Category Archives: retail therapy

new laptop

31 Saturday Mar 2007

Posted by in computers, home, life stuff, retail therapy

≈ 20 Comments

satellite-pro-100-series.jpg

It’s very sexy, but should I get it?

I’ve been thinking about getting a laptop for some time now, even though it isn’t entirely necessary as my desktop PC is still running okay (though it does growl and get cranky from time to time). And then today I came across this Toshiba Satellite P100-233 on special offer for 999 euros. In another shop it was 1899 euros.

The main differences between the two were that the more expensive one had more memory (120 whatsits) than the other one (80), and it had Windows Vista Premium while the cheaper one had Windows XP Media Centre (Vista compatible). Both had the same ‘chassis’ – a 17″ widescreen and a very attractive metallic orange lid.

Any advice? I personally can’t see that a bit more memory and a brand new Windows operating system still probably full of bugs is worth spending almost twice as much for. In fact, I wouldn’t even consider it at the higher price. And actually, I only started seriously considering the 999€ laptop after I saw the other one – I reckoned that if I could get pretty much the same thing for almost half-price then I’d be getting quite a good deal.

Oh, the other thing is that I really can’t afford this (then again, that’s what credit cards are for, aren’t they?). Nor do I really need it at the moment. Though I do think it’s only a matter of time before my desktop starts doing seriously weird stuff rather than just annoyingly weird stuff and I’d like to be prepared for that. Also, I would quite enjoy the freedom of movement a laptop allows you … plus I’m sure Nog would appreciate me not hogging his all the time. 😉

So what should I do?

new ikea sofa

04 Sunday Mar 2007

Posted by in life stuff, retail therapy

≈ 22 Comments

Our possible new sofa bed thingy.

We’ll be checking it out tomorrow morning. With a storage drawer option that fits underneath it (for blankets, bedding, etc).

Really quite excited about finally getting a new sofa, since my dear departed Lua totally ripped the old one to smithereens so that it is now just shreds of upholstery barely holding in the stuffing (cleverly hidden under cotton throw). And although I’m not really pleased about the new sofa not having any arms, I think the advantage of having a futon-like sofa bed with storage space at a very reasonable price (about 250€) makes up for that.

So now gearing up for that Total IKEA Experience … and seriously not looking forward to it. In part because I almost never make it through the kitchen section without buying loads of stuff I never knew I needed, but mostly because IKEA stores are not at all user-friendly for people who don’t own cars. And that half the time you go there for something specific it’s out of stock. So, fingers crossed …

christmas shopping

12 Tuesday Dec 2006

Posted by in christmas, holidays, retail therapy

≈ 22 Comments

christmas-presents.JPG

Just found Nog’s first prezzie!

Can’t say what it is here, of course, but it’s something rather unique. In fact, they told me at the shop he would be the only person in the world to have this exact thingy. Though I still have to do a bit of work on it . . .

What are some of the special presents you’ve got (or are thinking of getting) for those special people in your life? f_santa.gif

new cordless phones!

23 Monday Oct 2006

Posted by in miscellany, retail therapy

≈ 18 Comments

phones.jpg More retail therapy (first the webcam, now this!) f_bigeyes.gif

A slightly frivolous purchase as our old livingroom phone is still working, but it’s in an awkward position to use as it needs to be next to the phone jack beside the bookshelves . And anyhow, it’s quite cool having a second phone that works – we did have one in the bedroom but you couldn’t make calls on it because the buttons were stuck. Actually, we’ve put the ‘main phone base’ in the bedroom and the extra ‘remote’ one in the living room, as the remote one just needs to be plugged into the mains.

But having never had a cordless phone before, I have a question.

The instructions say that once the batteries are charged you get 10 hours of ‘talking use’ before it needs to be recharged again. And apparently you don’t have to wait until the batteries run out before recharging them. But is it okay to always leave the phones in the bases? Will this somehow screw up the batteries? I’m wondering because the main base gets quite warm and so the phone does as well. And since this is the one in the bedroom it’s really not going to get used much and will probably spend most of the time in the base.

Anyhow, it doesn’t say anything about this in the instructions and so I thought someone out there might know the answer . . .