Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Fickle passions

I love cooking, eating good food, and watching people cook on TV. I'm not all that particularly fashionable or into trends, but I do try to at least not to look like one of those "don't" pictures in fashion publications, so pay attention to style trends. I love "girlie" things like makeup and jewelry, peruse magazines, blogs, and pop culture websites on a regular basis, and watch entirely too much TV. I start off every morning listening to a local radio show, which in addition to offering some news, humor, and information on upcoming concerts, provides me with enough knowledge of professional sports my eyes don't immediately glaze over when I run into folks who want to talk about "the game" last night. And I love movies. I like going to the theater, I like watching them at home, and sometimes the in-flight movie is the best part of a work trip.

The thing about having so many interests is that I tend to be seasonal about how much time I dedicate to any one thing in particular. I'll go through a period of reading 2-4 books a week, then not pick one up for months.It would probably take me years to get through all the books I own in my "to read" pile, both printed and electronic. I will do movie marathons, then not see a new movie until I happen to win passes to a free movie screening. I'll get a new cookbook or a new kitchen gadget and whip up all kinds of delicacies, then go for weeks without doing any real cooking. I have drawers full of beading supplies from my occasional periods of fancying myself a jewelry maker, but I can't remember the last time I pulled them out to use them. I have enough beauty supplies to be a professional makeup artist, yet will often go days, if not weeks, wearing no makeup other than maybe lipstick. My love, it would seem, is fickle.

The end result of all these seasonal interests is that I have a lot of stuff. Not quite ready to be on an episode of HOARDERS or anything, but definitely creating some pretty junky areas in my home. And probably some pretty junky areas of my brain too - I have forgotten most of my education to make room for a ton of useless movie trivia knowledge.

Which brings me to yesterday, and me staring longingly at a picture of a fancy waffle maker on sale at one of those discount sites you have to sign up for. I'm pretty picky about breakfast foods, but waffles aren't one of the things I turn my nose at. I like waffles. The thing is, I hardly ever eat them. I don't buy the frozen variety you can toast up at home, and I rarely order them when I eat out. I eat waffles maybe once or twice a year. Yet I found myself spending way too much staring at the picture of the waffle maker on the website, and trying to justify why I should buy it. (Over 50% off! It's your birthday, treat yourself! You can experiment with fillings! It would be great for a brunch party!) And then I thought about the lack of counter space in my kitchen. And all the other kitchen gadgets I own that are gathering dust due to lack of use - the bread machine that hasn't been used in years, the rice cooker that was only used once, the mandolin that just sits there all by itself. And I clicked away.

Unfortunately, I then got an email about a new set of eyeliners, and remembered that 15% off coupon I had in my purse, and.... well, I am a makeup junkie. And it's my birthday! And I can experiment with new looks! And it will be great for a costume party.... Ok, so maybe not all of my passions are fickle.

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