Conspicuous Consumption
I drove past a local cul-de-sac that is in the process of being populated by extremely big and ostentatious new homes. I admit it - I felt a twinge of jealousy.
Then, I noticed that some of the homes were nicer than others (there were about eight, in all). It occurred to me that the poor fellow who decided to be cheap, and to spend $100,000 less than his neighbors, would forever regret it. Every morning, coming out of his single carved mahogany front door, and looking at his neighbor's double gilt-and-beveled-glass doors, he would feel a twinge of pain. When he stops to think of his neighbor's fourteen front windows vs. his own eight, he'll need an antacid. And he won't be able to face his kids, when they ask him, "Totty, why isn't our molding hand-carved?"
I felt a lot better.
Then, I noticed that some of the homes were nicer than others (there were about eight, in all). It occurred to me that the poor fellow who decided to be cheap, and to spend $100,000 less than his neighbors, would forever regret it. Every morning, coming out of his single carved mahogany front door, and looking at his neighbor's double gilt-and-beveled-glass doors, he would feel a twinge of pain. When he stops to think of his neighbor's fourteen front windows vs. his own eight, he'll need an antacid. And he won't be able to face his kids, when they ask him, "Totty, why isn't our molding hand-carved?"
I felt a lot better.
posted by MYG at 3/10/2006 01:04:00 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I sometimes think that other people enjoy the sight of a nice house more than the owners do.
I try to enjoy the sight. Who cares if I own it? It looks nice,it brings me pleasure to look at it, life is great.
OK, who am I kidding, I'm jealous too.
I love your house, MYG. A lot more than I like any of the houses in any of the cul-de-sacs in Lakewood. Sure, they're expensive. But they're ostentatious and generally poorly-designed. Nezem zahav b'af chazir, almost, because once a house is that size, it should be designed that much better. And they generally are not. They look as plastic as the credit cards that paid for them.
Now, if the option was your house or some old Bavarian castle... Well, frankly speaking, I'd have to go with the castle. :)
very cute.
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