Fiat Accompli

Almost a year ago, I put up a fairly longish post about The Beatles box sets that were due to be released in September. I explained in some detail why I was going to spend what, for me, was an absurd sum of money in order to own both the stereo and mono box sets. And I left the reader with the impression that the purchase of both sets would take place shortly after their release, or shortly after Christmas at the latest.

That estimate was, as it turns out, rather wrong.

By the time Sept. 9 rolled around, my wife and I were still in the process of paying for my new MacBook Pro. One CD box set, let alone two, was simply out of the question. Weeks went by, and still, I hadn't so much as heard one of the remastered. I couldn't afford the set, so there was nothing I could do. And slowly, but surely, I started getting twitchy.

It took me until mid-October before my wife finally convinced me to give in, and just buy one or two to tide me over. I chose Abbey Road and The White Album, and was delighted to learn that they were all that I'd hoped for, and a bit more. Since I wanted to own the entire catalog as soon as possible, and since my bank account was still no great shakes, I began to revise my strategy. As the stereo box really had nothing in them but the individual discs that were commonly available, I decided to start picking the remasters up a few titles at a time, and leave the elusive mono box as the big prize. Maybe if I'd been buying drugs instead of CDs, I might have recognized what atrocious rationalizing this was. At the time, though, it seemed perfectly reasonable and logical.

As to the grand prize itself, I will spare you the tale of how the mono box sold out completely virtually before it was released, and how great my chagrin and suffering was that I would never lay hands on it because I couldn't afford to pre-order it when I had the chance. Suffice it to say, by the time Christmas rolled around, EMI had rescinded the set's "limited edition" status, and both sets were in stock at Amazon. About twice a month, I would check the site to make sure the set was still available, and promise myself "some day."

"Some day" is apparently today. This morning, over the usual stumblings of the morning, and amid the haste to begin going about our respective days, my wife said the words "Easter present" when I brought the mono box up for the upteenth time. And after having a day to consider both it, and our financial situation, I acquiesced, and reached for my debit card. And with much fear, wonder, and trembling, I overcame my reluctance to spend that much money on myself, and ordered the silly thing.

So, the thing is done. My copy of the mono box is on its way. I am equal parts excited and relieved, but most of all, I am grateful. Grateful that I have a wife who loves me enough to think that spending $166 on a set of mono recordings of a musical catalog I already own nearly twice over is a reasonable use of our money. Grateful that EMI decided to manufacture the silly little trinkets long enough for me to scrape the money together. And most of all, I am very, very grateful that I have received so many blessings in my life that I can put so much energy into the luxury of fretting about things like my music collection.