I had a beauuutiful day! I had my State recital today so my mom and I traveled down to Elizabethtown. We decided to make a day of it (anytime you travel more than an hour, it becomes a mini-trip with my family), so we left at 10 this morning for a day of fun.
We stopped in Nanticoke to check out a drum set a guy was selling on Craigslist. My brother has been taking drum lessons for a while and my mom decided to get him a used kit for Christmas. I was just expecting some music store. This was not just any music store.
It was vintage.
When you first walk in, it's kinda small, a bit of a squeeze. Guitars are hanging on the wall along with some slightly abstract paintings of various music artists. Drums are laid out here and there, cymbals are stacked nearby. It's rather cute, in a serious kind of way.
Then you walk through a doorway into a room. To your right, there's what used to be a small bar with a table and two chairs in front of it. The ceiling is unique in a way I can't describe. Random, mismatching, colored lights hang down, spreading a mysterious glow about the room. More drum sets are spread around. A bust of Elvis Presley is sitting on a shelf along with a painting of a girl playing a piano. Further in, what used to be a dance floor is littered with a works of musicians. A man sits on a chair, strumming a guitar, his student beside him, trying to mimic his smooth strokes.
Technically, someone took an old building that used to be used for polkas and filled with Polish food and turned it into a music store for the lovers of music. It had character and soul. I loved it. If I lived near it, I can guarantee that I would spend every day in that building.
The man who sold my mom the drums - I could tell he knew what he was doing. I played for us so we could get a feel for how they sounded. He just drummed away like it was nothing. After he stopped and my mom spent a few minutes talking to him, he randomly started up again, and after a few moments I noticed that he was playing to the song a guy and his student were playing in the other room. I could tell it was one of those things that some musicians have. If you've ever seen "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium", you'll remember the girl had a thing where her fingers were always dancing along as if playing the keys of a piano. Something you don't notice, you just do. Him playing was a bit like that. He wasn't thinking "Oh, I'm going to play to that song", it was almost an impulse. He heard the music, started tapping on the drums, and out came the rhythm to that melody, perfectly in sync.
Anyway, that was sort of awesome. It's not everyday you meet a true musician.
We also had to drive through Hershey and my mom wanted to stop at the Disney outlet, which is right next to Hershey Park (literally, right next to it. There's practically roller coasters in the parking lot). So we ran into Wendy's, then headed in the Disney store. That was a five minute trip because they didn't have what we wanted. So we left and headed to the college for my recital.
Well, that's what we tried to do. We sort of got lost. Let's just say that some helpful college guys were able to get me to the recital hall by 2:58. The recital was at 3:00. Thankfully, they weren't totally prompt at starting things so I had a few minutes to spare.
FLASHBACK. This is from our trip to Florida almost 7 years ago. My brother got a kiss from Snow White and spent the whole day with red lip marks on his forehead (you can sort of see them here).
An hour later, I have a medal and certificate and we're out the door, back to the Disney store.
Can I just say that I love that store? Disney music playing, merchandise from every Disney movie ever made scattered around the store. I almost bought a few things.
We stopped at Aeropostale, I got a few things, then we went to rue21. Can I just say that that is a pretty awesome store? I got an adorable monster shirt and white leggings for $10, and my mom bought me an ADORABLE skirt for $5. And if I had more than $12 on me, I would have bought more.
We went to Red Robin for dinner (all the old pictures, posters, and paintings nearly drove me mad. I LOVED it) and made it home at 9.
Overall, a fun day. Not to mention I got to talk with my mom about important things, which I don't get to do often. A relaxing day without my siblings? Very nice ;)
Cheers♥
Just for good measure. My brother was obsessed with Spiderman at the time and convinced Mickey Mouse to do the whole hand symbol thing... well, as best he could do with only 4 fingers...
