Mail Call!

It's that time of year again.

My mother just came up to me holding my Christmas list. "Which of this stuff do you want?"
"Um, how about all of it?"
"I checked it on Amazon. What is "pocket watch"? What kind?"
"Oh, yeah."
Sighing, I scroll down the page, looking for the watch I saw some weeks ago. I suppose I should explain.

For the past couple of years, my mother lets us pick our Christmas presents from Amazon or eBay or wherever. Whatever we want, as long as it's equal to $50. (But sometimes we go over, like $55, but it's okay.)

So I'm looking at the selection of watches. I don't find the one I like but find a cooler one.
"OMG THIS IS AWESOME!" Bronze, finely polished, interlocking gears, only $25...compared to some companies *I'm looking at you, every single Chinese company that advertises on eBay that sells their watches for upwards of 250*.

So you can imagine my ecstasy as I had the items I wanted (a Moleskine pocket notebook and a CD album were the other listed items) and it all equaled 52 dollars. We press "Order", and...

And...

SHIPPING ESTIMATION: February 2-9

...

What the...
The company was in some far off European domain (miraculously not China or India, which is what the time would be explained for.) But why? Why must it take more than 6 weeks for a watch to head to my little corner of California?

I know, I know. Express rates, second class, regular airmail, time zones, jet lag, lack of funds, lack of time, lack of energy, lack of coffee, lack of sense. All the usual stuff. If someone ever comes up with those tech-future stuff that the Jetsons, Fringe, and other sci-fi from the past advocate that involves you getting something RIGHT AWAY, then please let me know.

So hurriedly I cancelled the order and chose my second pick -- a watch that is actually quite decent and is wound-up to move. Amazing. I sound querulous -- but honestly. It'd be awkward to receive a gift on Candlemas rather than Christmas. Which reminds me...I must start making candles as gifts for those who call themselves my parents. :)

To the next!

-Rob