Who would've thought that a simple web order placed on searsoutlet.com could create such a headache for me:

In June my wife and I had our dryer break down. It probably could have been repaired but we didn't want to put any additional money into the thing because it was a very basic model and was almost 10 years old. She's been wanting some of those newer, energy efficient, front loading models anyways.

That night I started doing some research online. Those things can get pretty expensive and being the cheapass that I am I wanted to find the best deal that I could. We decided that it was worth discounts of up to 40% to buy refurb or scratch & dent machines. I found a pair that seemed like an excellent buy on the searsoutlet.com so I placed an order online. I received an e-mail a few minutes later stating that they had to confirm the order by verifying the items were in stock at my local outlet store.

The next morning I received an ...

My old MP3 player died last year so for Christmas I received a 2GB 3rd gen iPod Shuffle. It fits my needs pretty well, the only feature I sort of miss is the lack of an FM radio player but that's not a big deal. I use the Shuffle to listen to music while I exercise during my lunch break. The other day I thought the damn thing was broken because the controls built into the headphones stopped responding.

I took it home, re-synced it with my PC, and it started working again. The next day at the gym it worked for about 10 minutes then I had the same problem. I think I've finally figured out the problem: when I sweat the moisture gets on the headphones and it stops responding.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem before and what they'd suggest as a good solution? I was thinking about purchasing a replacement set of headphones but I don't know if you can get some that are waterproof for a reasonable price.

Yesterday when I was leaving the office I realaized my phone (Blackberry Curve 8320 w T-Mobile service) wasn't working correctly. The screen showed "SIM card rejected". I tried rebooting my phone a few times but I was still having the issue. When I got home I removed the card, cleaned the copper contacts, and still no go. Luckily I happened to have a brand new spare from an old phone. I inserted the new card and it worked. I had to call to have the card activated but once I did I was back up and running.

I started trying to figure out what had caused this. I have a USB cable plugged into my work computer so I can charge my phone when I'm at the office. I've noticed in the past when I've taken my phone off the cable it's done a reboot. I.T. Has our computers set to go into sleep mode after about 30 minutes of inactivity. I wonder if the sudden change in power levels caused by my PC coming out of sleep caused this to happen?

I'll start my blog with the ever popular New Year's Resolution... My main resolution this year is to get serious about losing weight. Last January my work changed from allowing a 1/2 hour lunch and leaving at 4:30PM to forcing everyone (well schedules were assigned by seniority and I'm close to the bottom) to take an hour lunch with the day ending at 5:00PM. Since our Internet has been pretty well closed off I signed up for a gym membership and have been using the time to work out. I've gotten used to exercising but haven't been serious enough about my diet. I've done just enough in 2008 to maintain my weight.

This year I am going to be much more conscientious about what I eat. My ultimate goal is to lose 50 lbs but by the end of 2009 I want to be at least 25 lbs lighter. I've been debating putting a weight tracker in my sig for motivation and to keep tabs on my progress.

I noticed today when reading the forums just how much my mind seems to have associated CAGs...

A few weeks ago I went to the optometrist for an exam and to get a new supply of contact lenses. I have an astigmatism in my left eye so I have to buy toric lenses for it. The last time I went the Dr told me that they had not released the toric lenses in Oasys yet so I had to just get the advance version. My insurance pays for the exam and gives me something like a $100 credit towards a pair of glasses or contacts. Being the cheap ass that I am I usually order 6 months worth of contacts and wear each pair longer than you're supposed to.

Each pair is only supposed to be worn for 2 weeks but I generally wear them for 3-4 weeks. The Advance brand start to feel uncomfortable and dry out about the time I start the second week. This time when I went in I was able to get the Oasys and they feel 100x better! I was able to make it 3 weeks on my first pair and they still feel great. They seem to stay moist all day and not build up as many of the protien deposits like my old Advace pairs...

I had to laugh when I read about this while browsing Amazon.com.

I'm always interested in technology and am a fan of any products that can help eliminate the clutter of the dozens of wires needed to link the several pieces of equipment throughout my house.

