Goodwill Hunting

I made a trip to Goodwill today. I love shopping thrift stores. There's one rule that you have to respect though when thrift store hunting, you have to be prepared to walk out with nothing. Some days you find nothing & some days you find a veritable treasure trove. This trip happened to be one of those days when the stars were aligned. In fact I'm going to tell you about my last 2 Goodwill trips because as far as entertainment shopping in thrift stores goes, these last 2 were the mother load. I'll start with my most recent. Also, you should understand that I'm not talking about a Goodwill store in NYC or even say, Tampa, in which you would expect to find a huge amount of ultra cool stuff. My Goodwill is located in a little place called Spring Hill, Florida. It's basically a retirement community although over the years since I was in high school, it has become more & more populated by families. Anyway, here goes.

01. Soul Asylum - Let Your Dim Light Shine (1995).



I actually don't know this album very well but I do love the first album by them & this one has "Just Like Anyone" on it which I love and not just because Claire Danes was in the video. I'll be giving this a listen in the next few days.

02. Weezer (The Blue Album) (1994).



This is another one I don't know much of. When it came out with "Undone - the Sweater song" as the lead single I wasn't impressed. I also wasn't a huge fan of the song "Buddy Holly" either. However "Say it ain't so" is fabulous. I've since grown to like "Undone" as well & have liked a lot of what they've released since.

03. 24 seasons One & Two (2001 & 2002).




I absolutely loved this show when it first came out. There was nothing like it. I did begin to lose track eventually thanks to Heroes being on at the same time. I'm looking forward to catching up thanks to Netflix instant streaming.

04. Forrest Gump special collector's edition (1994).



This is one of the best movies of my generation & an amazing performance by Tom Hanks, maybe the best of his career. And in case you were wondering, that's saying something. Oh, and in case you didn't read my blog about movies that make me cry, don't forget the tissue box while watching this one.

05. Harold & Kumar go to White Castle (2005).



Yeah, this movie is really funny. Plus, there's a great performance by Neil Patrick Harris playing himself.

Pretty good trip, no? Well here's what I got on the previous trip. This trip I didn't find any movies or TV shows but a bunch of good cds. Keep in mind that these are just the ones that I actually bought.

01. Corinne Bailey Rae (2006).



This is actually a really good album. I loved the song "Put Your Records On" & I had heard & liked the album opener, "Like a Star' as well but wasn't sure that this was an album I would like all the way through but I do. She has a fantastic voice.

02. Vanessa Carlton - Be not Nobody (2002).



I love the songs "A Thousand Miles" & "Ordinary Day" & also "White Houses" which is not on this album, but again wasn't sure that this would be something that I would listen to all the way through either. I do like it quite a bit though. Vanessa may not be Fiona Apple but that's ok. This is a good album.

03. Gwen Stefani - Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004).



I have been a Gwen Stefani fan since the video for No Doubt's Just a Girl was on constant repeat on MTV (remember when they actually played music on music television). The band is a bunch of great musicians but it's Gwen that made them who they are. I'm of the opinion that she is one of the great "front-people" in music history. It didn't surprise me that she did solo work and continued to be successful.

04. Ani Difranco - Little Plastic Castle (1998), Up Up Up Up Up Up (1999) & Dilate (1996).







Okay, so I probably shouldn't admit that I never really knew much of Ani's music other than 32 Flavors (which is an amazing song) but it's the truth. Boy was I missing out. All three of these CDS are good but Dilate is incredible. I've already listened to this cd quite a few times. "Untouchable Face", "Dilate" & "Joyful Girl" are all amazing songs worth listening to over & over again. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite albums.

Drum roll please...And now for what is possibly the GREATEST Goodwill find of all time...

05. The Presidents of the United States of America (1995).



First off, I should tell you that I can't believe that I haven't owned this before now. I'm ashamed really. "Peaches" is one of the great sing-along songs of my generation & when "Lump" comes on the radio I turn it up as loud as possible. I get excited like a kid pulling into Disney World. I even convinced my cover band to play "Lump" withing the first month that I joined the band. But, if you know those songs & love them but have never heard the rest of the album, you're missing out. Every song is that good. From the first ("Kitty") to the last ("Naked and Famous"). The songwriting is top notch although obviously quirky. It only becomes more impressive to know that they don't play normal guitars. One guy plays a 2 string & one guy plays a 3 string. This cd has pretty much been in the player since I walked out of the store & will stay there for quite some time. Thank you Goodwill.