Vinyl

Buying, collecting, and playing, but mainly just listening to music is a huge part of what I like to do. And I am extremely nostalgic about those days when we'd head out to the music store or record department at, say E.J. Korvette's (yeah, that dates me just a tad) and flip through the bins, seeking that rare treasure.

I had a lot of writing to do today for work, so I stayed home. When I set the laptop up in the dining room for long hours of arduous labor, the tradition is to trek down the basement steps to the shelves that hold my vinyl collection - the records I amassed between about 1966 and 1990-something, whenever I finally gave in to the CD revolution. Then I spin the platters, as it were, on one of these retro looking Crosby brand wooden boxes with a turntable on top, a radio, a cassette player in the side, and a CD player up front, that sits on a table here in the dining room.

I can get very nonproductive really fast once I have these albums. First, you have to flip 'em over every 20 minutes or so; it's like barbecuing while you work. Second, I start looking at liner notes, noticing who played what instrument on which track, and so on. But it's good to hear the old stuff in all its aural imperfection.

I still recall the day my daughter discovered you could turn these LPs over and there was more music on the other side. It was a revelation to her!

Anyhow, that's my stroll down memory lane for today. You are welcome to rejoin the 21st century now.