(This was originally posted on Consumerism Commentary on August 6.)

One of the things I enjoy doing every summer is attending and volunteering for drum and bugle corps shows. Yesterday, I drove to Allentown, Pennsylvania for part one of the Eastern Championships, and tonight, I'll be taking my girlfriend to part two.

One ticket to the last night's show is $25. I opted for two better seats for tonight, at $30 a piece. I also purchased CD recordings from the "souvenir trailers" to take home some of my favorite drum corps tunes for a total of $71. (That price includes a volunteer discount.)

I also spent $4.00 on dinner. Total for the day: $160. (If you take fuel and vehicle wear-and-tear into account, it's more.)

The reason I can get that volunteer discount is because I work with one drum corps organization to help them run their shows every year.

It's a lot of money to spend, sure, but it's an activity I wholeheartedly support with my time and my money. (Also, it's only once a year. It doesn't hurt.)

I haven't had a lot of time to update on this website lately, and I feel a bit bad about that. There are a number of things keeping me busy at the moment, between work, planning for vacation, and other summer activities.

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