Coupon Addiction Or Disloyalty?

I just got an e-mail.

No, it's not from a friend or loved one.
No, it's not from Facebook or YouTube or Twitter.
No, it's not a reply from a job application (not even a rejection).
No, it's not spam (spam spam spam spammity spam wonderful spam!).

It's from Borders.
And it's a coupon.

Now, this isn't by any means a rare occurrence.
I usually receive a coupon from Borders once or twice a week.

See, I signed up for their free Borders Rewards card,
so I get e-mails with coupons
or events
or promotions
or new releases
at least once a week.

It's really nothing to get excited about.

Except, Borders tends to send out different coupons.

Usually, it's 25% off one item
(not including blah blah blah or blah).

Sometimes you get the occasional 30% off.
Maybe they'll have a week or two where it's 33% off.



But then...







Just when you least expect it...












40% OFF ANY ONE ITEM


And sure enough, I'm scrambling to figure out what I'm getting.

Doesn't matter that I'm unemployed and am low on funds.
Doesn't matter that I could wait and find it used for cheaper.
Doesn't matter that I'm probably buying something I don't need.

It's 40% off.
And it's for two days only.
(Actually, 99% of the time they extend the sale for 3 more days.)
(But what if they don't?!)


Hi everyone. My name is Vicki and I am obsessed with coupons.

Actually, I'm pretty much obsessed with sales in general.

I constantly scan the book section at Goodwill for books that I'm interested in; things I've seen on the shelves at Borders or Powell's. They sell paperbacks for $2, which, honestly, is a steal.

I also love looking around Jan's Paperbacks for good deals. They sell paperbacks for half the cover price plus a quarter ($.25), plus you can bring in some of your own books and get store credit. Finding an older copy of a book (back when they were all $4.99) can save you a lot of money.

Even when I was still in school, I'd order my books off Amazon rather than use the campus bookstore. Sure, you'd have to wait a little while and the condition wasn't always the greatest, but when you're in college every little bit counts. And sometimes having notes in the margins isn't a bad thing.

But recently I read a blog post by THE INTERN about being 'loyal' to the publishing industry.

A few years ago, INTERN read an essay (a rather irate essay, if INTERN recalls correctly) by an author who argued that nobody who doesn't buy new, hardback literary fiction at its full price should be allowed to write literary fiction (or at least, try to get it published). This author set the minimum new hardback purchase quota at something like twelve books per annum. Her reasoning was that authors and publishers of literary fiction rely on hardcover sales to make the whole kerfuffle worth kerfuffling, and that one is simply hypocritical (and a big meanie!) if one wants to see one's name in big letters on a hardcover book but, er, declines to buy them. [link]

Now, I own a total of ten hardcover books. Seven of those are Harry Potter, two others were gifts, and one was bought for IB English.

If you read my review of Bone Crossed, you'll remember my rant about being a Paperback Purist*. I find them bulky, not comfortable, and ultimately, more prone to wear than my paperbacks. ...Strange, eh?

I will admit, I baby my paperbacks quite diligently. I never crack the spines (and don't loan them out to anyone that does) and barring natural disasters (or torrential downpours) I keep them dry and clean.

With hardbacks (specifically my experience with the Harry Potters), I always remove the paper jacket so it doesn't get ripped, folded, or stained, leaving the (often ugly) covered cardboard exposed. The cardboard corners are rarely left unbent; the substance covering the cardboard (sometimes threadlike, sometimes paper-based) becomes stained and/or thins on the bottoms and corners, sometimes revealing the material underneath; in larger books the inner binding isn't always applied well, so the book starts to shift within its cover. Add in that these are only comfortable to hold while resting on a surface (table, bedcovers, armrest, stomach) because of their weight, and you've got an unattractive, bulky nuisance.

But let's say I did decide to change my buying habits and go completely hardcover... I still wouldn't buy at full-price.

As stated before, I shouldn't even be buying $2 books, let alone $24 ones! Don't get me wrong, I have authors I love (a healthy, distant love) and support wholeheartedly when I can. I simply can't get up the gumption to shell out $15 or more for a book when I know I can get a year from now for $6 (with coupon, or $2 if I strike gold at Goodwill). Even with required textbooks, why the heck would you spend $60 when you could get a decent used copy for $30?!

If you think about it, I could buy two paperbacks (with coupons) for the same price as one hardcover. So, if I'm buying twice as many books a year...isn't that better for the publishing industry? And if I review the books and/or recommend them to friends (or strangers) who have funds...isn't that even better?!

