Simple America

 I added some new titles at Jerry Trader and I am really pleased to offer these. I have always been a bargain bin shopper for PC Games and these are some titles I plan on enjoying myself.

 I am definitely drooling over this bundle. Why? Well it has several kick ass games that I wanted when they came out, but could not manage to get at the time for one reason or the other. So what are titles are included in this bundle? Check it out:

• Black & White 2
• Black & White 2 Battle of the Gods Expansion Pack
• Lord of the Rings: Battle of Middle Earth
• Command and Conquer Generals
• Command and Conquer: Generals Zero Hour Expansion Pack

Some pretty awesome titles on 14 CDs all in one package. You can pick it up at Jerry Trader for $16.95 today.

One of my favorite games series has always been SimCity. Something about playing at city manager and developer has always pleased me. And in this offering, SimCity Societies, players are given even greater control over the cities they create. You can control the mood of your city. How do you want the buildings too look, traditional or futuristic, rural vs. urban, to even environmental concerns. Players can assign sims societal values, name locations in the city and even design custom constructions. I’m ready to give this version a shot. If you want to try it to then pick it up at Jerry Trader for only $8.95.

When you miss a game that first time around. Come and see if we have it at Jerry Trader and save same bucks while you’re at it.

Well I went off and took the plunge. I listened to Pink Cotton and got a domain for selling the bargain software I had listed on my eBay store. How could I not listen? This is Pink Cotton, Jack! That means cute and smart all in one tiny person.

But economically it made more sense too. With the eBay’s ever charging fee structure and now they want to decrease and even eliminate shipping charges I could not remain there. That model might work for big established sellers, but I think it makes it difficult for the new stores. Now I am using Yahoo Merchant Starter and the fee structure is cheaper. I don’t have to pay a listing fee like on eBay. The monthly charge is less and so is the fee for each sale I complete.

My only problem it appears is the marketing side. So I am going to use this blog to market Jerry Trader a bit. And I am trying a few other tools out there too. I may do some PPP again to create marketing funds too. Maybe I will try the other side of PPP and advertise too.

Most of my products are bargain softwares. Last weekend I added a lot of kiddie software. This included children’s computer games and education software products. There are some pretty cool things there. I may get this one biology package for my son to help him with 9th grade biology.

I hope in the next couple of weeks to add movies to my catalog. After that I want to list the comics I have to sell as well. Actually, considering to sell new comics if I can find the right distributor.

Things I won’t be selling are action figures, costumes, or roleplaying items. I do not want to compete with 12 To Midnight’s Midnight Cellar. I am involved in that store too and I want it to be successful as well. Marketing is the low point for it as well.

The best news now is that I figured out how to sell internationally. So there are few limitations. The new store can reach most of the world including my good friends in Southeast Asia, Europe, and down under. The shipping might kill ya, but the game will be a bargain.  So what you waitin’ for?

When you go on the road the one thing you might miss is your bed. But surprisingly I have enjoyed the beds at Marriott. Sleeping like a baby. I took at peek under the sheets and I see they are using a memory foam mattress in our room. We’ve had the beds at our house since we moved in back in 99. Could be time to make a change.

While I’m gone or any other day for that matter my little Ford sits out on the street. It sits out there exposed to the rain and wind. Dust gets on as it is blown over from highway construction not too far from my house. Wonder If I should take a look at car covers to protect my truck? Time to make a decision.

I know it is almost Christmas and me half-way dashing out the door to Florida. But the missus asked a speculative question before me. She said what are we gonna do for the kids Spring Break? What a question there. I’m thinking we can chill out in one of those Condo Hotels by a beach.

I can imagine us now. The kids out on jet skis. Me and the missus sipping on some wine. Flipping burgers on the barbecue. Yep this is the way to go.

When I was younger I always wanted to own a Corvette. Not just any particularone though. By that I mean I don’t care about the year of the engine. That engineering stuff is beyond me. I just wanted cool. And cool to my mind is a canary yellow Corvette. I used to see one all of the time way back when. Seeing that Vette zoom by would plant me in my tracks. Really took my breath away.

This memory came back to me today when I surfed around and found a site that sells Corvette floor mats. Maybe I should go drool on a Corvette at the Chevy dealer. If business gets good I ought to be able to restore this little dream.

Half of the fun of visiting Las Vegas is the hotels. There are so many different themes and even without the variety shows, magic acts, and superstars each property has so much to offer. Hotels Las Vegas just brings a huge dose of excitement.

