REI Attic Sale
Let’s get this out of the way: I love REI. I loved it before I got into kayaking and bicycling. I’ll love it more now that I have a child on the way and I’m now in the market for baby joggers, baby carriers, and stuff like that. I mean, I drive a Subaru Outback, I’m legally obligated to eat granola and… Love REI.
So, REI’s prices can’t compare to amazon.com (see earlier post about how I love amazon.com). That’s a problem to someone who really enjoys finding the lowest price. There is a rare event, however, that causes this situation to invert itself: the REI attic/garage sale.
The REI attic sale is an event where they sell anything that has been returned or that was a display model. REI has a no-questions, no deadline, return policy, so not returns aren’t always a result of broken stuff. Oh, and the prices are at least 50% off and you can usually haggle to get them lower. It truly is amazing. I was sold on the garage sale from my last two experiences:
1. I went to one randomly in Boston and picked up a $200 hitch-mounted bike rack for the car for $50. It was a display model, so all the parts were there and it was basically new.
2. I went to an attic sale at the Fairfax store last year and got $120 bicycling shoes for $40. I actually didn’t research this event, underestimated the number of people who would be there, got in wicked late, and still picked up a great deal.
Now, the way that Fairfax does its attic sale is unique. Since the draw is so heavy, they give out tickets at 0800 in batches of 25. Then, when the store opens at 1000, they let in a group at a time. Last time, I didn’t even get a ticket and had to dig through the dregs. I also heard some stories about how people camped out and how it was crazy when they opened.
So, here we are today… I’m first in line, having arrived at 0320. The next person didn’t get here until 0430, so I may have overshot that one. I came this early in the hopes of picking up something for the coming baby, or the upcoming trip to Hawaii (stay tuned…), or for something that sparks my interest. I figured, hey, let’s do it right this time and see what its like when you’re in the first group. Let’s see what happens…
Fast forward: 0800: Tickets go out. I get in the first group, of course. I took the two hours between when they hand out tickets and when the doors open to go get breakfast at the biggest Whole Foods ever… You should go if you’re ever in the Fair Oaks area.
Fast forward again: 1000: Doors open. I get in and make a bee-line for the strollers in the back. I grab a BOB Revolution (probably the 2010 model) and escape the madness. Cost was $129. Another REI attic sale, another win.
With the good news that the family is set to expand, something had to change. The bikes had to go.
Bri and I got motorcycles a few years ago; originally I had an Aprilia Shiver 750, an Italian sportbike, and Bri had a Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200. The Italian had electrical problems and the Sportster was unstable, so Bri and I ended up with a Harley Fat Bob and a Harley Softail Deluxe, respectively. We enjoyed them immensely, went on longer rides on the weekends, and introduced my parents to motorcycling.
In addition to enjoying the freedom associated with riding, I was also able to use my bike to ride on the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes (reducing my commute to nearly 20 minutes instead of an hour) and to park for free near my grad school classes.
In the back of our minds, however, was the knowledge that accidents involving motorcycles usually hurt the rider rather extensively. On top of this, it seemed that people in cars seemed to randomly become enamored with the idea of killing a motorcyclist. From the beginning, we agreed that, once we had a positive pregnancy test, we would sell the motorcycles. So, with a pink line came two Craigslist posts.
Admittedly, her bike went faster, but this week saw mine go to a new owner as well. Sadness abounds, but we’re also glad to get out of this (our motorcycling phase) alive. We now look forward to the day when our daughter/son finds old pictures of us and asks, with a shocked look on his face, “you rode motorcycles?!” Hopefully that is not followed by, “I want a motorcycle!”
I am a consumer whore. I love to buy new gadgets and gear. I am doing my bit to keep the economy rolling, despite Congress’s best efforts. My partner in restoring the economy is none other than Amazon.com. Especially since I’ve started going to grad school and opened a free Amazon Prime for Students account, I tend to do a lot of my shopping on their site.
I particularly enjoy their wish list functions, which allow me to make a list of all the things I want to (and will) buy. That way, I can always remember that I wanted to but that gizmo that does that thing…
Now, I’ve discovered their Baby Registry. In the last few days, I’ve added 48 items to my baby registry… everything from a “I’m already smarter than Palin” onesie, to some color-changing newborn diapers. It helps that they have a “Registry Jumpstart” that leads you to some of the “must-have” items. (Added bonus: a lot of the items have user-added photos where they have their cute babies using the items) They also have a special Amazon Prime account for parents called AmazonMom. With free 2-day delivery, this service is awesome.
So, my registry is at http://www.amazon.com/registry/baby/3HA85FFWTWON1. Let me know if I missed anything!
1st (real) Ultrasound
We had our first (real) ultrasound today. I say “(real)” because we had one before at a place (that I won’t name) that left us with more questions fears than answers. So today we went to the hospital that is about 500m from the house.
They were great. We met one of the doctors, who resembled a slightly effeminate Robert Redford, albeit with a touch of Geraldo Rivera. Either way, they actually answered our questions and didn’t stop the ultra sound with “well, I don’t see the baby. Goodbye.” He did some measuring on the screen (you can see the two crosses on the picture) and the machine took that to mean that we were 8 weeks and 5 days along. OK.
He also said the baby (I had to ask if it was the grey blob in the black blob on the gray screen; answer: yes) was healthy. We even saw the heartbeat! This more resembled a malfunctioning pixel than a heart, but I’ll take what I can get after the first experience.
Either way, it was a great experience and it seems that we’re on our way. Judging by the flood of phone calls that followed after Bri called her mother, there may be some other excited people out there as well…
