

Mexican Bird of Paradise

Purple Sage

Since I grew up in the Midwest, all you ever had to do was dig a hole in the ground, put in a plant, and it basically grew. Probably not that easy, but compared to desert gardening, or yardening as I’m calling it, it was a cakewalk.

It took me three years of killing things before I established a group of plants in my yard that are more than struggling or dying, some are actually thriving.

Lake Havasu City, Arizona, is probably one of the most extreme temperature zones in the U.S., during the summer that is. The other 8 months of the year, it’s weather bliss. Nothing gives me greater joy than to hear you complain about your snowstorm in January, while I’m wearing shorts. If you like cacti, you’re in luck. Those do quite well here. Though I have to say, in the beginning, many of the cacti I’ve planted haven’t done well. Even they require some trial and error, with some research thrown in.

Here’s what I’ve learned. My basic summary for a desert green thumb. The way to grow a desert landscape, and create envy in your neighborhood. (All of these photos were taken in my yard.)

1. Don’t plant during the summer months. It’s just too hot. Your plants need a few months to get established, and then they are much MUCH more likely to handle it when the 126F August weather hits. October through April is generally a good time to plant. It’s a bit of a mind game here because December is considered planting season.

2. Desert soil is completely devoid of any nutrition. Think the surface of Mars, only without all the water. So here’s the secret. Dig a much bigger hole than the plant’s pot. You’ll need a PICK AXE to chop your way into the soil. Then a shovel to scoop out the dirt. Add a layer of bagged compost/manure/bagged soil to the bottom of the hole. Place your unpotted plant in the hole. Then fill the rest of your hole with either all bagged soil (i.e., soil imported from the Midwest where it’s full of nutrients) or a mostly mix of rich compost/manure/bagged soil along with some desert soil added (to give it some weight). It’s extremely difficult to get a plant established in desert soil, so what this does is get it established with a lot of nutrients. Once it’s established, you then switch to feeding your plants fertilizer sticks every couple of months.

3. Only desert plants thrive here. Everything else will die, or barely cling to life. You can rig the system if you, for example, plant a really hardy rose in a place that’s shielded from direct sunlight part of the day. I have a few rose bushes in the yard that aren’t doing too badly. Though I’ve killed a lot of rose bushes in the process. But there are tons of great desert plants that rival all the usual plants you’re used to in color and impact. As you can see from the photos, desert plants aren’t too shabby.

Those are the basic rules, and I wish someone would have told me this when I first moved here. But now I know, and now you know.

These caught my eye yesterday because they’re a little out of the ordinary for Jelly Belly. One of my favorite things to see on a fancy schmancy dessert are raspberries. Want something that looks like it was made by a French chef? Put a raspberry on it. These would be good to keep around in case timing for fresh berries on the spot can’t happen. Or if you just happen to like Jelly Belly candy.

It’s funny, I was trying to figure out the plural of “Jelly Belly,” and the Jelly Belly style guide says it’s against the rules! So instead of saying “Jelly Belly’s” or “Jelly Bellies,” I had to say “Jelly Belly Candy.” Well, I didn’t have to. But I thought I’d overshare with everyone.