I have a thirty dollar promotional gift certificate from Amazon.com, and I can only use it on books, music, movies, and a few other categories. I can’t use it on toys, clothing, home and garden, or anything else that’s fulfilled by one of Amazon.com’s partners (Toys ‘R’ Us, Office Depot, Target, Circuit City, etc.).

So I’m trying to decide what to get. I could get Songs for a New World, Elton John’s Greatest Hits 1970-2002, or White Blood Cells, but I feel silly spending money (even if it’s not mine) on music these days. There’s also The Simpson’s First Season and A Hard Days Night, but I feel similarly silly about movies.

Then there are books. I don’t like to read, but some books catch my interest too. I could conserve the chi in my living room with the Little Book of Feng Shui, or I could teach my friends The Art of Cat Massage.

On the other hand, I could get something useful, like some slim jewel cases or blank CDs. They just happen to have a few that aren’t sold through Office Depot. But do I really need more? I think I have plenty already.

I think I’ll just hold on to this gift certificate until the next time I’m really excited about buying something. I’ll prob’ly get something really expensive, like a new printer or monitor, and just use the gift certificate as a discount.