September 25, 1999

There's pictures up now. Aren't you happy?

I was reading this other journal yesterday, called "Back to Basics (without a Gun)", and in it the author was talking about how sometimes when you really really want something, it's not because you actually want the thing itself. It's because you just want the thrill of acquisition. I can really see that. He talked about how this one time he and his wife went out to buy something, but their debit card was refused. Afterward, even though they hadn't actually bought the item, they had the same rush of acquisition, simply from having gone through the motions of buying the item.

I REALLY know where he's coming from. When Keith and me almost bought the piano, I felt the same way. It was this rush of acquisition, the heady feeling that comes from buying something really cool, that you really want -- I felt that even though we didn't actually get the piano. I feel that I should analyze this feeling, because I believe it's important to distinguish between things I want because I genuinely could use them, and things I want just so that I can have them. For example: I can genuinely use a scanner. A digital camera is probably something I just want for the thrill of getting it.

I think the thrill of acquisition is probably why I was constantly broke in college. I just liked getting stuff too much. Any time I had extra cash (you know, ten bucks or so) I'd go get a new CD or I'd go to the bookstore to get a new book. I LOVED getting new books. The feeling of buying it was just so great. New reading material, with fresh pages and a crisp cover -- nothing beats it. I'd usually go to the bookstore right before I went out for dinner, so that I'd have something to read at the diner or wherever. I bought more books to be dinner accessories, I swear.

I still like buying books but now that I don't live down the street from two huge bookstores, it's easier to keep a leash on that particular monkey.

In other news. I had my contact check-up today. More compliments on my eyes! Last time I went to the optometrist they complimented me on my strong eyelids and deep eye sockets. This time they told me I have very healthy corneas. For some reason, this made me feel really good.

I told the optometrist that I'd been having some problems with far vision since I got the contacts, so she checked my vision and told me that I had 20/20 vision, but not perfect 20/20 vision. She gave me a stronger prescription for the left lens, and everything looks MUCH clearer now. I'm so happy. I feel like I can really see, for the first time in a long time. The glasses were scratched and murky, and I think the prescription wasn't quite right, either. It was terrible. I had eyestrain headaches all the time.

Now I can SEEEEEE!!! I feel like celebrating.

We were supposed to go sailing with Dave and Anna today, but the Yacht Club reserved all the sailboats, and it's such a nice day that none of them canceled, so we had to take a rain check, as it were. I'm not too bummed, though. It was such a nice thing for them to invite us in the first place that I don't mind that things didn't work out. I'm sure we'll do something else sometime soon.

And now, the fake news. I adore SNL. I'm really psyched about the 25th anniversary special tomorrow night on NBC. Seriously, since I was a kid I've had a regular Saturday night date with the TV. I started watching in the days of Phil Hartman and Dennis Miller, and I'm still watching now. Incidentally, everyone says SNL sucks these days. Well, yes, it did for a few years, but now it's funny again and everybody should be watching it, dammit.

Of course, nothing will ever beat the Colombian Crystals skit with Chris Farley. That was the one where the announcer was like, "Sir, we replaced your regular coffee with Colombian Crystals", and Chris goes "YOU SON OF A BITCH!!" and dives across the table at him. I must have laughed for ten minutes. Ah, the glory days.

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