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This past weekend I attended a Broadway production at the Victoria Theatre with some friends from work. It was called Broadway Holiday and it was enjoyable. A handful of famous Broadway singers sang a smorgasborg of Holiday and Broadway music (as the title suggests). The performance was good but I was a bit disappointed. This is due to a few reasons.

First off, my expectations for the show were a bit high. I went in expecting to be awed and wowed. And while there were one or two moments during the show that I was amazed it was not nearly as impressive as I was hoping. Don’t get me wrong, the singing was great and the performers did a good job of entertaining the audience. However, it seemed to me that they weren’t trying very hard.

This brings me to my second point, effort. The performers were good at what they were doing. Heck, they mentioned they did the show in over 100 cities this year alone so I’m sure they could perform with their eyes closed. However, the performance was missing that special something that comes with putting forth all ones effort. It was missing a life or realism that usually draws in an audience. It seemed like they were just performing their jobs and reciting an act.

As a comparison, a few months ago I went to a Muse Machine performance a few months ago and was blown away and astonished at the show. The Muse Machine is composed of High School and College age kids from the Dayton area. For the show they put on a variety of musical numbers just as in the Broadway Holiday show. However, the performers from Muse were much more into their songs and were really achieving and overcoming their fears by performing in such a venue. It was exhilarating and very enjoyable to partake in such a triumph.

I will admit, my expectations for the Muse Machine performance were very low. I didn’t expect the level of singing and professionalism I saw in the performance. So this definitely played a roll in me enjoying the show.

But going back to the point of effort. It is amazing to me that such famous Broadway performers can get away with slacking at their jobs. They are professional entertainers at the top level of the business. I expect more from them.

Looking to the future, I am going to see Phantom of the Opera and Wicked as well as a handful of other performances this year and I’m a bit anxious about the experience. Ever since I was little I have been listening to music from Phantom since my parents went to a show and bought a CD. I love the music and what pieces of the story I have been able to piece together.

I fear my expectations for the live performance will be through the roof. And expectations are a tricky beast. How can one diminish or curb such thoughts? I have planned on not listening to the Phantom recording in the 2 months leading up to the live performance in hopes that I will not compare the two. This seems an effort in futility but I can’t think of what else to do.

I want to enjoy the show and the performance by the actors. But if it doesn’t live up to my expectations I know I will be dissatisfied. So what to do?

My last post dates sometime back in October. That was almost 2 months ago. And while some of you were probably hoping this blog would die, it has survived.

Let’s see, what have I been up to? October was an interesting month. I discovered that I’m not ready for a serious romantic commitment. It turns out that I’m enjoying my life of freedom and carefreeness and I don’t want that to change anytime soon. I’m sure I’ll change someday and start looking for a mate, but until then, I’m gonna enjoy the time right now and make the most of it.

I got a long term gig at one of my old clients in Dayton. Started working for WorkflowOne again and it’s going very well. It’s my longest full time engagement yet and I’m about two months in. So far all is just dandy.

I turned 25 a bit ago, people seem to make a big deal about 25 since it’s a quarter of a century. But I could care less what number it is, time is inevitable and worrying about how old I am or will be or whatnot seems like a big waste of time.

Other interesting tidbits from the past 2 months include a discovery that Photo Hunt is super addicting and very fun when played with a group of friends. Dressing up for Halloween is pretty fun, especially at work (see pic below).

Of note in the pic are my 5 finger shoes which I was able to wear to work that day. Woo!

I also attended a few other Halloween parties and dressed up as a Viking again and then the Dark Jedi for a second time (different group of peeps so it was fine).

November went well. Thanksgiving break was great. Lots o’ peeps were in town (Laura, Amy B, Amy L, Ben, Whitney, etc) so it was awesome to see and hang out with everyone. It’s difficult for me to keep ties on people who are away because I am lazy and don’t like to spend the effort. But it’s so nice to see and catch up with peeps that I really need to start making an effort so that so much time doesn’t pass in between communications.

Got to hang out with my family over break as well which was great. My sister’s hubby was visiting his family in New Jersey (perhaps?) so it was just my sister, brother and parents at the t-giving table which was fun. We played Carcassonne before dinner and my mother ended up winning which was a surprise. I came in second using a very strange strategy which was pretty neat.

So that’s what I’ve been up to the past few weeks. And that brings me to my topic at hand, consumerism. For some reason (more on this later) I went out and purchased some new rims and tires for my car. They are pretty awesome, but it’s very strange that I would make such a purchase since when I bought my car I purposefully didn’t get one with automatic windows or locks or anything “flashy”. But then BAM I bought some sweet rims.

I really need to get some new pics because the new rims + tires are actually 17″ while the old ones are 16″ but the pictures kinda mess that up. But until then, just know that the new rims are pretty cool.

But why? You may ask. And it’s a good, valid question. One to which I don’t have a solid answer. This is what happened. My mechanic told me I needed new tires. So I decided to get some. One of my friends named Scruff told me about a deal his Uncle could get me if I purchased some tires and rims at the same time. So then I had it in my mind that I was gonna get new rims and tires.

Well Scruff’s Uncle changed jobs (it usually takes me a long time to do anything of this manner) and so I didn’t really take that route but I still had in my mind that I was going to get rims and wheels. So one Saturday morning I just went to Tire Discounters and asked for some rims and tires and that’s what I got. The real kicker is I ended up spending more money than I planned. I had the money but I spent more than I expected. While I’m not mad or unhappy with my decision it just seems weird that I’d spend such money on something that was just an idea (not something I really wanted or was seeking to get).

Afterwards in telling people about it I became confused because it was strange that I would make such a purchase. I had the money and had in my mind that I would get some so I did. Which brings me once again to the topic, consumerism. Purchasing items that are completely unnecessary and are not needs but are purchased because they are wants (or in my case ideas).

It is such a strange behavior, especially when coupled with situations where the person making the purchase doesn’t have the money for the item they are purchasing. While I can’t say I understand this phenomena I can definitely say I’ve been a contributor to it.

Usually I’m pretty careful about making large purchases and think about them and analyse them and make sure I’m gonna like what I get. For example, I’ve been planning and looking to purchase a new gaming laptop for probably 3-4 months. But in the case with the rims I just didn’t think and went out and bought. Almost like a zombie purchaser. No thought behind my actions, only an endless search for more, more, more! Pretty creepy.

Since I know I’m apparently prone to such behavior, I’ll have to be on the lookout for it so that I don’t make anymore strange purchases. Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my new rims and wheels, but I’m sure I’d enjoy just normal wheels about the same.

Any thoughts on the interesting purchase? Or any compulsive buyers out there who have tips and tricks of how to make a wise purchases? Feel free to sound off in the comments.