So here’s a creepy little story for you.
Last week, I decided that since I’d been really good about not spending money frivolously lately, it was time for a gift. I was looking long and hard at a new laptop, since I’ve never been 100% happy with my purchase decision the first time, and now that I have some education with them I know how to do it right this time. (Plus I’ve been reading Ben’s Bargains on a regular basis, so I know when Dell is having the sick sales. :))
Anyhow, long story short, I decided against the laptop and bought a 19″ flatscreen monitor for my main desktop machine instead. I already have a laptop, and the main thing I would do with a new one is surf wirelessly from my bed. Well, I can do that with one I HAVE. Really, my only two complaints with this one are that the hard drive is a little small and the video adapter is kinda weak. Well, the hard drive can be fixed for $100 (a 60-gig drive is on the way), and I can live with the video thing for a while longer, since the types of games I play are old arcade games in MAME and Roller Coaster Tycoon and its ilk, both of which have meager video requiremnts. So I spend half of the money, get some toys I’ll use more, and maybe we’ll revisit the laptop around tax refund time.
So I feel pretty good about this purchase. Not sure what I’m gonna do with the 19″ tube behemoth sitting on the desk now when Mr. Slim arrives, but I figure I can jump off that bridge when I come to it. Maybe I can set up a full-time MAME/jukebox system until such time as I can finish the cabinet.
Then, the other day, Dell brings the deal of a lifetime via Ben’s. $500 off of any laptop over $1500, plus a $200 mail-in rebate. The monitor hadn’t shipped yet, so I can cancel the order no problem. And I think about it. And think. I have my machine customized on Dell’s site, in the cart with the coupon applied and ready to rock…and I don’t do it. Don’t need to spend the extra money. What I bought was the right decision. I close the page.
Here’s where it gets creepy:
Originally Dell was telling me I was gonna have to wait until the 24th for this thing to ship. Longer than I’d like, but I’m gettting a great deal on the monitor, too, so I’m willing to have a little patience. Well, this morning I get an email from Dell: my monitor is on the way, a full two weeks ahead of schedule, I’ll see it the latter half of the week. Cool!
Around 2:30 this afternoon, I’m sitting at the very desk I’m sitting at now, reading my RSS feeds, and with a silent <click!>, the monitor turned off.
Never to turn on again. It’s deceased. Ceased to be. ‘E fucking snuffed it. This, is an ex-monitor.
Weird, huh? I have a 15″ hooked up to it now that was living in my closet to keep me rolling until next week, but that has to be the very textbook definition of a timely death.