I am well aware of it that it's been over a week since I made any contribution to this blog, and that is not something with which I am pleased. As such, I am back on board, and I will attempt to get back to posting with more regularity. So, let me throw in a few words about some random direction my thoughts were taken by a simple battery purchase.
Like most people, I usually don't truly grasp why I commit to certain actions and purchases, but I at least try to reflect on them from time to time. My trip to Costco a couple days ago was just one of those instances. As I recently started playing video games again (Call of Duty: Black Ops on XBOX 360 online with some friends, if it holds any relevance), I actually managed to completely deplete the batteries in my wireless controller. For anyone who fires up their console with even the most remote regularity, this would be nothing new, but, with regards to video games, I am well below the usage level defined as average. That's basically an eloquent way of saying that I rarely, if ever, even turn it on. I think that, since I moved to Riverside almost three months ago, I have only turned it on twice, to watch DVDs. That, however, is mostly beside the point with regards to this post. Basically, I had to go pick up some new batteries to keep me slapping those joysticks, and I went to Costco to pick up the biggest pack I could find. I ended up buying two packs of batteries (forty batteries in each pack).
Now, why did I come that specific decision? First, let me address the decision to buy batteries in the first place. I didn't have to go out and get common batteries as there are rechargeable packs available, but I chose not to go that route as I have always disliked having extra cables cluttering the space around my electronics. Since, up to this point, I have been able to maintain a low level of such cables, I chose to forgo that option. However, that still left me with the choice of going with Alkaline or rechargeable batteries. Once again, I had a non-functional concern with one option (I have a bad habit of misplacing or not charging rechargeable batteries). So, as I saw it, I had no option but to choose the Alkalines. Lastly, why did I buy so many? Well, that's a slightly more involved question, but the answer is still pretty simple. I dislike purchasing small amounts of consumables when I know I am going to, eventually, make use of a large quantity. I prefer to chose the more efficient solution to any problem, and going to the store a few times would definitely be less efficient than going just once. That didn't mean I had to buy eighty batteries, but I left spending just over twenty dollars, and that felt reasonable as the cheapest rechargeable option would have left me spending just over thirty dollars.
In this scenario, I wasn't looking at cost, but it caused me to think about why we make certain decisions and how the outcomes can differ based on those choices. I would have thought that I would have chosen the most compact route that would have permanently solved my problem, but I definitely didn't. If I had, I would be the new owner of rechargeable battery pack and a couple extra cables attached to my console. When I take the time to dissect the situation, it just seems odd that I would choose the option that falls the furthest from being compact and environmentally responsible, but that doesn't alter my opinion towards my decision one bit. It seems we sometimes make decisions based on the seemingly random coin flips our minds make, and these decisions might not seem rational to those around us. In the end, they seem correct to us and make us happy. In this case, being the savage with a pile of batteries I have defeated (completely depleted) felt like the most satisfying option. Many would have gone in a different direction, but we have the ability to make our own unique choices. It's what makes us individuals, and we call it personal preference.
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