Darn You Commercials

Have you seen the new Old Navy commercial with Mr. T?

I hadn’t until I was watching the most recent episode of Hart of Dixie on the CW app on my iPad this morning and that commercial was part of every single commercial break. It was funny the first time I saw it but morphed into annoying by the third time. And yet it really made me want to get some BOGO tee shirts at Old Navy. I’m not kidding. When the episode ended I got up and started gathering my stuff to go to the mall. But then the reminder I’d set for today’s Phillies game went off and I abandoned that plan.

Well, more or less abandoned the plan.

I seriously considered going to the mall after the Phillies game, but when the game ended I didn’t really feel like driving all the way to WestShore Mall (even though they won). And I really, really don’t see myself driving to WestShore Mall after work this week. Why oh why did the Old Navy at University Mall close?? I mean, that mall is a complete piece of shit, but it’s so close to my office.

I mean, I guess I could just buy tee shirts through Old Navy’s website, but the BOGO offer is in store only. Okay, I just checked Old Navy’s website and there are some really cute tees on sale there. Looks like the Mr. T commercial wins and I will be buying some shirts from Old Navy after all.

Until tomorrow.

Planned Obsolescence

It should surprise no one that tech companies have no interest in supporting all of their products ad infinitum. It would be expensive as hell to maintain the necessary knowledge base and knowledgable employees to support every iteration of every product. Plus, they would miss out on the new revenue that comes from forced upgrades.

So I’m not blaming Apple for deciding that it’s time for those of us with original iPads to upgrade already. I’m just surprised that the obsolescence cycle for iPads is only two years (apparently).

I didn’t even realize that Apple had decided that I needed a new iPad until I synced my iPad on the day that iOS 6 was released and wasn’t asked to upgrade. I checked Apple’s Website and, sure enough, iOS 6 is only available for iPad 2 and the new iPad. Bummer.

Even though I was bummed that I couldn’t put a fancy new OS on my iPad, I had no intention of rushing out and upgrading. It still works just fine and at least this way I still have a native YouTube app and Google Maps on one device. But over the weekend the Home button started acting up (which is to say, not reacting). I’ll have to look through the user guide a bit, but to the best of my knowledge iPads are much harder to use without a functioning Home button. If I’m right, I guess I know what I’ll be asking Santa for this year.

Until tomorrow.

Willpower Deactivated

I may have purchased The Hunger Games on DVD while I was at Target this afternoon. This may or may not have been the direct result of constantly thinking about the availability of The Hunger Games on DVD/Blu-Ray before I left the house. I need help.

See, this is my problem. I cannot tell you how often something (normally either food or entertainment) will pop into my head and immediately make me want that thing. Then the thought will just sit there, nagging me, like a song that gets stuck in my head until I purchase or consume the thing. And right now I always purchase or consume the thing.

For about the first half of the year, I was good. I imposed austerity measures on myself and just didn’t buy much of anything, particularly anything fun or food that someone else made (which also falls under the “fun” category). And my willpower was enough to keep the austerity measures in place.

But then I got a job and had a birthday, which combined to make me ease up on the austerity measures a bit. I bought makeup and books and music. I got coffee almost every morning from either Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts. I even went out to eat a few times.

And now my willpower is shot. It’s most obvious when dealing with food. I haven’t gone out to eat much lately, but I have bought a lot of junk food. You know what the problem is with junk food? (And I’m not talking about the nutritional problem, even though that is an issue for me.) The problem with junk food is that it is really damn expensive.

So today my lack of willpower meant that I bought The Hunger Games on DVD even though it was in my Netflix queue. And I can’t return it because I totally watched it 🙂 (For the record, I loved it. There were, of course, those moments that I thought were important in the books that weren’t included. And other moments that I thought were better in the book. But the cool thing about movies is that they’re told from a third-person omniscient point of view, rather than the books’ first-person point of view. Seeing the Games from other perspectives was completely fascinating.) The only positive spin I can put on my utter lack of willpower is that at least I didn’t buy the Blu-Ray.

I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to “reactivate” my willpower soon. My books this semester are really effing expensive (and new editions, so used books aren’t even an option). I just don’t have the money for fun stuff anymore. But at least I should be getting a $5 Amazon MP3 credit for shelling out several hundred bucks for books. That’s something, right?

Until tomorrow.

What To Do?

