Birthday misadventures and e-commerce…

My birthday was yesterday. I received lots of well-wishes from my friends on Facebook. But the actual celebration was this past Friday (my brother planned it). My sister gave me a Russell Wilson jersey, and we promptly watched the pre-season game where the Seahawks dismantled the San Diego Chargers. This was a complete surprise, as tradition dictates that my birthday never gets celebrated by my family. And I’m usually happy with it. Normally, I’ll take the day off, and enjoy a quiet day to myself. Actually I should correct myself. The past two birthdays, my brother has made sure that dinner was provided (I’m always happy with pizza or Chinese take-out). My father gave me a Spamazon gift card, which has all been used up. About this time, I had also been making some purchases (I’ve long since figured out that if I really want something, I’m going to get it myself).

Long story short, this is what I got:

With the Spamazon gift card:

• A Samsung BD-F5900 / BD-FM59B 3D Wi-Fi Blu-ray Disc Player. It has Wi-Fi on it, so I can play Netflix on my 60” TV. There was some initial difficulty in setting it up, as it initially thought that it was still in Mexico (I saved a few dollars and got it refurbished). But I got it reset, so I can now use Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video. Though I currently don’t subscribe to either (that’s probably going to change, though…)
• 300: Rise of an Empire. I liked the original 300, but I’m not going to pay movie theatre prices.

And I then got some other items on my own:

• It was time I retired both Gateway EV700 monitors that I had been using for the past 14 years. So I got an ASUS VN279Q 27-Inch Screen LCD Monitor. Replacing 2 17” CRT’s with a 27” LCD. I should’ve done it soomer. I really like the HD display. And playing FS is going to be a blast with a 16:9 aspect ratio display. I no longer have to use my tv if I want a widescreen display (which is good, as it only has one hdmi port, and my Blu-Ray player only connect through HDMI)… And with the retirement of the EV700’s, I now am no longer using any component from my original Gateway computer that I got in November 2000.

And I’ve also purchased some DVDs:

• Henry V. I used to have this before. Then I loaned it to a friend, and never saw it again. Shakespeare always makes a good epic. There are times in my life when I could use Derek Jacobi to narrate my life. We could all use a chorus… Though it is ‘out of production’ so I had to get a used copy….
• The Princess Bride. A storybook story with the Dread Pirate Roberts, Princess Buttercup, and Andre the Giant….
• The Austin Powers Trilogy. I liked all three films, and this was chance to own them all.
• The Naked Gun Trilogy. I remember seeing these many years ago. This was Leslie Neilson at his finest. Play LA’s finest…
• Robin Hood: Men In Tights. My. Favorite. Movie. Of. All. Time. And to think I never owned it on DVD. And somehow Mel Brooks’ retelling of the story is so much better than the Kevin Costner treatment. Rabbi Tuckman is better than Friar Tuck.
• Spaceballs. When it comes to Lord Dark Helmet vs. Darth Vader, you have to go with Rick Moranis. And I even got an extra copy for my co-worker, Pizza the Hutt (see Rene, I did mention you…)
• Top Secret. A spoof of both Elvis films and war epics. And it’s funny. Especially that one scene with the cow…
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Once again, I used to have this version, but I lent it out, and never saw it again. Now that I have it again, I shall grin, and then feast upon the lambs. And sloths. And carps. And anchovies. And orang-utans. And breakfast cereals. And fruit bats. And large… On second thought, skip a bit, brother.
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Special Collector’s Edition). I have the regular version (along with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan). For another birthday a while back, I got the Director’s Cut of that film, and so I’ve always been on the lookout for them.

Some of these items (like the Blu Ray player and the monitor) were purchases that I had been planning for a while. But most of the DVD’s I got on impulse in a moment of weakness.

I’ll try to be stronger. I promise.