intimates

Plays Well With Others...

Official NaNoWriMo 2005 Winner
My Photo
Name:
Location: Dallas, Texas, United States
E-mail me at: longhorntwice -at- hotmail -dot- com... All writings and photographs on this blog are my work. Give credit where credit is due.
daily polaroid
singleton muses






more singletons



My Amazon.com Wish List
Site design by:
Bonafide Style


Dec 12, 2004

Computer Virgin
Today I headed to a store that shall remain nameless (in case the recepient of the present procured there should read this) but know that it was near a Central Market. For anyone unaware of Central Market, it is the world's greatest gourmet supermarket. It's huge, and has fabulous food with fabulous employees that can and want to help you. Anyway, I was heading there and invited my friend Jeff (non-boyfriend Jeff) to go with me because he liked it when I took him there for the first time several months ago. He met me there, we had lunch (a turkey and provolone pannini with avacado and sun-dried tomato pesto for me...mmm) and then he sprung it on me. Could I do him a favor? What favor? Help him buy his first ever computer...Yes. He has never owned his own computer!! He is a computer virgin!! (Well, he has one at work, but he has never personally owned one.) So I of course obliged. I figured an hour to find the computer, and 20 minutes to get it going...no biggie.

We went to Fry's first. We were attacked by used car salesmen...err...computer salesmen. It was unreal. We could not get away from them. We wanted to look at the specs ourselves. I knew what I was looking at. I know, I look like a wimpy little girl, but under this soft, squishy exterior, I am fairly proficient in geekese. Leave. Me. Alone. I will ask for help when I need it. We were hassled by no less than 4 different salesmen. And one, who knew less about computers than I do was insistant that we look at the Fry's computer that was $500 above the price point we said we wanted. And he was terribly insistant that we buy it because the FANS were dependable. The fans?? I couldn't care less. I have had computers since I was 2 (1981 people...the monitor was actually a TV!!) and in all that time, I think I have replaced ONE fan. That is not why I am going to buy your Fry's machine, buddy. Finally, we extricated ourselves from the obnoxious salesmen and left. Jeff said on the way out that he would have bought a computer there if it hadn't been for the salesmen...Hear that Fry's?? Your salesmen lost you a sale!

So we went to the old standby. Best Buy. In the last decade, I have been involved in the purchases of more than 10 computers (work and family) and I believe 8 were from Best Buy. We found a knowledgeable kid and he helped us without pressuring us. Then we looked at monitors and found a 15" flat panel for $139!!! (After rebate of $50). I debated it for myself while Jeff jumped at it. He completed his sale and I decided to bite the bullet. I am now staring at my first flat panel monitor!!

Jeff then decided he needed to take me to the Evil Empire to buy a desk. For those of you who haven't heard my rants, the Evil Empire is Walmart. I HATE Walmart. There is nothing redeeming about that store to me. It is crowded and dirty and messy and loud and customer service sucks and they do not treat there vendors well (we used to be one and we dropped Walmart because of how they treated us). I am sure some of you disagree with me (Jeff, I know you love them...no debates today, ok Babe?) ;-) but that is my opinion. Anyway, he took me there and we got a cart with a wheel that didn't work at all, and we pushed it with considerable force to the furniture department.

Can I ask you all where you would go if you wanted a grandfather clock?? Because Walmart had TWO models to choose from. Yes, I think I will buy a grandfather clock today...Hmm...Where should I go?? Ahh, yes, Walmart!

So we bought the desk, reconfigured my Xterra and got it in along side the two monitors and the computer and I made a deal with Jeff.

If he went to my parents' house with me to decorate their tree, I would help him set up the desk and the computer. So he did. We helped my parents for an hour and then spent the next two setting up the the desk. We did it though, and it took me only minutes to set up the computer. When I left, Jeff was about to download online poker software. The entire outting wound up taking 9 hours!!! But we had fun, and so it was worth it.
posted by Ty @ 12/12/2004 | 3 comments