The Package

This was going to be a substory to my previous post, but decided it was worthy of it's own post.

My wife and I decided not to exchange gifts this year to save money, because, despite the governments' declaration that inflation is in check, stuff costs a hell of a lot more than it did last year and money is running short. If only I could find a way to get rich by blogging! So here's the story of what my "kids" got me.

A couple of weeks before Christmas I was looking at the credit card statement online and I noticed a charge to HP for a hundred and some dollars. Curious and always suspicious I immediately emailed my wife. Do you know what this is? Yes! Okay, I'll take a hint.

That got me to thinking. What could it be? A ZZ Top key chain? Nah, HP doesn't make this. Reece Witherspoon? Nah, can't buy her. Ah - an external hard drive. I did mention that I wanted one. All those pictures I take with my Nikon D40x are starting to eat up the space on my computer's hard drive.

A few days later I was talking to my friend at work (the ENFP), and he said that he got a new printer/scanner. I mentioned that I would love to get a scanner and he said that maybe he'd give me his old one. Maybe. He's very generous. I told my wife this. I said that I could scan all my old pictures and post them on Facebook. She was thrilled. Aren't there enough pictures of you and your mullet in the world?

A couple of days later my wife is on the phone and I ask her who she's talking to. No one! Go away! What? Go Away! Why? What's going on? She smiles and repeats - GO. AWAY! Okay, okay. She's either on the phone with her boyfriend or she's talking about me. I suspect the latter.

Christmas day my kids give me this GIANT box. I open it and within 1 second 3 major thoughts go through my head at lightning speed (or so it seemed). The gift is an HP Printer, Copier, Scanner. It's really nice. However, my thoughts overtake my emotions:

1) This isn't an external hard drive. Damn, now I have to go out and buy that on my own. I wonder if Best Buy is having any post-Christmas sales on external hard drives. I wonder if Mrs. Eludius would be mad if I went out and bought one. I wonder what time Best Buy opens. Do I really want to get up early tomorrow? I'm going to be really tired after running around all day.
2) We already have a printer. Why would she get me another printer?
3) This is huge. Where am I going to put this? The space where the current printer is located is too shallow and not tall enough. If I place this next to the computer than the baby will mess with it. Can I run a line upstairs to the bedroom? I wish I had an office. I could use a computer desk with a lot of desktop space. Kevin has a nice office. If I had his office I would have no trouble finding a place to put this.

A little while later my wife mentions that I didn't seem too thrilled to receive the printer. I then realize that my thought process must have been visible externally. I didn't mean it that way. I do like it, but the logical side of me took over. I much prefer this printer to the one I have. And to have one peripheral as opposed to 2 (the scanner), this is much better. I just need to figure out the logistics of it.

So to my wife - I'm sorry I didn't act as happy as I really am. Be mad at my logical side, not my emotional side.