Rampant Consumerism

Went to the store today. After getting a couple of tracks from iTunes I decided that there were a few albums I wanted to have as CDs. Strangely it did not occur to me to buy the entire albums from iTunes and then burn them as audio CDs. I guess in my head once something is an mp3 it is somehow tainted. So buying it as an mp3 and then burning an audio disc feels wrong. The music should start as CD quality audio. Having it as an mp3 is simply a convenience.

So, while downloading "I Run for Life" from Melissa and "They Sure Don't Make Jews Like Jesus Anymore" from Kinky Friedman I suddenly found myself really needing to go to the store to pick up new CDs from Liz Phair and Sheryl Crow.

Normally when I go into a store it is in a circumstance where I have no intent of buying anything. For me, shopping is more like retail hiking. It must be a star wars generation thing, growing up with shopping malls. They are like consumer museums. I can go to Best Buy week after week and never buy anything. I go to PetSmart to visit the kittens. So the occasion of going to the store when I really do want to buy something is well, rare.

And apparently its a little dangerous. I bought the new Sheryl Crow and the new Liz Phair. I also bought an older Peter Gabriel that I lost ages ago and have wanted to replace ever since. Then there was a new REM album the missus wanted and she also picked out a disc by The Killers.

Keeping track?

Then, well, they had this song on the PA. Someone had covered Comfortably Numb from "The Wall." Who would cover that?

So I bought that too. We only narrowly escaped without also buying the new issue of "Jagged Little Pill"and the Melissa greatest hits album plus maybe the first season of Lost on DVD.

So, my advice, just like "don't go for groceries when you are hungry" well, don't go to the store when you are really ready to buy something.

By the way, the cover: Dar Williams.