As far as, "if you aren't supporting the industry financially, you shouldn't be writing for it" all I can say is...shut the hell up.

You wouldn't tell an impoverished musician, "You can't buy CDs, so you can't sing." The same goes for writing. Just because someone has to rely on their library for all their literary needs, you can't tell them, "You aren't allowed to write."

Do I want to be published?
Hell yes.

Do I want to make money off of it?
Yeah, that would be nice.

Am I going to throw a tantrum if I ever see a copy of my book as 'discounted' or 'used'?
Heck no.
Just means someone else has a chance to read and enjoy it.

* Paperback Purist. I am totally coining that term!© Me!

Write Your A** Off!

Okay, first off, an announcement:

This post is not just about Write Your A** Off.

That information will be located at the end of the post.

Scroll down if you're really that impatient.

Thank you.

Now to other news.

Video Games

Following my rushed reading spree of both the Hitchhikers' series and the Mercy Thompson books (review links located on the right) I decided to take some time off and revisit a video game I've put off for some time.

Now, I'm not very good at video games in general. Anyone who knows me can tell you that. I'm not the greatest with hand-eye coordination, so anything involving timed running/jumping or shooting is right out. And combos? I'm more for button-mashing.

Really, the only games I'm any good at whatsoever are Turn-Based Role-Play Games. Pokemon is always a good mind-numbing game to play while watching TV. I played through the Ace Attorney games bing, bang, boom. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon was fun while it lasted, but I conquered it pretty quickly.

A friend, upon discovering my enjoyment of RPGs traded me a game he'd fiddled around with, but ultimately found too long and confusing. Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled proved to be right up my alley.

It has a great story and is very immersive. Only complaints I (and many people) have with it is how often the "random encounters" occur. Like Pokemon, when you're walking through the world, creatures/people suddenly attack you. But unlike Pokemon, there's no 'repel' or way to lessen the rate of battles. In fact, they pop up even MORE often than in Pokemon. Main reason I consulted a walk-through -- the battles would make me forget where I'd come from/where I was going.

There are also a couple (documented) glitches in the game. Sometimes you'd walk through a door and it wouldn't let you exit again. Or it'd say you'd acquired an item but it didn't show up in your inventory. There were other times, however, when I'd be walking along and the game would suddenly freeze. And (again, unlike Pokemon) save areas are hard to come by, often resulting in an hour down the drain. >_<

But, after 55+ hours of leveling up, item grabbing, and map-consulting (okay, FAQ-walkthrough consulting), I'm happy to say I finally beat the game! Yay! Another (meaningless) accomplishment checked off my list!

Job Hunting

I've started another round of job applications. I'd like to stay out of retail as much as possible, but I'm starting to concede a little. I've applied for a couple teller positions and some management jobs (my degree has to count for something, right?) in a couple retail stores.

I'm happy with my resume, how it's laid out and what it says. Still no bites, but I'm enthusiastic. Not that a lot of these low jobs even look at resumes. Have you seen some of these online applications? Yeah, some have a slot for uploading your resume, but most just ask you to fill in all the information over again on their page. And the questionnaires are confusing and tedious.

What percentage of politicians statements are true?

Over 50%

Between 30% and 50%

Between 30% and 15%

Between 15% and 5%

Under 5%

...What does that have to do with me gathering carts?

People who know you would describe you as...

Much more enthusiastic than others

Slightly more enthusiastic than others

Equally enthusiastic/reserved as others

Slightly more reserved than others

Much more reserved than others

We were out at dinner tonight and I'd describe our server as very enthusiastic. He was funny, he was personable, and he was certainly memorable (I'm writing about him now, aren't I?). But three events stuck out to make me not want him as my server again:

• As we were ordering drinks, he didn't have a note pad. When the last person ordered--WHILE he was still ordering, actually--he walked away to get our drinks. When he came back without the last one (his hands were full) he then clarified the order he hadn't heard fully because he was walking away.
• When he was taking the order for a salad, he kept up a 'friendly' conversation. She wanted a salad consisting of ONLY lettuce, carrots, and sliced (not cherry) tomatoes. I couldn't tell if he was trying to be funny, but when he read it back, he added onions and pickles, which she quickly repeated she didn't want. It took about 2 minutes just to order that salad.
• When we were ordering pies, he again didn't have a note pad, and AGAIN walked away as the last person ordered, so that we had to YELL ACROSS THE ROOM that we wanted his pie in a to-go box.

Enthusiasm might be a good thing...as is speediness, but I don't think it's an automatic qualification for customer service.

