What is it about spinning vinyl?

It's habit forming.
How many of we vinyl afficionados also prefer mechanical clocks and wristwatches and cars with carburettors and stick shifts?
I have two big old clocks, many watches and four 70s cars as well as the vinyl rig and 3500 LPs.
Modern stuff is soul-less.

@whart, it does call me out but there are long periods I can't make it to the web site. I'm too busy documenting BS for the bureaucrats so they can know all about your health history and hang you with it. It's Mike, the mi in mijostyn. You certainly know a lot more about obscure records than I do!

mrmeaner, good for you!. I have a 45 year old patient with muscular dystrophy. He is wheel chair confined but still has a little power in his hands, enough to operate the joy stick in a wheel chair van and on his wheel chair. He is recently retired from teaching music to middle schoolers. He is worse than a dead head when it comes to Rush. Digital is a godsend for him. The secret to a successful life is learning to have fun in spite of it. Then I've  had people with "bad backs" who want to go on disability. Bends my mind.

edgwear, who wore the "nackin's" ? I'd ask why but I think that's to graphic for these light weights:-)

clearthinker, wristwatches are artwork of an insane degree. The Apple watch is junk. I just sold my 911 Turbo S PDK. I have much more fun driving my 06 C4S manual. No more PDKs for me. Been there, done that.
Now GT3 vs GT4? What do you think?

You mean 'napkins'? Pink or black? At Warner Bros executive dinner parties? Mo Austin? Miss Pinky? I'm confused.

@mrmeaner thanks for keeping it real.  

@mijostyn  I get your point. I was just pushing back against the 'we love the ritual' narrative. I understand that point of view and I share it to some extent, but at the end of the day it's the sound that keeps me coming back to vinyl. The ritual is mostly a PITA to me, so if it weren't for the sound quality - in better LPs with a well tweaked system - I don't think I'd bother.  

I actually spend most of my time listening to digital these days and over the last year I've spent a crap ton of money building a digital front end. But sooner or later I have a moment like the one you described in your original post, when I find myself craving the sound of a good LP. At the end of the day, to my ears, it's still a better illusion. 

Almost all my listening is dedicated to vinyl.
Only listen to digital when in my office.
With a nice headphone rig in the office I am interested. It sounds very good. An intellectual experience. But listening to the TT rig, I am swept away into the music. An emotional experience.
I am touched by the performers in a way that just doesn’t happen with digital.
Thankfully, even with a very bad back, I am still able to get up and attend to the record. It’s one of my nice duties. Choosing a disc, putting it on the platter, turning on the TT, brushing off the LP, “spraying” it with the static gun, cleaning the stylus, moving the arm to the run in, going back to the chair to sit back and let the sound roll over me. Truly a great joy.