The Chronic Consumer

I bought my Nintendo DS Lite back in June 2007. The thing worked great for the first two years I owned it, but then it started acting up a couple months ago. The graphics suddenly became scrambled and pixelated whenever I would play certain games like Mario Kart, making it impossible to see what was going on on the screen. I debated whether to have the game repaired or just buy a new one. I decided to go the repair route for once in my life.

I checked through my papers and found that I actually had an extended warranty, which I didn’t remember buying. So any repairs would be complete free anyway. I contacted Nintendo via their website, filled out a form, and received a special shipping box in the mail. I then loaded up my DS (as well as the Mario Kart cartridge) and sent it off to the the warranty fulfillment center. About two weeks later, I received the unit and cartridge back, all fixed up and in working order.

The problem turned out to be a broken chip somewhere in the DS. The chip was replaced and everything else was checked out. I’m happy to say that the game works just find right now — and my son certainly is happy to have it back and fully functioning! Nintendo really made the whole process very easy, so kudos to them as well.

My face is in a pretty sorry state right now, so I’ve made a dermatologist appointment for tomorrow afternoon. My insurance doesn’t cover this type of thing, calling it a cosmetic/optional procedure instead. So that means I’ll be out $129 just for the visit, plus I’ll have to pay for whatever kind of acne treatment the doc prescribes. But at this point, I don’t care. I’ve reviewed tons of acne products on this site, and though some of them work for a while and provide temporary relief, none of them can keep me clear for an extended period. I’m hoping I get a prescription for anitbiotics or something because I have a feeling that might be the only thing that will do anything for me now.

I recently ordered a book from an online store, but never received it — even after the package tracking information indicated that it had been delivered right to my door. The store was very gracious about sending out another package right away after I informed them about the situation, so I thought the matter was resolved.

Fast forward three weeks. Guess what showed up at my doorstep this morning? If you said the original book that I ordered a month ago, you’d be right. What the hell happened to it? Did the warehouse guys throw it into a truck for cross country movers instead of the one for local deliveries or something. But even that wouldn’t explain why the freakin’ tracking information said it was delivered on time. What was the driver thinking and why did he lie about the delivery?? And where had the original package been during its month-long journey to my house?

Now I have to go through a whole rigmarole about returning the second copy of this book. Sigh. I remember when online shopping used to be a relatively smooth, convenient experience. Things have been going downhill for me recently, though. What’s the deal here???

Abercrombie & Fitch is one of the most popular clothing brands among high school and college students in the United States. Just walk into any classroom on a college campus, and you’ll see what I mean. Heck, even I used to wear A&F stuff 15 years ago when I was in school.

But now, I can’t even walk into an A&F store without feeling hopelessly out of place. From the decor to the music to the teen shoppers, it’s clear that at 35, I’m way too old for Abercrombie. I’m not exactly geriatric, but still… I think the store is definitely aimed at people who don’t have to worry about jobs, mortgages, or applying for disability insurance.

This is actually kind of an awakening for me. The two other main clothing stores I used to shop at as a high school or college student were The Gap and J.Crew — both of which I’m still perfectly comfortable shopping at today. These stores have more classic styles that adults my age can still pull off, which certainly can’t be said about A&F.

Personally, I don’t think anyone over 28 should bother wearing Abercrombie anymore. Do you agree with this?

I’ve been playing with Jerry’s new iPhone practically nonstop these past couple of days. Well, when he’s not on it, that is! There is just so much that this thing can do… it’s a bit overwhelming trying to take it all in.

Anyway, I’ve downloaded a couple of apps already, including one for WordPress. I’m using that right now to type this post, and it’s great! I’m sure I’ll be sending in a lot more mobile posts now that there’s an iPhone in the family!

I begin grad school on August 24th, and my son begins second grade that same day. Since we’re both likely to be very busy once the school year starts, I’m thinking about putting together a family vacation before then. I’m currently looking at various travel deals to some closer destinations, and if I can find something reasonable, we’ll go somewhere in August, right before school starts.

So what are some close destinations? Actually, I wouldn’t mind driving the six hours to Columbia, MO to check out the MU school campus. We could stop by St. Louis on the way and visit the Arch, Laclede’s Landing, and whatever else is in that city. We could also hit Springfield and take in some sights in the Capitol, Lincoln’s home, and a few other things.

This kind of trip would be fun, and our biggest expenses would be for hotels and gas. That’s not too bad, IMO. I’m going to run this by the rest of the family to hear what they have to say!

I’m sick of how my home office looks. I’ve been sitting in the same place for 4 full years now, and haven’t changed anything in all that time except my desk chair. I want a different look in this room, but can’t afford to buy all new office furniture just because I’m tired of the old stuff.

So what can I do? Well, rearrange the entire room, of course! I’ve spent the morning moving my desk and filing cabinets from one wall to the other. I’ve taken down all my picture frames and will recycle the photos that are in them (digital frames would come in handy right now), and I’m going to go out later to get a plant or something.

This is perhaps not as drastic a change as I would like, but the room definitely looks different and it was the best I can do with no money to spend!

Ok, why does this keep happening to me?? I swear, I’m going to have to start walking around with latex gloves on all the time or something like that!

I was at the store today buying a few things when the cashier, who clearly had a cold, kept coughing into her hand. While I appreciated the fact that she wasn’t letting her germs fly in my direction, this appreciation was greatly diminished by the fact that she used that same hand to dip into the cash drawer for my change.

This is not the first time — or even the second, for that matter — this has happened to me. I find it totally disgusting and can’t understand why people do this.

Yes, coughing or sneezing into your hand is better than directly unleashing your nasty germs on the people near you. But then when you go and touch stuff with your freshly coughed-into hand, where do you think those germs are now going?

Seriously, I can see myself becoming a total recluse like Howard Hughes someday. People are so damn disgusting sometimes… I hate having to deal with them!