Wanted Caddyshack DVD but ended up with a lab microscope instead

Here is a quick summary paragraph if you don’t care about all the details.  This blog is about how I ended up purchasing a super discounted lab grade microscope because a blogger reminded me how badly I wanted to watch Caddyshack (popular 80s movie).

My incident with sale sites such as Ebay and Amazon is legendary, when my wife is out of town.  Those that follow my blog probably know about my 1973 Swedish military truck purchase and the carbon fiber wheelset purchase.   Yesterday started out innocent enough.  My wife is out of town and I’m out of town with my 2 boys, for a nice quiet weekend getaway.  Earlier in the week, I started having conversation over some 80’s movies.  It’s really hard to stop an 80’s discussion when it was such a nostalgic period for me.  Long story short, the conversation concluded with an urgency and a burning need to watch Caddyshack, ASAP.

My quest started with my local RedBox movie rental box on the way to the vacation…unfortunately, Caddyshack was not available.

I also checked the local grocery store near the hotel.  Luckily, they were having a big sale on all the old DVD movies! But, unfortunately, no Caddyshack showed up even after about 45minutes of probing and flipping through bottomless pit of old unwanted DVDs.  By then my two little boys were pissed at me for wasting their pool time…lol.  No biggie, I can always sign up for Hulu or Netflix and watch it when kids go down for bed…so I thought.

Kids had a wonderful pool time, fried chicken dinner, and ice-creamy (that what they call a good tasting ice cream).  Woo hoo, they went to bed and it was my time to fly!

I rush to get the laptop and my headset, lunge into my comfy bed, and I start putting all the pillows together to build a man-throne, I was set!

hurry…quickly…hulu+[cntrl & enter]…sign up for membership…search Caddyshack.  Damn! They only had trailers of the movie!

hurry…quickly…netflix+[cntrl & enter]…sign up for membership…search Caddyshack.  Double damn!! Bunch of golf swing videos and no Caddyshack the movie!

On to Bing search for ‘watch Caddyshack movie’.  Among all the questionable sites and torrents, I see a one result that was simply heavenly.  Amazon.com came up, I clicked on it, and sure enough they have streaming service, too!  Lucky me I am already a long time Amazon member, and $2.99 for 48hour streaming rental was very reasonable.

Everything was all downhill after that.  Time was 10:30pm and I figure I’ll just peruse through their deal page for few minutes.

Folks let me tell you about the deal they had on Amazon…it was a $1200 microscope that was on sale at over 80% off!  I had a few thoughts,

1.  I didn’t know a microscope was so expensive
2. I bet it will be fun to see what is in my drinking water
3. I better buy it before it sells out

Followed by reasoning phase,

1.  Why do I need a professional level microscope when a professional level water analysis is only $20?
2. It’s huge and weights over 10lbs, where can I put it?
3. What would the wife say when she finds out?

And lastly, the justification phase,

1.  I need it because it can do more than just look at drinking water.  Maybe I can find a cure for certain blood disorder, or at least look at a fish tail when it gets ich disease.
2. Well…we do have the dining room that never gets used.  I can probably put it on the corner of the table and nobody would even know it’s there.
3. Maybe she’ll be proud I’m making positive progress buying things on Amazon and Ebay.  It’s probably better than the old 1973 Swedish military vehicle and all the carbon fiber goodies for my bicycle.  Microscope is educational and maybe it will encourage our boys to become a brain surgeon or a neuro-scientist, because their daddy took the heat for the microscope and stood up for their future! [insert ‘U.S.A…U.S.A’ chant here]

It was about 12am by the time the microscope was in the shopping cart and I’m thoroughly going through every single review on the scope.  I was really hoping to find the one comment that would explain why this thing was 83% off and why I need to back out of the deal.  Every reviewer was in full agreement that this scope does EVERYTHING.

The biggest coincident occurred when I got a reply comment from the same blogger that basically paved the way for me to get this microscope, reply comment came as I was putting my credit card info in the checkout box.  I had a chuckle with her explanation for this purchase on a whim,

‘THE ultimate man reason…. “because it was on sale” hahaha doesn’t matter WHAT it is….’

Christina is a wonderful blogger and she loves her Caddyshack and Spaceballs.  Check out her blogsite @

http://reconstructingchristina.com/

She asked if I saw the movie yet and it dawned on me, it was now about 1am and I was SUPPOSE to watch Caddyshack hours ago!  All I wanted to do for the evening was purchase the Caddyshack rental for $2.99, but somehow I ended up with a Lab LED Binocular Compound Microscope with Double Layer Mechanical Stage.

