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Friday 2004-12-31 - Groningen, the Netherlands
Bidding on Ebay
New Year’s eve, I’m staying with my parents in Groningen to celebrate the change into a new year with them. At 23:00 my cell phone rings (too early for new year’s wishes — who could that be?). When I answer I get someone on the line from Ebay in the UK (OK, it’s only 22:00 there): they have someone placing a lot of bids using an email address @iamback.com. So they’re checking (after obviously having gotten my phone number from the domain registration database) whether it’s a valid email address or I have authorized it.
Well, neither, I explain. It’s certainly not me, and I control the domain and the email server, so no one even could be using an email address @iamback.com and actually get email. Try sending an email, I suggest. That satisfies the caller — who then apologizes for calling so late on New Year’s eve, and wishes me a pleasant evening.
Weird…
Thursday 2006-08-31 - Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Beijing hikes confirmed!
Today I got an apologetic email back from Huìjié of the Beijing Hikers: it turns out that my first mail was received, and understood, and answered. Except this reply somehow did not reach my mail box.
Well, no need for an apology — it’s not her fault the mail didn’t reach me! But I don’t have a clue why it didn’t arrive: I was using my Yahoo email on purpose so there was no chance of a mail being discarded because of a black list. And I did check the ‘bulk’ folder that Yahoo mail uses to store mails it thinks are spam.
But a seat has been reserved for me for the hike on Saturday and Sunday, the 16th and 17th of September: I’m all set. I’m excited — I’m really looking forward to these hikes; it should be a great way to start off my stay in Beijing!
