This morning’s weight: 196.4, for anyone who cares to watch me count down.

Today was a rather nice day, too nice to stay indoors, so I elected to get out and get some sunshine in.

OK, I lie, there was more to it than that. While trying to decide which game to finish next a few days ago, I found out that one developer (Smilebit) was responsible for two games I quite enjoy – Panzer Dragoon Orta and Jet Set Radio – and that this developer had done a third game for Sega before ceasing to exist. Furthermore, this last game – Gunvalkyrie – was available for the princely sum of $4.99 from your average used video game merchant.

There is a used video game merchant of the EBgames variety 4.1 miles away from here.

I figured, I’ll walk down to this merchant, purchase me a copy of this fine game should they have it, and get a decent walk out of the day.

Note: I am aware that this game has a reputation for having one of the worst controls schemes on record and as a result a difficulty curve that will break me should I ever try to finish it. It’s a shooter. I don’t finish shooters anyway.

I walk to EBgames. Along the way I stop and buy sunscreen and apply it because I’m realizing that after a winter without much sun I am pasty white and would rather not be unemployed AND sunburned.

In EBgames, I find Gunvalkryie, used of course but with a manual. I even have their discount card, so I will save 50 whole cents on the deal. I just get the card because it comes with a subscription to Game Informer, but sometimes I actually make a used purchase.

While I am puttering around in the bargain bin thinking things like “should I buy Sudeki for $4.99? It got a lot of press and all. Also, Maxim gave it five stars, it says right on the cover!”, the UPS delivery comes.

I hear the manager ask his register monkey who’s checking the contents of the order, “Did we get six Wiis?”

The monkey responds “No, they sent us nine.”

Now, the point of this isn’t to say, what a good day it is to be this EBgames and actually get more consoles in your shipment than you expected, it is rather to say that a shipping container full of Wiis had just been delivered to the store I was standing in.

I have tried to be strong about the whole thing in the past. It’s a system from Nintendo, I rationalize. It’s going to have lots of strong first party titles and not much else.

Then they announced a NiGHTS sequel for the thing, and my objections drifted away like… uh, something that drifts pretty easily. I’m not good with simile.

I purchased one. It went directly from its shipping container to a bag on the counter in front of me.

At that point, I realized that I was 4.1 miles from home with a new game console to lug home. On foot.

At least it wasn’t an Xbox. I don’t have a lot of back problems anymore, but I think carrying one of those for four miles would break me.

I made it home. My legs are killing me and I’m maybe just a little sunburned, but I have a feeling of triumph about me.