Thoughts on Stuff

Man, people sure do like stuff.

It becomes more apparent to me around the holidays, with my retail vantage point, watching people lose sight of being kind and rational, and instead becoming ravenous and rude.  They want their stuff, they want the right stuff, and they want it now.  If not, prepare for a tantrum.

Even before the holiday shit-show, though, I started thinking about how much crap I've accumulated over the years, and the fact that it is too much.  I start weighing "want" versus "need".  Sure, there's some gray area there, but for the most part I'm as spoiled as most every other American that I know.

Clothes.
This is probably the item that I think about most, mainly because it's the industry I'm in and I tend to accumulate vast quantities of clothes from whatever company I'm working for at the time.  Do I need any more clothes?  Can I justify buying a t-shirt?  A jacket?  God no.  I get clothes for free anyway, so why the hell should I buy any more?

Done.  Except for necessities that I don't get comped for like socks and underpants, no more clothes.  In fact, it's time to purge what I do have again.

Food.
This is a tough one.  Yes, I need food.  But do I need to spend as much money on food that I do?  Probably not.  I could get by with bologna sammiches everyday, but I like good food.  It's a passion.  It's an event.

This is where balance comes in to play.  Eating out, budget cooking, fancy meals, bologna sammiches.  Balance.

Automobile.
I like cars.  If I had the money, I'd buy a Bandit Trans Am, a Magnum P.I. Ferrari, a Fall Guy pickup, and an A-Team van.

But I don't, so I have to "settle" for a nice, reliable truck that's suits my needs perfectly.  And I have to fight the urge daily to go onto cars.com and look for new trucks.  It's a disease.

Household Items.
My house isn't for show.  It's a house that's lived in.  I don't own fancy furniture or designer anything.  But it looks nice.  It's not a shithole.  So furniture is purchased when the old ones wear out.  I have a lot of kitchen items, but they all get used…a lot.  If we decide that a piece of furniture needs to be purchased, we gravitate towards flea markets.

I could still probably get rid of plenty of shit I don't need.  The wife may have something to say about that, though.

Toys.
I have quite a bit of fishing shit.  But once again, the majority was either given to me or discounted drastically from me being in the business.  I'm not purging any of this, as it gets used and will continue to get used until I die.

Comic books make me happy.  It's really the only thing that I collect.  But still, to collector's standards, I don't own that many.  It hasn't taken over my house or my life completely, yet.  I have three small boxes of books, albeit good books.

I could sell a few, I guess.  If anything, to pay for new ones.  The way I look at it though, is that my comics serve a couple purposes.  One: They make me grin.  I stare at them several times a week…connecting with characters, writers, and artists that I've known my whole life.  Two: The price of old comic books is only going up.  With the emergence of all the Marvel and DC movies, comics from the 60s, 70s, and even the 80s are skyrocketing.  And with these characters and stories becoming mainstream, the value will only increase with time.  Not to mention, if I can get my hands on some books from the 40s and 50s, that would make for a nice little investment.  And that's the key word, investment.  I'd like for my kid(s) to inherit my collection one day.  Might be able to buy them a house or something.

I will buy a boat.  But I will save money on groceries by eating more fish.

I consider booze a toy.  I drink because it's fun, therefore it's on the toy list.  I have a system.  Two bottles of Scotch--one is a 1.75 of Johnny Walker Red Label, my go-to.  The other is something for special occasions, usually a little pricier and sits for a while.  Right now it's Laphroaig.  One bottle of gin, cheap.  This is my liquor cabinet.  When I "need" vodka, beer, wine, or whatever else, I pick it up on a need-to basis, which isn't all that often.

I rarely go to bars, so that's money saved there.

Well, my assessment of myself and all my stuff wasn't as bad as thought.  Not compared to the cretins who inhabit the malls and department stores, buying and returning and exchanging habitually.  I could get deep and start discussing the mass production of nearly everything (overseas, unfortunately), and the mass consumption by spoiled Americans.

But I won't.  Because I'm as guilty as you are.

Thoughts and Such.

