Materialism

One of the things that I have noticed about myself as I have aged and matured is that my red-blooded American materialism has shifted form somewhat. I used to get very excited about Christmas and my birthday, as that meant people would be buying me stuff. I would prepare detailed lists of the items that I wanted as much as two months out from the event, so that my family had plenty of time to figure out what to get me. The last couple years, though, I haven't been able to muster much excitement about such things, however. In fact, I get more enjoyment now out of giving presents to other people, rather than receiving them. Crazy, I know.

I'm not sure why this is the case. I suspect it has two components. First, I have never been the kind of person that had to have the latest stuff. I have been happy for years to use second-hand kitchen equipment and furniture. In fact, I still have the old, natty couch that I have been talking about getting rid of for years. It is ugly, people. So why do I still have it? Because it is still super comfy and great for sleeping, and the $75 cover I bought for it makes it actually fit the decor in my home, so why buy a new one when what I have still works? I generally wait for stuff to break before I get rid of it, my home entertainment system being a notable exception, but I was buying a home at that time so spending money was the standard thing.

Every once in a while, though, I still get in the mood to buy things. Music is a good example of this. Back a few years ago, whenever I wanted an album, I would go out and buy it. I don't do that anymore, for reasons I don't fully understand. What ends up happening is that two or three times a year I get in the mood for new music, and I get a little crazy and buy a lot of stuff in one fell swoop. Case in point, over the last 3 days I have purchased 8 different albums (one of those actually being a 5 disc set) from Amazon and BMGmusic. When they arrive, I will enjoy an orgy or new music, and then won't buy anything else for months, probably not until the new Christmas music comes in vogue in November/December.

I can still be seduced by good design, but the end result is that I end up just eyeing the item for along time, probably never actually purchasing it. Here is a good case in point. It is a knife block, but the design is so different and compelling that I really want to buy one, even though I have no practical reason for doing so. I already have a knife block (that used to belong to a deceased grandmother) that works just fine. I can probably find a more practical use for the $125 it would cost to buy the new one. But man, is that thing awesome. Another awesome item I really want is this hat. This year I have been intentionally spending more time outdoors hiking and stuff, and a hat like this would be quite helpful on sunny days. And it would be super stylin'. Oh yes. But do I really need it? Well, no. I don't even know what my head size is (nor do I own a measuring tape to find out), so I can't even realistically order one. But it would be awesome.

And to attempt to retain some of my intellectual credentials, I am also very interested in this book. I can even make some claims on usability for this product, as I do a fair amount of writing at work, and improving my writing style would be a good thing. Still, I must admit that the real reason I want it is to read the difference in American and British English. That would be wonderfully interesting and rather useless in my current situation. I still want it, though.