October 13, 2006 at 11:34 am · Filed under The scam
In the morning yesterday Emma practiced some reading. She’s coming right along, which is exciting. We challenge her with things to read, and she says she can’t do it … and then she’s always amazed that she can.
Most of the day was lost in intense work but I did manage to get out and refill our propane. I also had to pick up a pair of quicklinks for the trailer’s safety chains. Installing the Hensley hitch meant we had to add a link to each chain to accommodate the extra few inches the hitch requires. As it turns out, we should have added two links. I noticed yesterday that one of the welded chain attach points was bent, no doubt due to the chain being too short in a sharp turn. It’s still secure, but I’m going to have that spot bent back and re-welded anyway. In the meantime, an extra link has been added to each chain so it won’t bind again.
Last night Emma was feeling a bit out of sorts when they got back from errands yesterday. It seemed like she might be coming down with something, so she and Eleanor stayed in while Mike, Bonnie, and I went to the local BBQ place, the “Chili Head”.
Today it turns out that our suspicions were correct: Emma seems to have a cold. The cold & flu season has begun. Time to head south a bit more! We’ll be leaving tonight or tomorrow morning.
Our scammer has not given up. I’ve got to give him points for persistence, at least. I sent a message from “Ayres” using a Hotmail account. Ayres wrote that the check was not certified and so he needed to wait seven days before sending the Western Union payment. I figured this would end the deal, but it didn’t. Last night Ayres T Reem received this message:
HELLO,
THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY,PLS I WANT YOU TO MAKE IT FAST BY SENDING THE OVERPAYMENT TO MY SHIPPING COMPANY SO THAT THE CAR CAN BE SHIPPED TO ME.KINDLY GET BACK TO ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THANKS.
DR.LILIAN WILLIAMS
—–
Our scammer is starting to parrot himself. Geez, what do I have to do to end this, kill poor Ayres? Brett has already suggested he die in an industrial accident. I’d like him to go out in some ironic fashion. I’m open to suggestions.
And here’s a sign of the week for you:
October 12, 2006 at 5:13 pm · Filed under Places to go
The lecture yesterday went well. None of the students fell asleep while I was yammering, anyway.
So I celebrated by riding the MBTA train into Boston’s South Station, and looking up Adam at the Gather office in the financial district. He took me for a great street hike, through all the neighborhoods of downtown Boston. We hiked from the towering glass monoliths of the Financial District to the tony shopping of the Back Bay.
Paul Revere is buried in this Back Bay graveyard.
Then through the brick townhomes of the South End, Boston’s South Side (being converted from industrial to residential slowly), the elegant waterfront hotels, and finally the Italian-dominated North End with its endless wonderful food.
“World Shaving Headquarters” — Gillette’s downtown offices
Boston is a great city for walking. When we lived in the suburbs I loved coming into the city for a day of hiking all around, seeing the architecture and sampling the edible treats at cafes. The walk was a good way for Adam and I to catch up and regain our personal perspectives on everything, so by the time we ended up back at Gather around 4 pm, we were in a fine mood to sit and chat with Susan for another hour.
Eleanor and Emma spent the day visiting people north of Boston, so they had a nice day too. We’re having a great time on the road again, and I only hope we can keep the fun going. This weekend certainly looks good, since we will be meeting some recently-found friends in Connecticut. With a little luck, we might even cross paths with Bert and Janie.
Budget update: We have been cautious about our spending lately because we got whacked with expenses in August and September, including the expensive 30,000 mile service on the Armada and the new tires. I’m trying to get the budget back under control. Fortunately, we’ve had tremendous success at courtesy parking, mostly thanks to having mooched six weeks from friends, family, and neighbors. Our total expenditure for camping since mid-August has been a measly $100 (which was three nights at the rally last weekend).
