Confessions of a Consumer I

I was thinking of some things that I could make regular featues on the blog and this "Confessions of a Consumer" thing kinda popped into my head. My basic idea is just to list what I bought, the price, what persuaded me to buy it, and how I feel about my purchase afterward.

1. Black Skinny Tie, ($28, Macy's, Monday) - I feel that I can say I'm pretty well dressed. It's actually one of my defining characteristics. I get compliments constantly, my friends talk to me all the time about fashion because they know it's something I'm really interested in. Sometimes, I feel that my style is so noteworthy because I don't dress like most kids my age and race. I'm a black kid from Detroit who doesn't wear oversized shirts, baggy jeans, etc. I do appreciate a cool sneaker, but my taste in sneakers doesn't revolve around Nike Air Force Ones.

Anyway, getting to the point: A friend of mine asked to borrow a black skinny tie from me. And I suddenly realized that I didn't own one. I was kinda shocked. So, I decided to add the black skinny tie to my collection of ties and next time someone asks to borrow one, I won't have to explain, "I don't have one... I should, though."

I feel good about the purchase. I haven't worn the tie yet. I hate to overwear things that are sorta trendy, so I'm waiting for a good event/day/whatever to debut it.

2. Djarum Black Clove Cigarettes, ($7, Wednesday) - Smoking is really bad for you. It's terrible. But, as my internship coordinator says, "We gotta have one vice to keep us humble."

I really hate the taste, harshness, and smell of cigarettes. I've tried a few Marlboros and some Camels; I couldn't handle them. Djarums, or my cloves as I affectionately call them, are very smooth, are flavored, have less tobacco (more clove spice), and smell a lot better. They even have eugenol, which numbs the throat making smoking more enjoyable.

I'm not quite addicted. I go long periods without them and I haven't smoked all that long anyway; I started when it was legal for me to do so. So, Djarums are kinda like a novel thing in that I don't smoke them all that often and people don't see them all that often. Maybe I'm a pretentious bastard, but I don't like to do/use whatever everyone else does.

A guy a couple weeks ago asked me, "Why do you smoke those? You don't like Newports?" I laughed a little bit inside.

I feel okay right now about my purchase. I'll probably be pissed at myself when I need that $7 for gas. :(

3. Details Mag Subscription, ($10, Monday) - I'm sorta addicted to magazines. I love the ads, I love the articles, I love reading. I kinda love just having them. It's the only thing that I religiously collect (besides clothes). I have bins full of GQ, Esquire, and Details magazines. I even have a couple years worth of Electronic Gaming Monthly from when I used to be into video games.

I purchased the subscription because I got tired of paying a significant amount more at the bookstore or drugstore for Details. I hate that they still put the stupid subscription cards in the magazines...

I feel good about the purchase. I'm saving myself money in the long-run.


I'm sure there's more confessions to come, but those are the only interesting things I've bought recently.