I guess Dick Smith Electronics is the Foodtown of electrical and computer equipment. It's all seems too convenient, a bit overpriced and bulkbuy - but it does the trick when I can't be arsed shopping around for absolutely everything in my life.

A few weeks (months?) ago, my beautiful big 21" Trinitron computer monitor spazzed out and although I'm sure it's just a $4 fuse, i've not done much in the way of getting it fixed. All it takes is a call to the 0800 number and they come and get it and fix it then bring it back again in a few days. Last time this happened they even gave me a loan monitor which was so nice of them. But, I've not phoned the 0800 number - in stead, I got a cheap blurry old screen from an internet cafe and have been squinting and hating my online experience instead.

I'm not a smart man, Janny.

And on Sunday I had had enough. Enough, I say. So I DSE.co.nz'd the monitor section and saw a 17" for only $138 dollars and decided that was way easier than squinting a moment longer.

I know I know but sometimes throwing money at a problem is less effort than fixing it properly.

This scenario is not unusual in my life.

Anyway.

After the Warriors game* I dropped into the Dick Smith store and asked after their monitors**. They had one left in stock so I said I'd have it. He said it was in the stock room which was upstairs. I said I'd wait and away he went to source it.

After some time, he came back: somewhat out of breath. "Don't tell me you don't have one afterall" I warned him. He told me the monitor was in stock but wasn't a new one. Turns out it was a "product return" and he could give me a discount but he wasn't sure if I still wanted it. I asked a few questions and enquired after the discount and, being DSE it wasn't much of a discount but it was better than a poke in the eye with the burry monitor that was sitting at home so I said OK, that was fine. He sighed and said he needed to go *back* to the storeroom to get it and it might be a while because the lifts were out and he had to leg it up the many flights of stairs. I wished him luck and wondered why he didn't bring it downstairs the first time.

He took much longer to come back, lugging the box with my secondhand monitor. He was puffing a bit and perspiration was beading down his face from his hairline.

I couldn't resist. Though I didn't try *that* hard to resist.

As he straightened and tried to catch his breath I said "I've changed my mind, I don't want it anymore."

*Priceless* facial expression.

I laughed and said "i'm just messin' wit cha" and he grr'd and I laughed.

So now I have a temporary, probably end up being permanent, 17" monitor (16.2" viewable) until I get my beautiful 21" monitor to the shop and a funny little story to blog about.

Well I thought it was funny.

* Warriors lost to the BullDogs (we hate the bulldogs) on a beautiful sunny day where I got sunburnt and it rained so I got wet too - go Auckland weather. But by Jesus it pisses me off when Warriors fans leave the stadium before the end of the match. Sure, we weren't going to win and sure, that Bulldogs try 5 minutes before full time was a pain in the neck but having 5000 fans stand and leave can't do much for our Team. Damn Fair Weathered Supporters - shame on the lot of you.

** I hate LCD monitors. The End.