I clicked on a link that took me to this:
http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-FlyWire...6211058&sr=8-3

I thought it was interesting until I saw the price! I know brand new technology is always expensive right at first but do they really expect people to spend more on their HDMI solution than their HDTV? Great idea but WAY too expensive!

Since joining I've had 12 trades with fellow CAGs go off without a hitch. About two weeks ago I negotiated my 13th and it looks like I'm probably going to get screwed.

So far I'm giving the CAG the benefit of the doubt but my patience is wearing thin. I sent my stuff around October 6th or 7th. I got a PM from ****** on Sunday October 12th saying he got my stuff and his end of the trade was going out on Monday. That's the last time I've heard from him. I've sent this person 3 PMs since and haven't gotten a response. I've noticed that the last time he logged in was this past Sunday morning so it seems either he's all of the sudden got something urgent going on or he's purposely avoiding signing on because he knows what he's done.

As per standard CAG protocol I sent first because I had the lower CAG rating (12 compared to 19). I will probably give him another day or two to respond before I list his name and fire off a negative rating.


EDIT: Here's...

I was in the mood to play some football this weekend so I finally opened my clearance copy of Madden 09 CE that I got from Target a few weeks ago. I haven't purchased or played a Madden game from several years now and hadn't planned on doing so this year but the CAG in me could not pass up the price.

After playing a few games I have to say I am really glad I didn't pay anymore than I did. The gameplay to me just seems to be a little off. It may just be the fact that I haven't gotten used to it but I'm really disappointed with the running game. It seems impossible to gain any significant yards on the ground and that's on one of the lower difficulty settings. I still say the last NFL 2K game is the bast console NFL game out there. EA has just gotten fat and lazy with the lack of competition.

Last night while my wife and I were watching TV our 50" RCA SCENIUM projection LCD TV went out. I'm 99% sure it was just the lamp as we heard a somewhat loud "POP" then the picture went out but we could still hear the sound.

Luckily when we bought it from Best Buy we picked up the 4 year service plan. I called Best Buy and they've ordered the lamp but it will be at least a week before it gets here. I guess I'll try and get caught up on some of the PSP games I haven't had a chance to play yet.

I think I am finally done playing MGS4. I've played through the game about 4 times now and earned several of the different badges. I want to go for the Big Boss badge but I don't think I have the patience for it. No kills, no healing items, on hard, in under 5 hours...

I might finally break open my copy of Smash Bros on the Wii. I bought it from Amazon several weeks ago when it was on sale for 1/2 price but I waited to play it since I was in the middle of MGS.

I blogged about a possible cell phone upgrade in an earlier blog. I took the plunge and picked up the Blackberry Curve. I'm really enjoying it. I need a full keyboard on my phone because I like to text but I'm not that good using the number keypad for it.

I stopped by Best Buy this afternoon hoping to nab a copy of Warhawk with headset for $30 as reported by other CAGs due to the game going GH. No such luck. The copies of the game with headset were ringing up $49.99

I'm due for a cell phone upgrade with my carrier (T-Mobile). I am currently using the Blackberry 8700g and I've been thinking about changing to the Curve.

I never really had a need for a Blackberry before but I got the 8700 for free when my Dad changed cell phone service for work. From what I can tell it would cost me about $99 to upgrade to the Curve with contract extension (not a big deal since I've been with them for almost 10 years and don't plan on changing since all of my friends and fam have it).

It seems like the upgrade would be a good move since the Curve is a lot slimmer, has mem card expansion slot, camera, and the mouse ball instead of the track wheel. Plus from what I've seen on eBay I could probably recoup most of my costs by formatting and selling the old phone.

OK, so I'm finally getting around to posting my first blog entry in this whole CAG 2.0 thing. I recently finished MGS4 on the PS3. I've read about others making multiple runs through the game to collect all of the badges. I don't think I have the patience to do so especially the Big Boss one.

My local Blockbuster finally started renting Bluray movies so I picked up Juno and Superbad this evening. My wife and I just finished watching Juno and I don't get all of the hype. I'm hoping Superbad is much better.