I haven’t slept for days. My right arm feels like it’s going to fall off. And for some reason, I can’t stop thinking about cow racing.

Might as well face it – I’m addicted to Wii.

Wii? Mais oui.

Nintendo Wii, that is.

Now, I could act all uppity and say that I’m not much for video games. But I’d be lying. And since I’ve discovered the Wii, all I want to do is bowl. And shoot ducks. And knock down scarecrows while racing cattle. More on that later.

This can all be traced back to ShopGirl Jr., who has spent months stalking the elusive Wii as a gift for her boyfriend. Every time a store advertised the game system, it’d sell out. She went to Target twice a day, every day, for weeks. Honestly, I couldn’t understand the obsession. Until I tried it.

When she finally snagged one she invited me over for dinner and “tennis.” Well, I didn’t actually think I’d be playing tennis, but when I secured the remote to my wrist and started swinging, it was almost as good as the real thing. Well, actually it was better – I was like Venus. Or Wii-nus, if you will.

Honestly, I’d never seen anything like it. For starters, you’re actually moving around rather than sitting on your butt, getting carpal tunnel in your thumbs. And besides, at $250 it’s a relative bargain – why would anyone spend twice that much on another system? I immediately went home and urged ShopGuy to scrap all plans for a PS3.

I gave him the hard sell – trust me, it takes a lot to get me excited about technology. It was my Wii or the highWii. I had visions of us boxing the night away. And then we started shopping. To no avail. Everywhere we checked, they were sold out.

But here’s a little secret: If the weekend flier advertises the Wii, the store will have at least as many as the ad guarantees come Sunday morning. It doesn’t hurt to get there early – ShopGuy was such a trouper; he waited at Best Buy because I had to work – but sometimes, there are a few extras.

Here’s another secret (OK, the kids all know this, but whatever): You’re going to need an extra remote. You can buy one for $39.95, or for $10 more, you can get Wii Play, which has the remote and a game disc. Is it worth it? Well, that all depends on how much you like cow racing. And skeet shooting. And “fishing.” But I think it’s a lock.

The third secret lies in the cable, and this comes from Jr.’s boyfriend: If you have a high-definition TV, you’re going to need a component cable or the graphics will look dreadful. Expect to pay anywhere from $25 to $60 for this.

And then there are the games. All the classics are back – Zelda and Super Mario Brothers have been updated, and for all you old-school devotees, the Wii Store (available if you hook your system up to your wireless Internet) offers the original Zelda and Mario. Sweet. Plus, sports fans can get all the Madden they want.

ShopGuy and I have played a few mean tennis matches, which is why my arms are so sore. And I’m almost a professional-level bowler – a goal I never even considered until now. Oh, and we’ve been playing Tiger Woods Golf for the last week, which is like playing real golf, except you never lose your ball and you can’t wrap your 9-iron around a tree. Suffice it to say I’m no Annika. Yet.

Give it time. I’ve been staying up into the Wii hours, practicing.

ShopGirl would love to hear from you! Send questions, comments or suggestions by e-mail to: kandresen@bangordailynews.net, by U.S. mail to Kristen Andresen, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329, or by fax to 941-9476. Visit the ShopBlog at http://community.bangordailynews.com/blogs/4. Tune in to ShopGirl at 5 p.m. every other Friday on WLBZ-2.