thevinylkat

I've been trying to figure out why this obsession suddenly cropped up out of nowhere. For years I've been completely against owning a car for many reasons: the hot garbage state of traffic and parking in my area make it a hindrance, my partner doesn't have his license, and I know how much of a money pit a car can quickly become. Outside of being a resource that would allow us to make spur of the moment long haul road trips (renting cars make that next to impossible), having a car would serve my partner and I no viable purpose. So why all of a sudden was my brain so enamored with this idea?

It dawned on me over the weekend.

With the state of the world economy, the possibility of home ownership moving even further out of reach, and just an overall sense of despondence about a lot of things, buying a car right now is the only big "life thing" I would be able to do. So while my other life "goals" have been forced to remain stagnant (for lack of a better term), this is one thing that I could -- on paper -- reasonably achieve. I know in my gut that caving to this desire and buying one would be a huge mistake that I would quickly regret. Nothing about this idea is logical, both from a financial and lifestyle standpoint.

I think as adults we are constantly striving to take that next step or check off that next achievement. I've never owned a car before; for years I could financially manage to rent one when vehicle access was absolutely needed but I could never afford to buy one, and when I found myself in a position where I could afford one, it was no longer a necessary thing to own. Buying one would give me the temporary satisfaction that I reached one of those "milestones" that became part of growing up in Westernized societies. But the temporary thrill would not make up for everything that would come afterward.

At least I know I haven't completely given up on everything and feel like there's nothing left to work for. Maybe one day I'll have an attainable dream car in my name, but it just won't be today.

I’m a couple of days late, but I couldn’t let Daft Punk’s announcement that they are calling it quits after 28 years pass without posting this lil’ reflection on what their music meant to me.

As a pre-teen and teen in the late ‘90s/early 2000s, Daft Punk’s music was everywhere and was always a welcome surprise any time it popped up on someone’s mixed tape/CD (remember burning CDs?), on the radio, or when it dropped at a school dance. It immediately enhanced everyone’s mood, regardless of what song it was. It’s crazy to think that the band only released four (FOUR!!) studio albums, as well as the Tron soundtrack, but their influence could be felt on so many other artists’ albums they contributed to. 

“Get Lucky” is one of only a handful of music tracks that was an immediate “love at first listen” for me. It’s been rare in my life for a song to strongly resonate with me right off the jump, and at the same time burn a memory into my brain where I can recall years later exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard the song for the first time. 

The summer of 2013 was like a rebirth for me. Anyone who has been following this blog since its early days may recall that 2012 was a hell of a year for me. But May to August of 2013 was a moment in time when I was able to fight back and pivot my life in a way that set me up for success and a kind of happiness that had been absent from my life for a long time. 

I don’t know if it was the funk-pop backing track courtesy of Nile Rodger’s genius that felt new but familiar, if it was Pharrell’s smooth vocals, or those opening lines that perfectly fit in my life at the time, but I was hooked right away. It became my anthem during those four months. I don’t listen to the song often anymore, but any time I hear it it immediately puts me in a better mood. Just like every other Daft Punk song.

Thank you for everything, Guy-Manuel and Thomas. The world has been made better because of the music you gave us.

I giggled at this a little too much.

I’m in the middle of completing a vinyl challenge for the month of September on Instagram. 

A piece of Queen + a piece of Rainbow ?