Consumerism continues

Returning back to the US, we have the opportunity to make rationale decisions about what we do and do not need in our new lives here. Unpacking our stored possessions, there were a few surprises - we got rid of our electric griddle and baking sheets, for example - but a lot of the basics are here.

We still have some more furniture to get - a couple of items for the living room, in particular. But we went out of our way this weekend to stock up our middle bedroom, from hereon referred to as the "TV room."

Going back to my original point, we could have decided not to get a TV. I toyed with the idea in the past, and Rachel would probably be ok with it. But in the end, I decided that I like watching sports too much to permanently rely on Slingbox. The pixelated internet image was a blessing in China, but here it just would not suffice.

That being said, I convinced Rachel that if we are going to do it, we might as well do it right - so we bought a 40" Sony Bravia and a nice sound system to go along with it. The TV is unpacked but the sound system will take some time to set up. Audio equipment has gotten more complicated in the last few years, now that we are in the digital age.

The next step is to get programming - we are using Sarah's antenna (shhh...don't tell her) to test reception. We get the basic broadcast channels, in HD, with decent reliability. However, if sports were the primary reason to get the TV, then can we stick with an antenna and miss out on ESPN and Big Ten Network?

In addition, we are interested in buying a grill. We have a back door that leads out to a patio that SCREAMS barbeque everytime I walk out there. Looking at reviews, it seems to make sense to pay more to get a small Weber grill (that should last) as opposed to a cheap one that will rust and break down. So the only question is...buy it now while the weather is nice, or wait until our income starts rolling in?

As Rachel voiced, once you start buying, all you do is think of more things to buy. Stores are quite effective as messing with your brain in this regard.

-alan