So a couple of weeks ago my personal cheerleader gave me a “just because” Amazon gift card. (Have I mentioned that she’s awesome?) I used most of it on baseball books (yay!), but the remaining balance is burning a metaphorical hole in my virtual wallet.

But here’s my problem: I can’t decide what to buy. Should I get Brand New’s Daisy on vinyl or the Fifty Shades of Grey series? I am aware that these things have nothing in common except for my crazy head. But, y’know, they’re things that I want. I know that the gift card was intended for books, but the beauty of a gift card is that I can get whatever I want.

Why am I even thinking about this right now? Because I want to buy myself a “congratulations on surviving the semester” present. I deserve a damn present. But what to buy?

Oh good, I’ve now officially talked in circles. Time to go back to work on my take home final exam (blah).

Unrelated: I hate the Chevy Cruze Eco commercial where the guy is picking his parents up at the airport. Every time the dad says “that’s hippie talk!” I want to punch him in the face. It probably doesn’t help that I only seem to see it during Phillies losses, but damn that old guy is super annoying.

Until tomorrow.

I Think My iPhone Is Dying

This is terribly upsetting to me.  Not least because I haven’t even had it for two years yet, so I’m pretty sure that I’m not yet eligible to get a new phone.

Plus, there’s that whole iPhones are expensive thing.  I’m not currently willing to renew my AMC Stubs membership for 12 bucks; I’m really not keen on spending 200 bucks to get an iPhone 4S (even if I would get Siri).

But if my phone really does die I won’t have much of a choice.  (Obviously I’d have a choice to get a cheaper phone, but why?  I don’t need to constantly upgrade when Apple trots out the latest version of the iPhone or iPad, but when I decide to replace my current model I’m going to get the latest and greatest.)

I had hoped to keep my current iPhone for at least another year.  After all, my first iPhone worked fine for almost three years (I bypassed every variety of iPhone 3), even after Apple pretty much stopped supporting it (in the sense that iOS updates weren’t applicable to my phone when I finally got rid of it).

It’s funny, the thing that first made me notice the problems with my iPhone was the case.  I got one of Apple’s free bumper cases and it’s starting to fall apart a little bit.  Then I realized that I’d been having issues with the home button for at least a month.  Issues of the non-responsive variety.  I don’t know why a home button that didn’t react when I pushed it didn’t strike me as an issue until after the case started cracking, but it didn’t.  But now every time the home button doesn’t react when I push it I fear that my iPhone is dead.  Especially now that it decided to get rid of all of my alarms this afternoon.  That was fun.

A dead iPhone is just the last thing I need right now, so I shall try to remain optomistic.  (By the by, that’s an intentional misspelling.  Or perhaps it’s a word that I made up in college.  Either works.  You see, it’s against my nature to be optimistic, the best I can do is be optomistic.)

Until tomorrow.

To Buy Or Not To Buy

Welcome to a new feature on my blog, brought to you by my own inner turmoil.

I just found out that Taking Back Sunday’s debut album, Tell All Your Friends, is being re-pressed on vinyl.  Yay!  Right?  The 10-year anniversary of Tell All Your Friends is coming up at the end of March, so I had been hoping for a vinyl re-release.  Although I had hoped for something that kinda acknowledged the whole tenth anniversary thing (similar to the tenth anniversary re-release of Brand New’s Your Favorite Weapon – but then again, I’m still conflicted over whether or not I like the new album artwork for the YFW re-release).

And, sure, the vinyl is only 12 bucks (plus 6 bucks shipping – come on, Victory!).  And I really, really want Tell All Your Friends on vinyl.  But I need to save money.  Especially since the price to renew my SiriusXM subscription was twice what I’d expected it to be.  (Thank God I got rid of my DVR when I did.)  Plus, like somebody pointed out on this thread on Absolute Punk, Taking Back Sunday probably won’t make a cent off of this.

But then again, my SiriusXM renewal actually did account for 65% of my credit card bill.  I’ve been pretty good about not spending money so far this year.  What’s one little $18 splurge?  (It probably isn’t helping that I’m listening to Tell All Your Friends right now.)

I could always ask my parents to buy it for me.  But my birthday isn’t until the end of June.  A Valentine’s Day present, maybe?  But what if I ask them to buy me this but then a tenth anniversary re-release is announced that includes “The Ballad of Sal Villanueva” and “Your Own Disaster.”

Wow, I’ve written almost 300 words and I’m still just conflicted.  Blah.  Maybe sleeping on it will help.

Until tomorrow.