Adventures In Goat World
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
What Credit Crunch?
I got a USAA checking account for their bad-ass Deposit@Home feature, where you scan in checks instead of mailing them in or having to go deposit them somewhere.
Unfortunately, I didn't realize you had to have a "Credit Product" (ie. car loan or credit card) to access this feature, so I had to sign up for a credit card.
With the hilariously high "limit" they stuck on this card, it brings my total available credit to 2/3 of my annual income in a year where I work the whole year. This year, I have not. The limit remains unchanged.
I mean, I pay everything on time and am super-anal about my finances, so I suppose my credit rating is good, but yeesh. And the media were so confused about how the credit crisis got as bad as it did.
If the banks are neck deep in shit and still offering my broke-but-responsible ass this much credit, it's no wonder people spent themselves into holes that dug halfway to China.
Unfortunately, I didn't realize you had to have a "Credit Product" (ie. car loan or credit card) to access this feature, so I had to sign up for a credit card.
With the hilariously high "limit" they stuck on this card, it brings my total available credit to 2/3 of my annual income in a year where I work the whole year. This year, I have not. The limit remains unchanged.
I mean, I pay everything on time and am super-anal about my finances, so I suppose my credit rating is good, but yeesh. And the media were so confused about how the credit crisis got as bad as it did.
If the banks are neck deep in shit and still offering my broke-but-responsible ass this much credit, it's no wonder people spent themselves into holes that dug halfway to China.
Labels: finance
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Huzzah!
Fourteen months after deciding I wanted one, and deciding I should get one at Best Buy because I had a big store credit there, I FINALLY found a Best Buy with Wiis in stock at a time when I could actually afford one.
After the last time I came close to getting a Wii eight fucking months ago, I shoved the difference between the store credit and the cost of the Wii into my savings account, and said no matter how fucking broke I was, when I finally found one, I'd be able to buy it.
Today, work sent me out to buy some crappy CD's, and while pestering the clerk about whether they had one I couldn't find, I said, "You guys don't have any Wiis, do you?"
Finally. FINALLY. The answer was yes.
God bless exurbia and its overstocked big-box stores. This store said they sell out in two days when Wiis show up, whereas the one in my more urban area generally sells out in under an hour.
I set it up. I'm way too tired to start trying to play it tonight, but I'll be killing some serious time this weekend with it.
God help me when I scrape together enough money to buy Guitar Hero. I doubt I'll ever leave the house again.
After the last time I came close to getting a Wii eight fucking months ago, I shoved the difference between the store credit and the cost of the Wii into my savings account, and said no matter how fucking broke I was, when I finally found one, I'd be able to buy it.
Today, work sent me out to buy some crappy CD's, and while pestering the clerk about whether they had one I couldn't find, I said, "You guys don't have any Wiis, do you?"
Finally. FINALLY. The answer was yes.
God bless exurbia and its overstocked big-box stores. This store said they sell out in two days when Wiis show up, whereas the one in my more urban area generally sells out in under an hour.
I set it up. I'm way too tired to start trying to play it tonight, but I'll be killing some serious time this weekend with it.
God help me when I scrape together enough money to buy Guitar Hero. I doubt I'll ever leave the house again.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Life Gets Expensive
Several large expenses are cropping up in my life, and they've conveniently chosen to do so a) at the same time and b) when I took an underpaying job just so I wouldn't lose my mind. Causing the most fun at the moment:
The Bed. My bedframe, which has lasted me a good while and at least two moves longer than a cheap-ass Ikea piece of shit should, is falling apart. And this weekend it literally fell apart, though I've jury-rigged it so it works until I get a new one.
I knew after my last move it wasn't long for this world, and I'd really wanted to get a fairly decent bedframe to replace it when it finally went. That was before my old job evaporated.
I've found a couple in the $600-700 range at West Elm that I really like, but right now I'm not sure I can afford more than the $200 it would cost to get another cheap, shitty Ikea frame.
Cost to replace: $200-700 + tax, depending on how good a bed I decide to get.
