The Chronic Consumer

I’m not much of a beer drinker, and when I do indulge, I rarely try anything new. It’s not that I have a particular brand that I’m loyal to or anything like that; it’s just that I can’t really distinguish between different brews. “Real” beer drinkers may be shocked to hear this, but I probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Heineken and Old Milwaukee in a blind taste test. I’m not even exaggerating here!

Anyway, a few weeks ago I went to a barbecue at a friend’s house and had a chance to try Bud Light Lime. Of course, I’d been seeing commercials for this new beer all summer long, but like I said, I never go out of my way just to try a new beer.

At first, the lime flavor in Bud Light Lime seemed a bit overpowering. It was very noticeable, and tasted like more than just a “hint” or a “splash”. But the more I drank it, the less obvious the lime flavor became, until the beer was actually palatable and went very well with the burgers and brats I ate,

Overall, I’d say Bud Light Lime is a decent beer for cookouts or whenever you want to shake things up a bit. I can’t ever imagine myself drinking this stuff every time I want a beer, but its not bad every once in a while.

Jerry and I recently started getting into “airsoft guns“, which are essentially BB guns that shoot only plastic BBs. This happened when a friend gave Jerry an old Glock airsoft gun that he didn’t use anymore. Jerry ended up loving that thing, and bought a new Glock airsoft within a few months.

I thought the Glock was pretty fun, so now I want my own gun. The thing is, I want an M.E.U. Pistol from Tokyo Marui, but I can’t find it anywhere! There are a few websites that list the M.E.U. among their inventory, but further inquiries revealed that everything was backordered. Man, finding a new M.E.U. pistol is proving to be as tough as finding cerebral palsy lawyers. What’s up with that? I should have had this gun in my hands a long time ago!

Anyway, I haven’t given up just yet. I’ve got a couple of leads on stores that don’t have websites but that probably have the gun in stock. If they take phone orders, I’ll be good to go. I’m keeping my fingers crossed here!

No, I’m not talking about the TV show here! I’m excited that our Homeowners Association has finally approved our request to put up a fence in our backyard. We submitted the application back in June, but just received the approval today. I wonder what those people were doing all this time? We kind of wanted to have the fence in over the summer so my son and dogs could play out there without me having to worry about any of them wandering off the property.

At any rate, now that we have the approval, we can go ahead and look into actual fences and fence installation services. While I would love to have the “white picket fence” that used to typify suburban life, I don’t think Jerry is going to go for that. He want cedar or some type of wood where the slats meet to provide more privacy.

Basically, I’m willing to settle for anything at this point. I’m just excited that we’re finally getting a fence!

So my husband is thinking about buying a new cell phone soon, and is currently shopping around for a handset that he likes. He’s found a couple that look good and have the features he wants, but isn’t too happy about the service provider that is offering the phones. My question is, how easy is it to purchase one of those unlocked cell phones that we see advertised everywhere and then sign up with the provider of our choice?

We’ve never gone this route with our cell phones before, so we don’t have any idea what to look for in terms of potential problems or complications with this process. Have any of you ever done this? If so, were you satisfied with the results? Or would you recommend getting a phone the traditional way?

The last thing we want to do is spend several hundred dollars on a phone and then not be able to get a good deal on service!

Back when I was in high school and college, I was a slave to name brands. I had to have the same jeans that everyone else had, the same Abercrombie sweatshirts and t-shirts, the same backpacks, etc. But after I grew up and realized how much money I was simply wasting by paying for a certain label or logo, I started shopping with a different attitude. Now I’m as likely to wear outfits from Wal-Mart or Target as J. Crew, and I don’t really care what anyone says.

Today, I was checking out a discount luxury goods site just for kicks when I saw some prices that I couldn’t believe. For instance, that Prada cell phone strap pictured above costs a whopping $136! There’s only one tiny little strip of leather on the thing, and the gold is just plate, so the only thing you’d really be paying for here is the name. Is it worth spending $136 just so you can attach a Prada logo to your cell phone?

