E-commerce

One of my dearest dojo friends has launched a project that is simple and brilliant. One of the reasons I like it so much is that it’s based on her recognition that the marketplace is about relationships—and I for one am increasingly weary of how many of those relationships are with corporate entities that don’t seem to give a shit about much beyond profits and stockholder satisfaction.

A friend sent me a link to the Locallectual web site, along with a suggestion (or was that a hint?) that I blog about it. I’ll admit that upon seeing the term, I wasn’t very inclined to agree with my friend, but after poking around the site for a bit ... well, here I am.

For anyone who’d like caramels and/or truffles from me, now’s the time to step up! I’ll be offering some new flavors, as well as a few favorites, and would be delighted to create a gift of sweets for you to give on that manufactured celebration of love day [not that I’m jaded or anything].

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about bartering; and it occurred to me the other day that I have been remiss in discussing it in a proper context. That’s what I’m going to attempt to do today.

I hadn’t intended to offer truffles this early, simply because of how busy this time of year is; I didn’t want to get in over my head. But someone I don’t want to disappoint inquired after four flavors, so I figured I’d toss the idea out here in case others are interested.

For those of you who follow this place via RSS—and therefore wouldn’t’ve noticed when I updated the sidebar—I am offering caramels for sale. Several varieties are available, and others, as well as other treats if one is interested, can be had. If you’re interested in giving caramel gifts for Christmas, the deadline for placing those orders is Sunday, December 14 (primarily so they’ll have plenty of shipping time).

We can start the annual truffle flavor selection conversation at any time, too. :-)

The headline—spotted at Strike the Root—says it all, but in true rambling-reptile fashion, I’ll say more. Boom times for barter, says the LA Times headline. Amid the stories the article is built around, some important insights can be found.

I think I have all the packing supplies I need on the way to me for carameling and truffling, at long last. Now to find the time to figure out prices and such in order to officially start offering them again. Meantime, I need to make some caramels of varying flavors, and I don’t like the thought of the remainder of the candies going to waste. Is anyone around here interested in getting a sampler box of my caramels, as sort of a warmup to official caramel season?

Coffee and chocolate are the key to long life, sez someone besides me. No, seriously—a British scientist is quoted in this report advancing the claim that 20 polyphenol-rich foods are essential to fulfill one’s maximum individual lifespan. Luckily for y’all, I just happen to use several of the delectables on his list in my truffle offerings!

Costa Rica:
Arenal Kayaks – kayaking tours and more; trusted individual with whom I have done business and been highly satisfied

USSA:
Cat’s Curiosities – Cat Farmer, Las Vegas; online bookstore and physical shop in NV; trusted individual whom I have met in person; have not done business with yet
Jill of Many Trades – Mama Liberty [email to myeft_coach at yahoo.com], Wyoming; offers EFT and other energy therapy coaching, either in person or via email and/or telephone; teaches several levels of handgun classes & is NRA certified instructor; retired nurse and knowledgeable herbalist; trusted individual whom I have met in person many times, and have done business with and been highly satisfied
Mailable Art – “A. Subset”, mobile; individual I have met in person, briefly; have not yet done business with
The Marksman’s Box – Gene McCarron, Wyoming; individual I have met in person, briefly; also vouched for by Mama Liberty; have not done business with yet
Restored Spirit Arts – jewelry, including custom made jewelry; trusted individual with whom I have done business and been very satisfied
Richardson and Bluhm – Warren Bluhm and B. W. Richardson; I have met both, and satisfactorily done business with both; highly trusted individuals
Navigating In the New World – book by Australian Shaun Saunders; individual whom I have known well for years but not yet met in person; highly trusted
J. Smith books – Jon [email to j-wyant at austin.rr.com], Fredericksburg, Texas; he’s also near completion of massage therapy training and will accept clients for cash, gold, silver, or barter, fees dependent upon session length and distance to come to you; trusted individual with whom I have successfully bartered
Sunni’s Caramels – me, WA (north of Seattle, south of Bellingham); homemade caramels, truffles, and other treats; special orders welcome; can make gluten-free chocolate cakes, cheesecakes, and regular cakes, pies, etc. for local pickup or delivery
Sunni’s Salon – Tom Ender and me; Amazon and other bookseller’s affiliate sales; Salon Payola guarantees a review; I will review books, music, movies for other sites for a fee [barter welcome]; I am also available as a ghostwriter or copy editor
Vera Verba – Sean Hastings and Paul Rosenberg; book publisher and seller (print and online, although the entire catalog is not currently available online); t-shirts also available; I have met Paul in person multiple times and have a great deal of trust in him; have not yet done business with VV

If you want to be included on this list, please send me an email [either my first name at this domain or sunni.snake at Gmail; sending to both is a good hedge against the email demons that have been intermittently bothering me] with “Agora” somewhere in the subject line. Please include a link to your web site, if you have one, or an eddress; your business(es), general location, especially if important to your work; payment form(s) accepted; and if I do not know you, two pro-freedom references I can contact to vouch for you.

Yesterday—along with probably everyone else who’s been paying any attention to the financial industry lately—I ranted a bit about the outrageous plan Strong-Dollar Paulson and Helicopter Bernanke are trying to push through Congress. I also took a bit of a mordant humor break and browsed LOLFed ... but the situation is serious, and requires thoughtful consideration and careful planning.

I’ve been so busy making truffles and trying to catch up on other work that I completely forgot to post the obligatory pictures! Here’s the pre-truffle photo, with several of the truffle ingredients shown. Looks like the fun’s about to commence, no?

Each of those big blocks is ten pounds of chocolate. The smaller packs of chocolate, still in their wrappers, are the milk chocolate. Yes, this is the luscious dark milk chocolate I’ve been raving about for a couple of years now—it’s Omanhene chocolate and they do make candy-bar type chocolate and other products. One may browse and buy their goodies online.

Now, what does all this stuff look like when I’m done with it? Peek behind the curtain to see how I decorated each flavor ...

If you’ve been missing my caramels and honey-roasted almonds, wait no longer! Clicking on the pretty green snake will transport you to my current offerings ... I will add more items once I am more caught up on other work. Special orders are always welcome, however; please email me to discuss your needs and ideas.

Thanks very much for your interest in my homemade, HFCS-free, old-fashioned candies and other treats!

I’m not sure that that’s the most accurate way to describe Prosper—although the home page’s title says “people to people lending” so I guess I’m not too far off. What an intriguing idea ...

Judge tosses suit challenging wine ban, reads the BusinessWeek headline. Thinking that it was an Institute for Justice case, I clicked through. No indication whether that’s true, but the article was informative in other ways.