On the Hunt

Last night I dragged my next-door neighbor Dan on a quest through the unforgiving terrain of a foreign land. A land of mystery, fraught with peril, with danger lurking around every corner - made worth braving by the riches (or lack of sales tax) one can find if lucky enough to survive. Where did we trek last night, and why? Delaware. I am on the hunt for a new television.

Ideally, I would like a 37"-42" LCD HD widescreen set. I have a somewhat limited budget, so bargain-hunting is key. Seeing how I would pay $75.00 in sales tax at the very least if I bought in my homeland of Pennsylvania, the 30-minute odyssey to Delaware was more than justified. The first stop on our quest was an appliance outlet store in a place called Newark. We were not sure what to expect. The outlet store was very close to the off-ramp of US Interstate 95 South, a most treacherous path for a quest, thus we did not see much of Newark. We continue to assume that it is a dark, desolate land.

The store is housed in a warehouse, and my hopes rose as we entered. Alas, their entire inventory was comprised of returns - some damaged, some just cosmetically so. None of the sparse choices intrigued me much, so we jumped back in the Blazer and headed back due north to Best Buy.

We got to the second store with about 15 minutes left before closing. The model I had my sights set on was out of stock, which was good because we also found that it did not meet the specs of what I was looking for. I almost settled for a gorgeous 32" set (my current t.v. is a square 32" HD), but decided against it. While the trip to this point was very disappointing, I did see an old friend which boosted my spirits a ton. While I was looking at the beautiful wall of televisions, I heard a very familiar voice from up the aisle. I didn't turn around because I have a history of embarrassing mini-moments when my lack of good eyesight rears its ugly head. I turned around a few seconds later to see the smiling face of my fraternity brother Rashaan. He was always one of my favorite people in the fraternity, and it was awesome to see him, and to see that he is doing well.

Neighbor Dan and I were somewhat dejected that we were leaving Best Buy without a t.v., and Dan suggested a last-ditch stop at the nearby Target. After navigating through the most confusing parking lot ever constructed by man, we stopped in to check out the sets offered by the Target (tar-JAY) electronics department. It became apparent that if I am going to get a 37" or 42" t.v., I am going to have to spend a significant amount of money more than I initially budgeted. I can afford a more expensive set, but I like to have the missus on board for those types of decisions. She will most likely guilt me into a better decision with her legendary unwavering electronic frugality.

The trek to a foreign land to acquire a television last night bore no fruit. All we could take from the outing was some knowledge gleaned from the hobbit techno-geeks at the Best Buy and an enhanced awareness of ridiculous parking lot design. I had no new t.v. to bring home, but on the plus side I am not in the midst of divorce proceedings. We made it to this Newark place and back without being attacked by Delawarian orcs, and without settling for something I wasn't happy with for the next 10 years.

[Currently Listening: The Bouncing Souls - "True Believers"]