Now that I am earning money on a good standard regular basis, and working in a job that I really enjoy, it’s easy to go back to my spending-on-a-whim habits, but these days I am finding myself coming to more self-resistance with each “major” purchase that I make. I remember the time when an aptly-named purchase usually meant in the value of a hundred dollars or more; these days, anything around $30 can qualify for it. It may be because I was, until really just recently, at a point where I would have to go for a full week without buying anything nonessential just to afford ANYTHING for the rest of the month, thanks to the cost of gas, car repairs, credit card and cell phone bills, and of course food (oh, and I don’t mean eating out — at the hotel I just left, you had $2 a day taken out of your paycheck to pay for meals since they were prepared and served in the hotel’s kitchen).

One of the first new major purchases I made was last night, for a Palm Zire 31. It was used (refurbished, actually) and on eBay, but came with a full moneyback guarantee and a 3-year warranty, and at about $65 for everything it’s a good purchase. I had a hard time for a while deciding on exactly how much I would really need it, besides just using it to store information on my CD collection (so that I don’t buy duplicate copies of the same CD — and YES, I have done that before!), and have since worked out a lot of practical uses for it, the most obvious one being a schedule setup. I still saw it as a bit of a financial setback, but since its payment is coming from the profit that AR and I are making selling Atkins bars, I feel better about it.

Similar was my vacillation on whether or not I should purchase a new case and battery for my phone — it’s about $20 total setting me back, which is always necessary for food and gas, but my battery has been glitchy since the day I got it in this phone, and I’ve wanted a new case for ages, so I’m feeling pretty justified in those purchases. It kind of bothers me lately how indecisive I have been about such items. A lot of the time, I can justify plenty of reasons in my head why I don’t need such an item — in fact, I can cancel out every single benefit it would bring to me. Once I actually take the plunge, I tend to feel better about my purchase, so getting over that hump is something that I really have to work on.

Speaking of making money, by the way, my website portfolio and design site has been updated, so if you’re looking for a website you can find them starting at $200, or $150 for a full-blown MySpace like mine (I would charge less to make you a simple one with just layout and color adjustments, of course). And even if you don’t need a site, please pass on the link, as I’m wanting very much to continue my site design and, not to mention, it’d be an extra way of earning daily bread! (Although I did get $25 in tips yesterday…)

It seems fewer and further between these days that shows of the most calm, intimate, and yet magnificent, nature come into this world. You by now will know the kind I mean: a tiny venue, a totally unknown opener, a quiet and respectful crowd, and music that fills every muscle and bone in your body until you feel your spirit ascending with the rumbling crescendo that the band creates. There is no better way to describe my experience at the Silver Mount Zion concert, which musically is on par with Sigur Rós for being one of the greatest shows, musically, that I have seen all year. (”Musically”… isn’t that what really matters, after it all?)

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There is something to be said about bands that can, as the old adage goes, “withstand the test of time”. Specifically, the bands will always, through thick and thin, be able to sell out all their shows and draw fans from countless miles away. They don’t need fancy screens, pyrotechnics, witty onstage banter, or even a gimmick or two to their playing style. The songs are timeless, the melodies and songwriting are masterful, and the band holds together to make a powerful performance. Alice In Chains is, has always been, and will continue to be, such a band.

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It’s been a long time since I made a post, but this time I have more than sufficient cause. I am sure there are more than a few people wondering why I’m skipping two concerts I went to, and posting directly about the Mars Volta’s sold-out Catalyst show. The reason is because while the Raconteurs were fun, and Shadows Fall was fun, neither one really blew me away that much. They were good shows, but we were far back and away for a viewing point, and I was not as involved in the knowledge of the bands. So I would definitely say it was a breath of fresh air when a friend and I took off for the two-hour drive, and three-and-a-half hour wait, for the two-hour Mars Volta show that completely blew me away.
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