01/19/2013 - 7:43 p.m.

I lost my tablet today.

It's not that big a deal. It wasn't an iPad, it was a much cheaper substitute. I found a replacement on eBay for $64. But ironically, as soon as I'd placed my bid, I realized I already owned a spare tablet all along. (I'd bought two a long time ago, and stuck one in my closet.)

So I spent the last minutes of that auction wishing I weren't the highest bidder -- but to no avail. I could feel stupid, but the truth is I'm only out $64. I felt more stupid because I lost one in the first place. But it's nothing $64 can't fix.

I spent the night watching the auction on eBay -- at first, so I could feel like I hadn't lost my tablet. But then I applied the same intensity to watching for a chance to not lost $64. I think they call this "free-floating anxiety." I kind of went into a funk, and played stupid games on the internet.