Dear Impulse Buy

Dear Impulse Buy,

I've spent a lot of money this last month or two. A LOT. I have been buying studio equipment, instruments, software, etc. I bought a plane ticket to Hawaii. I am going to be paying for lodging and a rental car IN Hawaii. I bought some new shoes. I've spent A LOT of money lately (or am just about to).

And the thing is that me spending A LOT of money is very out of character for me. Anybody who knows me well knows that I'm a relative cheap-ass. I don't buy a lot of things. I don't spend much money. I don't have some super-rich social life where I drop money in the name of a night out. I dress better now than I have in the past, but I hardly dress WELL - and I certainly don't spend a lot on clothes. I'm cheap. Spending money is usually a bit painful for me. I am constantly saving money for imaginary future happenings.

And yet - in spite of the money I've spent lately, and my tendency to be a cheap-ass - I can't seem to keep myself away from making another you, Impulse Buy. In recent weeks, it's been a lot of different things, but right now my you is a Casio LD-80 digital drum machine. How did this happen?

Yesterday, I saw Glotto. Had breakfast with her and some other friends, her boyfriend included. And that is what ended up getting me.

See - Dylan (Glotto's boyf) is the same guy who sold me my audio interface (the key piece that ended up leading to the need for an electric guitar). He let me try out his nice microphone, which convinced me to spend some money on a quality one of my own. He showed me the glories of Trade-Up Music - a store near his house that has a HUGE selection of musical toys (many of them used and at a discounted price). And he has supplemented my own recording excitement with his own passion for audio production. He is basically my home-studio mentor, and he loves to encourage me to get new gadgets and toys.

So when I saw him yesterday, I knew I was in trouble. I made sure to protect myself (and my wallet) by keeping my music-related conversation with him short and uninvolved. I was going to survive his company without spending more money.

And I pulled it off. I lent him my car to give Glotto a ride back to the airport, and I made my way out into the world to make the rest of my day happen. It worked out fine. I ate some food without making any yous (because I do that with food a lot, as well).

Then I had to go pick up my car. I called Dylan and let him know I was coming by, jumped on a bus, and headed to his house. I walked up to his porch and got my key and was about to head on my way. And then these fateful words came out of his mouth, "Want to go to Trade-Up?" I don't even know what I said, but a minute later I was walking up the street in the direction of that troublesome (but wonderful) store.

And that's what caused me to see my latest you, Impulse Buy: a Casio LD-80 digital drum machine. It was cheap. And it looked so appealing. See - I had been thinking about buying one of these things a long time ago (even before my home studio explosion). But the price never seemed to be worth it, and I was able to avoid it. So when I saw one at Trade-Up at a drastically marked-down price, I got itchy.

I kept wandering by, looking at it. I touched the pads. I messed with the power switch to turn it on. But - alas - the batteries were dead, so it wasn't working. Okay - I was just going to leave it be and move on with my life. And then Dylan walked up. He commented on the cheap price and picked it up, telling me I should check it out and buy it. He brought it to the repair-guy, and it all began.

Long story short, the repair guy promised to fix up the power supply (it was more than just dead batteries), put the machine on hold, and give me a call today. And he did all of that. My you is sitting, waiting for me, at Trade-Up. It's mine, if I want to go pick it up and pay for it.

But I'm resisting. Because I don't REALLY need it. I don't REALLY need a digital drum machine. I have a professional-quality drum machine on my computer now. It works fantastically. The Casio is a relative piece of junk in comparison. And yet.

And yet I am drawn to it. Because the key with the Casio is that I can actually use drumsticks on it and drum like a real kit - something I'm not so good at, at present. But if I were to purchase this machine and play with it, I may just end up getting relatively decent at drumming. And wouldn't that be nice? Not necessary, by any means - but it would be kind of nice.

And so I'm stuck, contemplating a you long after I should be contemplating it. It's a lot harder when I'm not in the store with it. This is NOT how a you is supposed to work, Impulse Buy. The process is not meant to be drawn out like this. But it has been, and there's nothing I can do.

And so I sit in my house, quietly contemplating my newest you - to pull the trigger, or no? These are the important questions that face us in these difficult times, and only I can answer that question for myself. Or Dylan. But he's not here right now, so it's just up to me.

So I shall contemplate more, my dear Impulse Buy. I shall spend an excessive amount of time thinking about a Casio LD-80 digital drum machine, simply because I saw one at a store yesterday and could not avoid the lure of a you, Impulse Buy. And that is a testament to your power. And for that - I respect and admire you. Hence, this letter. And that's all I have to say about that.

Imagining Improved Drum Skills,
CVT