I’m still shaking my head over this one. No doubt there are plenty of people out there who have no qualms about doing such things, but I’m not among that crowd anymore. Thank goodness!

I’ve got a whole slew of birthdays to buy for in September, including my grandfather’s. He’s getting on in years, and will be 88 (or maybe 89?) when his next b-day rolls around. He’s not doing very well health-wise, so I kind of want to get him something special — just in case this is the last birthday we get to celebrate together. I hope that doesn’t make me sound morbid; I’m simply trying to be a realist.

Anyway, at first I considered buying him a portable oxygen concentrator to help with his sleep disorders and general respiratory problems, but then I thought he probably wouldn’t like being reminded of his medical difficulties on his birthday. So now I’m trying to come up with something fun yet practical. Maybe a bigger flat-screen TV for his room since his failing eyesight makes it hard to watch his favorite shows now.

The good news is I still have three weeks to find the perfect present for Gramps. The bad news is I still don’t have any idea where to start!

I haven’t been watching too much of the Olympics, but one thing I have noticed is all the different uniforms each country’s team has. They each wear such vastly different outfits from sport to sport that I can barely tell who’s competing for whom.

The baseball and softball uniforms are pretty straightforward, I guess, but if you can look at the synchronized swimming or equestrian clothing and tell me which countries the athletes represent, then you’re far more attuned to everything going on in Beijing than I am!

Anyway, I don’t know how many of these Olympic items are actually for sale. I know there are quite a few online retailers where you can purchase official gear and whatnot, so you might want to check into that if you’re so inclined.

One of my friends is thinking about changing careers and going to law school. She has actually always dreamed of being a lawyer, but decided to pursue different studies in college. Now she regrets the path she took and wants to give law school a shot.

I’m a firm believer in the precept that it’s never too late to change your life for the better, so to push my friend along on this new trail, I’ve decided to buy her an LSAT prep book. My hope is that she’ll start preparing for the LSAT and at least sit for the test before making up her mind one way or the other.

I started looking around and read some reviews saying that the LSAT Logic Games Bible from PowerScore is one of the best prep books around. It specifically deals with the “logic games” section of the LSAT, which apparently trips many people up. The book gives strategies for how to approach each puzzle, and how to identify puzzles that you might be better off skipping.

Admittedly, I don’t know a whole heck of a lot about law schools or the LSAT, but lots of folks who have actually taken the test said this Logic Games Bible helped them out a ton. So if you’re an aspiring truck accident lawyer, patent attorney, or litigator, you might want to give this a look a couple months before you take the LSAT!

My husband is a big video game fan and has several systems at the house, including Xbox 360, PS2, and Nintendo Wii. What he’s really interested in getting next is a PS3, but I’m worried about a couple of things.

First of all, I know that the PS3 costs quite a bit more than the other game systems I mentioned. But is it worth the price? What kinds of extra features does it come with to warrant spending that much money?

Second, I’ve heard some conflicting reports about the game titles available for PS3. Some people think there’s just not enough variety there, while others think the choices are terrific. I wouldn’t want to spend $400+ on a system only to find out that we don’t even like any of the games…!

Anyway, if you have a PS3, I’d love to hear about your experiences with it. Drop me a line and let me know how you like it!

I just read that a 35-year-old Arkansas man named John Rogers paid $1.62 million for a 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card in mint condition. Of course, the Honus Wagner card is the Holy Grail of baseball card collecting, but still… to pay that much for what is essentially a small piece of cardboard with a picture on it is just unreal. I mean, Rogers would have been better off investing that $1.62 million in term insurance or something! Then again, I suppose if he can “spare” that much money on a freakin’ baseball card, he’s got plenty left over.

At any rate, I know people like Rogers consider rare baseball cards to be an investment. After all, the same card sold back in 1991 for a “mere” $451,000, so it has definitely appreciated in value over the years. Let’s see how much Rogers can get if he sells it down the road!