Budget weekness

Every month I set myself a budget, and ussually it's not the same budget that I end up with at the end of the month. More often then not my downfall is music. I just don't seem to be able to go a full month with out buying new music. Esspecially now that my interest has been rekindled. New music makes me feel better, it reminds me that there is magic in the world. I need it.

So, a couple of days ago I placed an order with Eclipse, even thouugh I probably shouldn't have. And then yesterday, while I was picking up some books on Transact SQL, so I could read them over before this new contract starts (that's what i tell myself, in fact, I'll flip through them about a month after I've started the contract) I picked up When The Man Comes to Town, from Johnny Cash. I've been listening to this album pretty much constantly since. Some songs I prefer more then others, but the over all feel and vibe is just so emersive in it's sparseness. Rubin did a great job producing this album. I need to pick up the other three albums he did with Johnny and the box set when it comes out. The feel of this is perfect. It reflects that organic quality of Johnny's voice. And provides a vision of a man who is facing the end of his time, and is not scared of it. Just the production work of this album is brilliant. And while right now I'm not a fan of all the songs chosen for this album, there's nothing here I don't like, and I imagine everything will grow on me.

Hurt is playing right now, or exactly, it just ended. The way the piano builds at the end of the song until it over takes everything else, except Johnny's voice. Brilliant.

Back to the bookstore thing. I have this reoccuring vision when I go to the bookstore, that the people behind the register are building mental images of people, based on what they buy. It's probably not true, but it's also probably what I would do in thier place.

Because of this I like to throw them off a little. Get a little eclectic in my purchases. This last time wasn't to eclectic, the Johnny Cash CD, the Transact SQL books (database programming if you don't know) and a copy of The Economist (I picked up a copy of the Economist a few weeks ago, because of a cover story where they blasted the PM of Italy, for using his post to escape the law and make money. I kind of dug the news they have on the entire world, instead of just focusing on the US, so occasionally, I pick up a copy to see what's going on in the world. Basically the same reason I read Z Magazine and Monthly Report, but I subscribed to them, instead of just randomly picking up copies)

Last time I bought a SQL Server book from Microsoft, a book on hacking with Google (Google Hacks, from O'Rielly), a copy of the new Wire, and a copy of the new NewType USA (Wire = finge music; New Type = anime). Then I tried to use my credit card before my check cleared, and got a denial. Luckily, I had enough money left on my check card. Budget shot to hell.

That's enough for now. Just felt like sharing.

Posted by Matt at September 14, 2003 07:35 PM