Bare walls. Emptiness. That's how I remember the first apartment the Mrs. and I rented. The only things we had were an old, cheap "entertainment center" I had bought at the local Wal-Mart and an air mattress. The "entertainment center" was merely some pressboard wood planks held together by wood glue and sheer force of habit. I had bought the entertainment center for my dorm room when I had purchased a 13" TV and didn't want to set it up on the dresser. I didn't have cable or a VCR, but dammit I had a TV, which freed me from the capricious viewing habits of my fellow dorm rats in the dayroom. I was free, independent and taking the first steps toward self-sufficency.

I had nothing to watch. Delaware has only one native television channel in the entire state. Channel 16. So while everyone else was whooping it up in the dayroom to some action flick, I was watching a static-filled picture of the Farm Report. Yee-haw! But dammit it was my own TV.

My first roommate moved in shortly thereafter, and he brought with him gifts from afar: a VCR, a CD Player, a stereo, as well as his own car. Most of the stuff he brought with him soon intermingled with my stuff, which meant I didn't have to go out and by all that crap myself. His having a truck helped out immensely, since it meant I wouldn't have to walk around all over the place or hitch a ride with somebody else if they were going into town.

A few months later, the dream was over. My roommate started "ghosting", which meant that he had found some girl to live with, but was also still listed as residing in Room 29 of Building 475. He couldn't just say that he had moved out, because the rules at the time stated that all single airmen had to live in the dorms. He still took all his stuff, though.

I was back at square one with my proudly assembled entertainment center and 13" TV with one channel. I was also back to hitching rides with friends. So I sat there on my bunk bed watching the Farm Report and wondering about what I should do. And that's when it hit me. A CD Player! I really needed a CD Player! My mind wandered off into a utopian technolust fantasy. A CD Player would give me music, blinking lights, and hours of endless entertainment. Yes, I must have it. I will have it!

I jumped up out of my bunk and hoofed it to the other side of the base to get my CD Player from the BX. I was focused on my mission and as I walked through the electronics section, I scoped out the CD Players, shutting out the myriad distractions the PowerZone offered. And there they were, like precious gifts from God deposited on the shelf and illuminating my body with the soft blue glow of their LCD displays. I marveled at all the buttons, dials and stickers proclaiming the special features of each sleek, beautiful black box. Each represented the ticket to eternal happiness and would solidify my room as a place people would want to hang out and party. I scanned the LCD displays of all, and soon the numbers and blinking lights blurred together as my mind wandered off to contemplate better living through technology.