The Car. This isn't as bad as it could be, particularly given that I'm putting about 700 miles a week on it, but my car is about to hit 120,000 miles, which means a 120,000 mile tuneup.
The dealer quoted me $500, my friendly local mechanic quoted me $300. Guess which one will be performing this maintenance.
I also need a battery, as I discovered a couple weeks ago, so that'll be about another $100.
Total cost to ensure continued proper functioning of vehicle: $400 + tax.
The Clothes. This is at least for a happy reason, but the death-by-a-thousand-cuts this is causing is pissing me off a bit.
I've lost a lot of weight in the last 14 months, so a lot of my old clothes don't fit anymore. I've dropped three jeans sizes, I'm now fitting about a size smaller shirts, and other articles of clothing are needing to be similarly replaced.
I'm trying to get away with wearing my now tent-sized old clothes as long as I can. I was always pretty good at camouflaging the actual extent of my fatassedness, so I can still do pretty well with a fair amount of my older stuff. But the number of items I can still get away with is rapidly declining.
I'm going to take a stab at thrifting for t-shirts and the like, but certain...delicates...you have to buy new, and that gets very expensive very quickly. Even buying stuff on sale from Old Navy, the cost to gradually replace my wardrobe is running around $100-200 a month.
It will continue to do so for much of the remainder of the year, until I stop losing weight.
Estimated cost through end of May: $200-400 + tax.
Grand total, that's anywhere from $800-1500, plus tax, that I'll be spending in the next couple of months.
The $600 "Please for the love of God save our economy!" check from W. and the gang will help, as will the fact that I've been making a fucking mint off of mileage at my temp job, which is helping to offset the crap salary.
However, I really would have preferred all these expenses come to me when I a) had a job at my normal salary and b) wasn't coughing up for my health insurance out of pocket.
Stupid money.
The Bed. My bedframe, which has lasted me a good while and at least two moves longer than a cheap-ass Ikea piece of shit should, is falling apart. And this weekend it literally fell apart, though I've jury-rigged it so it works until I get a new one.
I knew after my last move it wasn't long for this world, and I'd really wanted to get a fairly decent bedframe to replace it when it finally went. That was before my old job evaporated.
I've found a couple in the $600-700 range at West Elm that I really like, but right now I'm not sure I can afford more than the $200 it would cost to get another cheap, shitty Ikea frame.
Cost to replace: $200-700 + tax, depending on how good a bed I decide to get.
The Car. This isn't as bad as it could be, particularly given that I'm putting about 700 miles a week on it, but my car is about to hit 120,000 miles, which means a 120,000 mile tuneup.
The dealer quoted me $500, my friendly local mechanic quoted me $300. Guess which one will be performing this maintenance.
I also need a battery, as I discovered a couple weeks ago, so that'll be about another $100.
Total cost to ensure continued proper functioning of vehicle: $400 + tax.
The Clothes. This is at least for a happy reason, but the death-by-a-thousand-cuts this is causing is pissing me off a bit.
I've lost a lot of weight in the last 14 months, so a lot of my old clothes don't fit anymore. I've dropped three jeans sizes, I'm now fitting about a size smaller shirts, and other articles of clothing are needing to be similarly replaced.
I'm trying to get away with wearing my now tent-sized old clothes as long as I can. I was always pretty good at camouflaging the actual extent of my fatassedness, so I can still do pretty well with a fair amount of my older stuff. But the number of items I can still get away with is rapidly declining.
I'm going to take a stab at thrifting for t-shirts and the like, but certain...delicates...you have to buy new, and that gets very expensive very quickly. Even buying stuff on sale from Old Navy, the cost to gradually replace my wardrobe is running around $100-200 a month.
It will continue to do so for much of the remainder of the year, until I stop losing weight.
Estimated cost through end of May: $200-400 + tax.
Grand total, that's anywhere from $800-1500, plus tax, that I'll be spending in the next couple of months.
The $600 "Please for the love of God save our economy!" check from W. and the gang will help, as will the fact that I've been making a fucking mint off of mileage at my temp job, which is helping to offset the crap salary.
