Late Night/Early Morning Tribute to Local

It was a long shitty shift at work last night, where my best highlight was a joke with Chad about bacon tasting better if the pig was slaughtered after being pleasured ("This pig was pleasured every day for a month, this is some damn good bacon." You probably had to just be there to really enjoy it). That was at the last hour of my shift. Probably my only saving grace that got me in a better mood.

As I was driving home, all the positive things in my life seemed to shine through. For the first time in months, I could see the sun start to creep over the mountains in the east. The moon halfway hid in the atmosphere, holding it's ground in the south, as if to not be swayed by the sun coming on shift. A grin came came across my face as I embraced the scenery. I started up my ipod and put it on shuffle. The first song that played sent me back to a different time. Although, it was only a time of 4 years ago, it was most certainly a different time for me.

As the song played, I had a flashback of vivid imagery from when I worked at Local. For those who don't know, Local was a music store in South Town Mall that promoted local and big music alike. It was the biggest thing of my life after high school. So many positive things came from there.

It seemed in an instant my whole experience there flashed before my eyes in it's entirety. Sitting behind the counter of an empty store, getting paid nothing the entire time I worked there, meeting new people, setting up for shows for big bands and small bands, meeting bands. Such a big list can be compiled from my experience there. I would be pretty much rambling in doing so. But I'll do it anyway

I remember.....
Late night talks with Eric, as we exchanged stories and heartfelt advice about everything.
John Allred's rants.
Sitting in the store with Shila doing nothing.
Seeing Erin come through the door at almost exactly the same time Monday-Friday after she got out of school.
Attempting to form new bands after hours.
Hanging out after hours watching movies on a projector screen.
Sleeping there because I was too hungover to face my parents.
Meeting Nicole for the first time.
Being visited by friends all the time.
The first time in my life, I felt cool. I felt "in" or "hip" or whatever people are saying these days.
Discovering new music daily.
Trying to find a house to rent with Eric
My VW Bus that nearly made me iconic
Playing my own music on the overhead speakers
Passing out on the lovesac in the store knowing full well no customers would be coming in any time soon.
Saying "testing my tangible testicles on terrible Tuesdays" for every sound check in every show.

I'll stop the list there. But I just wanted to say thank you to Local and everyone who was there. I often look back at the time of my life as the best part so far. It was still a turbulent time of being lost and not knowing what to do with my life, but it was a hell of a ride while it was going. The experience had the most positive impact on me. It will take nothing short of Alzheimers, a brain injury, or hilarious senility to pry those memories from me.