My theme for 2007 is "because I can."

I've actually been living by this, but I didn't coin the phrase until I went to Guitar Center yesterday to see what the real story was about no-interest financing on a President's Day Sale, and walked out with a shiny new black sunburst Fender Jazz Bass.

I always wanted a bass to noodle around on, even before I had a guitar. So I got one. As I'm buying this thing, I'm thinking, why am I getting this? I mean, why am I REALLY getting it? Because I can.

Doesn't hurt that I don't have to pay for a year, but still. Because I can.

This applies retroactively to my new Nintendo. I bought an NES in 1988 with $107 that took me like 47 years to accumulate. I was never a big time video game player, but I had my moments. I never had a ton of games, because I always had to buy them myself or wait for Christmas or something. I picked up rocks in our backyard for $5/5 gallon bucket, until I had $50 for Super Mario Bros 3. I remember my mom calling over to Toys R Us in Waco, and they only had 7 copies, so they held one back for me.

So I decided over Christmas that I would get a Wii. The new controllers and the ability to download old games on the cheap were the selling points. I figured I'd go pick one up.

Then I realized you can't find them anywhere. I realized the only way to get one was to be an 11 year old kid with nothing better to do than try and get one.

So I got determined. I ended up sitting outside Best Buy for 3 hours one morning, to get one, then driving around every Target, Circuit City and Best Buy within 20 miles to get all the controllers.

Why? Because I can.