It’s near freezing outside. Thirty-five degrees. And raining. Oh darn, I wish the dogs would allow me to lie abed this morning. Any chance of that? You s’pose?
—–
Uh oh. The natives are getting restless. The want gov to bomb Agrabah.
Jafar would be mightily displeased. And you know how Jafar gets when he’s angry.
—–
Ah, so that’s what you were doing! Or not doing. On Amazon.
Through November and early December I was puzzled by the dearth of anything that looked like holiday buying. Then last weekend … shazam!
In flooded orders for musical instruments, creative toys, gorgeous shawls, gift cards, fancy bath accessories, gourmet foods, a computer, and more. One great day followed another.
Then as quick as the flood began, it ran dry. We’re back to car parts and electrical cables. You were all just waiting ’til the last minute, weren’t you?
There’s still a bit of “last minute” left. But you already raised me to the elusive 7.5% commission level.* That’s happened only once or twice before. Ever. Even if it’s nothing but vitamins, magazine pouches, and USB drives from here on out, this will be a good month, thank you and Merry Christmas!
—–
* Commission level on most sales. Low margin items like electronics and groceries have lower, fixed commissions, but those purchases still contribute to pushing the level up for everything else.
—–
This holiday season, please use my Amazon links for your shopping.
Or drop a little something in the tip jar.
Was just stopping by this morning to see how Amazon was treating you. Glad to see this morning’s post! *stepping back into the shadows*
Agrabah? Must be a Star Wars reference. I hear there’s a new movie out.
So here’s this flaming lightsaber.
I went into town today to get some new glasses, while there I noticed the abnormal lack of hustle and bustle in the mall(s). I think the economy is croaked.
[Star Wars spoiler removed; sorry]
Can you please explain how the Amazon links work? I shop there fairly often and if I can get you a commision, I will gladly do so.
Feel free to respond directly if you prefer.
Thanks
Mike
Mike — Since it’s a common question (or a question people sometimes don’t ask when they might like to know, I’ll answer here.
Any time you enter Amazon using this URL — http://www.amazon.com/?tag=livifree07-20 — I get a credit for everything you purchase during that visit.
Same with any Amazon link I put on the blog. Say I link to a book. You click that link. Maybe you don’t buy the book but you do buy other items during that visit. I get credit for the sales.
I never see personal information about you. I never even see that “buyer X ordered items A, B, and C.” I see only individual items. Once those items are shipped, I earn a commission.
It’s that simple, really. The only thing to remember is to use one of my links every time. It helps me a lot without costing buyers anything. So thanks for asking and thanks for using my links whenever you shop at Amazon.
Claire,
Thank you.
I deleted my old Amazon bookmark and added yours so that it truly is now a no-brainer.
Best to you. I appreciate what you do for all of us
Mke
Went to the new Star Wars yesterday. Kept me interested for 135 minutes, but just barely. Not happy about the spoiler above. Probably an actor’s contract issue. Hope we see more than two minutes of Luke Skywalker in Episode VIII. And more of the twenty-something lovely, too, of course (said the dirty old man).
And they smashed the Harry Potter & The Hobbit opening day record revenue, with $120.5 on Thursday night previews and Friday opening. http://www.imdb.com/news/ni59313100?pf_rd_m=A2FGELUUNOQJNL&pf_rd_p=1920909362
“Was just stopping by this morning to see how Amazon was treating you.”
FishOrMan — How typically nice of you. Thank you. Amazon, with the help of the elves of Living Freedom, is being jolly this month.
Bill — I removed the spoiler. Now it’ll be interesting to see if the new Star Wars can keep its box office numbers up. I’m surprised at how well it’s done (though the marketing has been terrific and the way they kept the wraps on the plot perhaps the best part of it).
I loved the first two Star Wars movies, but by the time of Return of the Jedi, I thought the franchise was falling apart. The next movie after that (“Episode 1″/Phantom Menace) confirmed it ($200 million spent on effects and $1.98 spent on plot; great actors turned into bores). I never saw the next two and couldn’t understand the excitement over this one. Hope it’s in the class with the first two. That would be great. Critics seem happy with it.
I’d say it is in the same class as the first two. I usually rate things on a 1-5 scale, but give it a 9/10.
Part of Star Wars’ charm was it’s unique, slightly cheesy dialog and the way it was paced. They somehow captured that perfectly. And CGI has progressed to the point that it outclasses stop-motion in it’s ability to aid in disbelief suspension. Something that could not be said about the abysmal episodes I & II (I thought III was pretty good, as were the original Clone War animated shorts).
Can’t find the article now, but as I understand it, this new movie has the same screenwriter as the original trilogy, unlike episodes 1-3. That likely accounts for the charm and pacing.
I’m assuming it doesn’t have idiotic characters either.
Not really, jed. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Movie_screenwriters
The best of the lot was The Empire Strikes Back, for which Lucas hired a real, honest-to-goodness SF writer, Leigh Brackett — but she was rude enough to die without finishing the job. Lawrence Kasdan then came in to help Lucas rewrite, and he’s no slouch, either. And yes, Kasdan was involved with The Force Awakens.
But those first three movies are largely credited to Lucas, and look what an awful mess he eventually made.
Record-breaking estimated $238 million domestic opening weekend. http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/21/10632468/star-wars-the-force-awakens-box-office-record-238-million
Bill — Thanks. I saw that yesterday. And yowza! That’s not even the weekend’s final total. Critics seem to love this one, too. Ninety-five percent on RottenTomatoes.com, and the reviews are filled with relief and glee that Abrams & company have erased the legacy of episodes I, II, and III.
I saw The Force Awakens on Sunday at a matinee showing [for the cheaper admission of course] and the theater wasn’t filled completely but there were quite a few folks present.
I enjoyed it but, given my financial situation, I probably won’t pay to see it again. Still, as noted by others, it did have the original “Star Wars” feel and look.
IF I were to make a bonus on one of the few steady customers that I do have then I Might go see it again to absorb some of the backgrounds and set details for future reference.
Okay, okay. Caught me with my pants down. 🙂
But I did read an article that said that. Or, I was hallucinating; I report, you decide!
Given how episodes 1-3 turned out, I suspect Lucas had more, rather than less, help with the original trilogy.