When Messing Up Works Out

(Quick sidenote: The Giants are World Series champs! Woohoo! I have to admit though, I didn't really expect them to win it...pleasant surprise though. :) )

I hate messing up. I dislike getting questions wrong, or asking dumb questions, or not being perfect at something the first time around (silly, I know, but I'm working on it). So, when I discovered yesterday that I had neglected to order a modem to go with my DSL internet access, I was...perturbed. I berated myself in the car all the way to B&N (the closest place to my apartment with free Wi-fi access) about how foolish I was not to have known that I would need one, and how I'd have to wait to get one and therefore would not be able to use the Internet that I was already paying for, and so on.
When I started researching what kind of modem I would need and how much it would cost, I was convinced there had to be a better deal out there than what AT&T had to offer, right?
Yeah, wrong again.
After talking with my dad, I found out that I was just going to have to bite the bullet and pay the man, but I also discovered I could probably pick one up at the local AT&T store in town, thus saving me some time and wasted Internet. So, after a 20 minute wait at the store, I almost had my new modem/router in hand, ready to rush home and set it up and revel in the ability to once again check my email from the comfort of my armchair or watch pointless videos on Youtube. Just before she rang up the total, however, the cashier said some magical words:
"You probably qualify for a rebate on this."
And sure enough, when I got in the car and pulled the rebate slip out of the bag, I did qualify for a full rebate on the purchase price because I bought it in the store. Had I bought it online when I purchased the service, I might not have gotten the rebate (I am confused by AT&T's website on a regular basis, so I didn't check). So in the end, messing up in the beginning turned out okay. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bookcase to put together, a shopping list to write, dishes to wash, and things to unpack. :)