I can't speak for him

"Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?" - Rob Gordon, High Fidelity

I don't know if you ever came up with an answer to that question, Rob, but personally, I'd say I do the former. I use pop music to pick me up, with varying degrees of success. To get pumped up for athletic competition. To escape from the stress of work. To get my brain churning. To make me happy.

On the other hand, my pursuit of acquiring pop music makes me miserable. Well, maybe not, but it can make me unhappy. I put a lot of effort into buying CD's, getting MP3's, researching albums and bands, making sure I get the best deal possible. It drives me nuts sometimes. No matter how much progress I make, there's still more to be done. It's one of those finish lines that keeps moving further away from me as I approach it. I'm not miserable from listening to pop music, I'm miserable for WANTING to own pop music.