Christmas Gift Follies
Post yours.
I had been wanting an ice crusher for some time. They seem to not be a popular item, because I wasn't finding one. (At least not a cheap one.) A couple years ago I found one at an outlet mall in North Carolina. Indeed, Mrs. Dallas was with me when I bought it.
So this morning, I opened one of my packages from Mrs. Dallas, and it was . . . an ice crusher. More than that, it was exactly the same model. (At first I thought she had re-used the box from the old one.) Apparently she forgot I had it because we had stored it in the great kitchen gadget purge, and I haven't bothered to get it out for some time.
Some great scarves, a cool jacket, parents got me some money so I am going to get a flash and some lenses for my camera.
This was kind of a sparse year for Christmas in my family, what with dealing with my mom's illness and recovery ... my sister got me a High Spirits Native American Flute in High D, my mom "got" me (i.e., I went to the store and bought for myself with her debit card) the Hallmark light and sound Star Trek ornament for this year, along with the table top light and sound Enterprise.
Mom says she'll turn me loose with her credit card as well. She's feeling guilty over not having gone out and gotten anything for me herself.
I had an shopping folly in the Target doing my Christmas shopping, though ... an hour and a half's worth of wandering around the store, picking out just the right thing for each person ... and just as I was making my last purchase decisions some soulless dumbass stole my cart.
Yeah. Unpurchased items. I don't shop with a purse, or if I do, it's on my shoulder at all times.
I had to re-shop. It sucked. I nearly cried.
...the Hallmark light and sound Star Trek ornament for this year, along with the table top light and sound Enterprise...
I have to introduce you to my friend Susan..(Cellar name SusanP) she collected every Hallmark ST ornament for years and years.
This year I got her these:
...she's a Lieutenant in the local Fire Police and directs a lot of traffic.
I don't have all the ST ornaments, just the light and sounds. I didn't, for example, get any of the character statue versions.
But I do have the set of tiny to-scale ships for the DS9 space station.
wtf are you talking about wolf?? link please? you lil trek freak you!!
I almost forgot to mention, Saturday's mail brought Mrs. Dallas the gift that keeps on giving . . . a jury duty summons!:eek:
We had to discreetly dispose of two of the kids' gifts this year... one was a cheapo foam solar system "puzzle" which was just crappy in every way, and very frustrating for the kids. The other was this goo that was supposed to be kryptonite somehow, which was as bad as a goo-toy could be--you know, at least the "good" goo-toys stick more to themselves than to anything else, and just rely on the gross factor for their coolness. This stuff was literally just a huge mess, and had to be actively scrubbed off everything it touched. And I'm pretty sure the stains aren't coming out.
My son asked (every) Santa for a "Big Boy Kitchen" I cook(ed) and he cooks with my mom a lot.
My parents got him the BAD ASS kids kitchen from, I think, Pottery Barn. They, and every one else, got him real, small, stainless utensils, a sauté and sauce pan, lots of food that cuts (Velcro inside) with it's own knife and cutting board from the teacher's store, little food boxes, fruit, veggies, a porcelain tea set (I drink a lot of tea and he wanted a real set instead of his girly play one... he does not like the girly stuff, none of this is)... he is set.
All of this is SO COOL. He puts his little apron on and goes to work. It is the coolest thing in the world!
He was chopping and sautéing carrots yesterday like a dam pro, keeping them on the cutting board with his knife and stirring with a spatula... I ... there are no words.
We did not encourage this at all... it was all him.
These
Ahhh cool. thanks :)
lots of food that cuts (Velcro inside) with it's own knife and cutting board
These are a very good toy. Playing that is fun and a learning experience that teaches a life skill. I wish they were around when I was a kid that age. My boy got these a year or two ago and loved them.
We had to discreetly dispose of two of the kids' gifts this year...
I did not put my foot down when I suggested we vet the gifts from family for the inch. As a result, I get to gloat about how "we are definitely going vet gifts in the future."
A bunch of crappy stuff, mixed in with the good, and a bunch of stuff that he is too young for and gets frustrated with.
Hey do you think it says 5+ on the box for a reason?
We spirited away some of the things, but he doesn't miss a trick and an hour later it was "Where is...?"
