Somebody’s name is on the Nice List

Well, it’s like Christmas came early in our household this weekend. My hubby has been painstakingly researching and tracking new television sets for the last five years. Research of this magnitude is a long process for him. I think he thinks it’s half the fun. He’s also been talking about getting a new Xbox 360, so that he can play Guitar Heroes. (He already has an Xbox, but I’m told it’s just not the same.)

It’s not that we have a tiny or low-quality television now…it’s just not new. It’s not all the new technology the kids are raving about these days. Honestly, I don’t understand it all, but it makes him happy, so I try to understand. Really, I do.

So, we’re sitting at the kitchen table on Saturday eating lunch, and he’s looking at the laptop. He’s checking out all his deal-watcher sites. Suddenly, out of the blue, at one of the stores near us, he finds a random deal that includes one of the TVs he’s been eyeing and the Xbox 360 all for a really good price. Of course, the sale ends today! He was planning on buying them separately anyway, so if we can save money by buying them together, why not?

Santa admitted that my hubby had been such a good boy, that he didn’t have a problem coming a little early this year.

He had been doing some painting work in the bathroom and working on cutting and installing the moldings. So, he rushed around putting on “normal” clothes so that he could run to the store. He was entirely too excited to think straight. I was hoping they still had the TV he wanted in stock and that the deal was real…for his sake.

Sure enough, they did and it was! I don’t think his feet have touched the ground all weekend. Now, he’s so motivated to play with his new toys that he got a *lot* done on the bathroom on Sunday, and we may be close to putting on the final touches! (And it’s not like he was being a slacker before!)

Speaking of the bathroom project, he got all the moldings sanded, cut, installed and primed. He also got the exhaust vent cut in the side of the house and connected and all the electrical work done for the new fan/light. He also got the doors and door frames painted. It’s amazing how a little extra motivation will kick things into high gear…

We thought that moving the old television off the entertainment stand was going to be the most daunting of tasks, especially with my back…that and the fact that the TV weighs as much as my car. Luckily, we were able to rig one of the computer chairs to help us. We used it like a furniture dolly, and it worked like a charm.

Oddly enough, the new 50” television, which is technically bigger than the older television weighs a lot less. It was a challenge getting it from his car to the house, but I powered through the pain, and we made it!

We joke that it’s *his* Christmas present sitting downstairs right now, but it’s something we’ll all enjoy. The new TV is nice. It’s amazing, actually. We watched a movie on the new system, and I was blown away.

We watched the movie on the Xbox, which will actually replace our DVD player. Hear that, DVD player!? Your days are numbered! Your random seizing up and stuttering will no longer be tolerated! Granted, we’ve watched a lot of movies (hundreds and hundreds…thanks to Netflix…), and I think we’ve almost successfully driven our DVD player insane.

I’m really not into any of the Xbox 360 stuff, but I will admit that the graphics look incredible on the new television. I guess if I have to be a Gaming Widow, it’s nice that Claire and I won’t have to go far to see Daddy.