As frustrating and progressively overdue this search for living room furniture is becoming, it has provided valuable knowledge in many areas. Aside from the predictable ruminations of consumerism, materialism and brand awareness that could accompany an introduction of that sort, there is more to it. When searching for second-hand furniture, there is a unique balance of trust between the old and new possessor. Whether a piece is simply borrowed or bill of sale is written up, there is that lingering thought of what was and what might still be.

Furniture sees a lot, feels a lot, withstands a lot and absorbs a lot. Hence the whole "tendency to be expensive" thing. It's a worthy cause for large expenditure much of the time, but before that happens, a lot else must happen. The decision-making process on such large ticket items that have so many equivalent alternatives is awful. This reality has taken up residence in me quite recently and now it feels as though economics could prevail above complete and absolute peace of mind.

By shopping for used furniture, some of the tough decisions are already made. Chances are there will only be one choice of color, not 47. There will only be one place to make the purchase, not seven convenient locations to serve you in the tri-state area. The luxury of store delivery (at a cost, of course) is not an option. Add in the presumed lower price and it seems a winner. Enter the trust issue. The buyer is automatically suspicious of who is selling what and why. Nobody wants what isn't good enough for someone else, or maybe they do, so long as it improves their lot. When the options are an empty floor or a lighter wallet, it's nice to find middle ground. When outfitting a rented property, it seems foolish to be so concerned over what was bought new anyway.

As a matter of pride, it's important to play down the idea of paying money for someone else's rejects. However, as a seller, it can be just as important to justify the rejection to those potentially interested in buying. Most people don't want to be seen as a purveyor of crap, so the process of explaining oneself begins. Since every buyer's first assumption is that the furniture for sale is either damaged, hideous, full of urine, or some combination therein, it can be a tough sell. As evident by some online listings experienced personally, the "real" reason people get rid of furniture ranges from moving out of country to a desire for more floorspace to a means by which to obtain more games for Nintendo Wii. Yes, some of Middle Tennessee's finest used furniture can be procured with the simple currency of Wii games. Perhaps the furniture in question simply interferes with the seller's backswing on WiiGolf or sword reach on The Legend of Zelda. Clearly there are priorities in life.

I'm sure with this couple hundred square feet of open wood floor in the living room, there could quite a bit of sweet Wii action in this place. Problem is, besides the echo, there is no Wii here. The money to be spent on furniture could just as easily be spent on Wii, though, and the stark nature of the living room (which already resembles a raquetball court) would be serving a purpose. Everyone would want to come visit the Wii arena and life would mean something. We'll sleep on that one.