Completely out of character, I'd chosen to buy everything the cheapest way possible - a selection of secondhand and dodgy online retailers. One of the downsides to this approach (apart from things usually arriving in a less-than-working state) is that delivery dates vary wildly, and today I rode a roller coaster of emotions from the euphoria of the Wii arriving to the despair of not having the leads to connect it to my computer monitor. Out of the box it will only work with a telly...
Walking home yesterday past some nearby apartments, what should I see sitting in the driveway but a 28" monster tv-and-video combo! A folded piece of paper attached to the front read: "Works! Free!" I looked for the angels who had left it there, but they had already flown away.
It might also be the heaviest thing I've ever carried. Having to a take a break every 30 seconds did prolong my journey somewhat, but I remained focussed on my goal of being able to play computer games. What, frankly, can be more important than that?
Back in our flat I nestled the behemoth into the corner and turned it on. The piece of paper hadn't been lying, but after a while the screen began flickering and a strange crackling sound emanated from the back. I decided to let it dry out before trying again (did I mention it was raining?) A further challenge was getting the set tuned in to the Wii itself, a task only possible using the missing remote control. After following several online how-tos about turning your laptop/phone into a remote I gave up and popped to Radioshack to find a cheap universal one.
And then it worked! I was soon skydiving over Wii Sports Resort, a worryingly better-than-life island of white beaches and crystal clear seas. I then headed into the cosmos with Mario. Perfectly normal things for a 34-yr-old male to spend his afternoon doing. Bizarrely Hannah didn't notice the mammoth black box in the corner when she came home, which means I get to keep it.
(The monitor leads, of course, arrived this morning. Does anyone want to buy a telly? Pick up only.)
You hardly notice it really.
Wuhu Island, where I'll be spending a lot of my free time.
