30 Tiny Truths - 6

6. This might be a music blog.

For the first time in my life, I have my own record player.

It was my dad's, and instead of sitting in my parents basement in NJ, it now sits on a shelf below my TV. This was special for me, a kind of right of passage that I take this revered form of music player and harness it. And with it came a collection of old records from the 70's and 80's. I now have a healthy dose of Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, and David Bowie vinyl with me as well, and I'm not complaining.

Well, a record player that's been sitting in the basement requires some maintenance. My new record player needed a new needle; the one already attached clearly dulled. So first I went to Radioshack, which was not the right choice. It took me a while to figure out what that right choice was, but finally, a local musicians store had some. Not just a needle, but a stylus.

I also had to learn how to calibrate the weights and bearings for the arm so it would sit just right. And, it turns out, a record players requires not just speakers (I have speakers that hook up by aux cable to my laptop) but something that amplifies the sound too. This requires a stereo between the two of course. So, the next time I was home in NJ, I took one of my dad's old stereos.

I did something else while I was home. I downloaded some music for my mom's ipod for her so she has new music to listen to while she goes running. I downloaded music like: the Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, David Bowie. And now it's on her ipod.

I've always held a high esteem for records. They're the original form, authentic, tangible, prized. I'll be honest though, while my appreciation for older music has not waned, my appreciation for the record player has. This whole mp3 thing is pretty convenient.