The Chronic Consumer

Okay, this is not at all shopping related, but I never said I would be able to stay on topic in every single post!

Anyway, I have an “online friend” in Oklahoma that I’ve been corresponding with for just over two years now. We’ve never met in real life, but I do consider him to be a real friend. We used to email each other numerous times per day, revealed personal details about our lives, and seemed to be pretty close.

But something has happened in the past couple of weeks to change that. There has been less and less contact, and now my emails are going unanswered. At first there were health issues. He had to go to the hospital for a few days, so of course he couldn’t communicate then. But he was back home the last time I heard from him, and doing much better. He said he was just “busy” and didn’t have time to write.

Well, what could he be busy with? He doesn’t have a job, isn’t traveling for the holidays, and doesn’t have any family in the area. He’s usually online all day like I am. I feel like I should hire an Oklahoma City lawyer to go check up on him. Seriously, he could be dead or something and I would never even know.

Yeah, I know it’s a stretch to go from “he isn’t writing to me” to “he’s dead”. I’m just using that as an example. Still, I miss him and want to know what the heck is going on!

So the dilemma: Do I keep emailing him until I get an answer? Or do I back off, fret about what might have happened, and simply wait for him to contact me again?

I think we need to rent a storage locker or something. We have so much stuff that our house is starting to feel cluttered, which is something I can’t stand. We have zero space left in our garage or basement, and installing one of those pre-fab sheds in the backyard is probably not an option at this point. We’re actually looking at outdoor fireplaces right now, so if we go ahead and get one, we’re not going to have any room left for a shed.

The only other option is to rent a storage locker. There are a couple places within a mile or so of the house, so I know the facilities are available. The only question now is about the prices and contract length. We don’t want to pay an arm and a leg just to store stuff that we hardly ever use, nor do we want to get locked into a long-term contract.

Or here’s another idea. Why don’t we just throw away or donate the stuff we never use and quit buying so much junk??? Now doesn’t that sound far more reasonable?!

The last day of my vacation is finally here. I know most people wouldn’t look forward to the end of a holiday, but I just need to get back home and get into my regular routine again. I miss my daily schedule of exercise, work, studying, and watching my TV shows. I haven’t done any of those things while on vacation, and while some would probably appreicate the break, it just makes me anxious.

Maybe what I really need is to start traveling in a way that allows me to bring most of my life with me. I’ve seen a lot of sell motorhome ads recently, and got to thinking that if I had something like that, traveling wouldn’t be such an ordeal. I’d have my very own place to retreat to at night, would be able to have a mini version of my office installed, and would be far more productive than I am when I have to rely on other people’s computers and internet connections. It’s definitely something to think about, though I’d have to curtail my other shopping and spending by quite a bit in order to afford that kind of purchase!

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!