Our fuel cost has been a fraction of what it was before as well. Lower gas prices have helped — we’re paying $2.15 per gallon now versus a high of $3.96 when were on the west coast in June! But the biggest relief is coming from traveling more slowly. Our total mileage towing in the past week has been less than 400 miles, and we’ll stretch the remaining 1100 miles to Florida over three weeks time.
October 11, 2006 at 9:30 am · Filed under The scam
As I mentioned, we are parked at a friend’s house in southeastern Massachusetts. We’re here to visit friends not just in Bridgewater but also in Boston and Rhode Island, and I’ve got a fair amount of work to do, so we decided to stay through Friday.
The courtesy parking here is great, thanks to our friends Mike and Bonnie. We’ve been friends since 1991 or so, when Mike put me through for an Instrument Rating. He’s now an professor at Bridgewater State College, in the Aviation school, and once a year he invites me to present a guest lecture to his poor students on some topic of business or entrepreneurship. Today I’ll be talking to them about “virtual companies” like the one I run (Airstream Life magazine).
Virtual companies have been a passion of mine since the mid-90s when the Internet really started to take off. A company with no central office, lower overhead, self-contained employees working when and where they are comfortable, and constant collaboration via the Internet can be incredibly efficient in terms of both money and time.
People often ask how I can run my business entirely from an Airstream. My feeling is that if I couldn‘t run it from an Airstream, I would be doing it wrong. A magazine is a “knowledge business”, where the primary product is information. Such businesses do not need retail storefronts, local business ties, or physical plants. The requirements to put a knowledge business on the road are identical to those needed to increase efficiency in today’s virtual business world.
For example, to take Airstream Life magazine on the road, I needed to:
— use the Internet to communicate and collaborate with subcontractors, employees, and freelancers
— slim down physical assets to the bare minimum (mostly files and office hardware)
— learn to select and motivate team members, long-distance
— take advantage of e-business solutions (like eFax, PayPal, e-commerce)
— use the Internet to market my product and support my customers
— personally learn to work more flexibly (at odd hours, through interruptions etc)
— outsource work to the best providers I can find, on a global scale
Those are the same things I needed to do to run the organization efficiently enough to survive through its first year. The efficiencies offered by modern technology — and conversely, by avoiding the obsolete business structures and technology of yesterday — don’t just enable more efficient businesses. They create opportunities for new businesses which otherwise couldn’t exist, such as mine.
So perhaps it would be a good test for small “knowledge businesses” to see if their business can efficiently be run from an Airstream. Some business book writer will probably pick up this concept in the next few years, calling it the “Airstream virtual business test” or some such thing.
Yesterday Eleanor and Emma headed off to Rhode Island to visit with Chef Martin, a former co-worker of Eleanor’s when she was doing an “externship” at The Federal Reserve restaurant in Providence. I wish I could have gone just to watch Chef Martin cook. Like a lot of professional chefs, he has a marvelous ability to whip up something amazingly delicious in about 5 minutes, using any food product that happens to lying around. He did it for me one late late night in Providence, after the kitchen had closed, and I still remember how amazed I was at his skill. Real-life pro chefs are a treat to watch when they are in action.
Today they are off to the ‘burbs north of Boston to visit another old friend. I’ll be doing my lecture here at B’water this morning. I may head into Boston on the train to visit Susan and Adam this afternoon, at their office in the Financial District.
Solar update: We had to plug in, despite brilliant fall sunshine. Our parking spot is shaded by trees all day. I was working in the trailer most of the day and between a night of furnace and a day of laptop we managed to use about 60 amp-hours.
Scam update: I wrote back yesterday to report bad news from my “cousin” Ayres:
Hi Dr Williams
My cousin Ayres received the check yesterday. I just heard from my aunt Abe that he is sick with aluminitus and won’t be able to get to Western Union for a few days. But I’m sure he will deposit it soon.
One question: the price of the car is $500 but you said to only forward $1800. What about the extra $200?
