Obsession.

**FYI: This post was published with full permission from my husband who approved the content within. In other words, he understands that I love him with all of his quirks, just like he loves me with all of mine. Right, Scott? Scott? Hey, honey, can you hear me?
I think my husband has a little obsession.

At first I thought it was just part of his need to be an fairly early adopter of new technology.

Example: a couple of years ago he installed a touch screen in our hallway wall to control lights, music, temperature, etc.

Oh look, a Rush album is playing!

He is still disappointed that I have not helped him design a cooler looking user interface.

I think he should just be happy I let him cut a hole in the wall for the thing. I did, however, insist he add a picture frame around it so it looked more like "art."

I have talked about his techno-geekness in the past. You know, how every couple of months we basically have to reboot our house.

Don't get me wrong, I do not necessarily think this is all a bad thing. At least I know exactly how he spends his money and free time as I see the evidence all over our house.

Recently, however, I have realized that his issue is more than an obsession with just technology in general.

His real obsession is television.

I do not mean he is obsessed with watching television, although we both probably do watch too much TV.

I mean he is obsessed with buying televisions.

An early purchase back
in 1992; floor model

As a child, I had two different televisions in our home from the time I was about 3 to 18. And no, I am not so old that technology did not change much over the years. It did. It's just that my father (and he knows this) was veeerrryyyy tight with money and did not see the need to upgrade along the way.

Scott is also a pretty frugal person. When he does buy his gadgets and toys, he does a lot of research on quality and price and uses sales, coupons, or buys floor models at a greatly reduced price.

Our first big screen rear projection, 2002.
Came with a free Yamaha receiver so it was a must buy.
Sits in our dining room/train room and is known as the Wii TV.

However, his frugality in no way keeps him from the almighty upgrade in television products.

In 17 years of marriage I can count at least TEN different television purchases. That is a new television purchase every 1.7 years!

Compare that to how often we have purchased a couch: twice.

Yes, the TVs are for a couple of different rooms and, yes, he always gets a bargain.

Yes, the same television would have cost twice as much had he purchased it when the technology first arrived and, yes, the picture quality improves with each purchase.

Zenith flat screen, 2005. Started out in our bedroom,
but has since moved to the bathroom when we upgraded in 2008.

But, seriously, I find it little too much.

Our family room 52" Sony 1080p LCD flat screen
purchased in 2009 (floor model, of course)

And this week (drum roll please!), he got that crazed look in his eyes after reading the HH Gregg flyer that gave him early access to an amazing deal on a Samsung 50 inch 720p plasma flat screen that he has been wanting to put in...wait for it....the bedroom.

Bedroom 32 inch 720p LCD, 2008.
Off to be mounted on a wall elsewhere.

A 50 inch TV mounted on the wall 13 feet from my headboard.

Scott is all, "Oh well, they say that 13 feet is the right distance. Could even go to a 52 inch for that distance." Uh, huh. Riiiight.

The kids lay at the foot of our bed, about 7 feet from the monstrosity, their eyes glazed over in movie heaven where they can actually see the pores on Anakin Skywalker's nose.

I would like to think that this is the last "upgrade" we will see for a while. However I know better.

The newest addition to the family:

Something tells me that this year we will be watching the Super Bowl in bed.