10 June 2009

Frantically Searching for Father's Day Gift

Perhaps the word "frantically" in the title is something of an exaggeration. In actuality, I've known for weeks what I want to buy ABM: a Roku box. We've had a Netflix subscription for years; it was actually my gift to Allen about five years' ago. However, we rarely make use of the streaming video hours that are included with our subscription. ABM doesn't like to watch video on the computer. I figured that a box that would let us watch the Netflix streaming video on our TV would be a good gift.

So why am I hesitating? Well, the Roku box was a great idea when we had our old TV which didn't have HDMI ports. Now we have an HDTV sitting right next to ABM's desktop. I'm afraid ABM will wonder why I spent $99 on a box that can only access the Netflix videos when he can hook the TV up to the computer for free and access anything: Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc.

That leaves me back where I started, without a gift. ABM is tough to buy for. Whenever he wants something, he goes out and buys it for himself. By the time a gift-giving occasion comes around, I can't think of anything to get him. I thought for once I had a winner: something that ABM doesn't even know exists but that meets a need for him.

Anyway, I have until Friday to decide what to get him. I have to be able to order it online and my budget is $100 plus shipping. If I don't come up with a better idea, I will probably buy the Roku box, anyway. There is a slim chance that he may still like it. Even though he's been saying for years that he wants to be able to connect the TV and the computer, he hasn't done it yet except to test it. I think the convenience of being able to use the Roku box with a remote from his favorite TV-watching spot may help him to ignore how much I spent on it.

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