Ah well, not much I can do about it but sit and wait.

Write Your A** Off

Saturday, June 12th

That's right, it's what you been waiting for!

This Saturday, June 12th, the New York Writer's Coalition is hosting a 3000 word writing challenge. Really, it's just an excuse to write. They say there's strength in numbers, so maybe you can get your nagging friend/sibling/spouse/parent off your back long enough to get some words down.

The Official Page offers a sign-up for prizes, plus prompts, chats, workshops, and resources. If you're in New York (you lucky people, you) you can even attend live events!

I've also invited some people to the event via Facebook Event so I'm hoping for some people I know to get involved.

I don't know if I'll hit 3000 words. I'm not even sure I'm going to work all on one thing. I might write a blog post. I might post comments or responses to comments. I might return to my (much neglected) RP site. Or I might actually focus on my story. Eh, I'll see Saturday.

Me in Threes

Yeah, it's silly, but what else am I gonna do?

I have been tagged by Lisa Gail Green to participate in ME IN THREES.

So here goes:

Three names I go by:

Vicki

Stormy

Wolfy

Three jobs I've had:

Courtesy Clerk

Guest Service Representative

Moderator

Three places I've lived:

Indiana

Beaverton

McMinnville

Three places I've been:

Walt Disney World

Medieval Times (Los Angeles)

Terminus Harry Potter Convention (Chicago)

Three favorite movies:

WALL-E

Apollo 13

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Three favorite books authors:

JK Rowling

Patricia Briggs

Tamora Pierce

Three places I'd love to visit:

England

Ireland

Aussieland Australia

Three favorite hobbies:

Writing

Reading

Photomanipulation

Three things I'm looking forward to:

Seeing the results of the Alice in Wonderland Contest on DeviantArt (June 15th)

NaNoWrMo (November)

The 7th Harry Potter Movie release (November 19th)

Now three following bloggers that I don't know enough about:

Kevin Atteridg

Yusra

J. Cordelia

TAG YOU'RE IT!!

^_^

Fifth Borne

Yeah, that's right, I spent an entire day reading. Not much else to do when you're sick. Not that I used that as an excuse to read. More like an excuse not to do anything but read.

This is assuming you've read everything up through Bone Crossed and know who Mercy picked as a mate. If you haven't, then SPOILER ALERT! Anyway, here's my review of...

~Silver Borne~
Mercy Thompson
Book 5
By Patricia Briggs
Amazon ~ Powell's

Recap

It's been a couple months since we left off from Bone Crossed and Mercy's still getting the hang of having a mate...and a pack. Since magic of any kind usually acts 'oddly' around her, things aren't going as smoothly as she thought they would. Adam assures her that he'll guide her, but their bond isn't working the way it should, and it's starting to get on her nerves.

Mercy is still living with Samuel in her own trailer. Partly because of the pack's general dislike of having a coyote as their Alpha's mate, and partly because she's still worried about Samuel. He's still holding up, better than he was in Blood Bound, but she can still sense that things aren't quite what they used to be.

Called, Bound, Kissed & Crossed

No, I know what you're thinking, and it's not about that. It is, in fact, a review of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series (books 1-4). I've just finished a stunning re-read, prepping for the latest installment, and am ready to give my reviews.

I will do my best to keep spoilers out. Other than giving away the main character doesn't die, I will be discreet.

~Moon Called~
Mercy Thompson
Book 1
By Patricia Briggs
Amazon ~ Powell's

This is the introduction to Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson the VW mechanic and her supernatural world of the Tri-Cities, Washington teeming with werewolves, vampires, and fae. But Mercy isn't just any mechanic. Raised by werewolves, employed by a gremlin, and working on a vampire's car, she's definitely something special.

Mercy is a walker: a Native American/Indian shapeshifter. She isn't "Moon Called", like the werewolves are, but can shift painlessly into a coyote whenever she feels like it.

But being special isn't always safe. When Mercy finds herself in the middle of a strange plot involving the werewolves, she has to employ her wits and abilities to save her friends.


Reading like a paranormal mystery, the book is enticing and addictive. This supernatural world has rules, and Mercy guides you through them with the right amount of sass and humor so that it's never preachy. And Mercy's not the only star in this book (though she is the only narrator). Be it Zee, her former boss and all-time grump of a gremlin, Stefan, the charming vampire with a soft spot for Scooby Doo, or Jessie, the 15-year-old with ever-changing hair colors, you're sure to find somebody to cheer for.