A dream or a wish?

I just made a decision that will affect not only the rest of my summer, but the rest of my life (at least as far as room and storage are concerned). One of my big summer projects was going to be to build a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) cabinet similar to the one in the picture. It was going to sit in my office when I was done and would eventually end up in my office at school. I started doing research and even bought a copy of Project Arcade, a how-to book that takes you step-by-step through the process.

My decision, I am not going to pursue it. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind having one and the cool factor is evident but I have had to stop and really think it through. To build the system I would want, I would be looking at $400-$600 and unless you have been under a rock, gas keeps going up which is raising prices on everything else. But that is not the only reason. While I think the experience of building the cabinet would be cool, I don't really have any help to do so. I'm sure I could get it done by myself and would get some help here and there but for the most part I would be on my own. Lastly, I'm afraid in a couple of years I will grow tired of it and the amount of space it would take up is nothing to sneeze at.

The main reason is I am starting to realize building it is more of a wish than a dream. A dream is something that someone usually pursues and lust after for a long period of time; a wish tends to be something fleeting. For example, my wife has dreamed of going to NY ever since she was a young girl; I have wanted to build MAME system on and off for a year or so and was inspired (again) by a series Systm did on it back in November. While our aspirations differ to some extent (my being a physical object and hers being an experience) the amount of time we have wanted them and our passion to obtain them are the big difference. I have been on the fence for a little while, she would have gone to NY at the drop of a hat at any time.

I may still revisit this idea in the future. All is not lost though, I can still play all my favorite arcade games on my Mac or laptop using just the MAME program. Sure, I won't have the cool-guy cabinet and controllers, but at least it won't take up a good section of my office. Plus, it gives me more time to work on the blog! :)