You look in your closet.  The blue Calvin Klein dress shirt isn’t cut quite right.  It’s not tailored exactly the way you want it to be tailored, sagging around the waist and poofing out when you move, instead of sculpted to your body.

It’s not that your body has changed.  No.  This is a challenge going far deeper.  And, it’s not just about clothes.

You turn on your iPhone, and it’s DATED.  Suddenly the iPhone 5 is surpassed by the iPhone 5s and, despite what you tell yourself, you just can’t be as enthusiastic about the 5 any more.  It’s done.  You know, secretly, that you’re going to go by the Sprint store and cash it in, walking out with a brand new 5s.  And probably switch to Verizon while you’re at it.

Even your lunch is out of step.  Who decided Applebees was a good place for lunch, anyway?  All that crap hanging from the walls, old vinyl record albums of Pink Floyd, it all looks so DIRTY.  That new sushi place?  That’s more like it.  Of course, it’s $36 per lunch vs. $20, but who cares?

And your couch.  Hell, it’s only two years old, but the cushions are already sagging.  How can that be?  You’re never even home to SIT on the cushions.  But, ick, who picked this thing?

And the laptop.  Somewhere, somehow, that Viao that seemed so cool just last night sucks.  Look at the Tiger Direct ad that just came in your in box… that new ultrabook is only $1400…and it weighs .8 pounds, not 8 lbs.

It never ends. The Calvin Klein shirts get replaced, the laptop bought new, the smartphone made smarter, everything, everything upgraded all the time.

That must be how a hotel feels.  One minute the Priceline reviews call the W suite “fantastic”, the very next day, “Dated”.  When did fantastic become dated?

This phenomena became most apparent when I looked at my web site.  The basic design hadn’t changed in three, maybe four years.  Wow, how did it suddenly look so…

…

…so….

…

90’s?

Of course, this is how clothing designers stay in business — and hotel designers, electronic stores, furniture stores, everything.  They are constantly evolving, searching for sleeker, more stylish, more fashion forward, better.  iOS 6?  We thought we loved you.  Then we saw iOS 7.  That happened last weekend.  Today my iPhone updated to iOS 7.2.

iOS 7 lasted exactly one week before it became pase.

In the past month, I’ve bought a new couch, updated my main website, http://www.USeventPhotos.com (take a look at the cool new design), rolled out another national website to to help specifically promote the green screen business (http://www.greenscreenphotographers.us), bought about $1500 worth of new wardrobe (I’m now a ZARA man), and two new iPads (Hello!  Retina Display!)  Now all I can think of is how to best update the individual city web sites, whether my cat needs to be died blonde, and if there really is any difference between the iPhone 5 and 5s.  I still love my car (a Scion TC), and my other car will never go out of style (a Prius), my new motorcycle, also bought this month is an updated model of my old motorcycle (which I love).

HOW LONG WILL THIS UPDATE LAST?  A week, like iOS7? A month, like the last season of American Idol? A year, like my love of tacos?  Or, a decade, like my relationship with Matthew? I’m not sure, but I’m guessing 6 months.  I know me.

And, by the way, this is my 5th couch in 5 years.  But this new one is FANTASTIC.  It’ll be delivered in 6 -8 weeks.  Keep your fingers crossed it hasn’t become outdated by then.