Backflip

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.