Holiday Cheer

So, I'm making all my close friends and family these CD's for Christmas. I sent out an email to all of them asking the general flavor of music they would like to hear. I got my responses and began scanning my stock of music for appropriate choices, and making lists of what should go on whose CD.

I have to admit that I really like every single list I've made. I know that doesn't mean the recipient will, but I'm willing to take that chance.

Anyway, some of the requests required me to step outside my own personal box of music because I just haven't gotten that far in my collection yet. So I have done some shopping for the less expensive compilation-type CD's to accomodate those requests.

Note to Self Number 1: K-mart is not a good source of quality music products. I purchased a couple of CD's the other night for a reasonable price that fit my budget. They both were compilations and would also fit my own personal collection well. I brought them home and proceeded to open them so I could rip them into my pc. The first went very well. I opened it, took out the CD, put it in the pc, and I ripped it. The second was a different story altogether.

After going through all the same steps to dig the CD out of its impervious packaging, I opened the CD case to find...

Nothing.

There was nothing in the case. And it was sealed, completely, just like every CD I've ever bought that actually had a CD in its case. This one was empty.

Ok, I can handle that. The wrapper and the little tape strip with the CD name on it were both a shambles, but I felt confident I could make it right with K-mart. I put the empty CD case and the remains of the wrapper and tape strip back in the bag from my purchase. The next day I went to K-mart after work and proceeded to explain my problem. I was answered with that, "You don't really expect me to believe that?" look that jaded retail clerks give everybody who has to return anything for any reason. I asked if I could exchange it for the same CD but this time with a CD in the CD. "Yes, but it has to be this exact one. Bring the replacement up here so we can check it."

Fine. I'm jipped out of a CD and I'm treated like I did the jipping. Ok, fine. I go back to the music department and begin pouring through the compilations again. They are in an even worse mess than when I shopped there the first time. And worse, there's no sign of the exact CD I had bought. There were 2 other CD's along the same lines, but they weren't the EXACT same one I had bought. Oh boy. Bracing myself for a fight, I returned to the customer service counter.

"I've been through every CD back there twice and the electronics clerk even tried to help me and we couldn't find the same one. These 2 are the same price as the one I bought. May I please exchange it for one of these?"

Again with the look. "You're welcome to go back and search the racks for me. I don't mind. All I know is that I was jipped and I'm being treated with disbelief and mistrust for trying to get what I bought."

A break in the facade at last. "Which of these would like to exchange it for? (sigh)"

I read the backs of the CD's I picked up and chose the one that seemed closer to my original choice. "May I check it to make sure there's a CD in it? I don't want to go through this again."

"(sigh) Go ahead and check it." I could hear the "if you must" that was unspoken. By this time I didn't care. I was NOT going through this again! I checked and the CD was in the case. Yay! I took my receipt and went home to rip the music into my pc.

Note to Self Number 2: K-mart is not a good source of quality music products. The fabulous replacement CD was ripped onto my system last night while I watched a movie. Everything seemed to be fine. Tonight I burned the CD for the person that the CD had primarily been purchased for. I used several songs from that CD plus many that were already on my pc.

As I have done with all of these gift CD's, I played it after I had burned it--a sort of quality check. The last 2 or 3 songs have skips in them big enough to scare the man in the moon. They're like gaps in the rings of Saturn. They're like the empty space between galaxies. They're horrible and I want to scream at the thought that the CD I burned onto my pc may have been flawed. I am NOT taking the blasted thing back again. NO!

grrrrr....

So that's today's bit of Holiday Cheer. Happy Freakin' Holidays to you! *&^%...