How my husband shops for major purchases...

As anyone who is married to or involved with an engineer knows, they can be very methodical when it comes to major purchases. This is my experience:

Phase I consists of the determining with spouse if the new item is truely necessary. Once it has been determined that the new item is indeed necessary, the next phase begins...

Phase II, Step 1: Research on which brand, version, model, and all associated variations must be completed. Spreadsheet created to track all information gathered. This step can take months if there is not a time limit on making the purchase.

Phase II, Step 2: Evaluation of the research findings. Weighting of components importance, personal preferences, price/value comparisons, etc. Request for input from spouse. This step can take a few weeks, and may involve a brief return to Step 1 for further information gathering.
Phase II, Step 3: Final Decision made on which product to purchase. Comparison price shopping ensues. If product no longer available, return to Step 1. Rinse. Repeat. If product is still available, depending on the cost, there may be a brief return to Phase I prior to purchase.

Phase II, Step 4: Product purchased. Impatient wait for delivery, despite the amount of time patiently spent doing research.

The reason I am so familiar with this process...

Last night we (finally) ordered a laptop!

It's taken him since the beginning of June to do all the research. He had some pretty specific requirements for software and capabilities which drastically narrowed the systems from which we could choose; damn you Microsoft for introducing Vista during the search! A couple of nights ago, I finally said call me a name-brand whore, but I like the new Dell Vostro. It has everything we need (there were several in the same price range with this designation as well, but not as well known brands), and I like the way it looks. DH took a closer look and said he was mostly convinced, but wanted to think it over for a day or so. Last night, after a powerful thunderstorm threatening to knock out our power for the night finally went through, he took the plunge and placed the order.

Then he came into the other room where I was watching TV and said, Happy (couple months early) Birthday. I'm very excited and can't wait for it to arrive...sometime early August I believe.

On a related note of excitement, the course of The Pill seems to have done its work in convincing my body to cycle. So, hopefully that means that my body will start to resume regular functions and we can start project baby in earnest. I don't know how long this would have taken if I hadn't been pro-active in seeking treatment, but I'm glad I did.