Blog No. 15
I went to university and I haven’t found a job from that experience, so I owe a lot of money. I’m not going to get into a rant about education, or the government or money (maybe money) so don’t worry about that. I’m mostly going to talk about me (of course) and the things I buy and really can’t afford, but I do it anyway.
I am going to mention the debt problem just briefly here. All my debt comes from school. For everything else I have (have bought? Is that better?) I’ve saved up and bought it with cash. I’m not a fan of putting things on credit and paying it off later. Not only does it cost more in the long run, but I’m not comfortable with owing money, especially if I don’t have to.
With that in mind, I tend to do without for some stuff. I have never had cable, until recently I haven’t run out to purchase the newest video game system (I currently do have a Wii U, but I saved up for it ahead of time). I don’t have a new car or a new phone. I do spend too much money on food and my excuse that I’m a growing boy doesn’t work anymore (unless you count growing outward). But for the most part, I am pretty good with not spending money I don’t have, and/or spending the money I do have on things I don’t need.
(Click Me)
I did say pretty good though, not great, or even very good. I do sometimes splurge (splurge being a kind word). As I mentioned I did go out and buy a Wii U. That money would have looked really good in my bank account and I don’t even have the time to play it. I still do play it, but I really should be spending my time on more important things. Don’t get me wrong, everyone has to chill out now and again. All work and no play and all that. But I have enough trouble getting my shit done without the extra distractions.
More recently I ran out and bought a turntable. (Not for DJing or anything hip like that). My mom was going to throw away her record collection (crazy, I know) and she had some really cool albums. Now I have some really cool albums, but I needed something to play them on. I also wanted to start getting some music from my generation too. Originally I was against the new/old fad of turntables. My real problem was with the people who would argue that the sound quality was better, but they were listening to albums that were recorded digitally. (Sorry to have to tell you this, but if it was recorded digitally, the sound won’t change on an analog device). Also, as I have said many times before, I tend to go against trends just because they are trendy.
Eventually I did come around on the whole turntable thing. Partly because of the awesome collection I inherited and partly because of a notion I had about music and technology. There are so many things that can play music now, from phones to computers and even toilets, that the specialness that listening to a new album or an old favorite is lost. At least I was worried I was losing it. I can remember getting a new CD in high school, putting it in my stereo and flipping through the booklet and listening to it as loudly as I could (before my parents would yell at me to turn it down). I would revel in the music and let it sink in. Now, I turn on itunes and let it go on random while I clean or surf the web, or listen to my ipod when I go for a walk. I still enjoy the music, but I don’t take the time to absorb it anymore. That is, until I got my new turntable. Now I come home from work and sit reading the liner notes while I listen to my albums and I get excited to go out and buy new records. It has become an experience again. Plus it is a great way to support my favorite bands. It’s so easy for people to download music, but records are something special that bands can offer their fans that is a great way for them to actually make money, so they can keep making more music. It’s a win-win. For everyone but my bank account that is.
Ben Van Dongen 
Did I miss #15 or is that the new unlucky number 🙂 — As I was reading this I found that I could completely empathize (that is the right word, right) with you on the meaning of this piece for you it is music, for me it is books. Like music there are just so many ways to experience a good book. You can obviously go out and buy it or (if you are not allergic to something someone else might have touched) go to the library and borrow it, you can do it as an Audiobook or even on your E-Reader (phone, sky writing, etc.) — but for me there is something special about having a ‘good’ book spin out on my book shelf maybe it is more for esthetic reasons, maybe to seem more ‘intelligent’ then I am or I don’t know some other random reason but it is very much like you with music — sometimes you just ‘have’ to have it in your hands to truly appreciate it.
No, just one of my regular screw-ups. As a former ebook salesman one of the concepts I tried to share with my potential customers was that, while ereaders are incredibly handy, there is nothing preventing you from buying a physical book. I like to buy the book for the cheeper e-book price and if I like it (as much as I likes Ready Player One) I can go out an buy a copy of the book to put on my shelf and enjoy. You might even be able to find it as a bargen book.
One of the bonuses that can come from ebooks is the same one that came out of itunes. The big companies that got most of the money don’t have to be the middle man any more. The artist can directly produce the content and sell it to the consumer. The cost is less and the artist gets more of the profit. Win-Win.
And, aesthetic reasons are always good reasons. Nothing like a book shelf filled with the spines of your favorite books (or a crate of records).