Yes, I bought a $500 Vacuum Cleader

Given that I have always had pets, I have always battled dog and cat hair, dirty paw prints, kitty litter trails, hair balls and all other types of messes. I would typically purchase a mid level vacuum cleaner and generally be disappointed with their performance. Not to mention, the thing would give out in about a year. Mind you, I became very good at replacing belts and such. Nothing like sucking up one of those fur mice to burn up a belt. Nice thing about vacuum cleaners today is that you can typically make the basic repairs yourself.

Well, I was tired of buying a new $125 vacuum cleaner every year so I decided to research and commit to a higher quality vacuum. Needless to say, a Rainbow or Kirby was way too expensive for my budget, so I went for a newer product on the market, The Dyson. I purchased my first Dyson around 2003.

Upon bringing the vacuum home, I was subjected to laughter, jokes and jeers in regards to paying in excess of $500 for my new Dyson. My family members rolled with laughter as I pulled the colorful vacuum from the box. I must admit, it does kind of resemble a toy.

"You paid $500 for that vacuum cleaner?" and they would proceed to laugh even harder.

All I kept saying was, "Wait, just wait."

And to myself I was saying,"Don't let me down."

For effect, I vacuumed the house with our old Bissell. By old, I mean, it was probably no older than 6 months. The carpets did look clean. I then vacuumed with the Dyson. Everyone could see the dirt, trash and hair that was circling in the bagless container. In just a few minutes, they were left standing there with their mouths hanging open.

I turned the vacuum cleaner off and with a confident smile of pride, I said,

"Yes, I paid $500 for THIS vacuum cleaner."

Since that time, we have moved into a bigger house. The old Dyson is not what it use to be so you guessed it. I went back out and bought another one. The old one is still in use in the downstairs playroom and the new one is one of those roller ball types that turns on a dime. The best improvement is in the weight. The newer model is much lighter and easier to maneuver.

When I brought the second vacuum cleaner home, thefamily just "oooohhhed and aaahhhed" over the new new addition to our family. Not a single snicker or joke. In fact, we fought over who would get to use it first.

I Am MPS3 Stupid

Not to give my age away, but I am 45 years old. (was that too much of a hint?) My college computer days, if you can do the technology math, began with key punch cards that somehow created a program that we had to successfully run in order to get a passing grade. Do not ask me how I passed that class but I did go on to take other Computer classes involving writing programs for Finance. Unfortunately, to this day, I have no idea what we were doing in those classes.

Fast forward to the first home computer days. Yes, I am one of those people that spent hours looking for the "Any" key and I almost had a nervous breakdown when trying to get the Microsoft Tiled view perfectly divided into fourths on my desk top. I had a panic attack and had to call a friend who laughingly but lovingly pointed out the Tool Bar and the "Tile" Configuration option. Yes, I thought I had broken the computer.

I was a late entry into the Internet and the whole email stuff but caught up quite nicely. However, I did hold on to dial-up way too long. the year was 2007. Do not laugh, I had my reasons. I was trying to wait out my brother-in-law who was living in our basement at the time. I was convinced that if I got high-speed, he would never leave. I am glad to report that he no longer lives with us. The good news is I got high-speed in 2007. The bad news is that it took until 2009 for him to move out. So, I was somewhat correct in my assumption.

I am proud and embarrassed to admit that I did buy a laptop in 1999. It weighed in at almost 17 pounds. Wait, that is not the bad part, it was a mere steal at $2800. I was so proud to carry my boat anchor around. It was a good thing they made the computer "suitcase" so sturdy because I had to drag the bag around, literally.

Now, about that MP3 Player. I know somewhere in there, the MP3 player became the replacement for the CD player. I could not date it for you but I am sure the common computer savvy person could provide the exact date. Me? I purchased my first MP3 player on September 7th, 2009. I hear giggling.......

I stood in the middle of a very common Electronics store, should we say Pest Guy and when the nice young man of probably 17 asked, "Can I help you ma'am?"

I replied, "Listen, I confess, I am MP3 stupid. Can I explain how I think I am suppose to do this downloading music thingy and you let me know if I am close...... without laughing at me?"

He was very kind and supportive and I left the store with one thought in my mind, "This can not be that hard."

I did buy a simple MP3 player, the Sansa Fuze and it, in and of itself, is easy to operate. The downloading on the other hand has been an experience.

Where do I begin?

Download the Sansa Fuze program on your computer. Oh gosh, how do I answer those pesky prompt question. Oh, no, got an error message, must start over and try the only other option. Does that mean I have two copies on my hard drive of this program?

Now, where do I go for the music? Wasn't there something about sharing music for free and people getting arrested? I do not look good in stripes. Oh, future note to self, Never google "Download Music". Fall back plan, go to the Pest Guy site where I can get free music for the first 30 days. Do not even get me started on the difference in "My Play List" , "My Search List" ,"My Viewed List". Oh my gosh, I think I just bought the entire Bare Naked Ladies (Coutry Bluegrass MUSAK rendition). Might I add, I can not figure out how to make the the Sound move from mute to audible on my computer. I have to guess if I have the right song. Did you know that 30 Day "free" offer means the songs self destruct after about 2 playings. It is kind of a "test drive" thing.

Yes, I continue to stumble my way through this MP3 Player download thingy. I might just wait until my 1 year old gets to about 4 and then she can download the music for me. I have successfully downloaded and listened to about 4 hours of music. I was able to fumble my way back and purchase the songs I wanted. I would not be surprised if my charge card reflects I bought 10,000 songs. Hope my limit is that high and doesn't everyone like Country Bluegrass MUSAK renditions?