The big folly this year was a digital camera my mom gave to my daughter. You'd think a camera being given to a kid would be a simple camera to use, right? Unfortunately not. In this case, the camera that's appropriate for a kid is the cheapest digital camera you can buy. I'm guessing it was $19.99. It can only be charged by USB cable connected to a PC. It has no on/off switch, so it is always on. The batteries last about 30 minutes. The pictures are lost once the batteries run out. So you have to take the pictures and run back to the computer in 30 minutes to load them. The resolution is only 640x480. It takes (according to internet reviews) crappy pictures inside in low light. No flash.
I'm afraid to load the software to run the thing. The internet doesn't have much to say about this camera, but what it does say is all negative, including crippling computers that load the included software. There's a slip of paper with the documentation that says in big bold letters that if we have trouble with the camera, "Do not return it to the store where it was purchased." Instead, we should call a non-toll free number for technical assistance.
Fortunately, my daughter has been distracted by other presents and even though she has always wanted a camera, she will probably be fine if I tell her I wasn't able to get it to work.
http://www.sfist.com/archives/2006/12/16/digital_camera_test_10_walgreens_innovage_mini.php
Glatt: SonofV got this little (teeny) gem for Christmas. It's similarly spartan. 2 digit lcd display, very funky software, usb, but not recognized as a removable drive, internal memory only. It's a novelty. High quality pictures:20. lo-qual, max compression: 243 pics. it's a toy. And you have about... eight seconds to replace the battery.
Yours and his have the same button and display layout. I wonder if they have other similarities, like the function and display... For instance, you can change all the settings using the mode button. And you *can* turn it on and off without resorting to removing the battery and losing the pictures... what do your docs say?
[QUOTE=glatt]
I'm afraid to load the software to run the thing. The internet doesn't have much to say about this camera, but what it does say is all negative, including crippling computers that load the included software. There's a slip of paper with the documentation that says in big bold letters that if we have trouble with the camera, "Do not return it to the store where it was purchased." Instead, we should call a non-toll free number for technical assistance. [QUOTE=glatt]
Take it back to the store where it was purchased - I think that those messages are a big scam.
I didn't get much this year, which is fine. My mom did me buy a pair of pajamas and apparently my mom believes that I weigh 600lbs because the pants were huge.
what do your docs say?
They say you need to load the software to get it to work, but I don't plan to load any software on my PC unless I have assurances that software won't break my PC.
When I connect it via USB to PC without loading anything, the PC doesn't see it, but the camera will get charged. To be honest, I haven't read the documentation that closely. The camera has three controls: A shutter button, a mode button, and a switch on the side that switches from "camera" to "charger". Switching it to "charger" also drops the LCD counter back down to zero, so it appears to delete pictures when you do that. Pictures are also deleted when the batteries die. The batteries are non-removable, as is the memory.
Question: are drivers generally safe? If I can load just a driver, and no other bloated crappy software, what's the likelihood that a driver will screw up things on my PC?
Take it back to the store where it was purchased - I think that those messages are a big scam.
I agree. I think the business plan of this company is to sell a large number of cheap products. If they are cheap enough, people won't bother to return them when they don't work.
I got a £10 supermarket voucher from my sister (approx $20) which is only valid at one supermarket in town, about a mile walk from my flat.
Not going to bitch & moan too much, but am a little hurt at the lack of care and attention spent on me. She is the only member of the family I don't have a "no present" pact with, because I buy for her two children every year. Now I buy for them for my own pleasure I admit. And I pick things up in the months coming up to Christmas, so I often end up spending far more than I intended, simply because cool things appear when I have money in my purse. This year I think I bought about £80 worth between the two of them, and about 15 little gifts in total.
I dunno, it just hurts that she thinks so little of me that she will spend no time and very little money to get me a gift, when I spend so much (time and effort at least) trying to make sure her children love what I get them.
Perhaps next year I will tell her I don't want anything - just so I can imagine she would have bought me my heart's desire if only I'd let her.
No, you can't say "generally drivers are safe". A given driver may be safe, and the odds that a bad driver can be removed are pretty good. But I'm in the business of making sure I have a belt *and* suspenders to prevent unwelcome drafts. You'd benefit too from a backup before you took the plunge.
From your description, I imagine our cameras are sufficiently different that my instructions and software and experiences won't map precisely to your situation. Oh well.
If you're really tweaked about it, just give it away and get a "real" camera. I tried the toy camera with this one for starters for our youngest, and it's really just a toy. I think a genuine camera can be had for .. what... $60 maybe? They're embarassingly cheap these days.
