This is how it all began into a downward spiral into the VG collecting scene. This is how I acquired my first Genesis.

"Soo. Here goes nothing"

It was about Mid March of 09. The weather in NC is amazing this time of year. Me staring at my computer with nothing to do. I hear a knock at my room door. My mother asks if I wanted to help her with some errands. With no car and no job to boot. I say what the hell, I need to get out of the house sometime today.
With that in mind I get ready. At the door my father says now hes going and also needs to get out of the house as well.
So we go on about our weekly trip to wall-mart and some place to eat.
After which my mother then admits there is one more place to check out. That being Goodwill.

Personal note:
While I was living back in MD. A couple of my friends would get lucky on there finds @ goodwill every once in a blue moon. Though me being me. I take that with a grain of salt. This trip on the other hand to goodwill would change how I shop @ goodwill forever.

When we arrive at good will. I ask my 5 year old little brother if he wants to go to the toy section.
You already know the answer 5 years old + toys = YES!
This is not to hinder my mother and father while they find him play clothes and other things.

So we go back to the toys/electronics section.(thank god there a rack apart) With the little one in eye sight. I glance over the used junk. I was kinda looking for an old system of sorts or anything video game/computer related. I felt like they had nothing to offer and moved on.

I noticed the used audio section. Looking at the old portable CD players(walkmans). I was thinking to myself about how big they were in the 90s. I push a couple to the side and ruffle through until my hand slips inside the back on one. I'm thinking to myself "wtf! a handle at first". Pulling it out from the very far back of the shelf. I noticed the cd lid open. I'm still in the blind nostalgia of how big these old CD players are. That is about when I shut the lid. I took my hand out of what I thought was the handle. (Mind you, I was trying to keep and eye on the little one and look at this thing.This is NOT EASY).. I put the Cd player down to go chew my brother out about touching the glassware and go sick my father on him. When I come back I noticed a sega logo on the back of that CD player. I picked it up in shock and noticed "CDX" on the cd lid. That is about where I did a sort of victory dance in some respects...

With that in hand. It dawns on me that this possibly takes a different type of power brick then the standard Genesis. I look frantically for it but its nowhere in sight. Then I remember seeing a tub of AC adapters on the other side of the shelf. This tub was just about every wire they had in the store, unwrapped in a Rubbermaid tub. It was a unorganized cluster-f**K and would make any grown man with OCD, cry deeply. I seriously spent like a extra 10 mins undoing each Brick and checking to see if any of them said, that iconic SEGA logo. I grew wary and hunted down my mom to see if I could get just the CDX. Rushing down the isle I run into my mom. I ask "Can you get this for me?" without even breaking a sweat. She then asks "what is it?". That is about when I explain its a "rare Sega genesis". My dad then pops around the isle and says "Sega!  another Dreamcast" in a disappointing tone. (Just to note: my dads outlook on Sega was with the failure of the Dreamcast.)
He turns back around and says "If you want it, get it".

With my victory securer then the social security of the US. I let them know I'm going back to look for the power brick. My dad says "hurry it up". I nod and rush back. Looking in more of the terminator style of motion. This time I was on a seek and find mission. I knew it was here if the system is. I then move my attention over to the antique section. Something I missed before just because you never know. Then in the corner of my eye, top self black ac power brick with a White SEGA logo. Not the standard genesis power brick that I'm use too. I read more on the brick just to make sure.
"Class 2 Power Supply For
  Use with Genesis CDX"
That is when I exhaled a F**k yeah! and rushed back to check out.
With the sound of the register I ask what's the damage on the of the CDX.
Total=$12.50(US)

You know when you were younger and got something you couldn't wait to get home to play or tinker with.
Well that was me. In the car ride back home.
I lit up a cigarette in the back seat, thinking I hope this works.

As soon as I walked in the door. I got my stuff and scurried to my man cave(aka room). I plugged it in knowing it didn't have any controllers or AV cords. I figured I could check and see if it played CDs OK. I jacked in my klipsch speakers and powered on the unit. To my delight I herd the Sega CD boot music. So I figured it should be ok. There is a Sonata Arctica cd on my media shelf. I grab it and play the disk. The music comes rocking out.

This right here is about where that announcer from Mortal Kombat would have been perfect for that
"Flawless Victory!"

About 2 months later I move back to Baltimore,MD.(I'm working, on my own, and in the process of getting a car now!)
Sadly though I couldn't show my little brother the wonders of the genesis before I moved back.

That doesn't mean I can't on the trip back up there in May for his B-day(he turns 7 then).

Thanks for reading.
-Darren

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