There was a time when Tuesday was my favorite day of the week. That seems odd for a guy like me who doesn't respond well to fulfilling the obligation of going to work or, at the time period I'm referring to, school. Sure, everyone loves Friday. For most of us, it's the end of the work week. Whether that end comes for your job or the classroom, it's a universally cherished day (not for servers or mall workers though. Fridays really suck for them). Saturday is great because it's the first full day off of the weekend (again, not the best day for servers and mall workers). It's generally a day where couples will go out for dinner and a movie, or maybe a group of friends will hit the bars for a few drinks and laughs. Sundays are nice, too. Some like to go to church. Others like to sleep until noon and just lay around all day doing nothing. Sunday in the fall means football.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. All great days. So why Tuesday?
Tuesday was a day for new musical releases. Probably still is. I wouldn't know anymore.
I can remember being in high school on a Tuesday knowing one of my favorite bands had an album coming out. I would think about it all day. I'd sit in the classroom, not listening to a thing my teacher was saying. I did at least give the appearance that I was taking notes. But if you were to open up my notebook at that time, you'd maybe find about two lines of notes that were related to a lesson. The rest would be top twenty lists of my favorite bands, lists of songs, lists of songs from a particular band, hand written guitar tabs, and lyrics that I'd written. On these certain Tuesdays to which I continue to refer, I'd usually be ranking my favorite songs performed by whatever band had a release that day.
When it hit three o'clock, I'd bolt for the parking lot. I'd hop in my red 1985 Camaro Z28 (or beg my mom to take me to the mall after I got off the bus prior to having my driver's lisence) and head for the exit faster than I probably should have in a school parking lot. The mall was only about a ten minute drive from the school, but it would feel much longer. I'd curse at every red light and tail-gate anyone going the speed limit or under. During the drive, I'd constantly glance at my tape deck with disgust. I liked this car, but it didn't have a CD player. This created a major dilemma. "Do I get the CD or the cassette? Of course the CD is better quality, but if I get the CD, I can't listen to it until I get home!" Ultimately, patience would win and I'd always go for the CD. I'm a guy who likes to progress with the times tech-wise. Cassette tape? In 1996? Pfft. Yeah, right. I'd hand over my hard earned (HA!) money and claim my prize.
With album in hand I'd park and jog to the door. I'd barely acknowledge my mom and head straight to the bedroom. Next came the unwrapping of the cellophane. Wretched stuff. It just prolonged the process. After getting past the wrapping, of course there would be that stupid sticker on the edges of the case. I could just pull the it open, but that would risk cracking the jewel case! Frustrated, I'd pick the corner of the sticker with my short fingernails until I could finally get a grip and pull it off. Finally, there's the disc. I'd pop it in the player, start from track one (NO SKIPPING AROUND) and listen to it straight through while lying on my bed, reading the insert. It was blissful. A pure joy.
Where did that go?
As I've stated, I like to progress with the times. Now when I want music, I either enter a credit card number in iTunes online, or purchase $25 iTunes card from a store. I just download it and load it into my iPod. I haven't purchased many physical albums in the past few years. The most recent is Diamond Eyes by the Deftones. I just happened to be in Best Buy.
I used to have jewel cases and cd books all around. Cases strewn about the floor board of the passenger side and back seat. Now, I have this little gadget that contains every album I own. It's so efficient. The stupid little thing sounds great in my car through the auxillary port, too. I even have a docking station that's replaced my CD player for the house. I just plug the little hunk of metal with a screen into the dock and press play. It's nice. I really do enjoy this new way of listening to music. But as far as purchasing music, like one particular blues legend sang, "The Thrill is Gone".
Sure, I could recapture it and run to town every time a new release hits the shelf, but why? Laziness always wins out. Or if you prefer a kinder, gentler term for it, convenience is always the victor (yeah, those two words are quite related) . All good things must come to an end at some point. I'm not going to be one of those guys who hang on to the past ("I only buy vinyl") and consider themselves "retro-cool". Besides, it's fun to let one way of doing things fade into another. It creates memories... nostalgia. I absolutely love it when something triggers nostalgic feelings in me. If I didn't progress, would those feelings hit me as often? I don't think so.
Yep. I'm gonna stick with the iPod way of doing things. Besides, the despicable music industry doesn't deserve the time and effort it takes for me to drive to a store. But that's for another blog...
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