Thursday, January 10, 2013

You’d think my tardiness would have set me on the straight and narrow, buying at least a few mornings of contrite 8 AM to 8:30 AM arrival times at the office, but no! No. Sure, I made up the two hours I lost–that same evening, in fact–and then promptly returned to my normal schedule, which calls for pulling into the parking garage around 9-ish. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Actually, no. Neither the spirit nor the flesh are willing, in this case.

I’ve clocked about two weeks on my Slim now, and it’s every bit as wretched as I described. It’s a $25 pledge in a $3 product, all told. Oh, it’s thinner than my previous wallet, to the point where I occasionally wonder if I lost it, even though it’s right there in my pocket. But half of the “X” is fraying a little bit already, though, as are the edges. I don’t think it’s going to last the year, frankly.

It’s all the more mystifying why I’ve placed a bet on yet another wallet. Second time’s a charm, right? There’s just something alluring about Kickstarter, that clearinghouse for promises. “Crowdfunding” is the generous term for this phenomenon. I think of it more as online busking, where you have artisan after artisan pouring their dreams to you in illustrated listings. I may be funding the showmanship more than the actual product. I’m four projects in now. $250 in the pot. Craftsman! Weave me some enchantment, so I may lavish upon you coin.