How does one get off the merry-go-round?

I pretty much stopped listening to music from 1985 to 2000 with exception of a few music vidios, plays, the Hollywood Bowl and friends performing locally. I sold all of my gear (a tube based Ls3/5a system) and most of my vinyl in 1985 and spent my leisure time from then on reading as I was burnt out on music. The only thing that I kept was my KLH Model 21 table radio to listen to at low volume in the kitchen when I cooked (the local jazz and classical station). When I jumped back into the hobby in early 2000 I was starved for music (we have picked up 500 CD's in a little over a year's time) and as far as the gear goes finally ended up with a system composed of things that were new and interesting to me (digital source, 300B SET amplification and solid core cabling). I added the usual tweaks as well (PC's and isolation components), but found this a natural course to take, no different than replacing the tires on a new (used car) with the Michelins that I prefer or than ripping up the kitchen floor in a rented apartment and replacing it with something more to my liking and at my own expense (I have replaced our kitchen floor three times in the past 8 years:-). This system is almost completed and when I can afford to, it will replace the mini system in the spare room and then I will start all over again on another type of living room system. This is what I enjoy doing as a hobbby. As far as the Merry-Go-Round goes, I can only afford so many tickets at a time.

Lorne: Are you a friend of Bill W's? My wife once attended a meeting of the Beverly Hills chapter in the 80's at which a young gentleman who once attempted to rob "The Saloon" in BH's while dressed up as a cowboy (think "Rhinestone Cowboy") and high on cocaine, got up to speak. Nobody took him seriously during the robbery attempt and he was arrested without mishap as he had no intention of firing the six-shooter (which was not even loaded).