Why is it that when I’m sitting on several hundred dollars for a purely elective purchase of something impulsive, there’s never anything to be had, and when I have no money all the things I’d love to purchase come up on a daily basis on Craigslist? (Corollary: Why am I looking at Craigslist when I have no money? Because I am foolish.)

Last week I dusted off my bass guitar and set up my little Crate amp out in the Doctor’s office (it’s far enough removed from the rest of the house that if I want to ROCK OUT I don’t upset anyone else, and nobody can see me strike my Pete Townsend poses) and started playing again, and it felt good. Like, where the hell have you been for the last three years good. Good enough that I seriously browsed the Musician’s Friend catalog and looked at gear I can’t afford and made up a list of things I’d like to own in a perfect world. My buddy Dave let me test drive his shiny new Jazz bass on Wednesday, and while it felt totally different from my bass (I have a Steinberger, the bass you saw a lot of in 80’s New Wave videos) it felt good to have a solid chunk of wood to play again.

There’s a beginner-level upright bass for sale this morning, something I’ve wanted to own for a long time (I played upright for seven years), but I don’t have the money for it. Do I need it? No. I have a guitar that I’m supposed to be learning how to play, but that’s sitting in the corner of the front bedroom until our houseguest leaves. Arrgghh! Damn you, Craigslist!