Am I Stupid?

-So, about three weeks ago my projector in the home theater starts acting up. After a little diagnosis, I figure out that the bulb is about to shoot craps. Rather than pay full price by buying a new lamp from the manufacturer, I decide to see what I can do on e-bay. I look around a little and find that someone is selling a new bulb for my projector. I see the opening bid and decide it's worth a shot. So, I put in a bid. Lo and behold I win the auction and am a happy camper.

That is until the last few days. Shortly after making my payment (now two weeks ago)..the guy says in an e-mail that he's putting the bulb in the mail...should have it in a couple of days. Nope. A few days later he e-mails again..."Got it yet?" he says. Nope. Now...after a couple of weeks of waiting for my bulb to be delivered and not seeing it. I lose my patience. I e-mail the guy telling him to call me and explain what the hell is going on. No response.

His profile on e-bay gives his name and where he lives...(supposedly) Gus Somebody on Long Island, New York. Only one previous customer who has dealt with him had anything negative to say about the guy so I thought it was a relatively safe deal. I'll admit that I'm no veteran of internet commerce. What are my options? Is there anybody out there able to provide a little advice on how to proceed to either get my money back...or make this guy sorry for stealing? Any recourse through e-bay? Please post a comment if you can help.

Other stuff...

-Rick Ankiel's comeback story is too impossible to be a Hollywood movie script. If you wrote a story like his...nobody would believe it. Two more homers and seven RBI in today's game with the Pirates. Everybody knew he was a good athlete...but who could have imagined this kind of stuff? Certainly not me. But, if he continues to play like he is...I'm picking the Cardinals to win the Central.
******UPDATE--9/7******** I get up this morning to find that the NY Daily News is reporting that Ankiel received a shipment of HGH in '04 from that on-line pharmacy operation in Florida that's been under investigation. Baseball began regulating HGH in '05...so he's probably not in much legal jeopardy....but that probably shoots this feel-good story right in the hindquarters. Now, no matter what Ankiel does, baseball fans will now see him in a much different light....guilty or not. What a bummer!!

-Don't look now...but the Blues first pre-season game is right around the corner. Sunday 9/16 5pm vs. Atlanta. Expect good, if not great, things from Andy's boys this year. And I've heard about a few new-and-different things coming in the game night experience. I'll share as soon as I get the go-ahead. Should be fun.

-Well....what to say about the Grizzlies. Here's a team that tore up the Frontier League opposition all season....made amazing comebacks in many games...and set all sorts of franchise records when it comes to offensive output. But, they now find themselves down 2-0 in games to the Washington (PA) WildThings in their first-round, best-of-five playoff series. And both losses were at home. They only thing you can say now is they are primed for another amazing comeback. Don't put it past these guys. They need to get a little better pitching out of their starters in games 3 and 4. And, if they do, they'll come back home to win game 5 on Sunday.

-It's sad. But it appears his daredevil lifestyle has finally caught up with millionaire adenturer Steve Fossett. The guy has defied the odds for years. When you're flying a small plane around in the windswept mountains of western Nevada and eastern California...you better not lose your concentration. I'm afraid he did. No signals from his two potential distress beacons is another bad sign. Our son Ian encountered Fossett a few times at the spa in Beaver Creek, Colorado (Fossett's current home town) when he worked out there. Said he seemed like a great guy...didn't have his nose in the air like some others with money.