The Craft of the Deal

Maggie is still with us. She had a good weekend in terms of walking and eating, and she was happy to go outside and protect the house. We're taking it day-by-day. I stop each time I open the door from the garage and hope I hear the thump of her tail. So far, so good.

In other news, Charlotte also had a good weekend.

There are kids from two different families in our neighborhood who play Minecraft on their Xbox. One family has an Xbox One, and the other has an older Xbox 360. Charlotte likes playing Minecraft on both systems, but she wants to play at home and not have to jump through the hoops of playing somewhere else.

Because it would be cheaper, we went shopping for an Xbox 360 last Thursday after school. Charlotte wanted to buy it herself. She has $115 dollars saved up in gift cards and birthday money. A local used game store was selling a 360 for $99. That was Charlotte's first brush with sticker shock. I watched her deflate. "A hundred dollars? I won't even have enough money to buy a Minecraft game!"

I told her that I might play the 360 sometimes, so I'd split the cost of the system with her. She had to buy the game, though. I don't see myself mining for any craft in the near future. I also told her we should wait and see if I couldn't find her a better deal.

The better deal found us on Saturday. My buddy Tim had forwarded this Craigslist ad to my email.

The Xbox was in our car by 1:00 p.m. We then spent a couple of hours trying to find a Minecraft 360 Edition game. I stopped at six different stores before we struck gold. It was hers for $21.69.

On the drive home, I said to the back seat, "Okay, I'll keep my promise. I'll charge you $12 for the 360. That means you owe me $33.69."

"What?!" said the face in the rear-view mirror.

"$33.69. That's what you owe me. I didn't make you bring any money today, so when we get home you'll have to pay up."

"But if I pay you that, then I won't have a hundred dollars anymore!" Charlotte whined, "I love knowing that I have hundred dollars. Don't make me spend it!" That was Charlotte's first brush with buyers' remorse. Even so, I made her spend it.

We discovered that the 360 did start right up, but the wireless remote didn't work. Its rechargeable battery wouldn't take a charge. There was a double A battery case that we could use, but one contact was so corroded it couldn't make contact with the battery. A cleaning and a fold of tin foil fixed that. She was in business!

She doesn't need the 360's headset for playing Minecraft. She just likes wearing it. Sometimes, it's all about the accessories.

Charlotte invited her friends over to see her "new" 360 that afternoon. I overheard one friend say, "My Xbox is nicer than yours, Charlotte. I have more controllers and all the updates you don't have."

Charlotte did not take the bait. She replied, "You know what? I'm playing Minecraft in my own basement. I don't care what you have. I'm happy with this!"

Attagirl!