Anyone who knows me knows that my addiction (I prefer the term hobby, but to each their own) to DVDs is legendary, even if in my own mind or in one room of my house. But recently I picked up The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection. If you're a little slow on the uptake, that means everything. 28 discs encompassing 156 episodes and 5 seasons from 1959 to 1964 on CBS. That last sentence (especially the 28 discs and 156 episodes part) might have more than a few pairs of eyes popping out (but I'm guessing not) and heads being scratched, but let me start from the beginning.
The seed to acquire this beautiful mammoth was planted last summer on The 4th of July. As with most of the more noteworthy holidays, the Sci-Fi Channel ran a Twilight Zone marathon for dozens of hours at a time. I scrolled through my program guide, recorded the ones I wanted to see or revisit and spent any and all spare time over the following days and weeks watching them. And of course whenever something I get that excited and/or nostalgic crosses my path the first thing I do is check out Amazon to see how much I'd have to pay to add it to the private collection. Without dropping numbers, the word ouch crossed my mind and I put it on the when I win the lottery list and for the most part forgot about it.
Then comes New Year's Day. Sci-Fi runs another marathon and I recorded another several episodes and pretty much followed the same drill as I did the previous summer. Only this time a few small details changed. One of them being that my birthday was less than 2 weeks off. Obviously when you get older, no one gives a shit about your birthday outside of immediate family but my folks rarely disappoint. Another thing being that my friend was going to hook me up with what will be my 4th job with which only a few hours would take care of the rest of the asking price for the box set. The only other thing I'd need would be a little patience.
Until a couple weeks later. That box set was really sticking in my craw for a while at that point. And when that happens I keep checking the price on Amazon. If a cheap one was going in good condition from a seller with reliable feedback I could justify it. But things go the other way, too. For instance, when I checked it out, Amazon's price said currently unavailable.
Now I've worked retail for many years in a couple of different venues. And those words are never good. Generally the words currently unavailable mean that something's about to go out of print or be discontinued. And I've been on enough wild goose chases over the years looking for out of print items (let alone biggies such as this) to know you've got to strike while the iron is hot.
So I ordered the set, it showed up and it's magnificent. The packaging is great and the artwork incredible. But that I made the right decision moment for me came when I watched that first episode, in all its striking blacks and whites on my 42" flat-screen TV. Christ, they're beautiful. That right there made me forget that it would take me nearly half a year, watching an episode a day, to get through.
But today, just for the hell of it I decided to check out Amazon and see how much that set was going for. Guess what isn't currently unavailable anymore.
Yeah...
The seed to acquire this beautiful mammoth was planted last summer on The 4th of July. As with most of the more noteworthy holidays, the Sci-Fi Channel ran a Twilight Zone marathon for dozens of hours at a time. I scrolled through my program guide, recorded the ones I wanted to see or revisit and spent any and all spare time over the following days and weeks watching them. And of course whenever something I get that excited and/or nostalgic crosses my path the first thing I do is check out Amazon to see how much I'd have to pay to add it to the private collection. Without dropping numbers, the word ouch crossed my mind and I put it on the when I win the lottery list and for the most part forgot about it.
Then comes New Year's Day. Sci-Fi runs another marathon and I recorded another several episodes and pretty much followed the same drill as I did the previous summer. Only this time a few small details changed. One of them being that my birthday was less than 2 weeks off. Obviously when you get older, no one gives a shit about your birthday outside of immediate family but my folks rarely disappoint. Another thing being that my friend was going to hook me up with what will be my 4th job with which only a few hours would take care of the rest of the asking price for the box set. The only other thing I'd need would be a little patience.
Until a couple weeks later. That box set was really sticking in my craw for a while at that point. And when that happens I keep checking the price on Amazon. If a cheap one was going in good condition from a seller with reliable feedback I could justify it. But things go the other way, too. For instance, when I checked it out, Amazon's price said currently unavailable.
Now I've worked retail for many years in a couple of different venues. And those words are never good. Generally the words currently unavailable mean that something's about to go out of print or be discontinued. And I've been on enough wild goose chases over the years looking for out of print items (let alone biggies such as this) to know you've got to strike while the iron is hot.
So I ordered the set, it showed up and it's magnificent. The packaging is great and the artwork incredible. But that I made the right decision moment for me came when I watched that first episode, in all its striking blacks and whites on my 42" flat-screen TV. Christ, they're beautiful. That right there made me forget that it would take me nearly half a year, watching an episode a day, to get through.
But today, just for the hell of it I decided to check out Amazon and see how much that set was going for. Guess what isn't currently unavailable anymore.
Yeah...
Catching up on my Schadenfreude...
ReplyDeleteHave fun on your strange odyssey- you will soon be "That Guy"- the one that watched all 156 episodes of the Twilight Zone in less than a year. I give you 3 months. Those episodes are short.
ps- damn, you're prolific, lately!
ReplyDelete