The Mall Jungle
My ancestors from the distant past had it easy. All they had to deal with was killing a five ton woolly mammoth with a spear, and not getting eaten by saber tooth tigers. Today I had to survive the jungle that is retail shopping. 🙂
My PC monitor died over the weekend. I have been doing most of my shopping over the Internet recently, but did not want to wait the three or four days it would have taken to deliver my new monitor. Four days is too long for me to go without my blog buddies. 🙂
I thought it would be just a 15 minute trip to the local Target, I had gone online and knew they had what I wanted. Unfortunately it was all sold out. No problem, I knew a Circuit City that wasn’t too far away. Of course I had not realized they had closed up shop. I remembered a COMP USA store a few towns away, that I had bought from in the past. When I got there it was a Halloween Specialty store. I was beginning to suspect it would be Halloween before I got my monitor. 🙂
I finally had to drive to a Mall about 30 miles away. It should not have been too long a trip, except I forgot about the workday traffic. Finally making it to the Mall I saw the first store right in front of the parking lot was a Sear. I thought I’ll just park, hop into the store, and be one my way in no time. Sear does not sell computer equipment anymore. I walk from Sears past everything but a Computer store. The last store I got to was a Target. Kinda felt like deja vous all over again. 🙂 This Target did not have the model I wanted, but did sell a cheaper one that had similar features.
So I bagged me a PC monitor. It only took 6 hours and about 10 miles of walking. The young Ed would have been stressed out of his mind. The retired Ed had a nice ride, got in some mall walking, and saved $50.
What is the last item you bought purely for your own enjoyment?
If you were given a $1,000 gift certificate, but had to spend it only on yourself, what would you buy?
The World Through My Eyes 
16 comments
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September 21, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Indian Lake Papa
“… item for enjoyment?” Mama and I JUST got home from going to a travelogue that included dinner as well – very nice!
If I had a 1,000 bucks? Stereo system for my truck and a new electric fry pan for mama – she needs one for our Florida winter home.
September 22, 2009 at 2:52 pm
edfromct
Did the travelogue take to any place you haven’t been?
I can see you and Mama tooling down the highway in your truck, with the music blasting away, worship music of course. 🙂
September 22, 2009 at 1:20 am
lovewillbringustogether
You Bagged a pc monitor! The Hunter returns (almost) unscathed – this time! 😉
Last item i bought purely for my own enjoyment – easy!
Food – it’s almost always food (or Soda) 🙂
Last would have been a Sweet and Sour Pork with spicy noodles.
If you mean something more ‘major’? well – it’s been a while – a netcam maybe (unused as yet).
As for a $1000??? Hmmmm….. can’t think of anything i actually NEED so i’d think of something i could use to make a regular income so i could do more for others and get more for me 🙂 What’s worth a thousand bucks that a lot of people need once in a while but would not buy for themselves?
<B
September 22, 2009 at 3:14 pm
edfromct
I think like you when I have some extra money I will treat myself to eating out at a restaurant. Once on month, when I visit my cousin, we eat out at either a seafood restaurant, Red Lobster, or an Italian one, usually the Olive Garden.
I agree that nothing makes us feel better than helping someone. I think we can all agree on that.
I also can’t think of anything I need, but I can think of a lot of things I would like to have, if I could afford them.
I would upgrade my TV to the best big screen LCD I could get for $1,000.
Isn’t there some gardening equipment, or an upgade on your camera, that you could put to good use?
September 24, 2009 at 12:01 am
lovewillbringustogether
we agree 🙂
i sure could buy a new reel-type lawn mower instead of the twenty year old clunker that needs the chain tightening that i use, or i could buy a new 32Gb memory card video camera to compliment my Fujifilm digital i like to take my flower photos with…
but i don’t need to and would not get anywhere near the satisfaction from them i could with something i could help others with 🙂
<B
September 24, 2009 at 4:27 pm
edfromct
With your new lawn mower you could do your neigbors lawn as well, helping both them and yourself. 🙂
September 22, 2009 at 10:09 am
gchyayles
What a fun post!
The last thing I bought for myself was some maternity clothes LOL. I did buy a new laptop this past May for my birthday. My old one had died and sharing your sentiments about not being able to stay offline for too long I found a good deal at Best Buy and went for it.
$1,000 huh? It’s hard to say what I’d get for myself because of the baby coming and always thinking of what I want to get him lol and I am just the kind of who finds it hard to spend money on herself before others BUT if I had that choice it would be a Blackberry. Not that Blackberry’s cost $1,000 so after I’ve bought it, can I spend it on someone else?! 🙂
September 22, 2009 at 3:25 pm
edfromct
Gchyayles, if the last thing you bought was some maternity clothes than I know where any extra money you get will go, baby stuff. 🙂
So far you and Love want to spend your $1,000 on someone else. I guess that goes with being a humble Christian. 🙂 I do agree that buying a gift for someone else is also a gift for ourselves, because it makes up feel good.
Once you start a family it usually means a lot of running around. A blackberry is something that would be very useful.
September 22, 2009 at 12:25 pm
ric booth
Congrats on you new monitor, baby. You should have called me, I could have told you that Circuit City & CompUSA are out… as is Sears computer stuff.
(I don’t know if you’ve heard but Montgomery Wards is no longer around either.)
The last item I bought purely for my own enjoyment… beer I guess. … in the non-consumable category I bought a DVI to HDMI converter so that I can pump my computer to my LCD TV in HD.
If I had a $1000 …. I would buy… something electronic, I’m sure.
September 22, 2009 at 3:30 pm
edfromct
Ric, I remember that really cool water cooled computer you built, http://ricbooth.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/i-watered-my-computer/ , so I know how much you love to play with electronic stuff. I am not sure how well beer and building electronic stuff go together. 🙂
September 22, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Debs
Wow Ed, I’m sure I speak for the rest of us when I say we’re glad you went through what you did for us! 🙂 I can’t go more than four days either, my fingers start twitching, I can’t focus thinking about ya’ll, and the nightmares begin.. just not worth it I tell ya.
My last indulgence for myself was my laptop….
$1,000? i would see what my kids needed. I just wouldn’t spend it on me. I don’t have any needs or greeds, and helping the kids in their young married lives is what would bring me the most joy. 🙂
September 22, 2009 at 11:34 pm
edfromct
Blogging does seem to be addictive, but in a good way, no caffine or hangover. 🙂
Another humble Christian with no material needs. How about a “London Evan Tyler for A Society of Stationers” Bible from 1655 – http://www.poormansbooks.com/si/24824.html , for only $1,195.
I see you bought your son, back from Iraq, a new truck. I will guess that set you back more than $1,000. 🙂
September 23, 2009 at 11:00 am
Debs
Ummmm ok ya caught me. I would in fact LOVE to have that Bible…wow!
The truck was definitely a family/joint effort… I think if you ask any mom here, there wouldn’t be much we wouldn’t do for our kids…. 😉
September 23, 2009 at 5:15 pm
edfromct
Just make sure your son remembers his dear old Mom when she needs him to pick up something for her with that truck. 🙂
September 24, 2009 at 1:41 am
Rain
Haha Ed! I really liked this story:) Glad you got the monitor in the end!
The last thing I bought for enjoyment was a book, it’s always books I guess. But if I had $1000 (that’s quite a bit of Rand) I would go on a trip. Maybe to Mozambique. 🙂
September 24, 2009 at 5:14 pm
edfromct
That $1,000 could go further because you could probably drive to Mozambique from SA. Mozambique does have some beautiful beaches and if you want be more adventurous you could rough it in the northern region, described as one of Africa’s last wild frontiers.