$63 a Tee

broderic on August 21, 2020

Are band t-shirts sold at the tour venue pricey? I don’t know since I haven’t been to a show in quite a while, and the ones that I did go to, I did not purchase a shirt. I didn’t want to be that guy wearing the t-shirt of the band he’s gone to see!

Anyhow, I thought that they were always pricey considering that merchandise was one of the better ways for the band to actually profit from their music. Not much of the sales going to the record company, but going to the band. They’ll gouge their fans to make even on their work.

I don’t know where this is going. I guess I’m just here to brag about spending an exorbitant amount on Nogizaka46 paraphernalia. I got two tour t-shirts: one from last year and another from 2015 about $30 a piece. I also got Yamashita’s birthday shirt. This one from this year’s birthday last month. The markup was just about double the original price: $50. She’s a fave and the shirt is plain and boring, but wearable around town. I don’t look like a Nogi wota in it!

The items themselves were reasonably priced, but they were on the secondary market, and they all came from Japan. The shipping and handling made it all the more expensive considering that they would be shipped via the most expensive method: 3-day international delivery. There were cheaper alternatives, but the rona ruined them all. All told, it cost almost $70 to get them here!

I keep thinking about if I should be spending money like this….

Bookshelf

broderic on February 12, 2012

I put up a bookshelf to house my manga collection. It’s 31″ x 80″ x 15″ and it’s already full. Plus, I’m not even done buying manga. O well, I probably need another bookshelf. Or better yet, I should sell off some of the manga I don’t need.

Towards the end of stocking up this bookshelf, I got lazy and stacked ten or so volumes randomly. These are the candidates for the trash bin. But I can’t. There’s some Tezuka there such as Dororo in a beautiful rendition. I liked the story, but don’t want t hold onto it for now.

I’m becoming one of those hoarders. What happens if I have to move? Who will pack this up?

Blogger Testing

broderic on October 14, 2011

Emailing something from google reader. You can ignore this or you can think that this is another Link of the Day.

 
 

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via ThinkProgress » Yglesias by Matthew Yglesias on 10/13/11


Prior to the Carter administration, the Civil Aeronautics Board basically set airfares throughout the country. This sharply diminished price competition and induced airlines to compete on the basis of offering high-quality service. Then came deregulation, and both prices and quality fell sharply. It turns out that what tourists really want is to get where they’re going, and what firms want is to pay less money to send their workers around the world. Glen Whitman cites the decline of the young attractive flight attendant as an example of this dynamic in action, but I think Megan McArdle is right to say that anti-discrimination laws and union protections are the bigger story here. One way to look at this kind of issue is just to look at long-haul first class service. Even though it turns out that most travelers prefer cheaper flights to better flights, that’s not a universal preference and airlines do offer the option of paying more money for better service. People flying first class generally get much nicer seats, better food, shorter lines, and more attention from flight attendants, but they’re subject to the same labor market regulations, contract provisions, and norms as everyone else.

 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

Wrapped in a bag

broderic on April 28, 2010

Memories in a garbage bag

And your life and good memories fit into a small garbage bag. Tossed away. Thrown out for new ones.

I need to get some people together to help me make new ones.

You ready?

Thing Thrown Away vol. 2: Electronics Division

broderic on April 19, 2010

It was moving day. I was up early because I had to help mom junk some stuff mostly electronics that have seen their day. Betamax! Eight track! They have to delete it all, because these are all done obsolete technology. Good riddance!

The first stereo my parents bought for themselves when they came to America. It has stereo FM, an 8-track and a phonograph player. We’ve moved this stereo house to house. From the house in Crownsville, to the apartment in Catonsville, to Cedarhurst and on to Greenspring, it’s been there. I remember Elvis on an 8-track. I remember the 45s played on it with a weird adapter that I used as my beta-capsule. Bye bye old technology. Bye bye. (Isn’t vinyl making a comeback? When are cassette tapes?)

We chose the wrong technology. Not VHS, but Beta. Why? I have no idea, but I think we trusted the Sony name more than any of the other fly by night companies. Whatever happened to Sony?

Things Thrown Away vol 1

broderic on April 16, 2010

Don’t remember the date. Must be sometime in 1995. Look at those pars! And how I closed out strong. I remember the last hole. Flopped the approach right up close to the pin, but the yips kicked in.