robot pirate scorpion

i just got a new phone. it’s got a whole bunch of interesting features- camera, video camera, email, radio, mp3 player, etc. expect to see more visual aids from now on. here is the first of many:

as my birthday is approaching, i was asked by a friend what i would like. i’m not usually the type to make a big deal over birthdays in general, so i wasn’t sure what to say. she let slip what her gift idea was, and i thought it was perfect. i have in mind to purchase one of two items i’ve been eyeing for a long time, but i’m not sure whether i should spend my meager savings on something that is ultimately a luxury or if i should continue to save to put myself in a better position. based on past behaviour, i think i know what i will end up doing.

the main motivation for this post was to discuss something that had seemed to be a good idea upon first inspection. i came across a website, called fundable that facilitates group purchasing.

since i gave myself a deadline to purchase one of the two items which (inadvertently) coincides with my birthday, i thought it would be a good idea to use their services to consolidate disparate gift ideas and my own savings in one direction. with a friend’s encouragement, i created an account and went about setting up a fundraiser for myself only to find that they had recently changed their policies. when i first discovered fundable, their minimum target amount for group purchases was $15. after several attempts at getting my fundraiser together, i contacted fundable to inform them of my problem. in their (amazingly speedy) reply, i was told that they have recently changed the minimum from $15 to $350. the initial minimum did seem a little low to me, but now it seems unreasonable and is way more than i had even hoped of ever raising.

now that avenue is no longer one worth exploring, and i am unable to expedite my goal of skateboarding and filming the rest of my summer away. i guess sometimes there really are no easy shortcuts.

in other cryptic news, a meeting i was looking forward to this weekend fell through. i hope it doesn’t turn into a situation where coordinating schedules becomes a chore and taints the experience i was anticipating.

the previous photos were taken with julie’s camera. she needed it back, so now i have nothing to photograph my pointless busywork with. unless you count these two relics of trends gone by.

in its stead, i’m comparing a few suitable candidates. as i’m currently not in a position to devote much funding to this situation, i’m stuck between two options.

the “spend money i don’t have, but get a camera i won’t need to replace for a while” option:

or;

the “buy this one because you can afford it even thought it’s extremely limited and probably won’t be useful for too long” option:

still on the fence, but the direction i’ve had so far tells me to go for option 1. any input would be appreciated.

here are those photos i mentioned.

also, we found(/stole) an old door earlier in the week. with its installation, we’ll be one step closer to living in a real apartment.