Thanks, BigV. I don't really care about the camera. I'm not going to load any software from the CD. I'm fine that it's a now just a paperweight. But I was amused by the comments that turned up when I found a
thread for trouble shooting this particular camera. Various descriptions of the camera include: "one of these el-cheepo's,"
"it leaves a lot to be desired,"
"stupid camera,"
"THIS IS REAL BULLSHIT,"
"I HATE THIS!!!!,"
"that piece of shiznit,"
"THE STUPID THING,"
"its frustrating to use,"
"hard to use,"
"an OBVIOUS beta product,"
"this PIECE OF CHEAP MIERDA sucks,"
"What a waste of $20,"
"stupid program,"
"drivers dont work,"
:lol:
I'm fine that it's a now just a paperweight.
Just toss it into the box of dismantled VCR components!
Sorry to hear that SG - I have 2 brothers one who I talk to all the time (weekly) and the other who doesn't even call me on my birthday even though I do his. I know the feeling very well. Go with the no present pact and still buy for the girls. You just know those kids will remember you and all that you've done for them out of love not need - thats the difference that your sis is missing.
We spirited away some of the things, but he doesn't miss a trick and an hour later it was "Where is...?"
That's when I say, "I don't know honey--it's your toy, you have to learn to keep track of it..."
I know, I'm a bad person. But in my defense, I only get rid of the really awful things, and the majority of the time they don't notice they've gone missing.
My kids had so many toys when they were young that I used to hide 1/2 of them so I didn't have to clean ALL of them up. 3-4 months later I'd swap a few and the got so excited it was like they were new again. I didn't have a lot of money so it worked out really well till they got a little older & figured it out.
You just know those kids will remember you and all that you've done for them out of love not need - thats the difference that your sis is missing.
Thank you. I'm trying to work through my difficult relationship with my sister - I think in the end it will come down to trying not to care that she doesn't love me.
But I do love the children, and I will continue to focus on that.
I wouldn't use Christmas gifts to judge whether she loves you or not. :headshake
You admit you go overboard on her kids and will certainly have their gratitude. But your sister is the one that is tripping over all that treasure and may feel you're spoiling them. She may also be distracted with the hectic Christmas season, as many parents are.
It would probably be better to base your appraisal of your relationship with your sister on the other eleven months.
It would probably be better to base your appraisal of your relationship with your sister on the other eleven months.
Yup. She hates me.
OK, then you're trying to get her kids to like you better than they like her by bribing them with half your disposable income.:lol:
Santa brought my kids DDR (Dance Dance Revolution). I can kick my daughter's ass at it, but the boy is serious competition. I gotta practice again tonight when he's asleep....
Once your daughter figures out the niceties of physical coordination, she will so kick your ass.
She's your daughter, after all.
jinx, have you guys figured out yet that you don't have to return your feet to the center after every step? That will help tremendously if you're still in the beginning stages. Also, watch the knees and ankles. You'll be surprised how soon grownup joints start to ache if you don't consciously keep the stomping as gentle as possible.
That's when I say, "I don't know honey--it's your toy, you have to learn to keep track of it..."
I know, I'm a bad person. But in my defense, I only get rid of the really awful things, and the majority of the time they don't notice they've gone missing.
You must write a parenting tip book! Just remember to thank me in the acknowledgements page.
Santa brought my kids DDR (Dance Dance Revolution). I can kick my daughter's ass at it, but the boy is serious competition. I gotta practice again tonight when he's asleep....
Thats too funny Jinx - My son just got Madden '07 and he is kickin my ass on a regular basis - I can't seem to get the whole 15 control thing with two thumbs down - guess I'm just too old.
Back in 1995 or so I was playing NBA Jam with my nephew on his Super NES. He was about 9 or 10 at the time, and when he executed a particularly impressive dunk I said, "That's cool! How do you do that one?" He said, "I dunno, I just push the buttons till it does something I like."
Once your daughter figures out the niceties of physical coordination, she will so kick your ass.
I know, I know... I have to get all the taunting and grandstanding in while I still can.
jinx, have you guys figured out yet that you don't have to return your feet to the center after every step? That will help tremendously if you're still in the beginning stages. Also, watch the knees and ankles. You'll be surprised how soon grownup joints start to ache if you don't consciously keep the stomping as gentle as possible.
Sounds like sage advice, thank you. I still get dizzy and lost on the mat if I don't return to center though