I’ve never lost well. Never. I don’t spit on the winner or anything like that. I don’t even shout expletives. However, in the private recesses of my mind, dark thoughts of the opponent brood. Even friendly games turn into heated competition. Alexander and I can’t even play Scrabble without a third-party mediator present.
However, I’m getting better. This could be due to the fact that for the past five years, Alexander’s squarely beat me in almost every game we’ve ever played. In short, I thought I was getting used to losing. Until, that is, I place a few bids on eBay.
Being a nursing mother, I recently began the hunt for an electric/battery-operated breast pump. After two none-bottle-takers, I’m ready to be able to leave the house for longer than two and a half hours at a stretch. This means I actually have to bother to pump. And my old manual model just wasn’t cutting it. So after finding the new model that I wanted was hopelessly expensive retail, I tested the bargain waters of eBay.
Lo and behold, the model I wanted was still pricey. What can I say? I just have expensive tastes! But, I place some bids anyway. Lowball bids. But after all, one lucky soul in the past week had purchase that model “Buy It Now” for 75% off retail. I was hoping lightening would strike twice.
Not even close. As I watched my maximum bid settle farther and farther under the growing pile of bidders, I began to seriously dislike these people. And I mean seriously. Dislike. They were just screen names to me, but I found myself angry with them. Don’t you realize what it’s like to have three kids? I need a break every now and then. And why should I have to pay retail for it? Stop bidding on my pump you breastfeeding SAHM-hating CAPITALISTS!!!!
After four or five auctions were bid on and lost, I finally resigned myself. I would keep the model-I-didn’t-really-want-but-at-least-it-was-cheap pump I’d bought last week at the superstore. I just couldn’t handle all the failure. It was only as an afterthought that I decided to look-up that model on eBay. It was there I found the same pump I had purchased for 50% off retail. And it was “Buy It Now.” Instant gratification. No losing involved.
So while I’m not completely appeased (I did, after all fail to secure the model I really wanted), at least I no longer feel like a complete loser. And who knows? Maybe in the next week or so, someone will be looking at the “completed listings” and will curse my screen name under their breath.
2 comments:
THat was a funny post...especially since I have BEEN THERE, DONE THAT! I am amazed at what people will bid on stuff sight unseen....I mean really do they NOT KNOW the meaning of the word BARGAIN?! I have seriously seen things (things I totally want ...)go for more than I can buy them for....what ARE people thinking! It drives me insane and since I have enough things doing that I'm trying to steer clear of good old ebay.....I do like the buy it now stuff though. AND...nutella turned me on to "Crag's List" kind of a localized version of Ebay where you can bid on stuff in your area....check it out at http://www.craigslist.org/about/cities.html
I just have to say that I have the same Scrabble problem with my darling boy. We almost come to the point where I throw the pieces around and drum my feet on the floor like a 2-year-old when we play. Every single game we've ever played, my friend. Only I've only been playing Cody for 4 years! Zut!
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