30 Years And Almost 3 Months

^ That's how long it took me to purchase my first television. Ever. I don't remember ever laying down any actual money for a TV. There was always a spare or two lying around when I needed one (probably a pretty natural occurrence back in the old standard definition days). I've purchased 1080p-capable PC LCD screens in the past, which I've then used for gaming and HD-DVDs. The biggest screen I have is 24" though. Hardly even counts.

Today I splashed out on a 50" Samsung plasma, which I chose over an LCD/LED due to price and... well, price mostly. Also the fact that I'm getting a free Blu-Ray home theatre system through the current Samsung promotion. In real terms this means about $2500 value for less than $1200 of actual money (including extended warranty and delivery). It pays to shop around sometimes. Maybe I just taught myself a lesson?



Anyway, this is supposed to just be the TV that will tide me over for a little while and allow me to watch the World Cup in high definition. It'll probably end up in my bedroom one day as the spare HDTV. I'm pretty crazy about video games, movies and a number of carefully-selected television shows, so I could pay thousands for a proper HDTV quite easily. Of course by easily I really mean if I had the money.

Fryday

Contoured pillows. One of the first things I thought about when I woke up this morning. I lived with lower back pain for quite a few years. It kicked off when I was 17 or so. At some point I had to get rid of my soft mattress and I purchased a firm futon to rest on. It definitely helped me sleep better. Lately though, I've been waking with neck and upper back pain. At some point it occurred to me that I never cared about the pillows I was sleeping on. I always used whatever was around the house. We spend approximately a third of our lives sleeping though. Surely $50 for a pillow isn't much? Even $100. Then again, we spend thousands on televisions, and there's no way we spend more time in front of the TV then we do sleeping. At least I hope none of us (us being the human race as a whole) fit that category. Maybe our priorities are all messed up. Maybe we'd all be happier and healthier if we splashed out for a soft king-size Eiderdown pillow?