However, I really would have preferred all these expenses come to me when I a) had a job at my normal salary and b) wasn't coughing up for my health insurance out of pocket.
Stupid money.
Labels: cars, finance, home improvement, whining
Sunday, March 23, 2008
A Weekend of "D'oh!...Oh, okay."
Two things gave me nice little "Oh...fuck..." moments this weekend, but for once, luck was actually on my side.
First, I dropped my ATM card at Benihana's. I'd gone for a friend's birthday, and dropped my wallet as I was getting ready to leave.
I didn't realize the debit card was gone until we got to the post-Benihana bar, and I went to pay for drinks and found a horrifyingly empty slot. I walked back, fearing I'd have to go through the colossal pain in the ass of canceling it and getting a new one.
Thankfully, they found it immediately. The card was gone for only 15 minutes, and my bank's online system seems to indicate that nobody used it in the meantime to pay for their awesome teriyaki steak.
The second almost-oh-fuck came today. I decided to bike down to the beach, but I hadn't used my bike in some time, so I decided to pump up the tires with my little cigarette-lighter-port powered pump from my car's roadside assistance kit.
I didn't turn the car all the way on, I just turned the key so the battery would power the pump. When I finished, I put the pump away and then rode down to the beach. A few miles down, I went to stop, lock my bike, and walk down to the water.
Except I didn't have my keys. I suddenly realized, "Oh fuck, they're still in the damn ignition. And the power is still on." So of course, when I got back to my apartment, an hour and a half after turning on the car, the battery was dead. Part of me was just glad the car was actually still there.
Thankfully, again, I found one of my neighbors that I'm friends with and got him to give me a jump. After a quick drive around, I stopped for gas on the theory that if it didn't start, at least at a gas station I'd have a better chance at another jump to get home.
Even more luckily, the car turned over like nothing had happened. The short time it took the battery to run down indicates I probably need a new one, but still. Better to have it work for another few weeks until my 120k overhaul (THAT should be a fun use of my economic stimulus check) than be totally stranded.
And that's how my weekend seemed like it was doomed twice, but it turned out to be pretty much fine.
First, I dropped my ATM card at Benihana's. I'd gone for a friend's birthday, and dropped my wallet as I was getting ready to leave.
I didn't realize the debit card was gone until we got to the post-Benihana bar, and I went to pay for drinks and found a horrifyingly empty slot. I walked back, fearing I'd have to go through the colossal pain in the ass of canceling it and getting a new one.
Thankfully, they found it immediately. The card was gone for only 15 minutes, and my bank's online system seems to indicate that nobody used it in the meantime to pay for their awesome teriyaki steak.
The second almost-oh-fuck came today. I decided to bike down to the beach, but I hadn't used my bike in some time, so I decided to pump up the tires with my little cigarette-lighter-port powered pump from my car's roadside assistance kit.
I didn't turn the car all the way on, I just turned the key so the battery would power the pump. When I finished, I put the pump away and then rode down to the beach. A few miles down, I went to stop, lock my bike, and walk down to the water.
Except I didn't have my keys. I suddenly realized, "Oh fuck, they're still in the damn ignition. And the power is still on." So of course, when I got back to my apartment, an hour and a half after turning on the car, the battery was dead. Part of me was just glad the car was actually still there.
Thankfully, again, I found one of my neighbors that I'm friends with and got him to give me a jump. After a quick drive around, I stopped for gas on the theory that if it didn't start, at least at a gas station I'd have a better chance at another jump to get home.
Even more luckily, the car turned over like nothing had happened. The short time it took the battery to run down indicates I probably need a new one, but still. Better to have it work for another few weeks until my 120k overhaul (THAT should be a fun use of my economic stimulus check) than be totally stranded.
