My in-laws gave me a little bit of cash as an early birthday present, and I’m having trouble deciding what to do with it. It’s enough for almost half of the two things I am currently coveting, so I turn to you – the trusted internets – to tell me which of the two I should buy.

Thing One:

A second LCD monitor. I never really bought into the whole dual monitor setup thing, until my PC died and I started using my Macbook + monitor at home. I also have a dual setup at work, because I need to be able to see many things at once while monitoring the effects my nefarious chemicals are having on my Frankenvictims. Now that my PC lives and is excellent again, I really find that I miss having two windows to the world at home. I’d like a second monitor, at least 21”. It would be the main screen, and my 17” LCD would be the secondary.

Pros:

• two monitors means I can view two porns at the same time!
• No longer will I be at my keyboard but unreachable because I am too busy playing stupid little shockwave games and can’t be bothered to alt-tab out of it to see what you want
• A dual monitor setup is totally the future, and I am all about the future

Cons:

• Have you seen the size of my desk? It is tiny. I will have to work some heavy duty magic to make a dual monitor setup work in the space I have available (pro: I love reorganizing things!)
• I am not sure that my video card will support dual monitors, as it was made in Mexico sometime around 1969
• Will I stop at two? What if some day I think a TRIPLE monitor setup is the way to go? What then? Is a second LCD panel just a gateway gadget?

Thing Two:

A pair of Fluevog shoes. I’m thinking these, or perhaps these. They are so sexy I can barely breathe. It would be an utter splurge, but isn’t that what you’re supposed to do with birthday money? Sure, I could do something responsible like buy orphaned bread or double-paned windows, but that is boring. I don’t want boring. I want flashy. I want exciting. I want passionate whirlwind romance atop the Eiffel Tower with tall handsome men or women with thick accents and a bow tie. Those shoes would get me closer to that, I am sure.

Pros:

• Sexy shoes!
• Whirlwind romance!

Cons:

• I don’t know that I can honestly bring myself to spend that much money on a pair of *shoes*
• Flying to Paris for romance would ruin my whole “no flying in 2008” thing, and I would feel guilty the entire time because I warmed the globe with my emissions
• No double-paned windows means my heating bill will go up in the winter
• All my pants are so damned long you would never see my sexy shoes anyway

I’m torn. Help me, internet! Which frivolous purchase reigns supreme?

VS