… and received this reply not long after:
HELLO,
THANKS FOR MAKING ME KNOW THAT YOUR COUSIN HAS THE CHECK.I REALLY NEED THE CAR VERY VERY SOON AND I WANT YOU TO ASSIST IN SENDING THE OVERPAYMENT OF $1,800 VIA WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER FOR YOUR COUSIN TO THE INFORMATION BELOW
[same contact as before]
THE $200 IS FOR THE WESTERN UNION CHARGES AND YOU CAN TAKE THE REST FOR ALL THE INCONVIENIENCES I MIGHT HAVE COST FOR YOU.
PLS KINDLY GET BACK TO ME WITH THE MTCN#,FULL NAME AND ADDRESS OF SENDER.
I WILL BE EXPECTING YOUR REPLY, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THANKS.
DR.LILIAN WILLIAMS
——
Today I think I’ll end this charade. The check they sent me is so bad, even to the point of being check #1001 and not certified as promised, that I think this scammer is not worth the effort. I have trouble believing anyone would have fallen for this one. Just look at all the names I’ve gotten from this person:
Email address: richardwilliams911@yahoo.com
Claimed name: Dr. Lilian Williams
UPS package return address: Larry Inc
Name on check: Alvaro Mendoza
Name of funds recipient: Velecia Farmer
Perhaps Ayres will die from his case of “aluminitus” tomorrow. I’ve never heard of it being fatal, though. Or perhaps I’ll just tell the scammer that since the check isn’t certified, I need to wait for it to clear. That oughta do it.
October 10, 2006 at 3:25 pm · Filed under The scam
The check has arrived! See below:
I was a little disappointed that this wasn’t an attempt at a bank check. Instead, it looks like they just ran an ordinary business check through a laser printer. I guess I’m not dealing with one of the better scammers.
As you can see, the address on the check is shown as Alvaro Mendoza of 25 N Belcher Rd #F-60, Clearwater FL 33765. As before, the name used is a phony. The real Alvaro Mendoza is a marketing consultant in St Petersburg. A quick Google search reveals that the address is at Coral Cove apartments.
According to my “cousin” in Virginia who received the package with this fake check, the return address on the inside envelope is “Larry Inc, 9734 Dove Hollow Lane, Glen Allen VA 23060”. This is a residential adddress, but again, probably phony. The UPS tracking number shows that the envelope was shipped from Hampton VA.
Meanwhile, I received several anxious messages from the “buyer”, as follows:
October 7
HELLO,
SORRY FOR THE DELAY,I GOT A CONFIRMATION FROM UPS THAT THE CHECK WILKL GET TO YOU PROBABLY ON MONDAY BUT LATEST ON TUESDAY SO PLS GET THE CHECK CASHED AND SEND THE OVERPAYMENT VIA WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER TO
Name:Velecia Farmer
City: Hampton,
State:Va
Zip code:23663
Amount to send $1800 and please get back to me as soon as you receive this message to know when you’re sending the money so that my mover can arrange time to pick the item up from you
thanks very much .
Notice; Once you sent out the money you’re to send me the Mtcn# and the exact amount sent with the sender name and address thanks.
——
Notice that the scammer got the math wrong in his/her excitement. The car was supposed to cost $500 with a $2000 overpayment to be refunded, but now the request is for only $1800. Wow, a $200 windfall for lucky Ayres T Ream!
And then this email came two days later:
HELLLO,
HOWCOME I HAVENT HEARD FROM YOU NOW THAT YOU HAVE THE CHECK,KINDLY CASH THE CHECK AND SEND THE OVERPAYMENT TO [same person as named above].
——
Now the fun begins. The scammer will want us to immediately deposit the check so that he can get his Western Union money transfer before we discover it is a phony. But I suspect Ayres is going to have some minor delays crop up. Poor Ayres … he’s going to have a rough few days. 😉
October 9, 2006 at 11:04 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Sorry we’ve been out of touch for a few days. We’ve been attending a Youth Rally in Townshend, VT, and the campground was in a valley where cell phones don’t work and wi-fi doesn’t seem to exist. So, I took a few days off …
Kids awaiting judging of their pumpkins. Everybody won!