And that's how my weekend seemed like it was doomed twice, but it turned out to be pretty much fine.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
The Broke-Ass Chronicles
Not a lot going on with me at the moment, mostly scraping along while I try to find myself a new job. A few points to share from the trenches of brokedom:
- My $3 a meal effort seems to be working well. 30 days a month x 3 meals a day x $3 meal is $270/mo for food, and I'm ahead of that pace even counting the few times I've gone out in the last couple months, and the food I bought for my Super Bowl party (though to be fair, I froze the considerable leftovers and have been eating them myself).
The fact that I've been eating much less food than I used to (at least as measured by volume) and drinking very little alcohol due to my ongoing diet and exercise program is probably helping this initiative considerably.
- The one thing I have to stop doing is just spending days in the house watching TV and movies, and surfing the internet. The fact that not leaving the house is a much cheaper proposition than leaving the house has led me to several movie marathons and sessions of power-watching TV series.
I've seen dozens and dozens and dozens of movies and TV shows in the last couple of months, but there's one distinct downside: I feel like I'm turning into a zombie.
I should at least go sit out by the pool and read for an hour, or ride my bike aimlessly, or something that does not involve staring at the TV or the computer. Otherwise I'm going to need glasses, and I don't think my COBRA covers vision.
- One thing that's killing me: Now instead of being able to see my work friends at work, I have to go to their various houses to see them. With gas costing about $3.20 a gallon and many of them living way the fuck out in the Valley, this is getting to be an expensive proposition.
I've already spent the same on gas this year as I had this time last year (not counting my trip to SF to pick up my TV), and I haven't been driving to work, for work, from work every day. Stupid giant LA with its severe sprawl and piss-poor public transportation.
- Finally, I've been selling a bunch of old electronics and such through eBay, but the prices people pay for DVDs there just don't make it worth it. Have any of you guys ever sold anything through Amazon Marketplace? You seem to be able to get more reasonable prices for used DVDs through there, but I recall hearing their cut of the sale is really huge.
Anyway, hopefully I'll be working again soon, and can go back to eating 3 meals a day at work, and being too busy to go out rather than too broke.
- My $3 a meal effort seems to be working well. 30 days a month x 3 meals a day x $3 meal is $270/mo for food, and I'm ahead of that pace even counting the few times I've gone out in the last couple months, and the food I bought for my Super Bowl party (though to be fair, I froze the considerable leftovers and have been eating them myself).
The fact that I've been eating much less food than I used to (at least as measured by volume) and drinking very little alcohol due to my ongoing diet and exercise program is probably helping this initiative considerably.
- The one thing I have to stop doing is just spending days in the house watching TV and movies, and surfing the internet. The fact that not leaving the house is a much cheaper proposition than leaving the house has led me to several movie marathons and sessions of power-watching TV series.
I've seen dozens and dozens and dozens of movies and TV shows in the last couple of months, but there's one distinct downside: I feel like I'm turning into a zombie.
I should at least go sit out by the pool and read for an hour, or ride my bike aimlessly, or something that does not involve staring at the TV or the computer. Otherwise I'm going to need glasses, and I don't think my COBRA covers vision.
- One thing that's killing me: Now instead of being able to see my work friends at work, I have to go to their various houses to see them. With gas costing about $3.20 a gallon and many of them living way the fuck out in the Valley, this is getting to be an expensive proposition.
I've already spent the same on gas this year as I had this time last year (not counting my trip to SF to pick up my TV), and I haven't been driving to work, for work, from work every day. Stupid giant LA with its severe sprawl and piss-poor public transportation.
- Finally, I've been selling a bunch of old electronics and such through eBay, but the prices people pay for DVDs there just don't make it worth it. Have any of you guys ever sold anything through Amazon Marketplace? You seem to be able to get more reasonable prices for used DVDs through there, but I recall hearing their cut of the sale is really huge.
Anyway, hopefully I'll be working again soon, and can go back to eating 3 meals a day at work, and being too busy to go out rather than too broke.
Labels: finance, unemployment
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Bad News/Good News
I got a call from the folks at Apple about my computer today.
The bad news is, because I have a matte screen on my MacBook Pro and will not even consider getting a glossy screen, they won't have a part in until Feb 7th, and won't have my computer back to me until Feb. 11-12.
