Simple Pleasures

Have you ever had one of those days when you wake up and feel totally empowered? Like when you go out to face the world, you are going to find great things? Today was definitely one of those days.

It probably helped that the sun was actually shining when I woke up today. It has been cold and cloudy, if not rainy over the past several days. I'm a sun girl -- light makes me happy. I had stayed up until almost 2 am watching football last night (14 hours straight! more later) and managed to sleep in until 10 am. I took the dogs out and immediately cleaned out the veggie garden, which I've been putting off for weeks.

When I came in, I made a strong pot of coffee, wrote a piece for Examiner, and checked my email. I started getting hungry, and knew that I needed to get a few groceries to make it through the week.

Abundance has my almond milk on sale this month, so I knew I was going to go there for a few things, even though I really want to wait for my friend to go with me. But it's only about 5 min away from my house (over 1/2 hour from hers), and we get paid this week, so I can still do my big shop with her.

Anyway, it was a beautiful day downtown, and I felt this overwhelming urge to shop around. I really wanted to go to Lakeshore Records, which is a little shop I had discovered in the spring when eating at a little restaurant nearby. That's where I found Pearl Jam Live at Easystreet for $6, when every other time I had seen it, it was at least $20.

The compulsion to locate this place again was supremely overwhelming, despite the fact that I had frozen fruit in the backseat. I had to drive around for at least 15-20 minutes before I could finally find it again. But I'm glad I did.

When I go to record stores, I have a few people I search under. These include Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco, Mike Doughty, David Gray, Jack Johnson, Pearl Jam, and Toad the Wet Sprocket. I am constantly on the quest for something unique and new by these artists, as they are the ones who make me happiest. (Ok, and Fiona Apple, but dammit, she never has anything new or rare coming out that I can ever find!!)

I start digging through the stacks, looking for a prize, when I come across the new Mike Doughty CD. I've been meaning to get it since it came out a week ago (almost two weeks!) but haven't yet made it out to get a copy. I've been dealing with a copy made by a friend to hold me over.

I'm excited when I find this one, because not only is it cheaper than it would be at Barnes and Noble, but it also comes with a live Mike Doughty bonus CD. So, I take it up to the counter, and blissfully make my purchase. The bonus CD is Half Smofe, which I have wanted to purchase off of his site for ages, but haven't yet done......

So, then I decide to finally go check out National Record Archive. I've been avoiding that store like the plague for the entire 6-7 years I have lived here, because those stores are deadly for me. Cheap used cds that play like new? And with my ecclectic musical tastes?

Luckily, I don't really have a lot of extra money to spend, and I'm trying to be a bit more choosy these days. And then I spot the original Pearl Jam Alive t-shirt. Now, I already have an original, that a friend gave me back in high school. But I'm curious, so I go through the rack. And lo and behold, I find my second most favorite shirt ever.

Have you ever seen Choices? It has a picture of a little girl on the front, with a gun and a box of crayons. On the back it says, "9 out of 10 kids choose crayons instead of guns". It was my original favorite tshirt (until I found "boundless" in Myrtle Beach in 1996, and especially after the last PJ concert I went to, Eddie was also wearing the "boundless" tshirt!!!). Every time I go to a show, someone has that damn tshirt on, and I just want to knock him over and rip it off of him -- whether or not he is cute! (haha)

For $20 bucks, I couldn't resist, even though it is a reissue, and therefore not quite as cool as an original. I don't care. I will wear it with pride!

And then I go up to the register and they say that I get a free LP bag to go with it. It's the same damn bag I got at the shows a year ago, but that's okay. I found it ironic that I had just been thinking of that bag all day, then suddenly it's in my hands. And I found it appropriate that I also found a biography of The Who for $5. (If you don't get the connection, I can explain it to you later.)

I finish my grocery shopping and running around and make my way home. After unloading, I come upstairs to play on email and whatnot. I turn on the TV, which for once in its obnoxious life isn't playing static. It's the best part of Mr. Holland's Opus. When that ends, all of a sudden, Into the Wild is on. I swear I didn't check any channel listings.

And when I looked to see what was after the movie, I realized I was on Showtime, and it was being followed by 2 hours of Dexter, which is followed by an hour of Californication, then a replay of the new Dexter.

Is it sad that these things make me happy? Even if it is, I really don't care. Music makes me happy. Dexter and Californication make me happy. Reality and work is less than 12 hours away. Tonight is the new moon, which means new possibilities. And I'm game for whatever life wants to offer up. ;-)