The rally was spectacular. Fabulous fall weather, colorful foliage, and real fun for the kids, who were numerous. We had kid-themed dinners, a hayride and ghost stories, bonfires every night, a pumpkin-carving contest, and just plain great fun with great people. I have to acknowledge the efforts of Doug and Jamie (a blog reader!) and Robin & Richard, who co-hosted the event. Nice job, guys!
Our three pumpkin judges: Pamela, Elaine, and Michelle
We saw a few old friends there, and made a few new ones. Donal and Amanda showed up in Vintage Thunder, the blue/green Argosy trailer that we used to own. I checked the trailer out and she seems to be in fine shape. Her new owners are very happy with their purchase. We’ll be courtesy-parking with them in a few days.
Gail Buck and her pink-themed Airstream
We also met J. Rick Cipot and his future bride, Sandi. Rick will be contributing to a future issue of the magazine. He’s a former photographer for National Geographic and a high-grade Airstream nut, like the rest of us.
J. Rick Cipot gets a kiss from Gail’s dogs
I’ve posted many more pictures on our photo album. By the way, our Google Earth location for this past weekend can be downloaded here.
Tonight we are in Bridgewater, MA, courtesy parked at Mike & Bonnie’s house. They’ve got a nice paved and flat driveway with plenty of room for our little traveling circus. We last stayed here two years ago, in the Argosy. We’ve got plenty to do in the area, so we may be here for three nights or more.
October 6, 2006 at 9:46 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Imagine six adults all piling in the minivan to drive 25 miles to go to a place called Pizza Putt, to play arcade games all evening. Bizarre? Yes, but when you add in just one grandchild, suddenly it all seems perfectly normal.
Last night Emma and her support team of six otherwise sane adults took in the action at that kid-oriented place — and of course, ate pizza. We played indoor mini-golf, whacked spiders, captured little flying bees, pulled the plungers and spun the wheels, all in pursuit of a bunch of orange tickets which Emma later traded in for a small stuffed leopard.
I have to say the pizza wasn’t bad and Steve and I liked the batting cages and Skee-ball. It was a decent way to spend the final evening with our family in Vermont. Today we have to finish packing and our goal is to be on the road by 2 pm.
At this point I doubt we’ll make it, but I would like to get to the rally as soon as we can, since there are many people who I would like to see there. We’ve got a lot of Airstream friends from the various northeast regions of the club, plus the new owners of Vintage Thunder, and a new contributor to the magazine who I haven’t met yet.
By the way, I added some foliage photos to our Flickr album.
October 5, 2006 at 9:01 am · Filed under Uncategorized
While scanning some old documents and photos that we found in storage, I came across this picture:
That’s me, circa 1993, when I was busy leading bicycle tours all over eastern Massachusetts for the Boston Ski and Sports Club. My friend Mary Halvey is posing with me. It’s funny the forgotten times that resurface when you dig through the old boxes.
Brett has returned home, reluctantly. I think he enjoyed his little leaf-peeping trip here. Eleanor and I are in the frantic final days of preparing to head out for another 6-8 months of life in the Airstream. Last night we went to storage and met people who wanted furniture. We sold two pieces, and gave two others away. That was enough for us to easily consolidate the remaining things in ONE unit — so we’ve finally accomplished our goal there. We’ll resume work on culling down our stuff next summer.
There are many things to do before we go, so we’ll both be working on our list all day today and tomorrow. Today we’ll be cleaning the trailer, packing the last few items we are leaving behind, re-organizing, getting a new driver’s license at the DMV, and checking all the trailer systems (since it has been parked for a month). I’ll try to list some of the trailer-specific things as we do them since I know many of you are interested in the checklist.
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