The good news is, to compensate me for my inconvenience, they offered me two options.
1. Ship me a brand new computer with the exact same specs for the same amount I would have paid for the repair, and have it arrive Friday (Feb 1) or Monday (Feb 4), or
2. Cut the price of the repair in half, and get it back the 11th-12th.
I have to admit, option #1 was thoroughly tempting, especially because after a week of using the temp MacBook, I'm more certain than ever that I made the right decision to spring for the Pro. The reflections on the glossy screen drive me batshit.
But after calling the computer rental place to see how much it would cost to extend the rental and running some numbers with sales tax, I realized that waiting was going to save me almost $600 to just wait for the repair.
So, the bad news is, I have to put up with the tiny, glossy, pain in the ass rental for a while longer, but the good news is, I save six hundred bucks.
At this point, the option that saves me $600 wins, even if it involves fire ants. Which, thankfully, this does not.
The bad news is, because I have a matte screen on my MacBook Pro and will not even consider getting a glossy screen, they won't have a part in until Feb 7th, and won't have my computer back to me until Feb. 11-12.
The good news is, to compensate me for my inconvenience, they offered me two options.
1. Ship me a brand new computer with the exact same specs for the same amount I would have paid for the repair, and have it arrive Friday (Feb 1) or Monday (Feb 4), or
2. Cut the price of the repair in half, and get it back the 11th-12th.
I have to admit, option #1 was thoroughly tempting, especially because after a week of using the temp MacBook, I'm more certain than ever that I made the right decision to spring for the Pro. The reflections on the glossy screen drive me batshit.
But after calling the computer rental place to see how much it would cost to extend the rental and running some numbers with sales tax, I realized that waiting was going to save me almost $600 to just wait for the repair.
So, the bad news is, I have to put up with the tiny, glossy, pain in the ass rental for a while longer, but the good news is, I save six hundred bucks.
At this point, the option that saves me $600 wins, even if it involves fire ants. Which, thankfully, this does not.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Budgetary Realizations
Two things I realize now, after going through my budget with a fine tooth comb to try and kick out a few extra pennies, that I probably should not have done:
1. Moved out of my old Russian-Mob-Owned shithole apartment in Venice. I might have wanted to strangle my neighbors on an hourly basis, but I'm paying almost half again more rent than I was, which is definitely in the category of Not Helpful when unemployed.
Also, the dipshit management company here is just as unresponsive to maintenance issues as the mobsters were, so why the fuck am I paying them all this money? I mean, other than to live in a neighborhood with fewer drive-bys.
2. Fucked up my ankle, requiring me to pay exorbitant COBRA rates instead of finding cheapo individual insurance because my ankle turns into a monstrously expensive preexisting condition if I get the individual coverage.
These two things alone are absolutely killing my unemployment budget. I've just looked at how much I've spent so far this month, and realized I can't leave the house again until approximately February.
1. Moved out of my old Russian-Mob-Owned shithole apartment in Venice. I might have wanted to strangle my neighbors on an hourly basis, but I'm paying almost half again more rent than I was, which is definitely in the category of Not Helpful when unemployed.
Also, the dipshit management company here is just as unresponsive to maintenance issues as the mobsters were, so why the fuck am I paying them all this money? I mean, other than to live in a neighborhood with fewer drive-bys.
2. Fucked up my ankle, requiring me to pay exorbitant COBRA rates instead of finding cheapo individual insurance because my ankle turns into a monstrously expensive preexisting condition if I get the individual coverage.
These two things alone are absolutely killing my unemployment budget. I've just looked at how much I've spent so far this month, and realized I can't leave the house again until approximately February.
Labels: angry ankle, apartment, finance, unemployment
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Fiscal Responsibility Sucks Ass
God DAMN it.