Several things have been on my mind lately.  In no particular order, they are:

Campfires
Being a dad
Work
40
Comic books
Being homesick
Boats
Shape

There you have it.  A deep look inside my mysterious brain.  Let's address these topics, shall we?

Campfires
Campfires make everything in this world right.  They lead up to what is undoubtedly going to be a triumphant evening, and they put the stamp of approval on the end of a successful day.  They welcome deep, mind-cleansing conversation that is honest and true.  The yellow and blue tips of the flames mesmerize and relax, and when looking at them dance through the bottom of a whiskey glass, it erases all worries.  Campfires are perfect with only two lawn chairs filled, both parties staring deeply at the burning timber while offering every thought that is on one another's minds.  They are equally perfect with a half dozen tailgates dropped towards it, coolers of icy beer and good, loud music.  They help celebrate a great day on the water, or make up for a bad day on the water.  Campfires are best surrounded by stars, trees, and friends.  But in a pinch, they will suffice burning in a store-bought firepit, on the patio of your subdivision home, with your dog at your side.

Being a dad
Not there quite yet.  It's been a long time in the making, but one day I will be a dad, a pop, a father.  I think I'll be decent at it.  At the very least, they'll have a great mother.

Work
I like my job.

That was not a typo.  When you like your job, you tend to think about quite a bit.  In a good way.  As in, "how can I be better at my job?".  This is a first for me, and it is taking some getting used to.  I am apparently doing an adequate job, as I just got promoted.  This again is a first for me.  I am really out of my comfort zone here.

40
I will be in my 30s for another few weeks.  Then I get old.  But what better way to celebrate becoming old than acting as immaturely as possible?  I'm sure these boundaries will be tested when I raise a toast to all my friends and family back in Missouri in a few weeks.

Comic books
It is no joke that I have a newfound love (addiction?) for collecting old comic books.  The art in these books has inspired my creativity up through my only successful college courses, and the stories and characters in these books keep me young.

I went to the comic shop today, actually.  I didn't buy anything, but I discovered some books that I must have.  They showcase the sketchbooks of some of my biggest heroes growing up.  John Byrne, John Buscema, Todd McFarlane, and John Romita.  Basically, if you're named 'John', you have a good chance of being a talented illustrator.

It's one thing to have these amazing, creative minds write the stories and draw the heroes for you to dream about when you're a kid...but to sit down a create something yourself is satisfaction tenfold.  I have spent literally hours on end, uninterrupted, sketching and creating.  I've sorely gotten away from my art.  But my rekindling with comic books has me at least thinking about cleaning off my desk, sharpening my pencils, and seeing if still have anything left in me.

Some people get joy from staring deeply at a Van Gough or a Monet.  I get the same feeling proudly displaying a Neal Adams or Jack Kirby.

Being homesick
I love Colorado.  So much so, that I have planted fairly deep roots during my six years here.  But I miss home...I miss my friends and family...I miss Missouri.  But I have to look at it like I'm repotting a plant.  You have to be very careful with a plant and its roots when transferring it to another home.  If you're not, the plant may not make it.

Man, that's pretty stupid.

Boats
There was a time when I would get off work at 4pm, clock out, walk to my truck with my boat already connected to the hitch, go pick up my dad, and head to the lake.  We would be on the water by 5pm, and usually had a keeper in the box by 5:15pm.

I am incredibly comfortable in and around boats.  It is a craft that I should always own and never be without.  It is the quintessential getaway.  It exudes freedom.

A boat is in my future.  It coincides with several things on my mind and listed here.  Campfires; Being a dad; Being homesick, etc.  It is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

Shape
I am not in good shape.  Now, this thought is probably linked to "40" and "Being a dad" and other shit.  But the bottom line is, I feel better when I'm in shape.  Getting there is a different story.  Sustaining it is an even bigger story.  But if I am to be the 40something year old father of a child, and then a 50something year old father of a pre-teen, and a 60something year old father of a college-age kid, then fuck.  There you go.

I'll start tomorrow.

--m