Vinyl Memories

So, during my stay with Derik, we went to Half Price Books, Virgin Megastore an awesome, independently owned CD store and had lunch at a Dallas landmark: Barbec's. I'd never been to the place before, but apparently it's been around for a loooong time and is a Dallas staple. It's the kind of place I feel comfortable in. Not foo foo trendy, with faux-fabulous people. Just quaint, homey and comfortable. Leave your Dallas pretensions at the door. My kinda place! I had my favorite, the club sandwich (sans tomato) and iced tea. It was perfect, the company was great and the service was excellent. Who could ask for more? I highly recommend it.

Now, onto my purchases at Half Price Books. I'm one of those people who can easily spend hours in a used bookstore. Especially, one the size of the Half Price Books off of in Dallas! It's humongous. I spent most of my time, sitting in the floor, sifting through hundreds of 45 RPM record/singles. No one ever takes the time to do this, and since they don't more retro goodies for me! I, for one, miss records. Don't get me wrong. I love the technology of CDs, but there's just something about a record that a CD lacks. Records have a soul, if you will. I remember my first record player. It was one of those kind that had a hinged lid, and you can close it like a suit case and latch it. It was orange and had a picture of Fonzi on the front giving the double thumbs up. The inside cover had a scene from Arnold's, neon glowing. It was the coolest record player ever! I still wish I had it today. Oh, while I'm on the topic of Fonzi, I watched Pulp Fiction again last night. I totally forgot how cool that movie is. My favorite quote was towards the end, when Samuel L. Jackson's character is negotiating with Pumpkin and Honey Bunny at the restaurant: "Now Yolanda, we're not gonna do anything stupid are we? We're all gonna be like three little Fonzies here, and what's Fonzi like?" [when Yolanda doesn't answer] "C'MON YOLANDA, WHAT'S FONZI LIKE?!" Yolanda- "cool." Samuel- "What?!" Yolanda- "Coool." Samuel- "Correctomundo. And that's what we're gonna be. We're gonna be. Cool."

Records. I love em'. I still buy them from time to time, depending on what it is. Sometimes I buy them for the cover, or just because I love the album. Either way, I still enjoy using my record player. I especially enjoy it in the Fall, when it's kinda chilly outside. I'll open the window to the den, put on a Duke Ellington record and just sit there and listen to it. The crackling and the popping of the record only give it more charm.

I have all kinds of records in my collection: cartoon-related records, movie soundtracks, Jazz, comedy, Bossa Nova and those fun, retro lounge-style records, likeRay Conniff used to make. I found an album cover I just couldn't pass up (actually, Derik found it). What a great cover.

I found some great stuff: The Andy Gibb record was just too Tiger Beat Magazine for me to pass up. One of my all-time favorite movies is Meatballs, AND I think David Naughton is a total fox (or should I say, "wolf"), so I couldn't pass up the 45 for Makin' It. And to top it off, it still had the little yellow plastic thingy in the center. *squeal!* The RSO records logo, so takes me back to a time of Peach's Records & Tapes, Paper Moon Graphics greeting cards, Burger Time for IntelliVision and browsing through singles on 45. Sigh. Oh, and I had to get the Corey Hart 45, 'cause the record sleeve opens up into a poster! Boss! I was SUCH a huge Corey Hart fan. He was so damn hot. I highly recommend purchasing his music video compilation DVD. ROWR!

I collect some children's books, some which include, Frances, Old Black Witch and Gus The Ghost. Well, in that vein, I found some great children's 45 records. Both are from two of my favorite childhood book series: Frances and Old Black Witch, both of which I highly recommend. I used to belong to the I CAN READ Book Club when I was growing up. God, I LOVED it so much! I think that's where I get my fondness for reading & writing and receiving/sending mail.

Well, A Bargain For Frances was the first time I was introduced to Frances, so I'll start with the Frances series first: Frances is a badger, and she has a little sister named Gloria. Frances gets into all kinds of mischief, but always ends up learning her lesson. Sometimes, the hard way. The books have terrific illustrations by Lillian Hoban and are written by Russell Hoban. There are a half dozen or more Frances books in the series. Well, I found Bread and Jam for Frances on a 45! Needless to say, I was very excited.

As for the Old Black Witch series, my favorite is the first in the series, simply called Old Black Witch! Here's a synopsis, courtesy of Amazon.com, for the first book in the series: When Nicky and his mother buy an old New England house to transform into a tearoom, they discover that the house is already inhabited--by a spooky and mischievous ghost, Old Black Witch. The series is written and illustrated by the husband and wife team of Harry and Wende Devlin. I love the illustrations, and the stories are so fun.

As far as I know, there are 3 books in this series: Old Black Witch, Old Black Witch and The Polka-Dot Ribbon and Old Black Witch Rescues Halloween. Well, I found the last title on 45, as well! I am saving it to listen to, this Fall. Also, if you like the Old Black Witch books, you might want to check out The Devlin's Cranberry series, it's just as great! I read mine every Halloween and Thanksgiving. They never seem to age.

*Tomorrow: See what books I found!