Boo!
Did I scare ya? Happy Hallowe’en!
Buy Nothing, Steve
The rules of Buy Nothing, Steve are simple:
Between November 1st and March 1st, I don’t spend any money on any of my hobbies: no CCGs, no board games, no video games, no comics, no books, no CDs and no DVDs. Nothing frivolous or suitable for a gift-giving occasion.
And, as with every rule, there are exceptions:
Items that I’ve already ordered are permitted (such as my comics reserve), and I can do a little shopping for Boxing Week.
I do not have a perfect success rate, but each year has been better than the last.
Why did I start this tradition?
I blame Iain Banks.
One day in December 1999, I left work and walked through Indigo Books on my way home. On a display, right there in front of me, was were copies of his latest novel, Look to Windward. I’m a big fan of his work, so I picked up a copy.
After I proudly showed off my latest acquisition, Dina pointed out that I had just tricked myself out of a really cool Christmas gift. She was right.
So, the next year, inspired by the Buy Nothing, Day, I decided to forgo buying my usual consumer habits for the two months leading up to Christmas and the two months leading up to my birthday. That made four months in a row without buying things for my collections and hobbies. Necessities, such as clothes, were okay, but if I had been a clothes-horse, they wouldn’t.
I made it through, but just barely.
This isn’t about culture jamming, taking a stand on consumerism or anything else noble and No Logo-approved. This is an exercise in personal fiscal restraint, and finding ways to cut down on the clutter and streamlining my hobbies.
Thanks to Buy Nothing, Steve, I’ve made annual events of giving away (or selling, failing that) my extra cards, games, videos and books. I’ve also increased my donations to charity. Of course, the changes in my life over the last five years – from moving to marriage to fatherhood to moving again – have made this shift in my priorities as welcome as it was inevitable.
Victory Screech
I finished Steven Erikson’s excellent Midnight Tides, the fifth book of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, last night. And this, in just over a month since I finished readling Baudolino.
At this rate, I’ll get through last year’s reading backlog…next year.
I’d better get started!
Where Was This Site During My University Days?
The Postmodernism Generator: Communications From Elsewhere
[thanks, Dina!]
Comics!
Chronicles of Conan TPB #5: Shadow in the Tomb
More fine barbarian adventures from Thomas and Buscema. The behind-the-scenes essay by Thomas is essential reading, especially regarding the acquisition of adaptation rights.. In this volume, Conan outwits and outfights a pair of warring wizards, seven warring wizards, and a pair demonic adversaries. Poor Conan – always caught in the middle!
Loki #4
Burdens of state weigh heavily on Loki on the day planned for Thor’s execution, and the Trickster finds himself wondering what Thor’s death will prove. What Loki craves most is unconditional acceptance. And who best to accept the Trickster than Thor? If only he knew of Loki’s change of heart.
Secret War #3
Aha! The Secret War is a secret because most of the members of Fury’s strike team don’t remember it!. A year later, the armoured villains backed by Latverian technology are out for revenge. The painted art in this series is e well worth the slow pace of the bimonthly schedule.
Late to the Bandwagon
IFILM – Movies, Trailers, Music and Viral Videos
Thou Pernicious, Ill-Bred Bugbear!
Awwwwww!
Want to know why I’m such a happy guy? It’s scenes like this:
Specs Appeal
I picked up my new glasses yesterday!
[Photo posted at insistence of Hugin and Munin. Idea blatantly snagged from Martine]
Earth Is Full of Things
On Friday, we had a mission at the local Toys ‘R Us. I love those kinds of missions. Dina was looking for a birthday gift for Robert, and she had a specific item in mind: part of a play village. She had looked over the offerings on the Fisher-Price website, had the title in mind, and was raring to go. Ben and I were along for the ride.
However, the toy was hard to find. We scanned the shelves and asked for help, but we couldn’t find it. Dina asked a cashier at the help desk for help, but the set wasn’t listed in the inventory. The girl was very helpful and volunteered to phone other stores in the area.
While Dina waited with the cashier, Ben and I wandered into the electronics section of the store. There was a big sale on games, with a lot of noteworthy titles deeply discounted. Beyond Good and Evil was one among many, but none really caught my fancy (though my resistance to BG&E erodes).
As we left, I asked the cashier if she had Katamari Damacy. She stared at me. I described the game as rolling a ball and picking up things to make the ball bigger. Then she knew what I was talking about!
It turns out that a regular customer had ordered the game and asked the store to hold it for a week. Store policy is to hold games only for 24 hours, so the customer said he’d put the game in the display rack. Well, he misfiled it, and stowed it behind a stack of hockey games. The cashier had been looking for it, and only recently found it.
Well, that poor guy is out of luck…the game was mine!
That wasn’t the only discovery. Dina found the play set she was looking for! It turns out that the inventory had the product listed under the name of the series instead of the brand name. Whoops!
Once that was sorted out, we stopped off at A&W for some of the slowest takeaway service I’ve ever seen, and then went home for supper.
The rest of the evening was pretty quiet.
On Saturday, we went out to brunch for Robert’s birthday. As always, Ben put on quite the show for the waitresses and grandmas in attendance.
In the afternoon, I played Katamari. I played just enough to bring me back to where I was at the rental. Whoo-hoo!
In the evening, Bill came over to give the game a try, and to show off her Greg the Bunny DVD. We played four games of head-to-head ball rolling competition, split the games, and laughed ourselves silly. The only thing I’d like to see are variable time lengths. Three minutes can feel a little too short. And maybe top-down split screens, instead of side-by-side. Other than that, I’m quibble-free.
We watched most of the special features and extras on the Greg set. My favourite has to be the IFC short where Greg confronts the reality that he’s just a puppet. Heart-warming and cruel, just like the show.
I still want to buy the set, but I can easily wait for the holiday gift-giving occasions. No need to rush out and buy it mere days before the onset of another Buy Nothing, Steve event.
Sunday, we drove out to the Townships to help Dina’s folks winterize their house. When the leaves turn and fall, it’s time to help put on storm doors and cover up the mosquito netting on the porch. After five years of participating in these activities, we’ve really developed a rhythm.
I think we surprised Dina’s folks by how quickly we got everything done. All that’s left is to cut some firewood and put on the winter tires, and I think we’re done.
Working outside was particularly amusing because of all the kittens in the yard. This year, Dina’s folks have quite the crop of wild cats. Every time I looked up, there were a dozen kitties looking our way. Far too cute!
Ben was also on his highest cuteness levels. He spent the entire visit walking around the house, playing with his toys, and brandishing a green slotted spoon that he took out of a drawer himself. He was so proud of his accomplishment.
Of course, after all that activity, he slept for the entire car ride home. We envied him.