Get your mind out of the gutter… this isn’t some dirty sex thing. I am talking about boys and electronics - their toys. Roy loves them - plain and simple. In fact, I was whining to him (as I often do, much to his amusement.) that I was unsure of what to write (No, I don’t whine about not knowing what to write, but - and this is rather childish of me - I like it when Roy lets me sit on his lap and complain, cause he often babies me, and I get to be taken care of for a little while.) when he looked over my shoulder and said,
“I wonder what that plug is for?”
I turned around to look under his desk and sure enough, there were more plugs there than some people have in their entire house! His computer monitor, his laptop, his iPad (more on this later!), his blackberry (this is his work phone, while his “home” phone is upstairs in our room), a radio… you get my drift. I turned around and rolled my eyes at him.
“That’s it! That’s what I’m going to write about, you and your toys. Boys and their toys.”
He winked at me, and dirty thoughts ran through my mind. I laughed and smacked him lightly on the shoulder, “No silly! Not like that! Electronic toys, all your doodads.”
He shrugged, and I gathered my writing equipment.
I admit it, I like many of the toys that we have. I learn to appreciate them. Roy picked out this awesome phone for me, the Motorola Backflip. I wouldn’t have picked it out for myself, but I love it. We know it is not the best Android phone around, but my needs for a mobile phone are simple. He bought me a shiny, pink iPod Nano, that I don’t use as much as I should, but I completely dig it. And wouldn’t you know, Apple released a new model soon after I got this one. He convinced me to get a laptop, talked me into buying a HUGE TV, said the Apple TV would be fun, introduced me to the wonders of Blu-ray by buying a PS3, and lets me play with his iPhone. I might grumble and groan when I see him looking at the latest and greatest gadget, but many of his purchases have come to be dear to my heart…
I mean, seriously, is there ANY other way to watch Sons of Anarchy, BUT in HD on a 67 inch screen? I didn’t think so. OK, maybe an even bigger screen and in 3D! But trust me, Supernatural looks so much better on my big TV than on the little one upstairs.
So, when Roy started to look at the iPad, I decided to go with it. It isn’t a cheap toy, but boy is it cool. I started dropping little hints, and finally I came right out and said it.
“I think you should get me an iPad?”
Roy turned to look at me, “Are you serious?”
I laughed it off, but I could tell the seed was planted. A few days later, he wanted an answer.
“Do you really want an iPad? I mean, if I bought one, would you use it?”
“Well, I think it would be cool, but I won’t die if we don’t get one.”
See here was my thing… We had some extra pocket cash, and I knew what he was thinking. He wanted to buy me something pretty, because that is what he does. I am cheap. I admit it. During Christmas I want to buy things for the kids, and I always tell Roy not to worry about me, so when we have some extra spending money, he usually buys me something he knows I want. My latest habit has to do with expensive purses and Michael Kors (seriously, I won’t EVER carry another brand… EVER!), but this money was set aside for him, and I wanted him to spend it on himself. Something HE wanted that I knew he wouldn’t usually buy otherwise - so I pushed for the iPad.
We drove up to Northern Virginia one evening, and ended up going to the Apple store to get the AppleTV, and while there, he asked me again,
“So, what do you think?” He asked when he saw us (Hayden, Dean, and I) looking at the iPad.
“I don’t know. What do you think?” I replied. He laughed at me, but I didn’t want this to be my decision, so I stressed again that it was his money.
We went back and forth, before I finally admitted that I thought it was pretty darn cool, and I think it would be fun.
That was it. That was all the encouragement he needed. He told the young man that was eagerly hoping to make the sale that we wanted one and set about to pick out a case.
We paid for our purchases, and Roy decided to take the boys and I out for a quick dinner. While munching on our PotBelly’s sandwiches, Roy asked if I would use the new toy.
“Of course, but you’ll help me right?” I asked.
“Honey, it’s just like my phone. I think you’ll be fine.”
The first few days we had it we didn’t play with it a whole lot. We didn’t have the screen protectors yet - these are must-have accessories for Roy’s gadgets. And I was scared that I would break it somehow. But when Roy brought it out, I would play a bit, and he even showed me how to download apps.
I’ll be the first to admit it… I think the iPad is SOOO cool. It is just like his iPhone, but bigger and in my opinion a lot cooler. I can actually read the screen without squinting and giving myself a headache. I can read magazines on it, and Roy already got me a trial to see if I like reading my Food Network Magazine on it. (I think I do. This way I can keep all the copies and not take up valuable space in my kitchen, but still have the recipes I want available to me.) There are games for the kids - educational games as well as “fun” games. And we can read the newspaper right online without wasting paper by getting a hard copy subscription.
I fuss at Roy for some of his toys. I tease him that they are silly, and do we REALLY need another PS3? But the fact of the matter is, I like them just as much as he does. Or at least I learn to like them when I figure them out. And in the case of my big TV, I probably like it more than he does.
However, this does NOT justify in any way the enormous expense that is his fish tank. Maybe I can talk him into getting an aquarium app for his iPad and unload the real tank.