You guys are probably thinking the exact same thing I’m thinking right now; there is something wrong with this society when it’s so much easier to buy a lab grade microscope over one of the greatest comedy movies of all time…lol

My road trip back home should be interesting.  I have to train the boys to say the “right” thing. Three of us need to have a consistent story when mommy finds out whats in that brown smiley box from Amazon.  I will also make my wife a nice soothing Lipton tea, when the box arrives.  Did I mention I bundled the Lipton purchase with my microscope purchase?  144count tea bags for $3.99, it was 79% off 🙂

Not losing any more focus, this weekend isn’t over yet, and I will watch Caddyshack this evening!

Route in Google Earth and transfer to Garmin GPS (part 2)

Updated 9/21/12 using google earth version 6.2.2.6613

In this guide you will learn how to get any sketched or routed path from Google Earth directly to your Garmin GPS.

I got an email request for an update to using standalone Google Earth software with a Garmin GPS.  Everybody knows I stive to keeping perfect customer satisfaction rating, so here is my update.  Please refer to part 1 if you are still using older version of Google Earth.  This post will be using Google’s latest v. 6.2.2.6613.

There are several ways to get info into your personal GPS, but this method is the cheapest method(free) without having to sign up for another web account service.  Besides, its just so cool when you can integrate Google earth with any GPS.

1. Install GoogleEarth for your computer

2. Install Garmin Mapsource

3. Reboot your machine

4. Start your GoogleEarth

5a.  There are two options now.  You can use “Add Path” icon from Google earth to sketch your route.  Once you are done sketching goto step11.

5b.  or if you want Google Earth’s calculated directions proceed to step 6.

6. Create all your “Placemarks” first. This sets up a point to point connection of your path

Note: Once you initially hit the placemark icon, you will need to drag and drop it to specific location.

6.  Place your mouse cursor over the starting placemark, right mouse click, and click ‘Directions from here’

7.  Place your mouse cursor over the next placemark, right mouse click, and click ‘Directions to here’

8.  Click icon for ‘Copy the current search results to My Places’.  This moves directions and route to ‘My Places’

9.  Repeat steps 6 to 8 until all the routes are created and moved into ‘My Places’ box.

10.  Here is what it would look like after you connect everything up. My routes are in blue, also notice all the connections I made on the left side of the screen

11.  Once you are happy with your newly created route(s), its time to get it ready for your Garmin GPS. Go to “My Places” in Places box/right mouse click/Save place as/<route_name.kmz>

Note: DO NOT use the upper left File/save/Save place as…

12.  Open up your web browser to GPSvisualizer.

13.  Browse for your .kmz file, be sure to set output file to .gpx, and hit the ‘GO’ button. Your form should look like this.

14.  Click on your shiny new .gpx file and save it to your computer

12. Open up GarminMapsource

13. Open the newly created .gpx file from step 14.

14. Connect up your Garmin GPS to your computer

15. Click Transfer/send to device.

 

 

Part 3 will be a guide to using Google and GPS to mark your own property boundary, with excellent correlation!

Pays to look like a woman when you are a woman

courtesy of http://www.kenshamrock.com

One of the sports I follow very closely is a sport of MMA (mixed martial art), so when I hear Ken Shamrock in the news I was excited.  There is just two things you need to know about Mr. Shamrock 1) his ring name is “World’s most dangerous man”, well, he used to be.  2) He is a formal heavyweight champion of the UFC and Pancrase.  In other words, you do not want to mug this guy no matter how desperate you are.

So Ken is walking down the street minding his own business when he spots a damsel getting assaulted.  He goes in to break up the fight when he gets jumped from behind by a heavyset man.  The guy that jumped him probably didn’t realize Ken was a professional fighter because Ken basically man-handled him and “incapacitated” the heavyset guy.

It isn’t until one of the spectators yell out, “Ken, you just hit a girl!”  Upon closer look, indeed, he was a she…Ken immediately backed off.  He later apologized and said, “It was an honest mistake”.  I sure hope Ken doesn’t lose his house over this incident 😦

Here is the link to the news article,

http://www.tmz.com/2012/08/23/ken-shamrock-fight-mall-attack-woman-ufc/#ixzz24QXJkZfG