I have a friend named Carlos (well, two, actually, but that’s neither here nor there) who has been searching for a Wii for a few months now. The purchase has been approved by the Office of Budget and Management (Mrs. Carlos) and the money is in the bank, so all that is left is for them to FIND one of the silly things.

As most folks know, that is “the hard part.” Needless to say, he took umbrage at my stumbling upon a Wii by accident. Not too much, though, since he’s a really good guy. Frankly, if I were in his shoes I would be cursing my name and spitting at the ground that I walked upon.

I would also be over six-feet tall, which would be pretty sweet.

The fact that he is such a nice guy (and also hosts a good Super Bowl party) made me feel bad for his inability to find a Wii. I then made it a habit to keep my eyes peeled for them as I’m out and about. The next day after purchasing mine, I even went back to that same store and they still had one! I then immediately called Carlos, but to no avail, as his phone was turned off. D’oh.

I certainly couldn’t blame myself for that, but nevertheless my “Wii guilt” ate at me until my insides burned like the fire of a hundred suns! Well, maybe not THAT bad, but it sounds good, doesn’t it?

As fate would have it, I happened to be at Costco last night looking for printer ink, and lo and behold, there sat a PALLET of Wii! (hmm, sounds like something out of Dr. Seuss) Once again, I called Carlos, and this time he was there (yay) BUT he doesn’t have a Costco card. We then made a gentleman’s agreement: I would purchase the system, he would pay me the cost and everybody would be happy. He would have the object of his desire, and I would be able to play Zelda:Twilight Princess guilt-free again.

There was a small problem in this otherwise brilliant plan: Like many other retailers Costco bundled the Wii, which bumps up the cost. Their bundle came with 2 games (Super Mario Galaxy and Wii Play) and a second nunchuck for $350. That’s actually not a bad deal; you’re getting the nunchuck for free. I wasn’t sure if I had the scratch to cover it in my checking account, though, and I only had my debit card on me. No biggie, I thought to myself, I’ll run home, grab a credit card with a grace period, pay it when the bill comes in with the money from Carlos, and once again, everybody’s happy.

I dash home in the Reliant feeling pretty good about myself, and hurry back to claim the prize only to find that THE LAZY BASTARDS AT COSTCO CLOSE AT 830. Dammit.

The Wii guilt weighed heavy on my heart as I dialed Carlos’ number…he told me not to sweat it…he’s just too darn nice, I tell you. Yet, I cannot let go of my Wii guilt quite that easily. Nay, I shall continue to search high and low until we are both merrily hurling Koopa shells at each other in Mario Kart. Only then will I can be absolved of my Wii guilt! Verily, I must!

Or I’ll get lucky and they’ll still have some at Costco today. 😉

UPDATE: Yup, I got lucky, woo-hoo!