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We Canceled Our Trip And Repurposed The Money That Would Have Been Spent

December 21, 2015 By Jeff 17 Comments

tvWe didn’t go to Atlantic City. We canceled at the last minute, for various reasons. High on the list: our kids apparently can’t be in the same room for more than 30 minutes without arguing. In fact, a few nights ago it escalated to a near fistfight. Yes, the jackassery is strong with those two at the moment. Leaving them alone for a couple of days probably wouldn’t have been among our wiser decisions.

Also, we started thinking about the money we’d spend on that little adventure, and decided to buy a new TV for the living room instead. The Gordon Ramsay dinner alone probably would have cost more than what we ended up paying for something we’ll likely use for many years. I would’ve already ejected that expensive dinner into the plumbing system by now. Heck, if I’d ordered bangers ‘n’ mash, like I planned, it probably would have even looked roughly the same coming out as it did going in.

So, on Saturday we waded into the sea of humanity in search of a good deal on a 40-inch TV. We started at Target. In last Sunday’s newspaper ad they had a really good deal listed. However… nearly a week had gone by, and I knew they were likely sold out. And they were. We even drove down to the Wilkes-Barre location, to see if they had it there. No dice. Their website, by the way, said something like “low stock” at both stores. It didn’t say “sold out,” it was something more ambiguous, and designed to make a person want to give it a shot. But, “sold out” would’ve been more accurate.

There was a lot of trashiness going on in Wilkes-Barre: ripped windbreakers with the Pizza Hut logo on the back, gray sweat pants with dress shoes, etc. So, we returned to the Scranton area, where things are at least 10% more civilized. We had lunch at Chipotle, hoping not to ingest any of the Mexican shit water they apparently use on their produce, and plotted our strategy. The roads and stores were so crowded, we were right on the cusp of saying fukkit. But if that were to happen… there’s a very good chance the new TV would not happen at all. Oh, I know how these things go. So, I pushed for continuing the quest.

And we hit the jackpot at our next stop: Best Buy. We got a 40-inch Samsung, for a very good price. I think it’s this one, and we paid slightly less. Nice.

It was exciting! We still had an old tube TV in the living room, that couldn’t connect to the WiFi or anything. We would be entering a whole new world upstairs. Of course the Big Ass TV in the family room is loaded up with all the bells and whistles, but Toney and I spend most of our lounging time upstairs. Now we could make use of Netflix and Amazon Prime on “our” TV too.

We stopped and bought 12 bottles of this fantastic beverage, and all that was left to do was go home and set up our new gateway to happiness. However… this is where things often take a dark turn. Setting up electronics is not my strong point, and I have a low tolerance for “issues.” Know what I mean? Oh, everything could easily go south during the set-up process.

But it was flawless. We had that baby running wide-open, fully-configured, within minutes. We successfully incorporated the cable box and Blu-ray player with no issues, whatsoever. It was a Christmas miracle!

One small bump in the road: there was no Amazon Prime icon. But I was reading online about how to add it, grinding my molars a bit, when a software update began to download. And when it was finished, there was Amazon! It was crazy. As if the gods of electronics were watching over us…

And now we’re thinking about taking it up a notch and subscribing to Hulu. Are we overplaying our hand? Are we allowing the new-TV frenzy to turn us greedy? Hey, they have all six seasons of Green Acres on there, which is about all I need to be sold on it. And I think they might have other things, as well. Not sure. I only checked Green Acres.

My goal: To become one of those assholes who bitch about being overly busy all the time, then proceed to tell you about the 12 TV shows they watch religiously, and all the movies they saw over the weekend. I don’t want to get cocky, but I think I can do it. Always reach for the stars, my friends!

How’s your holiday prep coming along? We (Toney) are pretty much finished. I have to buy a couple of small things, but it feels like we’re way ahead of the game this year. I’m not sure how we (Toney) pulled it off, but I’ll take it.

See you guys again soon.

Have a great day!

Support us by doing your holiday shopping at Amazon! If you’re in Canada, here’s your link. Thank you guys!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. aminor says

    December 21, 2015 at 4:19 pm

    Smart TVs are great. We had such a TV for awhile but no reasonable WiFi. Then we moved and HAD to use Comcast (sad day for DISH) at our new place. Woohoo! The TV is now setup with some good apps. Our lives changed (for the better??). Enjoy.

    Merry Christmas Jeff and family.

    Reply
  2. Eugene B. Sims says

    December 21, 2015 at 4:21 pm

    All six seasons of ‘Green Acres’?! The last time I checked it was available watching online and not the app. Is this true??

    Reply
  3. Jeffrey Gottlieb says

    December 21, 2015 at 4:24 pm

    Jeff-
    Have you watched Man in the High Castle or Bosch on Amazon?
    Awesome shows!!

    Reply
    • Wisey in Ttown says

      December 21, 2015 at 5:21 pm

      Bosch kicks ass.

      Reply
      • Ognir says

        December 21, 2015 at 6:16 pm

        Have you read the books?

        Reply
        • Wisey in Ttown says

          December 23, 2015 at 4:27 am

          All of them and some twice.

          Reply
          • Ognir says

            December 23, 2015 at 12:08 pm

            I have not read the most recent one yet.

            Reply
  4. chill says

    December 21, 2015 at 4:25 pm

    I don’t know about this newfagled “TV” thing. Don’t like being an early adopter. Might be best to wait a bit.

    Reply
  5. Ognir says

    December 21, 2015 at 4:52 pm

    I just started watching Curb Your Enthusiasm. Hilarious.

    Reply
  6. Angie Young says

    December 21, 2015 at 4:57 pm

    Yes, the jackassery is strong with those two at the moment. Best quote I’ve seen to describe kids all day!! Love it!!

    Reply
  7. Wisey in Ttown says

    December 21, 2015 at 5:20 pm

    Arnold Ziffle would be proud….

    Reply
  8. Joe T. says

    December 21, 2015 at 7:03 pm

    Nailed it with Scranton being 10% more civilized than WB. It’s not much, but it’s sumptin’.

    Reply
  9. t-storm says

    December 21, 2015 at 9:59 pm

    Pull the Hulu trigger. We rarely watch any show the night it is actually on.

    Reply
  10. revashanes says

    December 22, 2015 at 6:22 am

    We made the thousand mile move from a land locked state to 100 yards from the beach. Everyone is getting shirts with “Myrtle Beach” emblazoned on the front. Easiest Christmas shopping ever!! (arbitration has been denied, anyone know how to file a lawsuit against a moving company?) We bought a smart TV when we arrived here as the old one was left behind. The screen is so good I can see the actors pores (full body shiver). Hitting the road tomorrow for the Christmas Family Tour and have a day to learn how to torrent. Suggestions for an old gal? VPN’s too?

    Reply
  11. madz1962 says

    December 22, 2015 at 10:15 am

    We have a Samsung TV, too! Great picture.

    Reply
  12. teresmit says

    December 22, 2015 at 10:47 am

    Great decision on the TV vs. trip!!!!

    Reply
  13. johnthebasket says

    December 22, 2015 at 6:21 pm

    I got a job and tried to put my money away. But I got debts that no honest man can pay, so I drew what I had from the Central Trust and I bought us two tickets on that Coast City bus.

    Everything dies baby that’s a fact, but maybe everything that dies someday comes back. Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty and meet me tonight in Atlantic City.

    What is all that to a slimline TV?

    jtb

    Reply

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