The flu season has finally caught up to me.  In fact, my body is really aching right now.  Everything feels cold and numb, plus a constant headache is limiting my actions around the house.

I attended my usual Salsa Class last night.  Perhaps I caught the flu from someone in the dance studio as my body started to break down when I got home.  Since I’m in close proximity with a dance partner throughout the class, any cold or flu can be easily passed on from person to person.

In the meantime, I’ll be resting my body by simply unwinding at home.  Maybe I’ll try finishing off the latest Vince Flynn novel titled “Protect and Defend”.  Furthermore, I’ve decided to decrease my two hour work day to a single hour.  Yes, I’m not kidding about those two hour work days! 

I came.  I conquered.  I kicked ass.  Black Friday 2007 is finally over!  I had a very successful shopping experience during this special time of the year.  I ended up getting everything I wanted, including those highly vaunted and very limited door crashers at Best Buy. 

What exactly is Black Friday?  In simple terms, it’s one of the hottest shopping days of the year.  Since American Thanksgiving is held every 3rd Thursday in November, the day after signals a beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the USA.  Black Friday is similar to Boxing Day (in Canada), except much earlier.  The best deals are usually available for only 24 hours.  Overall, Boxing day pales in comparison to Black Friday, where heavily discounted items can be found anywhere.

Last year, a good friend and I started Black Friday 2006 by venturing into Bellingham, Washington USA at 12am.  Since we arrived five hours before the store opened, we ended up getting some pretty good deals.  Sure, our shopping experience was pretty successful but we realized it could have been way better.  We didn’t get any of the popular door crashers because we were so far behind in line.  We also realized that in order for us to have a very successful Black Friday, a lot more dedication and planning was required.  And most important of all, we need to get in line a lot earlier.

This year was going to be very different.  I started planning for Black Friday 2007 about three weeks in advance by visiting various websites that specifically focus on this special day.  After completing my research, I made a conscious effort to line up at least one day in advance so I can finally purchase those popular door crashers.

Since lining up overnight was going to be a requirement for success, proper attire was going to be needed, along with a comfortable sleeping bag to keep myself warm.  Like last year, my good buddy Peter was going to line-up with me throughout the night.  Since the evening was going to be extra chilly, we would take turns standing in line, while the other person warms up in the car.

I left for Bellingham on November 22nd to line up at Best Buy.  While attempting to cross the border into Washington State, the Customs Officer had a pretty big laugh as I explained to her my intention to line-up overnight in front of a Big-Box electronic retailer.  With my little conversation complete, I sped down to Bellingham to claim my spot in line.

When I finally arrived at Best Buy there were less than 25 lining up in front of the store.  On a humorous note, a majority of the people who lined up early were Canadians!  This is pretty ironic when you consider the fact this was a normal working day back in Canada.  Overall, my place in line was a good sign all my dedication and hard work was going to pay off.

My overnight stay in front of Best Buy was very chilly and very cold!  I could hardly feel my feet through most of the night.  For next year, I made a mental note to bring a propane heater, a warmer set of clothes, a larger sleeping bag and a tent (yes, I said a TENT).  Since the entire line-up looked like a campsite, I would probably fit right in.

The people in line were friendly and accommodating.  We looked out for each other to ensure no one ahead of us brought someone else in line.  Why should I freeze my ass off for over 12 hours, only to see someone ahead of us attempt to bring a family member or friend in line?  This practice was unacceptable as we enforced this line of conduct quite often throughout the evening.  We made sure no one else budded in front of us throughout our stay.

At 5am Best Buy finally opened.  Employees were walking down the line handing out vouchers for the Door Crashers.  I ended up getting every voucher I wanted.  The voucher system prevents people from going insane while rushing into the store; moreover, it’s a better alternative than watching people getting violent or customers fighting over specific items.  And by obtaining a voucher, you claim the right to purchase the door crasher without crashing down the door at all.

Now, you probably want to know what I ended up purchasing.  Here’s some pictures of what I bought during Black Friday 2007 at Best Buy.

Panasonic Plasma - 42″

 

Panasonic 5.1 Theatre System with Wireless Rear Speakers

 

Toshiba Laptop (For Imaginary Diva)

 

Another…Sony Laptop (for me)

 

TomTom - One LE GPS

There’s other items I decided not to post.  Heck, this blog post is quite long already! 

If you really want to know.  Yes, I’ll be lining up again next year so I can get some more great deals!  Just remember not bud ahead of me.  You wouldn’t want to see me get angry in line.  It’s not a pretty sight!!!

Black Friday is two weeks away!  Last year, a friend and I bore the cold winter night at Best Buy to get the best deals of the year.  This year will be no different since I am looking to complete my entertainment system in the living room.

I continue scour the Internet to find the latest and greatest deals.   Of course, a smart shopper like me will be ready with a list of goodies to buy.  If you’re also looking for that once-a-year deal during Black Friday, here’s a list of websites to check out.

Black Friday Ads - A well designed website with simple navigation along with ad scans and forums.

Black Friday Ads for 2007 - A good looking website with more deals to salivate over

Black Friday dot Net - Simple layout and ads for you to view

Gotta Deal Black Friday - Popular shopping site Gotta Deal is now promoting Black Friday deals

I won’t be looking to purchase any door crashers, since they’ll sell out right away.  Most of my purchases will be higher priced items, like laptops, plasma TV’s, etc.  This is one day of the year I won’t certainly miss!

Oh yes, remember to stay safe during Black Friday and to repsect your fellow shoppers at the same time (yeah right!).

Laptops are getting cheaper all the time.  From desktop replacements to ultra-thin notebooks, manufacturers continue to segment the market by offering varying types of laptops for specific users.

I tend to favor desktop replacement laptops due to their sheer processing power and graphical capabilities.  Of course, every machine I tend to purchase needs to play the latest games with a high level of performance (at least for a year).

The only qualm I’ve had with laptops is their limitations with my desktop peripherals.  It can be such a pain in the ass to plug-in all my accessories (keyboard, monitor, mouse, printer, etc) while attempting to work at home.  Plus, I also don’t like the fact that most laptops support one external monitor.  I am a big proponent of using dual external monitors since my work requires a lot of multitasking and web development.

My old laptop made use of the VTBook from VillageTronic for dual display notebook expansion.  Unfortunately, newer laptops utilize the much faster Express Card connection, rendering my VTbook and its PCMCIA connection obsolete.

To help solve this little problem, I purchased Belkin’s High-Speed Docking Station to connect all my peripherals through an Express Card connection.  And best of all, I can once again use my dual monitors to get some work done!  The on-board graphics can support an external monitor up to 1600 x 1200 in 32 bit color.  In addition, Windows Vista is now supported with the latest drivers.

Say goodbye to all those messy wires around your laptop.  With a single connection users can easily transform their laptop to a multimedia machine.  The Belkin High-Speed Docking station also has 5 USB 2.0 ports, 10/100 Mbps Ethernet connection, digital Audio (S/PDIF), VGA connector, 3.5mm Audio-In, 3.5mm Audio-Out and a DVI connection.  Now you can finally take advantage of 5.1 surround to watch movies or play games!

If you’re a dedicated laptop user who requires expanded functionality, I highly recommend the Belkin High-Speed Docking Station.  With an Express Card connection you can now take advantage of all your devices without the wired mess or lengthy setup times.  A great buy that’s well worth the price!