I stopped by Best Buy tonight to continue my ongoing research into rigging a GPS into my car by actually looking at one in person. I wasn't planning on buying anything (for reasons I will elaborate on later in the post), but then I saw two things:
1. Martin Starr, who played Haverchuck on Freaks and Geeks, among many other hilarious roles
2. Holding a Wii.
I have wanted a Wii for several months now. I'd resolved to buy one at Best Buy, as I have about $100 worth of gift cards, bringing the price down to just under $200 (including tax and a second Wiimote). And really, what else does Best Buy sell that am I not going to find cheaper online?
Unfortunately, Best Buy is always sold out of Wiis when I go, and they generally sell out any shipment they get within a couple of hours. Seeing Starr holding a Wii was the first time I'd actually seen one in a customer's hands. I had to know if there were more.
So dispensing with my "do not approach people whose work you enjoy" policy, I went up to him and said, "excuse me, where did you get that Wii?" And he pointed out the stack around the corner. I thanked him and fled.
Oh, that stack taunted me, I tell you. But alas, there were two problems with buying a Wii an hour ago, both of which Joel reminded me of when I called and begged him to talk some sense into me:
Problem the first: I just got stuck with a big old pile of medical bills for my foot surgery, plus my physical therapy bill is swiftly approaching $500, and it appears it will not stop there. $25 a visit adds up distressingly fast.
Problem the second: I am leaning towards moving downstairs over Labor Day Weekend, and I'm estimating the one-time expenses for that (cleaning fee, moving supplies, movers because everyone I know is out of town that weekend, etc.) at about $600.
So basically, I am broke as a joke, and even the modest sum a Wii commands with gift cards factored in is currently out of my reach. Still, I was damn tempted.
It took every ounce of restraint I have to walk away from that pile of Wiis. It is a decision I am sure I will regret in a couple months when my finances loosen up and I still can't find a damn Wii in a Best Buy.
I stopped by Best Buy tonight to continue my ongoing research into rigging a GPS into my car by actually looking at one in person. I wasn't planning on buying anything (for reasons I will elaborate on later in the post), but then I saw two things:
1. Martin Starr, who played Haverchuck on Freaks and Geeks, among many other hilarious roles
2. Holding a Wii.
I have wanted a Wii for several months now. I'd resolved to buy one at Best Buy, as I have about $100 worth of gift cards, bringing the price down to just under $200 (including tax and a second Wiimote). And really, what else does Best Buy sell that am I not going to find cheaper online?
Unfortunately, Best Buy is always sold out of Wiis when I go, and they generally sell out any shipment they get within a couple of hours. Seeing Starr holding a Wii was the first time I'd actually seen one in a customer's hands. I had to know if there were more.
So dispensing with my "do not approach people whose work you enjoy" policy, I went up to him and said, "excuse me, where did you get that Wii?" And he pointed out the stack around the corner. I thanked him and fled.
Oh, that stack taunted me, I tell you. But alas, there were two problems with buying a Wii an hour ago, both of which Joel reminded me of when I called and begged him to talk some sense into me:
Problem the first: I just got stuck with a big old pile of medical bills for my foot surgery, plus my physical therapy bill is swiftly approaching $500, and it appears it will not stop there. $25 a visit adds up distressingly fast.
Problem the second: I am leaning towards moving downstairs over Labor Day Weekend, and I'm estimating the one-time expenses for that (cleaning fee, moving supplies, movers because everyone I know is out of town that weekend, etc.) at about $600.
So basically, I am broke as a joke, and even the modest sum a Wii commands with gift cards factored in is currently out of my reach. Still, I was damn tempted.
It took every ounce of restraint I have to walk away from that pile of Wiis. It is a decision I am sure I will regret in a couple months when my finances loosen up and I still can't find a damn Wii in a Best Buy.
Labels: angry ankle, celebrity, finance, L.A.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Indecision
I want to buy a new computer. I'd been planning to buy a new computer around now, until Apple pushed back the release of its new operating system, Leopard, from WWDC (which was last week) to October.
Common sense says I should wait the four and a half months it'll take for Leopard/iLife to come out, thus saving myself about $200 (129 for the OS, 70ish for iLife), and probably getting a slightly faster computer in October.
