Replacement Christmas Bulb (Day 7 - 12/1/09)



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People

 * Stephen
 * Debra
 * Steve (off camera, voice only)
 * Alex (mentioned)

Locations

 * Stephen's house
 * Stephen's parent's car
 * Sears
 * Costco

Summary
Stephen opens in the passenger seat of his family's car, explaining that they're out shopping for a replacement bulb for their tree's lights, and that he's filming with the Flip, which he had just purchased. He's unsure of the picture and sound quality, but says that he doesn't care because the camera is small and easy to use.

The next scene is of Stephen and his mother Debra in a store, where Debra is picking out some ribbon for the tree. When asked his opinion of which ribbon they should get, Stephen asks her which has less glitter. Presumably (since Debra is seen rubbing her fingers together, as if rubbing some off), one of the ribbons had too much on it, and it was falling off.

Stephen restates their need for a replacement bulb. Their tree has pre-installed lights that require a particular brand of bulb. Stephen says that he thinks if Rocko has been chewing on the tree like he was the previous day, it won't matter anyway because the tree will be gone by the time they get home.

The scene cuts to a Costco, and Stephen says that they came because they wanted to get a margarita pizza for dinner (since Stephen's mother is a vegetarian), and they all loved it.

Cutting back to the inside of the car, leaving Costco Stephen tells us about the man who was ahead of them in line at checkout. Apparently, all he bought was a Wii Fit and two dozen eggs, and so Stephen imagines a "Rocky kinda thing" where the man eats the eggs and uses the Wii Fit. He says that Nintendo should use it in their marketing campaign for the game.

Next, we see Stephen walking into Sears. They had already tried to find the bulb in several other stores and so now, (he explains) they're going to try Sears, where they bought the tree. Stephen is skeptical that the people in Sears will be able to help them since they bought the tree ten years ago. While in Sears, Debra wonders how another tree that was on display would look in their house, only to realize that it was an outdoor tree.

As they're getting back into the car, Stephen tells us that Sears didn't have it either. He also recounts the tale of a Sears employee who, using an outdated version of Internet Explorer and obsolete search methods in an attempt to find a replacement bulb for them, accidentally went to a site that sold lingerie. This reminds Stephen of a story that Alex (one of his school roommates, who will become a "star" in the vlogs later on) told him about his 8th or 9th grade teacher, who also didn't know about search engines.

Briefly, Stephen is seen in another store wondering why some people read the hours sign on the doors of stores instead of just walking in.

The family is back in the car, driving home (though we can't see them because it's completely dark), and Stephen explains that they're given up the search for the bulb. They're just going to eat their pizza and do some decorating.

Stephen is at his desk, recapping the day. They didn't get any decorating done. It's late, and he has a dentist appointment in the morning, and so he has to get to bed early. He likes the new video camera so far (the Flip Ultra HD), and is pleased with the footage he's looked at.