Spirituality Through Materialism

My friend Vic has called me out for not updating frequently enough. This is for him.

I do not believe in karma, but I'm a huge My Name Is Earl fan. That said, someone upstairs took notice. God, thank you.

Behold the glory that is The Star Wars Vault! In honor of Star Wars' thirtieth anniversary, Lucasfilm put out this monster. Written by Steve Sansweet and Pete Vilmur, the "book" recounts the history of the pervasive saga which spans three decades and has generated scores of paraphernalia. Note the quotes used around the word book. This is so much more than a book. The manufacturers have recreated fifty artifacts from Lucasfilm's archives. We've got everything from George Lucas' original handwritten story treatment for a little film called “The Star Wars,” to a punch-out cardboard landspeeder. There are two audio CDs containing rare cast interviews, radio commercials, and (I’m giddy just thinking of this) Carrie Fischer singing the Life Day song from the Star Wars Holiday Special. This is a fanboy’s wet dream.

Now, back to the karma part. This treasure trove from long ago and far, far away comes with a sticker price of $85.00! That was before Christmas. In the rush to get rid of stuff after the holidays, Barnes & Noble put The Vault on sale. Actually, I should phrase that as so-ridiculously-discounted-it’s-easier-to-pay-the-paultry-sum-than-try-to-steal-the-thing sale. (I like hyphenated words.)

Sister-in-law, Kate’s birthday was around the corner. Being the awesome SIL she is we knew she’d like a copy of The Vault as she too is a Star Wars geek. A copy went into the virtual B&N cart and was promptly sent to Kate in Wisconsin.

For myself, I decided to convert some cash into a gift card so that we weren’t putting a burden on the credit card. Check me out! I’m being responsible. By the time I got back to the website with my card in hand (the next day, I swear), the “sale” price had jumped up to a we’ve-got-too-many-of-these-but-not-THAT-many price. The new price was a little to steep for me. Oh well, I could always visit Kate’s copy.

Another 24 hours passed. A package with my name on it was delivered. Inside: The Star Wars Vault. WHAT!?!

Mandy, my brother’s girlfriend, had found a copy at the previous (a.k.a. ridiculous) price and knew I had to have it. How can a guy get so lucky? He can’t.

Salvation may not be based on works, but “getting’ stuff” apparently is.

Thanks again Mandy! You’re one of the best.