since it’s now officially past my birthday, i can set aside the guilt and post a list of things that i want. these may not be items that i wanted to receive as birthday gifts, but just things that i covet in general (in no particular order, either):

• a digital camera (specifically, this one)
• a bottle of Strong68 or Moulin Vert.
• opium
• a blender
• a skateboard (soon enough…)
• a new computer. preferably, this new computer.

in addition to keeping our bar fully stocked at all times, one of my short-term goals is to finally try absynthe. i haven’t done much looking for it in months. at that time i learned that it was illegal in canada. i did some more research and found out that that may not be true. i also found a place in canada that sells one brand. unfortunately, it’s not one of the brands i’m looking for. looks like there’s more searching to do.

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.