I have been snapping up box sets of Family Guy on the cheap for a few months now. They have become part of my stress busting routine on most evenings as I collapse on the sofa and stare at the idiot box and nurture my battered soul.

Seth MacFarlanes's animated series has been running on and off since 1999 on The Fox Network. Its has actually been cancelled twice but as it clawed its way to cult status and then went on to rack up impressive DVD sales Fox decided to bring the show back from the dead out of the kindness of their corporate hearts, CHI – CHING.

For the launch of the Sixth series, and to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars, this 45 minute episode of Family Guy is a spoof and retelling of Star Wars IV: A New Hope. The name "Blue Harvest", embarrassingly unknown to me before this DVD was announce, is the title that was given to the working progress of Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi to keep its identity and story shrouded in secrecy. Anyway enough with the uber geek talk and back to the normal folk talk with only mild and subtle hints of geeky undertones ...

Having already spent a small mortgage on presents and gear over the holidays I decided it was once again time to dip into my rainy day funds, after all everyday is a rainy day in London. Suddenly and as if by magic I found myself inside the local HMV within minutes of clearing my conscious about buying this Limited Edition Box Set.

For twenty five Great British Pounds, what makes them great I will never know, you get a 2 minute fight scene in 3D (glasses included), a Blue Harvest T-shirt, the "North by North Quahog" episode from Season 4, a booklet and a few other things as well as the spoof itself.

As with any situation when you are looking forward to something the remainder of the day at work was a drag. It was as if Blinx had been resurrected from his digital grave and used his old school Dyson to slow down the fabric of time. Off course my train back home that day was inevitably delayed too.

After finally getting home, doing a few chores, showering, making some phone calls, cooking, etc there was only a 60 minute gap in the day's schedule before my body would shut up shop and call it a day as I involuntarily came face to face with Mr. Sandman.

So I grabbed the Box, blitzed through the shrink wrap and finally got my hands on the smooth black exterior packaging. As I pulled the box slowly out from the exterior cover the inner box jammed and wouldn't slid out. Not a problem, I readjust the angle and try again and fail again. Panic started to settle in.

FYI - I have this thing about keeping my stuff in pristine condition. For example seeing someone reading a book, turning the page and then pressing back and folding that perfect spine is more harrowing than being witness to someone running over a puppy and then watch as the driver stops and backs up the car just to make sure.

It turned out that the interior box was getting caught on a piece of cardboard that had managed to free itself from the clutches of the cheap UHU glue that was used by the six year old Korean girl that was delegated the job of securing said cardboard.

There was no way I was going to force my way into the soft innards of this Limited Edition Box Set. After some emergency brain storming I went straight to that draw we all have in the kitchen, the one that is home to all the junk you never throw out in case you might someday need it.

I brushed aside a Christmas party hat, a rusty nail, an empty match box and got to the things I was looking for. With my trusty old tweezers, a blunt steak knife and a carpenters knife I was now reading to step into the operating theatre. It took me a few minutes to work my magic by which time it was time to hit the hay. Gutted.

I cannot believe the stupidity of the people that design these things. I paid good money and for what? I could have done a better job with my Christmas party hat and some spit.

I am convinced that the guy that designed the user interface for the PS3 was a few Yen short for his karaoke machine and decided some moonlighting for his friendly neighbours ,the Koreans, was in order. So the wheels were set in motion, the stars aligned and while the bloke in Japan belts out "I will survive" on his shinny new karaoke machine I get screwed over yet again.

 

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