Well, it seems that things conspire against me at times but at least this time it's forced my hand.

As many of you know I have been saving my pennies with the idea of getting a cintiq however life has a way of overruling things like this.

We recently had to replace the ice machine in our refrigerator - not a huge expense but this week our dishwasher died. It's been a great dishwasher and we were blown away to realize it is now 10 years old. Our friend in the business (after tearing it apart) said it's probably not a bad idea to just go buy a new one.

So, off the wife and I go to check out the world of dishwashers. Well, there is more to know now because everything is energy efficient and thus doesn't work as well as the old versions. Additionally, it's hard to find one that gives you full control over the delay timer and all that. Now, while we seldom buy the most expensive thing in the store and we do take a look at the cheaper ones, neither one of us can stomach a product that just feels cheap to our hands. So, we purchased an above the middle or on the low end of the professional line. There went an entire Saturday afternoon I will never get back....then again, at least I won't have to wash the dishes by hand .

Needless to say, this set me back some dough and while we were at the Fry's I decided I have had it with waiting and so I purchased myself a Large Intuos 5.

I installed it last night and so far don't know what I'm doing but I can't wait to start working on a map with this thing.

I also, have access to some software bundles through Wacom including a 50% coupon towards PS CS5? (seems like it should be 6 but maybe the paper included is old). Anyway, I don't know jack squat about any of the software they offer me so I'm not sure which ones to choose. Anyone caring to offer an opinion please do.