sunflowery's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coming To You Live From Carribou! You will never guess where I am writing this entry from (nice way to end with a preposition, huh?) I am sitting in my favorite local coffee shop, sipping on a Chai with skim and am using their wireless internet connection on MY NEW LAPTOP! This is the coolest thing ever! Here's the story. Bob and I left the apartment around 6 to go and see what the local big box stores had for laptops. We stopped at the store closest to our home, CompUSA. They had a good selection and they had some good prices. But their 2 year service plan was $200. Bob was ready to plunk down the money on the first computer we saw. Which was, I think a Compaq. But I said there were at least 2 more stores I wanted to check out. If we didn't see anything at either store, we would come back for the Compaq. Bob does not know about shopping. Silly boy. We then made our way to Best Buy. We had money to spend, but you would never know it from the way the staff at Best Buy treated us. We waited and waited and waited for someone to come and help us. At one point, a guy who did not work in the computer section called someone on his walkie talkie to come and help us but as that guy came over, another couple intercepted him! There were 2 computers I was interested in. One had the wireless LAN and one didn't, but it could be added for only $70, still saving us $100 over the cost of the second computer with the LAN. When a sales guy FINALLY showed up, we asked him about the one without the LAN. He had the computer in stock, but could not find the Wireless network thingie. So after he ran around the store like a chicken with its head cut off, we finally told him, we think we had settled on the Toshiba with the Wireless LAN and the $200 mail in rebate. Great! He went into the back to get it only to say they didn't have any more in stock and they wouldn't be getting more because they are expecting new inventory and the new ones will be upgrades. Great. So, can we buy the floor model since you're out and no more are coming in and you can't sell it anyway? Nope. Can't do that. BUT you can buy this other one over here that has everything you need EXCEPT the $200 cash back rebate. Ummmm. No thanks. We booked it out of there. I was SO frustrated. It was RIGHT THERE. The computer I wanted. The computer I needed. It had everything and would have only cost us $800 after the rebate, including the 2 year warranty. (Which at Best Buy is only $99.) Wah! So off to the last store. Circuit City. (I guess you ARE just what I needed!) We went right the laptops. At first I was disheartened because their selection was very high end and not as varied as the first 2 stores. But we saw a beautiful HP Pavilion zv5000. It has 512 mb of memory, 60 GB hard drive, wireless LAN, CD-DVD RW! and is so so so pretty. It was $949 BUT with $250 in rebates, we got it for $700! But then we had to buy a warranty. Their 2 year plan was $150. Half way between Worst Buy's and CompUSA's. But because the kid who was working with us was so accomodating and scoffed with us about Worst Buy, we decided to go for it and buy it. So now, I have in my hot little hands a beautiful, beautiful machine. I feel so decadent and spoiled. Bob and I do without so much that to have something this nice, this hoity, this up to date feels weird. I feel like I stole it or like I don't really need it and am just posing. But that will change once school starts (In a little over a month!) and I have to use it every darn day, huh? Bob's afraid to touch it. He thinks he will break it and ruin it. Hee. Oh! In other news, Bob called the IRS, explained about our tax return and the woman on the other end looked it up, saw that his income was not included on our return and said we need to file an ammended return and we should get another grand back! Maybe not that much, but certainly another $800. Once we file the ammended return, it will take 6-8 weeks to get the other money back, but still. We can always use it. So, with the rebates and the other tax money, we should be able to save a nice little nest egg...or at least a beginning of a nest egg. We are getting the van on Monday night. I think the people were reluctant, not because there is something wrong with it, but because the original proposal wasn't working with their schedule. But Bob and I are going up to their place Monday night after work, dropping off his truck and picking up the van. Then, Tuesday, Bob will drive the van to his brother in law's repair shop for the inspection. Then, Tuesday night we will drive it back to them and pick up Bob's truck. I don't even have to take the day off like I had been planning on doing. I also have an eye appointment next week. My eyes are getting so bad. I KNOW I need bi-focals. Bah! I'm only 37. But I spend all day on a computer which can't be great. I had to change the screen resolution though because I was always squinting at it. Now it looks like I'm a little old lady with the BIG PRINT on everything. Sheesh. I was so antsy and giddy at work yesterday, knowing I was going laptop shopping after work. And still on a high after my excellent review. My poor boss was frazzled though. She has to do 8 more reviews before she leaves Tuesday for a business trip. Plus she had conference call after conference call the past 2 days. And yesterday was Licensed Banker Support Appreciation Day. (Did you send a card?) We had a yummy catered lunch and we all got $50 Visa gift cards! She supervised that and then had to skeedaddle to another conference call. I think it all caught up to her as I saw her crying in her office briefly in the afternoon. I quickly wrote up a card of thanks and appreciation she later said made her cry again. I think she is feeling unappreciated. Her boss lives and works in San Francisco and doesn't see all she does every day, so I need to remember to thank her when it's warranted. Anyway, the lunch they provided was fantastic! Catered Italian with chicken parmesean, and alfredo. A big salad, bread, and a 3 bean thing that was also yummy and better than sex cake for dessert. It was a lunch of biblical proportions since we all ate all we could hold, then we all took food home. After the lunch of bloat, someone went to the store and bought gladware type containers and we all filled them up and took leftovers home. It was just like the story of the loaves and fishes except Italian bread and chicken dishes. Bob's been in a lot of pain again. Last night I rubbed his calves, shoulders, tops of his legs and his spine. He said it helps, but I don't think he slept well and was still in pain. Poor guy. If I could do anything for him, it would be to take away the pain. This weekend, we have NOTHING. No thing. We will be filling out an ammended tax return and rebate paperwork, but other than that, nothing is going on and it sounds heavenly to me. I have few homework free weekends left and I am going to make the most of them. We will be going for a walk though as the temps are going to be in the upper 40s. Oh! And I did stop at Target on my way over to the coffee shop to break in my new gift card. I got 2 shirts and a pair of jogging pants all for under $10. For the 3! I rock! Check out the clearance racks at Target. They are the best! 9:19 a.m. - Saturday, Mar. 05, 2005 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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