taking the leap

Well, my baser instincts have gotten the better of me. Over the weekend I finally bought that PS3 I've been thinking about not buying. It just kind of happened, in that way that things frequently just kind of happen to me: I convinced myself--against my better judgment!--that I needed to make a trip to Costco, because I needed--well, exactly nothing. And once there, I wandered past the games area, where of course I knew there would be a PS3 sitting. I told myself I was just looking at it, just to see, you know, if it was there. And the next thing I knew, the PS3 was in my cart and I was hurrying toward the exit with the kind of haste that characterizes people who know they are doing a Bad Thing and who want to get it over with before they can persuade themselves to stop.

The thing about a PS3 is that it is only the first of what will inevitably prove to be many purchases I don't need to make. Because right now all I've got is the console, and of course what good is the console without the games to play on it? I need some games. And the games will be so beautiful that I'll decide I need to upgrade my TV system to further appreciate them, and probably I'll need a 3-D sound system, too. This will make my living room look ugly, so I'll probably need to buy new furniture to house the sound system in, and of course one always needs a comfortable gaming stool or chair that blends decorously with the other furniture items.

And so it will proceed. I wonder how much all this will cost me?