Flip From a Forever Friend

Yesterday I came home from work to find a package laying in the front hall, actually two - the other one was for the neighbor. Ron had told me Best Buy or UPS, I wasn't listening too closely, was going to deliver a package tomorrow. "What did you buy?" soon followed as he knows I can be a purchasing giant in zero to ten seconds. Nothing to my recollection. Geez, maybe someone from Best Buy read my blog regarding the Geek ER and they wanted to thank me for the free advertising; maybe I was being rewarded for my two big (to me) purchases in less than 30 days. You know, one of those "we're glad you chose Best Buy" kind of things.

I gingerly opened the package, with Lacy hovering and asking a couple thousand unrelated questions needing answers RIGHT NOW, sure there would be an answer tucked in amongst the plastic air pillows. A cute little box (remember I am a box lover and saver) with Flip Video written on the outside. Hmmmm, nothing on the packing slip but my name, address and other unfamiliar numbers. No XXXXXXX1234 denoting a credit card number. (To date I have not had a kid use my credit card for an online purchase, unbeknown to me - but never say never!) And of course, no Thank You for choosing Best Buy. I even went on line to check my credit cards to see if there were any purchases. Maybe I had a blackout one day. Zip - no purchases.

So I dialed up the Best Buy 888 number, did the functionary "press one blah blah blah" thing finally getting a human voice. "Well, let's just see what we can find out." was her cheery reply. And she actually had information I could use. She gave me the initials and last name of my long time, forty seven year long time, friend. I said, "OH, Susan, really. I can't believe it" Miss Cheery was just as happy for me as I was. Wow, how unbelievably nice!

Now that I didn't have to return the Flip video machine I dared open the box. Susan was still at work so I knew I would wait to call her. This little Flip unit is so cool, everyone should have one - but of course, you would need to have a friend like Susan, too. Very easy to operate. My first video, which I was able to do almost immediately, was of me and my double chin (bad camera angle) saying slowly, "Wow this is so neat." I plugged it into my laptop, it loaded the necessary software right from the flip unit and we were up an running. In fact, the most difficult part of the whole deal was threading the wrist band into this itty bitty sunken bracket. But after numerous attempts I did succeed with the help of the factory twisty wrapped around the wrist bracelet.

About 8:00 our time I called Susan to gush forth with my thank yous. She is known to have fabulous gifts, all of which adorn numerous areas of our home. The Flip will be no exception. We are also long time Barbie comrades, both beginning the epoch around 1960. I still have my fleet (Barbie, Ken, Midge, Allen, etc.) and I am sure Susan still has hers. Around the holidays I have received many a Barbie ornament. They are in their boxes for the time being as Lacy goes wild. Now we take them out and look at them and I tell her Susan had this outfit, I had this and so on. The magic of Susan's gift giving is this: she has never married, not even once, and has no children. Read between the lines.

So now all you blog readers, a new facet has come to the post. I took it out at the store today and used it in Staples, Lacy soon was "filming" me. I wish I would have had the wherewithal to use it at Herbergers while she was having a tantrum because I wouldn't buy her the too tight shorts, (we did settle on the eights - no sevens, even though the other shoppers were looking at me like: why don't you just smack her and she'll be happy she gets to live another day) It all had to do with my parental holding pattern of being the ever so cool and self assured mother. I scoff at tantrums.

Returning to my chat with Susan, Best Buy did send me an email telling me of the forthcoming gift. I didn't open it because is only said E. (short for Elizabeth and she hasn't been E to me since the third or forth day of 1st grade) has a gift for you. I just thought it was some Eabando Mukarazi Whodookadad telling me to let him deposit his millions in my account before the Iranians seize it. Anyway, to coin her words in the gift greeting (after I dug it out of my deleted files) "the Flip video is to take your blogging to the next level." Who knows a You Tube moment could be just around the next corner!