Why I like Junk

I don't like "junk". I don't like the conceptualization of objects as "junk". I think of that as wasteful, and petty, and disrespectful to other people.
But, let me back up a bit. While this same argument can be used about anything from cookware to shoes, I've encountered it the most with leisure purchases. Cars, Guitars, Grills, and TVs. I can certainly see how there are objects that harm the user- Aluminum cookware, lead paint, and the like. Call that "junk" if you want. However, usually, what is meant is " that object is not up to my fine standards, and you should be like me". I object to that. Take cars, for example- I literally ( and yes, I mean absolutely and exactly) drive cars until the wheels fall off, the engines explode, or the vehicle simply cannot be repaired. So, for most of my life, I drive what others would have called "junk"- some rust, some wear, maybe not the most classic of designs, you get the idea. I feel that's a responsibility. The amount of resources that go into a car, from insane labor practices to toxic materials, to the destruction of fossil fuels, means that, to me, it's irresponsible to be the cause of additional cars being manufactured. If you have a car, it's your responsibility to wring every little bit of use out of it as possible.
Another aspect is with Guitars. I have belonged to various online forums for guitar players, and it never fails- some "newbie" will asking about starting, and out come the people to tell them what they should buy. Every single time, the end result suggestions are an over-expenditure. They'll tell them to buy a 500 dollar guitar, a 500 dollar amplifier, and more. And why? Because you don't want to buy "junk". Bastards! Well, I'm telling you it's a flat out lie. My first guitar cost less than a hundred bucks, and I had to learn how to make my first amplifier- but had I purchased one, I would've been happy with an equally cheap amplifier. I still keep a check on my purchases. I'll never be spending more than a paycheck on any piece of musical equipment. You know why? Because I'm not playing to impress 20 people out of the 500 hundred who paid to see me. That's what that extra money goes to, seriously. You know what the difference between an Epiphone and a Gibson is? Pure vanity! They're both made with questionable labor, and parts, with questionable quality control- so don't go telling me about Korea, China, or Tennessee, because I've actually been to both Gibson and Epiphone manufacturing centers. You know why "boutique" manufacturers charge so much? To make you think it's worth it. I know this because they'll say it. And the people who buy into the claptrap- who are the majority, easily, - they'll bully people who disagree. ( So, to get along, I won't exactly "disagree" with them- I'll just fail to agree)
I don't own a manufactured grill- I make them when I need them. So, there's no bragging rights to a campfire. It's a matter of skill versus status, in my mind. If you're skillful enough , the convenience of the machine isn't needed. If I know how to gauge heat and mass and the transfer of caloric energy to transform my raw food into the cooked state I want, I don't need the controls and gauges. It's about mastery versus success. Success is, by and large, in the eye of a beholder- if other people say you are a success, then, you are. However, if you've mastered something, you have made it do what you want.
Finally, I don't have some TV as big as a coffin, that costs as much as a bathroom remodel. I have a 32" Samsung that cost less than 400 bucks. Some would call it junk- it's not smart, 3D, or anything beyond. It's not even up to 1080, like my computer. You know why? Because I get to define it- not the manufacturer. I say it's a visual speaker for a visual HiFi system- more like a Stereo system than a radio, get it? It's there to simply translate the electronic content I'm feeding it, not to interpret it. I like that. I like my objects to do exactly what I tell them to do- and no more.
So, no, I don't like the designation of quality to be in someone else's hands and mind. I don't like "junk" anymore than I like "Fine" or "top quality" ( or "organic" or "gourmet" or "professional" or any other marketing term that people have given themselves over, in an effort to appeal to their insufficient self esteem, and overinflated vanity). No matter what- even if it's buying stuff- I believe in living in my own world. I'm a materialist in the most exacting sense of the word- I believe the physical world is a much better judge than your conception of my perception. So, no I don't like "junk"- I like my stuff.

Ok, a new blog, why?

Yes, Blogs are out dated. Crap technology, at this point. We can now just do twitter posts, instagram photos, and listicles with links and we're done on the internet, right?
Well, I still think of writing and complex communication as interesting. I'm still more swayed by text than by pix, and I think raw links are boring.
So, what my point here is about stuff. I've got my personal blog, I've got my pop culture blog, this will be about stuff. Now, I'm going to be upfront about this: I'm doing a neurotic dance with stuff. I can think of more good arguments against collecting stuff, than arguments for collecting stuff. Yet, here I am, living in a house overflowing with stuff, and I seem to want to buy more stuff all the time. So, here's my opening caveat: yes, I'm talking about stuff. Yes, I'm aware enough to know that this is a somewhat screwed up enterprise, right from the outset- and yet, I am compelled to give it a try. I have no idea where it will go, and maybe it'll turn into a series of reasons not to buy stuff, but I want to see that happen, if it does. Maybe it'll just be a few sad lonely little links that will go nowhere. I want to see if that's the case, too. I just want to see if this works.
Oh, and the title? Comes from Ryan Patterson's awesome song with Coliseum. Here's the full lyrics:
Is it my time  to say that I think I should throw it all away? Erase the slate and start again with a new face and a new name? Is it the time to turn and tell me is past time I learned: that a life spent chasing a dream is life spent outside reality? Always thought that action was the goal, I don't know if the action's gotten old, been down this road before it leads where I don't want to go.
Spent my life spent years in pursuit of something real something you can't touch something I can never lose. I can keep it all with me, I can save everything, save everything.
Can't say I know just who I am without a moniker to fall back in. Like to think I've got it figured out, but I'm just as baffled as everyone else. Trailed the sun across the globe, learned more than I could ever know, lived more of life than I could reach and there was still more out there left for me.
Spent my life spent years in pursuit of something real something you can't touch something I can never lose. I can keep it all with me, I can save everything, save everything.