The extra 40 seconds it took that sentence to appear after I started typing it are making me think, "Fuck common sense."
The computer I have works great...on occasion. Other times it's so painfully slow I want to throw the fucking thing out the window, with one simple task sending it spinning into 20 minutes of total uselessness.
I can't add any more RAM (lower slot's blown), so that's not an option. And I still have several gigs free on my hard drive, so that's not the problem. The computer's 3.5 years old, so I think it's just simply old and tired.
Money at hand is not the issue. Again, I thought I was going to be buying a new computer now, so I saved and I have the money for a new computer now.
The inconsistency is what makes it hard to pull the trigger. If it were always awful, the decision would be made. But sometimes it'll work just fine, even for several hours.
The other reason it's hard to justify: Part of the reason I'm noticing all this is that I've been working from home because of my ongoing foot troubles.
Even if I were to order right now, I'll likely be back at work, where I have a much faster computer (than this one, the new one would be even faster than my work one), before I get much of a chance to use the new one.
Maybe I'm just being a cheapskate, though. The question is: Is $200 enough money to suffer through until October with my current computer?
After trying to write this post and having the computer seize up on me three times between writing and proofreading, I think the answer is no.
Edited to add: Yeah, I officially cracked. It'll be here either Friday or sometime next week. Yay!
Common sense says I should wait the four and a half months it'll take for Leopard/iLife to come out, thus saving myself about $200 (129 for the OS, 70ish for iLife), and probably getting a slightly faster computer in October.
The extra 40 seconds it took that sentence to appear after I started typing it are making me think, "Fuck common sense."
The computer I have works great...on occasion. Other times it's so painfully slow I want to throw the fucking thing out the window, with one simple task sending it spinning into 20 minutes of total uselessness.
I can't add any more RAM (lower slot's blown), so that's not an option. And I still have several gigs free on my hard drive, so that's not the problem. The computer's 3.5 years old, so I think it's just simply old and tired.
Money at hand is not the issue. Again, I thought I was going to be buying a new computer now, so I saved and I have the money for a new computer now.
The inconsistency is what makes it hard to pull the trigger. If it were always awful, the decision would be made. But sometimes it'll work just fine, even for several hours.
The other reason it's hard to justify: Part of the reason I'm noticing all this is that I've been working from home because of my ongoing foot troubles.
Even if I were to order right now, I'll likely be back at work, where I have a much faster computer (than this one, the new one would be even faster than my work one), before I get much of a chance to use the new one.
Maybe I'm just being a cheapskate, though. The question is: Is $200 enough money to suffer through until October with my current computer?
After trying to write this post and having the computer seize up on me three times between writing and proofreading, I think the answer is no.
Edited to add: Yeah, I officially cracked. It'll be here either Friday or sometime next week. Yay!
Labels: finance, geekery, shiny things
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Ah, The Past
Turner Classic Movies is doing their 31 Days of Oscar marathon, an event that generally causes me to fill up my TiVo and have to work through the backlog for several months.
However, I did watch 30 Seconds over Tokyo today. It's a fantastic movie about Doolittle's raids on Tokyo in early 1942, but it gave me an unexpected laugh at one point.
The bombers, after refueling, were supposed to go to Chunking, where everything was extremely expensive. So one of the pilots gets the bright idea on the boat to stock up on cigarettes to sell to the military men in Chunking.
Pilot: I'll have 12 cartons of cigarettes.
Cashier: That'll be...$7.40.
I had a good, long laugh about that one.
However, I did watch 30 Seconds over Tokyo today. It's a fantastic movie about Doolittle's raids on Tokyo in early 1942, but it gave me an unexpected laugh at one point.
The bombers, after refueling, were supposed to go to Chunking, where everything was extremely expensive. So one of the pilots gets the bright idea on the boat to stock up on cigarettes to sell to the military men in Chunking.
Pilot: I'll have 12 cartons of cigarettes.
Cashier: That'll be...$7.40.
I had a good, long laugh about that one.
