My lovely wife and I went shopping about 2 weeks ago.
She decided she needed to "de-stress" (i.e. update her wardrobe) from a peculiarly hectic work week she had. Apparently, her tolerance for the bureaucracy that plagues her workplace has run thin and she was in dire need of a distraction. I, being the upstanding husband I am, offered video games as a cure for her ailment but she turned down my suggestion. That didn't stop me though. I came up with 2 more suggestions but none were to her liking. In the end, she decided on a plan of action (Shopping). I went along with it (More "Upstanding Husband" behavior) because that's what husbands do (even if we don't like shopping).
I played my role well.
Accompanying her to every store she wanted to visit (ALL 13 of them), giving the correct answer to all her questions ("You look lovely, Dear!!!") and I even added a little snack activity (Bubble Tea and Cookies) to turn the whole outing into a date, of sorts. She enjoyed it (She said so) and she was notably less irritated (and less irritable) than when we originally left the house. I was glad to help take her mind off of her work issues and I felt proud to cater to my lovely wife. (If I happen to garner some extra gaming time in the process then that's a double win for me *suggestive wink*)
The final store of the trip was where the crux of this post occurred. We ended up in a prominent clothing store in St. John's (The Capital [and Shopping District] of Antigua) where my lovely wife frequently gets her work attire from.
This is the conversation [paraphrased] that took place!
Sales Girl: "Good Day! Can I help you?"
Lovely Wife: "Yes! I'm looking for a pants that's similar to the one I bought last time, but I want a black instead of a grey!"
Sales Girl:"Ok." *rummages through racks of clothing* "You mean one like this?" *holds up pants*
Lovely Wife: "No. That's the one I bought the time before last. I didn't like that one too much. It changed after I washed it!"
Me: *makes my "How many pants have you bought here?" face*
Sales Girl: *flashes a "She's bought quite a few!" smile, turns to my lovely wife and says* "Let's check this section" *leads Lovely Wife to another rack of clothes*
After perusing (the majority of) the store, she chose a fitted pants that looks like THIS (minus the flared legs). It wasn't what she went looking for but she liked it so we got it. She tried on a few others just to be sure she was choosing the best of the bunch and finally settled on the (grey [not black]) fitted pants.
We headed to the check-out, arm in arm. (My patent-pending technique for leading her out of the store as quickly as possible while desperately trying to place myself between her and the hand bags, shoes and other such indulgences that may catch her eye) As We approached the cashier, he nodded hello and started up a conversation.
Cashier:"Aren't you the guy that does that Video Game Blog? Antigua's Gamer?"
Me: *Big Goofy Smile "Yes! Yes I am. The Antiguan Gamer!!!
(Ecstatic jubilation bursts forth. My insides felt like they were on fire! My chest swelled with delight and my heart sang for joy within me. Some of it leaked out through face where a bright smile could be found. Tears welled up at the back of my eyes and I tried hard to control my emotions and physical reactions. My mind shouted "A FAN. A REAL LIFE FAN" repeatedly and I couldn't find the words needed to have a sensible conversation. What came out was...)
"You read the blog?" (I immediately did a mental facepalm and internalized "Of course he reads the blog, idiot! His first sentence implies it."
Cashier:"Yeah I read it."
Me: "Nice!!!"
Cashier:"But I have an issue! Your main concern is always console gamers. What about PC gamers?"
Me: (Crushing disappointment! I meet my first fan [Who isn't a family member or close friend] and he's peeved because I left out his system of choice) "Well... to be honest, (because of the socio-economic state of the island and the exorbitant mark-up on electronics) not many people on the island play on PC. You have a few LoL fans here and there but that's about it really. People mostly play on their consoles."
Me: (Crushing disappointment! I meet my first fan [Who isn't a family member or close friend] and he's peeved because I left out his system of choice) "Well... to be honest, (because of the socio-economic state of the island and the exorbitant mark-up on electronics) not many people on the island play on PC. You have a few LoL fans here and there but that's about it really. People mostly play on their consoles."
Cashier:"You should include more PC stuff man. Don't leave us PC guys out."
Me: "I get what you're saying and I'll try to do better. Thanks for the feedback" *makes mental notes to be more PC-friendly and starts planning this post* "What type of rig do you have?"
Cashier: "Boooy, let me show you!!!" ("Boooy" [in this context] is a local expression used by the speaker to [stall for time and to] prepare the listener for the awesomeness that the speaker is about to present) *pulls out his phone and shows me a video of his current setup which includes all the usual bells and whistles: RGB Lighting (Fans and Memory Sticks), Liquid Cooling (Pump/Reservoir Combo with PETG Tubing) and (Customized) Back Plate and Fan Grills* [There weren't any actual bells or whistles. Thank God!]
Me: "I get what you're saying and I'll try to do better. Thanks for the feedback" *makes mental notes to be more PC-friendly and starts planning this post* "What type of rig do you have?"
Cashier: "Boooy, let me show you!!!" ("Boooy" [in this context] is a local expression used by the speaker to [stall for time and to] prepare the listener for the awesomeness that the speaker is about to present) *pulls out his phone and shows me a video of his current setup which includes all the usual bells and whistles: RGB Lighting (Fans and Memory Sticks), Liquid Cooling (Pump/Reservoir Combo with PETG Tubing) and (Customized) Back Plate and Fan Grills* [There weren't any actual bells or whistles. Thank God!]
 |
| His Setup looked like this... but cooler (and it was a video instead of a photo) |
Me: (after watching the video) "YYYOOO!!! That's SICK!!!" What are the specs like?"
Cashier: "Well I got an i9-7900X processor, 32 Gigs of RAM... *insert a bunch of letters, numbers and other PC related jargon here*" (It's not that what he said was lost on me [I'm savvy enough], it's just that I don't want to [hurt my PC players' feelings and] misquote him)Me: "You know what, you should send me some info with that video so I can feature you on the blog."
Cashier: "Just cool!" (Local expression used to acknowledge a request without actually committing to said request)
Me: "Respect, Big Boss" *Big Up* (Local farewell inclusive of a fist bump)
The exchange with that PC player has enlightened me.
Firstly, I would like to sincerely apologize to any and every PC Gamer for my discourtesy. If you feel left out or minimized in any way, please note, that was not my intention and I pledge to do better in the future.
Secondly, in upholding my pledge, I plan to incorporate more PC related content on the blog (I haven't decided how just yet but I have a few ideas).
Lastly, major props go out to my PC (Master Race) Bro who said hello, showed me some love and opened my eyes. Meeting you, my friend, was a bittersweet encounter (It is, simultaneously, the best and worst T.A.G related incident to date) and I hope to change the status quo for the better.
