Why must you keep taking all my money?

So I’m at the Best Buy tonight; it’s going to be a quick run. I just wanted to get a pair of speakers for my computer and be done with it. (I ended up getting the Bose Companion 2 set, which were pricey but I’m starting to understand why everybody raves about Bose speakers; they’re damn impressive). But it’s never that simple.

Actually, I came out okay — considering my track record with Best Buy, the fact that I came out with only 2 extra purchases is pretty good. (I also got WarioWare Twisted and The Best of Phil Hartman, just for his reading Madonna’s Sex book as Charleton Heston). But it was tough to get out with only that much collateral damage. I didn’t know that Harvey Birdman was finally released on DVD, and I know I’m going to have to buy that eventually, if only for the Jonny Quest and Apache Chief Episodes. And they had the big Star Wars display, of course, taking advantage of the good will that Revenge of the Sith built amongst us disillusioned Star Wars geeks. All of that I just see as inevitable expenditures; it’s not a question of if I’m going to buy them, but when.

But the most dangerous part of the store was the home video section. Where I go in thinking that I need a bigger TV, one that does wide-screen. It doesn’t matter that I hardly ever watch TV anymore; I need this. And that 37″ Sony plasma screen has an awfully clear picture. And it’s only $4500. A pittance, right?

People always talk about our responsibility as American citizens, and they usually mean our responsibility to vote intelligently. But I think the bigger responsibility is being able to deal with living surrounded by such excess and over-indulgent conspicuous consumption and not be totally consumed by it.

Still, that sure is a nice TV.