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March 17, 2004
Wow, it has been a long time since I've used
this as a medium to adjust my attitude. It isn't that I haven't
needed an adjustment - more like a complete overhaul - and
that is why writing in my blog hasn't been a priority. But,
oh, like playing Spider Solitaire has? Yeah, that's right.
I suck.
I have a bitch about Wizard Entertainment.
Will that do? I recently purchased two of their exclusive
action figures (Witchblade: Animated). One for me and maybe
one to sell. They can be kind of pricey, but that hasn't stopped
me in the past when I find something I can't live without.
The shipping is the biggest expense. $5 per item? Ten dollars
to ship two action figures that are smaller than Star Wars
figures? Okay, I'll do it this time.
So I pay for the figures with my AmEx card
and wait. And wait. Weeks later I get an automated email saying
that my items have been shipped FedEx and should be here in
a few days. Yep, I got it. Not them - IT. One figure. $32
for two figures plus $10 for shipping and they send me one
figure? To top that, the box is smashed. Not dented - CRUSHED.
Dare I open the box? I had to. My exclusive, guaranteed mint
WB:A figure is worthless. The bubble is so smashed that it
is ripped in numerous places.
Not one to just take her lumps and pay the
bill, I emailed customer service. After three automated responses
I get a person who informs me that yes, I did order two figures
and they are SO SORRY that the one I DID get is mush, so could
I please ship it back to them and they will reimburse me for
shipping and send me both figures, mint. That box (with poor
Sara Pezzini, animatedly flattened inside) was mailed via
USPS Priority Mail that same day.
Two weeks goes by. I haven't heard anything,
so I write to the person who gave me the return instructions.
She hasn't seen the package. Did I insure it? Huh? No! I've
been shipping via USPS Priority for three years and I have
never had a package go missing in over 1,000 shipments - until
now? Um, yeah. So, I wait somemore. Another week I figure.
It was supposed to be there in four days, but I'll wait.
I email again. Still nothing. I find this
VERY hard to believe, so I tell the person on the other end
of the email that I find it very strange that in all of the
packages I've shipped, the one that goes missing is the one
that is being returned due to their errors. I also inform
her that I will be letting my credit card company know that
I have never received the items I had paid for. In the fastest
return email yet, she says that they will promptly be sending
out two new (mint?) figures via UPS. I did receive a notice
from UPS the next day of when to watch for delivery. The squeeky
wheel? We'll see.
It just seems like service-oriented companies
really aren't anymore. It makes it hard to do the ethical
thing as a business owner when no one else appears to be.
Again I say, "We'll see."
Red
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August 8, 2003
I received an email a few days ago in which
a viewer asked me to outline the 'social values' in Witchblade.
Well, I just finished responding to her, it is 2:30 a.m. and
I rarely write this well so late in the 'day', so I thought
I would reproduce my response here:
Email:
From: Jacky
To: bentrick@charter.net
Subject: A question about Witchblade
Hello Lori, I was wondering if you could
tell me where (the place) the comic Witchblade was created?
And also, if the comic Witchblade reflects any social values
in its storylines, I don't seem to pick up on any!
Thank You!
Jacky
PS - Your site is very genious!
---
Response:
Jacky;
I apologize for taking so long to answer your inquiry. You
see, I am having a tiny difficulty in that, I am not sure
where you are coming from with the question, but I'll do the
best I can.
Witchblade began as a comic book story about
Sara Pezzini, a New York City Police Officer. Her father was
also an NYPD, murdered while on duty. So Sara begins her "career"
with an enormous chip on her shoulder - she's an avenger even
though she isn't sure who to take vengeance on (yet).
During a stake-out, Sara and her partner Danny
walk-in on a mob meeting gone bad. Danny is shot and killed,
and Sara chases Danny's shooter into a museum. During a shoot-out,
she falls through a glass display case containing the Witchblade,
a mystical gauntlet that attaches itself to Sara, protecting
her and becoming a weapon in her defense. Sara loses consciousness
soon after the incident and when she awakes, her attacker
is dead (run through with a blade) and the Witchblade has
taken the form of an antique bracelet that she cannot remove.
Sara is bright, tough and inquisitive, and
it doesn't take her long to discover the origins of the Witchblade
and why it has "chosen" her. The device warns her
of danger and guides her when she decides to avenge Danny's
murders. It leads her through many adventures, not the least
of which is the one of self-discovery. The Witchblade is also
coveted by many powerful individuals and Sara becomes an object
of their intense scrutiny and a target for their maliciousness.
To directly respond to your questions on social
values, I would say this:
After reading many of the stories from the comic books and
after watching the television series based on them, I would
say that "Witchblade" as an icon reflects many of
today's social issues. Sara represents and contends with many
things about modern day women, men and society:
- she is strong (physically and mentally),
intelligent (she is a detective, therefore an investigator),
self-reliant (after her partner's death, she refuses to
take on another partner), aggressive (she seeks out her
attackers, is never meek about her situation, acts instead
of reacts) and she is an enigma (she discovers that she
is one in a long line of Witchblade Wielders - the 'Blade
chooses the Bearer);
- she is a woman who has moved into a traditionally
male dominated role (police officer), and must constantly
deal with the sexism and prejudice of both her male counterparts
and her superiors;
- she discovers that she is and can be more
than just the product of her upbringing (police officer
father);
- being the bearer of the Witchblade affords
her an enormous amount of physical and mental power, and
she must choose how to 'wield' that power in a manner that
she can live with - a serious moral dilemma.
Though the comic story is still evolving (into
the 65th issue!), in the end Sara Pezzini must make life and
death, good vs. evil decisions each day, and each choice has
the power to change and shape not only her future, but the
lives of many others of those around her. One could surmise
that this is a summary of all of our lives, should we chose
to consider our own 'powers' and the responsibilities that
walk hand in hand with them.
I hope this was the answer that you requested,
whether or not it is the one you were looking for. Thank you
for the compliment on the website. It is a product of passion,
and those can turn out either brilliant or disastrous... but
it doesn't change that beauty is a transient thing, and therefore
remains true in the eye of the beholder.
Thank you and visit again!
Lori aka: Red
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