Random Thoughts, A WalMart Rant, And Lesson Learned While Playing Shot-Online
Lots to get off my chest, and I promise a full NFL (Fantasy) Week in Review next time. But until then…
Random thoughts (an HGH-boosted version of Quick-hitters):
- Seriously, what happened to Fall? Mid 80s to low 90s all week last week, and now AccuWeather says it’s 78 right now. If it’s 78 degrees outside right now, then I’m the freaking Pope.
Time to make my hot coffee iced.
(Tangent: I dropped my coffee press! Now the pot itself won’t stay secured to the round metal base, causing the pot to lean in one direction! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Worse yet, my local 99 Ranch no longer carries this thing. Bah.)
- Read this article, if you haven’t already. What an absolutely heart-wrenching story.
(Kinda make my complaining about a broken coffee pot trivial by comparison, huh?)
- After the Boston Red Sox made that improbable rally to upset the Rays in Game Five of the ALCS, I had to brace myself for something that I hadn’t seen since June.
The Return of the Boston Myopians, led by Mr. Myopian himself!
Thank goodness the comeback was squashed by a J.D. Drew half-swing. And yes, Boston fan, he went around. Stop complaining.
(And yes, the fact that J.D. Drew was the one to kill the rally made it extra gratifying to watch. I can’t wait for Boston fans to turn on this guy.)
- Raise your hand if you had Steven Jackson on your fantasy team, and you benched him this past week.
(raises hand)
It’s a damn good thing that I got blown out of the water anyway! I’m headed for a 2-5 record in one league, and possibly 4-2-1 in the other. Full recap next time.
- This article caught my eye this morning: When has a video game ever made you cry?
I could think of one video game example which really got to me. I’m pretty sure I didn’t go running for the nearest box of Kleenex, but it was pretty heart-wrenching.
I’ll post what video game that was (specifically, what scene) at the end of this blog.
- Current rebate-o-meter: $1222, including a $20 rebate from Norton/Symantec that Parago just refuses to pay out, despite numerous fax attempts.
I hate the rebate game.
- WalMart (groan) rant time!
On the 29th of September, I bought a Philips DVD-RW drive from WalMart, because the item page said it was a ten-pack.
(Anyone who has ever jumped on deals like this already know that this was, more often than not, a description error. Part of the reason why I decided to take a chance on this deal, however, was the fact that I had a $20 WalMart gift certificate from this ordeal.)
As expected, I received a single drive. As I am known to do, I waited until the 10th of October to contact WalMart about the “incorrect” item in my order. I sent them an email that day, and got a reply that night telling me to log in to my account, print an RMA label, and return the package.
Simple enough, I guess. I decided not to pursue this further. On Sunday, however, I got this email:
We are writing in reference to order #xxxxxxxxxx. To ensure that we
provide you with accurate information, we are researching the matter, to
see why you didn’t receive the Philips 20x DVD-RW 10-Pack, SATA
Interface. We will contact you with an update within the next 2-3
business days.
What quickly got my attention was that last line. Two to three business days after that Sunday would have been the 15th or the 16th (that Monday was Columbus Day), both dates being past the 15 day return window.
Again, I had decided not to deal with the issue, and I requested my RMA label that day.
On Tuesday, I got another email from WalMart:
I am writing in regards to your recent order with us for the Philips 20x
DVD-RW 10-Pack, SATA Interface. Unfortunately, due to an error at our
fulfillment centers and on our site, we will not be able to replace the
order at this time. These items are only sold in singles. You may
return the item for a full refund. Please call us at 1-866-625-0507 to
discuss this issue.
“Discuss,” huh? I liked the sound of that.
I quickly called WalMart, and here’s the gist of our conversation:
Me: (blah blah blah…error…let’s “discuss.”)
CSR: Log in to your account, request a return label, and return the item back to us.
Some discussion, huh? Thank you, CSR, for telling me exactly what the previous email CSR told me to do! What, no apologies? No “we’re sorry for the inconvenience”? That’s it?
(Yes, I realize that the last email did tell me to return the item for a full refund. What irks me is that the CSR is telling me to call in to “discuss this issue,” only to get the same information again???)
- Shot-Online update: lvl 49, awesome clubs, and unfortunately I am now guild-less.
One of the things I have learned about MMORPGs—Shot-Online is the first MMORPG that I have actually spent more than a week playing :P—is that, at some point in the game, it becomes a social setting first and a game second. I learned that the hard way after a recent ordeal with one of my now-former guildmates.
An innocent comment about club selection somehow escalated into a vicious attack on my character and intent, and I got so pissed off over the whole affair that I had no choice but to leave the guild. I had even entertained the thought of quitting the game altogether.
I told my guildmaster what happened, and I could tell that he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the situation, acknowledging how much I had done for his guild. Some of my friends in the guild weren’t too pleased as well, acknowledging how much I had helped them with the game to that point.
Part of me then realized, “I’m getting worked up over a GAME! WTF?” So I decided to discuss this situation with another friend of mine, and I asked him: “At some point, does an MMORPG become more of a social setting than a game?”
He explained that people play MMORPGs for the social atmosphere first and foremost, and that everything I was feeling—guilt, frustration, anger, etc.—was perfectly normal, and, unfortunately, part of the “appeal” of the MMORPG genre. He did agree with my decision to leave the guild, as others did, and that I should have expected drama like this to happen, he explained; after all, MMORPGs boil down to glorified chat rooms full of strangers.
Now I know that an MMORPG isn’t just a video game.
Will I still be playing Shot-Onlne? Hell yes! I want the Tour Pro title :P.
- So what was the video game moment that was so emotional to me?
Easy: The scene in Final Fantasy VII where that bastard Sephiroth killed Aeris. Be honest! Who didn’t scream “F**K YOU SEPHIROTH!!!” at the TV when that happened?
(OK…maybe it was just me and a couple friends.)
