I have Pay Pal!

A few weeks back Téodor introduced me to the eBay auction website, and ever since I have had a marvellous time browsing its simply inexhaustible depths. I've found everything from the rare No. 1.125 Mendium nibs that I use on my old Barclayhaugh stylus, to mint Deutsche Grammophon vinyl of Svjatoslav Richter's ‘Klavierkonzert en A-moll.’ Where once the needle sat unappreciated in a haystack, today that haystack is a buzzing hive of commercial activity, to rival any mediterranean open-air market.

At great length Téodor was able to convince me to register for a Pay Pal account, which is a way of using one's checking account on the Internet. It is the same as writing a physical check, only the actual checkbook is not involved, so one must maintain one's ledger with an added degree of care, and phone one's bank often, to check against any fraudulent activity.

Téodor was even so sporting as to guide me through my first bid: a loupe of the magnification required to examine precious gemstones. It was a bit of a frivolous exercise, as I've only got one stone in particular which needs examining at the moment, but I suppose the allure of the computer marketplace had an overwhelming effect on me, and I "placed my bid."

At the moment a dubious character of the moniker "TedsGems41171" seems to always immediately outbid me, but perhaps soon he will tire of this constant watchfulness and I will be able to place a bid which palliates his appetite for this item.