SuperGirls

 

This year’s Paul Mitchell/Nissan Supergirl Surf Contest (2020) at the Oceanside Pier, Oceanside, CA, was a bit subdued because of COVID-19.  The contest was hardly publicized so as not to attract a large crowd.  But those that attended were certainly awarded with first-class female surfing. 

 On Saturday, a few locals began to line the pier which of course made everyone nervous, so a curtain was put up for about a third of the pier to dissuade people from watching the meet from that lofty location. 

 The waves on Sunday were really crashing, so to speak.  The surf line was charging north right into the wooden pylons of the Oceanside Pier.  And that made for an exciting background for photographing the surfers as they careened remarkably close to the dangerous pylons. 

 The women came from all over the world to compete for standings in the Supergirl Contests.  And they didn’t disappoint in their skills and bravery.  The waves were heavy and rolling, not for the faint of heart.  Here are some of the images!

Scammers

 

I know we have all had our fair-share of scammers beating at our door – literally, the magazine hounds pleading for us to buy a magazine subscription so the seller won’t go “bad!”  Oh, how about Publisher’s Clearing House… does anyone still fall for that scam?  Are you still answering the emails from the Nigerians who would love to transfer to your bank 15 million dollars… just because? 

Ok, so we all smile at these stupid scams to part us from our money.  But listen up: due to COVID, we are buying more online because, you know, it is so dangerous to shop in person.  Did you notice how long it takes to receive items “Made in China?”  Due to COVID and restrictions on flights into the United States, most of the items shipped from overseas are being delayed.

So, a back story:  about two years ago, I ordered a pair of “water shoes” from a company called PearlYo.  I received them and have worn them a lot around the sands of San Diego.  I decided to purchase two pair, different colors.  In May/2020 I place my order through their website PearlYo.com and paid via PayPal. 

On Aug 5, 2020 I received one pair (must have taken the slow boat):  I opened the poorly wrapped package and discovered the wrong shoe.  A close inspection of the QR code showed the correct order, size and SKU number for the shoe I had ordered.  I went to the PearlYo website and confirmed a photo and order page for the shoe I had ordered.  My order sheet on the website showed the correct SKU number, etc.  I also found the shoe that they sent me ($17 cheaper).  

I received an email from PearlYo the following day noting that I had received my black and red shoes and “please leave 5 stars on our Facebook page!” 

I immediately started an email “back-and-forth” with Pearlyo.  The upshot was, quote: “You should be happy to receive one of our most popular shoes.”  I was told that if I wanted to return the shoes, I would have to pay the shipping back to China!  Then another email told be to give the shoes to a friend who would love to have them, and they would give me 20% discount on a future pair.

Today, I received my second pair:  THE SAME wrong shoe!!!  And a request for 5 stars.

I can picture this 40-foot shipping container arriving at the Port of San Francisco loaded with shoes.  Some poorly paid guy grabs a pair and throws it into a plastic bag, he grabs the label and prints out a QR code with the original order and throws it in the mail.   They have my money; they don’t care about the customer service and they won’t correct their mistake.   

I am urging you to be careful where you buy.  I’ve learned an expensive lesson:  Buyer beware!  Remember the name PearlYo… don’t buy from them!  “O” stars!

(Yes, I am trying to get my money from PayPal.)  

 

#fraud #china #pearlyo #scam #dropshipping #fraudulent  #theft  #stealing

Cimbing Hills

On the trail I saw her this morning, a diminutive figure, hunched over, her white shoes contrasting with her lose fitting blue pants and her flowered blouse moving with each step.  At the distance I noticed a faded, yellow sunshade pulled down over her forehead, eyes barely uncovered.  She was moving slowly on the dirt and gravely road.  She wasn’t unlike others who daily walked the pathway trying to get some exercise during this isolating time.

But the most noticeable thing I really saw was the item over which she hunched and struggled moving forward:  It was one of those Rollator Walkers, the kind you can sit on.  It has hand brakes too!  She was making ruts in the dust as she pushed forward.

Anyway, our closing distance narrowed:  Mickey my old pal, his nose straight up in the air trying to detect something in the distance, didn’t seem to care about her.  He had other ideas.

I noticed that she was about to transition from the dirt and gravel area to a steep, paved part of the continuing road down where there was a lip on the transition between the dirt and asphalt.  I quickened my pace to meet her and reached out to help her lift her walker onto the paved surface.  I quickly noticed that her face was weathered and wrinkled – hard days in the past, I assumed.  (She had to be over eighty years old, if she was a day!)

In a foreign accent she said, “I’ve got it!”

I couldn’t help it:  I still reached out and gently lifted the front of the walker to the pavement (I blame my instinct to help on chivalry).  I noticed she wasn’t wearing a restricting mask (nor did I) and she was breathing steadily as she strode on.  I was quite taken back. 

I turned toward the steep incline, motioned upward, and said: “Will you be ok going up,” as I tried to image her tackling the slope with the walker.  I’ve seen many a younger person breathing heavily walking up that stretch of the trail.    

She snickered and said, “I hope so!  I do it all of the time!”   

Wow!  I was totally impressed.  Here was this elderly woman, determined not to waste her day, but willing to tackle her hill, pushing the object which, for most, would victimize them and hasten their demise.  COVID wasn’t about to get her down:  A toast to her and wishing her many more hills to go!