Nov. 29th, 2008 10:49 pm
Why can't every day be Buy Nothing Day?
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muckefuckWhy am I so bad about buying things? ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
monshu and I went to the local nursery today to look at Christmas trees. Since I don't have much in the way of either ornaments to put on it or presents to put under it, I figured a live tabletop tree that we could reuse every year was our best option. What I really wanted was a stone pine, since they are true pines, but they're native to the Mediterranean, so they can cope with being inside all winter. (Most conifers need a period of very cold weather to go dormant; being in a warm room in December totally messes them up.) I was surprised to find that Gethsemane, which stretches three blocks on Clark Street, didn't have any.
What I did find were ranks of dwarf spruce outside the entrance and rows of Norfolk pines in the greenhouse. In addition to the aforementioned issues, these little spruces also have branches too flimsy to support all but the tiniest decorations. The Norfolk pines don't have that issue, and as tropical plants, they love the indoors, but they just don't look very Christmas-tree shaped, know what I mean? One of the employees said we could have a look at the plants in the trees and shrubs area. Here we ran into a very helpful, knowledgeable man who gave us a full rundown of the ads and disads of junipers, hemlocks, arborvitae, mugo pines, and so on, after which we concluded that anything other than a Norfolk was going to be too fragile. So all in all, one hour of deliberation to make one $20 purchase. Go me!
Now I'm trying to do some gift-buying online. It should be the easiest thing known to man--a few clicks from the wish list and you're done--but I find the whole process stressful and draining. I really couldn't explain why. Everything is for someone I love--a kind, understanding person who will continue to love me no matter what I get. So why the anxiety? When does the fun part of tossing out a little disposable income kick in? Maybe I need another trip to Sam's Wines to raise my spirits.
monshu and I went to the local nursery today to look at Christmas trees. Since I don't have much in the way of either ornaments to put on it or presents to put under it, I figured a live tabletop tree that we could reuse every year was our best option. What I really wanted was a stone pine, since they are true pines, but they're native to the Mediterranean, so they can cope with being inside all winter. (Most conifers need a period of very cold weather to go dormant; being in a warm room in December totally messes them up.) I was surprised to find that Gethsemane, which stretches three blocks on Clark Street, didn't have any.What I did find were ranks of dwarf spruce outside the entrance and rows of Norfolk pines in the greenhouse. In addition to the aforementioned issues, these little spruces also have branches too flimsy to support all but the tiniest decorations. The Norfolk pines don't have that issue, and as tropical plants, they love the indoors, but they just don't look very Christmas-tree shaped, know what I mean? One of the employees said we could have a look at the plants in the trees and shrubs area. Here we ran into a very helpful, knowledgeable man who gave us a full rundown of the ads and disads of junipers, hemlocks, arborvitae, mugo pines, and so on, after which we concluded that anything other than a Norfolk was going to be too fragile. So all in all, one hour of deliberation to make one $20 purchase. Go me!
Now I'm trying to do some gift-buying online. It should be the easiest thing known to man--a few clicks from the wish list and you're done--but I find the whole process stressful and draining. I really couldn't explain why. Everything is for someone I love--a kind, understanding person who will continue to love me no matter what I get. So why the anxiety? When does the fun part of tossing out a little disposable income kick in? Maybe I need another trip to Sam's Wines to raise my spirits.