Cheap Sunglasses . . . not!

Here ya go, Squib! Sorry, not posting a pic of me in them, though I suspect that after vacation I will post some pics and there's sure to be one with me in it and I hope to be needing shades the whole time.

They're here! my new Oakley's that is. Finally. I was starting to get antsy that I was getting ripped off on eBay but they're here now. The seller was not being at all communicative but he'd already shipped them off so I suppose he figured I'd relax when they got here. Goods delivered as promised. Lara's not wild about them but she said 'whatever makes you happy'. I think she was more pleased when she saw what these suckers sell for at retail.

I also finally won an auction for the walkie talkies. I am especially pleased because I paid less than I've ever seen an auction end at for this particular model. Slightly smaller than most and slightly newer model. The shipping cost was steep to me but given how little I paid in the auction, I think I came out well. I am noticing lots of similar product for more $ in retail so I feel somewhat validated for the effort and patience of working through at least 2 dozen auctions before finally winning this one.

Lara has banned me from any further eBay action.

Obsessed with eBay. I haven't blogged in a while because all wasted computer time has been spent perusing eBay. The whole male/female shopping mentality thing is interesting. Supposedly, we shop differently based on gender, at least generally speaking. I would agree to that basically. I hate shopping, its not fun and it seems like a waste of time. Unless I am targeted towards a particular product. So, shopping online is more my style. I actually enjoy shopping when I know what I want to buy, at least generally and then I need to find the 'right' thing and/or the right price. Those two factors are intertwined and extremely subtley nuanced. Just ask Jenny or Lara, they can tell how weird, convoluted and over-worked my purchase decision making process is. Another major factor about me and shopping is that I am inherently cheap. I will spend plenty of money and I like quality and certain brands, etc. but I need to feel that I am getting a good deal on whatever I am buying. So, eBay presents a vast horizon of possibilities where variety, quality and value all blend in a delightfully confusing way.

My recent quest was for a pair of Oakley sunglasses. Those things are seriously expensive but I think they're a quality product so I am willing to pay more than I will for cheap sunglasses. But I can't tolerate the retail prices and I hate to force my selection by the price. Enter eBay, where the price is somewhat driven by the retail price but other factors weigh in. I was willing to consider a few styles, a few colors of frames and lenses. I also don't need them today. That flexibility allows one to shop eBay with some intelligence. I think I like that part of eBay as well. Knowledge of the product and its value is in effect rewarded.

I am also shopping around for a pair of those Motorola walkie-talkies. Lara has decided we don't need them, but I am still unconvinced. I am willing to drop around $20-30 to find out. Originally, the things were hundreds of dollars apiece. Now, you can get the newest, cheapest model for $15 apiece. I want somewhat better features than the barebones model, but I don't need the top of the line. Again, that flexibility, along with a strict price limit, make eBay an entertaining way to shop.

I'm sorry but I just had to post this ...

oh, this is just so wrong...

Someone asked me about the wonderful t-shirt design I posted and I went looking for the link to send them. I hadn't bookmarked it so I had to do a search and somewhere along the way I stumbled across the item shown here. I sort of doubt the one I found originally is a licensed Sanrio product but you never know...

Ummmmm......yeah..... ohhh-kay.....

painfully accurate...what can I say...

Workin' hard, hardly workin' Uh oh, I've jinxed myself. I was just about to write that the baby sleep thing was improving and now I hear one of them stirring. Nooooooooooo. Oh, maybe she's just wigglin' and right back to sleep.

The in-laws are back in town tonight. I have been a good boy and very pleasant, exceptionally, if I say so myself.

I have been workin' like a banshee around the house. I am confident that I am winning the Dandelion war. That aspect of the lawn is going well. The rest sucks but I am confident that I will have a decent patch o' turf by next year. These things take time and I haven't that much of it to give. On the plus side, that will prevent me from possibly trying to speed up the process and as a result, overdoing it and making things worse in different ways. After mowing, I ran the trimmer over the bits of grass popping up between the walkway stones. I hadn't done that since we moved in to this house. They looked amazingly better, good enough to make me lose steam around replacing them with stamped, colored concrete which I've wanted to do for months.