What's the Point in Acquiring More Stuff?

Consumerism. This urge to amass junk has been rolling in my head, as a concept and an ugly one, and one that, in light of the recent season, call it Christmas, and my own urge to amass, seems pointless. The urge to amass junk is pointless. I think there are a number of nice to haves, like a good tie, and a good suit jacket, as well as a nice pair of shoes that take care of my feet so my feet will take care of me but beyond the basics, the list I just started does not quite cover, admittedly, why get all that crap?

The reason for this post, what drove me to it, was the connection between that thought-ball and this: when I type in a search for an amazon.com coupon, there are now hundreds of sites with endless lists of all the super duper specials to be taken advantage of, provided I buy a certain brand at a certain dollar amount, I could get it shipped free!!! It's enough to make me hit Buy Confirm I Agree at least 20 times before I come to my senses!

I've often wondered what I would do with more money than I need. I'm not at that stage yet, and probably won't be, we just got a light we can't really afford-- to make matters worse, we already have a light where the new light will go. Why replace it? The new one looks better. Anyway, I digress from this all-too-essential question: if I had more money than I need, what would I do with it? I've taken to looking at the very rich's clothing over the last... more than two years. I wonder to myself, is that clothing really amazing, or is it just clothes that have a higher price tag, sold at that price because the store can, but in reality the clothing itself isn't that much better than what I can get now? I've decided it depends on the definition of having more money than one needs.

Need in today's life is a subjective word. Do I need expensive shoes? I say yes, because my feet need to be not in pain. How expensive? Enough so that they're not in pain, and so far $100 a pair seems to cover it. More than that, and I call it extravagant. Ok more than $150 then, but not more than that. However, let's go to televisions. I have a CRT TV 19 inches or so, in my living room and it is sufficient. I can get DVDs, video, and PlayStation 2 to work on it. My needs are met. However, I'm slowly being brainwashed and will eventually 'need' a nice, new, not more than 26", or.. well, possibly 32" flat screen LCD high definition TV. I even saw one on craigslist for less than what they want in stores, second hand from some other bloke. How's that for savvy. The price was still $500, though. Once I decide I 'need' the flat screen, my need level just went up, and the end goal of having more than what I need was pushed back just a little. Compound that with furniture, decor, appliance, automobile, and vacation needs, and what I 'need' suddenly becomes more of the pie, leaving less for 'above need.' My next camera will be a large lens like the Rebel or something.

Cheers.

Journal Writing

I wonder how many people see blogging as a way to keep a journal. I would imagine that for the more personal and non-newsy, non-business blogs that would be the case. For me, there's not much personal information here, except for my opinions, which tell you a little about me. To get more, you'd have to read my journal, paper and hand written.

For New Year's my wife and I will be writing in our journals, summing up the year a little, and writing down whatever comes to mind. I'm already thinking about the blank that usually settles over my mind with the whoosh of a hardbound book being opened and flattened. Then something starts, much like drifting into a dream, where my mind catches onto one idea and it spins into more.

Happy New Year everyone. I always get nostalgic about this time of year, and for me nostalgia is painful, because it's usually 'What Might Have Been.'

New Family Blog

Well I've bought a website address, now I just have to figure out what I want to do with it. It's actually been a month now since I made the purchase and I've done nothing. I'm thinking of using blogger to post, or maybe WordPress. I have a host, but I'm not sure if I'm all hooked up or what. I did a few things but I haven't really taken the time to get it set up right. I need to call tech support and I admit I have an aversion, because I feel like there are things, like setting up one's blog that one should be able to do with the tutorials and FAQs at hand.

I probably won't post the link here since it will be for friends and family only, not that you, my gentle readers aren't like family or friends, but being like isn't the same as being.

Catch - up

To all my fans, I apologize for the long time in which I posted nothing.

I'm currently reading China * Inc. by Ted C. Fishman

Before that I read The Mole Diaries which was clearly teenagery audience, but entertaining still. My wife had it, she brought it over, and I grabbed it having nothing else to read, since I'd finished...

Can't remember what book it was. I got it from the library, I'm pretty sure. I think it was

Count Zero by William Gibson. I was glad to have read Neuromancer already, since a lot fo the world that was imagined/created in that book was borrowed and used for Count Zero. My review in three words: unlikely heroes abound.

I was explaining my book to my sister, and it felt good to talk it out. I think I'll be doing more talk out with my wife, since she's stuck with me, and well we can't always talk about what she saw on TV at the gym, she might start to think conversations are hers, not shared.