Phases
Looking back on what I spend my time and money on, I see a pattern. That pattern is that I am phase driven. I go through phases where I'm fascinated by something or really into something and then some time later that interest wanes and it is replaced by something else. These phases run the gamut of almost anything under the sun.
What I've not quite been able to do is figure out exactly what triggers a new phase to start or one to end. These phases also overlap sometime with the same genre happening at the same time. A few phases that I've gone through include:
- PEZ
- For awhile I was collecting PEZ like crazy. I think I amassed close to half a thousand. They are all sitting packaged up in my basement. I can't remember the last time I actually bought a PEZ.
- Mouse Pads
- During the start of PEZ collecting I also started to amass mouse pads. This was particularly funny since I didn't even use a mouse on my computer at the time. Here again while I have my collection hidden away in a closet, I've not added to it in a few years.
- Coasters
- Maybe I should just combine these all into a Collection phase as my collecting of coaster also overlapped the other two listed above. In this case the coasters get used on a regular basis and I occasionally rotate which ones are in use to provide some variety, but unless someone has given one to me as a present I've not actively sought them out in some time.
- Bread Bag Tags
- This was rather obscure. It didn't last as long as the others in the list but did happen. I'll admit I still keep a few around since we buy some bread that comes with twist ties and I hate those, but I throw most of them away.
- Sake
- For a couple of years I was obsessed with sake. I was buying and trying as many different varieties and kinds as possible. While I still buy and drink sake on a irregular basis, I'm not consuming it at the rate I did during the height of my sake phase.
- Magazines
- This really shouldn't count as a phase, it's more like an addiction. I have this habit of subscribing to more magazines than I care to read. Granted some of the ones I get are a side effect of the professional organizations I'm apart of, like getting Communications by being an ACM member. The majority are magazines that I've actually paid money for. I'm currently sitting next to a stack that is a foot high. Yes my stack of magazines that I've gotten and not read for 2006 is a foot high. The problem is mostly that I have trouble skimming a magazine. I'm too interested in learning about stuff, I end up reading them cover to cover. I think for 2007 I might keep two piles, one for the magazines I didn't read and one for the ones I did and see which pile ends up bigger at the end of the year.
I'm sure the list could go on, but you get the idea. I'm not really sure this is a bad thing. Yes most of these phases do involve some monetary expenditure but if I didn't spend it on one thing I'd probably end up spending it on something else. Maybe this is the down side of having some disposable income, you end up with disposable hobbies.