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Why am I so stubborn?
Dec. 18th, 2006 12:13 pmSo, I got a holiday "bonus". Which was actually pretty small compared to other employees because I am so new. But still, it was a generous compared to what I usually get at the holidays, which is nothing, either from birth family or from the surrogate family known as corporations. So I decided to buy myself holiday presents.
This morning I drove DYA to work so she could bring in a whole crateload of things for her new office. On the drive back, I stopped at Best Buy. I've been wanting a new tv for a long time. Ours was giant and free (a gift from Coco and Mint, with the price being I had to carry it out of there apartment and into the car), but it had a bad green tint on everything. And lately I've noticed the sound is not so great either. After three years of the green tv, and a television before that which could not be turned on easily after turning it off (I started leaving it on 24/7 but put a heavy towel over the screen at night), I decided I could be a grown-up and have a nice quality television. With my gift card, I got us a new phone and a new wireless router (two items that are also breaking/broken) and a new tv and only had to pay $20 out of my own pocket. It is slightly smaller than ours, but flat screen. I almost fell for buying HDTV or SDTV, but then remembered we don't have cable so it doesn't really matter.
I get it to the car, and it's excessively larger than the any opening to the car. So I open the box and removed the styrofoam and slide it in the back. I leave the box on the cart by the front door of Best Buy.
When I get home, I first decide to remove the old tv from the stand, so when I bring the new tv in, I can put it directly down. The old tv is FCKING HEAVY. I get it to the couch. I go down to the car and bring the new one in. It is hard. Because the foamy plastic stuff is slippery, so I rip open holes for my fingers to grip but those little "handles" on the side aren't totally functional. I have to stop every 15 feet to rest. When I get to the flight of stairs up to our apartment, I end up using mostly my right leg to leverage and carry the television up the stairs, one at a time. Success. Whew. I get some water. In a fit of adrenaline, I pick the old tv up and carry it through the house to the back porch and put it on top of the old stove that needs to be disposed of as well, figuring the junk people might want it too.
I plug in all the various cords and get it all set up and turn it on and it looks absolutely beautiful except......no sound. I reconfigure, examine, replug -- nothing. I test the headphone jack -- nothing. A-ha! It's not my fault. I also plug the sound output plugs in the back into my stereo and that works. I stand and contemplate just using the stereo to hear tv from now on. I decide that is ridiculous, because this is a brand-new product. But the thought of taking it back to the store to return it makes me cry. I make a PBJ sandwich and after eating, lie down for 15 minutes.
Then I carry the tv downstairs. I drive to the store. I exchange it. They give me no hassles (even though there is not box and might be dirt on the bottom from when I put it in the car). I exchange for a new one. I wheel it out to the car. I decide I'm leaving it in the box NO MATTER WHAT. If only because the handles on the box are better, and I can use the smooth carboard to push/slide it up the stairs. So it's barely in the trunk, but I brought rope and tie that puppy in, trusting in the magic of physics and the weight of the tv to keep it in the car. I drive home at 20 mph. It survives intact.
I get home. I carry the tv upstairs. Except. The box is in the threshold of the door into the apartment. I can't move it. It's not stuck. Its my arms. They have surrendered and are protesting. I can not clench, flex, or pull. It might be alarming but I"m so tired I don't care. I sat down to type this so they could rest.
I can't even imagine what will happen if this tv doesn't work. I think I will just cry a little and nap a lot. Or maybe cry a lot.
This morning I drove DYA to work so she could bring in a whole crateload of things for her new office. On the drive back, I stopped at Best Buy. I've been wanting a new tv for a long time. Ours was giant and free (a gift from Coco and Mint, with the price being I had to carry it out of there apartment and into the car), but it had a bad green tint on everything. And lately I've noticed the sound is not so great either. After three years of the green tv, and a television before that which could not be turned on easily after turning it off (I started leaving it on 24/7 but put a heavy towel over the screen at night), I decided I could be a grown-up and have a nice quality television. With my gift card, I got us a new phone and a new wireless router (two items that are also breaking/broken) and a new tv and only had to pay $20 out of my own pocket. It is slightly smaller than ours, but flat screen. I almost fell for buying HDTV or SDTV, but then remembered we don't have cable so it doesn't really matter.
I get it to the car, and it's excessively larger than the any opening to the car. So I open the box and removed the styrofoam and slide it in the back. I leave the box on the cart by the front door of Best Buy.
When I get home, I first decide to remove the old tv from the stand, so when I bring the new tv in, I can put it directly down. The old tv is FCKING HEAVY. I get it to the couch. I go down to the car and bring the new one in. It is hard. Because the foamy plastic stuff is slippery, so I rip open holes for my fingers to grip but those little "handles" on the side aren't totally functional. I have to stop every 15 feet to rest. When I get to the flight of stairs up to our apartment, I end up using mostly my right leg to leverage and carry the television up the stairs, one at a time. Success. Whew. I get some water. In a fit of adrenaline, I pick the old tv up and carry it through the house to the back porch and put it on top of the old stove that needs to be disposed of as well, figuring the junk people might want it too.
I plug in all the various cords and get it all set up and turn it on and it looks absolutely beautiful except......no sound. I reconfigure, examine, replug -- nothing. I test the headphone jack -- nothing. A-ha! It's not my fault. I also plug the sound output plugs in the back into my stereo and that works. I stand and contemplate just using the stereo to hear tv from now on. I decide that is ridiculous, because this is a brand-new product. But the thought of taking it back to the store to return it makes me cry. I make a PBJ sandwich and after eating, lie down for 15 minutes.
Then I carry the tv downstairs. I drive to the store. I exchange it. They give me no hassles (even though there is not box and might be dirt on the bottom from when I put it in the car). I exchange for a new one. I wheel it out to the car. I decide I'm leaving it in the box NO MATTER WHAT. If only because the handles on the box are better, and I can use the smooth carboard to push/slide it up the stairs. So it's barely in the trunk, but I brought rope and tie that puppy in, trusting in the magic of physics and the weight of the tv to keep it in the car. I drive home at 20 mph. It survives intact.
I get home. I carry the tv upstairs. Except. The box is in the threshold of the door into the apartment. I can't move it. It's not stuck. Its my arms. They have surrendered and are protesting. I can not clench, flex, or pull. It might be alarming but I"m so tired I don't care. I sat down to type this so they could rest.
I can't even imagine what will happen if this tv doesn't work. I think I will just cry a little and nap a lot. Or maybe cry a lot.