A person can fulfill many fantasies in Vegas. Going back in time to visit the Roman Empire at Caesar’s Palace. Having a romantic moment at the Paris Hotel looking out at the city from the Eifel tower. Being a rock star a Planet Hollywood. Vegas is such a fun place. We all deserve a good time now and then.

Despite resigning, I have not cancelled my vacation to Orlando to go see my old pal Mickey. In fact I need to work on the budget for that trip. Gosh we leave next week.

Today I came across Trusted Travel eNewsletter. I found them just in time. If you follow the link and register, you not only get a chance to win four sightseeing tour tickets, you also have a chance to win an iPod Nano. Trusted Tours and Attractions have 21 cities to choose from too. I am so pleased that one of their locations is Orlando.

They list quite a number of attractions for Orlando too. You can catch tours to Kennedy Space Center. They have discounts to a lot of other local attractions. But the thing that looks really attractive to me is the passes they sell. These passes are good for two, three, or five days. These are good for 50 different tours, attractions, and activities.

The site is quite helpful too. You can find a page of hotels there. A map of Orlando is provided and I am going to use that to plan my route around town. Weather is another piece of information they provide. Raining a bit I see now, but the temperature is nice. I won’t need a heavy coat.

Hey I need to dig out the suitcases. Why don’t you go plan your trip? Join me in Orlando or visit one of their other travel locations. Then we can blog about our trips. 

I received a box in the mail.

Of course I had to open it.

Styrofoam boxes rest inside the cardboard box. Look a gift card.

What happens when I pull the top off of the Styrofoam? Look inside and we find wine. Two bottles, one red and one white. And some lovely flyers too.

Who sent this to me? The good folds at Gold Medal Wine Club wanted me to try out their product and service. After seeing how it works they want me to let you all know my experience. And I confess that this is my first experience with any wine clubs.

The wine is well packaged. The Styrofoam protects the bottles quite well and I suspect the packaging helps control the temperature so the wine does not overheat while in transit. The bottles I received are Belvedere Russian River Valley 2005 and Bradford Mountain Grist Vineyard Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 2004. A white and a red respectively.

All of the paper materials are top notch. Very nice quality, so when should you want to mail some wine to a friend for Christmas you won’t be embarrassed by sending shoddy materials. The newsletter is on a glossy paper and the layout is appealing to the eye. The font is easy on my eyes which I appreciate. The first think I notice inside is column on the wine sent to me. They regarding how the wine has been made and what wine credentials they posses. They also have stats on the wine to include pH, alcohol content, total acidity, how long the bottle is aged in oak, cases produced for each vintage and when to drink the wine.

The newsletter includes information about the Hambrecht family wines. These articles tell about the owner’s experience. They allow the reader to have an inside look at the vineyards. This lets the wine connoisseur have the chance to know the wine and not just taste it. I enjoyed the “Wine Wizard” which is a wine trivia section. They have some nice recipes inside and this recipe made use of the wine. This wine club lets you grade the wine and inside the newsletter they presented a score of past vintages.

I think wine clubs are a great concept. Learn about the wine. Sample it. Tell others how you feel about it. Then order more of what you like and at a discount.

Does anyone remember that post I made in October about the video phone? The one I titled “Calling Southeast Asia is Not Good Enough“. Part of the incentive to write a good post was a chance to win a phone and receive six months of their phone service free.

Guess who wrote a good post?  I am pinching myself. This has been a very lucky year for me this year. I cannot believe that they sent me the Video Phone and the free service. I did not set the device up right away. Honestly, I was a bit scared it would be difficult to install. I could not have been more wrong. I plugged my old phone into the Tango 8 unit. Then I plugged a cord from the phone that connected it directly into my router. Then I plugged in the power cord and the device configured itself. Then I just went online and clicked on the email they sent me and activated my phone. Then I just unplugged the phone power once so it could reboot itself and now I am ready to chat.

Look at the picture. Now I can see folks that call me from another video phone. I can also see myself in the corner so I can tell what the other party views. So no more phone calls while wearing my pajamas for me. *smiles*

And I have all of the services one would expect with their phone service. Voice mail. Caller ID. Call blockers. The whole nine yards. And the line quality is just as good as the old phone service. So who else has a video phone? Let’s call and have coffee together. We can show off our cups, pastries, and Bared Naked cereal. Anyone?

Thank you Packet 8 Tango for letting me receive this new device. I feel like the coolest kid on the block with my new phone. If any of my readers are interested in this VOIP service they should visit Packet8 VOIP internet phone service provider right away.