Despite a long scroll of new music I needed to try out, I played my Spotify current go-to tunes playlist during my seven-hour drive. I started to tap to the rhythm of "All I Was Looking For Was You" by Fastball (side note: this song has the best song lyric ever written, Midnight on heartbreak avenue, all twisted up on bitches brew). Out of nowhere, tears and heartache engulfed me. Singing along is a must while driving, but I just couldn't get the words out; it felt as if I was an asthmatic attempting to run a 6-minute mile. This part of the song especially got me ugly-crying:
Running away from everything that looks like me. I heard a voice. I saw your face, it set me free.For some reason, I thought it was a good idea to continue with Fastball's "Dark Street" in an attempt to get everything that I was feeling out of my system. It sure did help the flow of tears.
Come on down and never leave my sky again. Shine your love light, love light, love light...I then finished the cry-fest with Colin Hay's "The Best In Me," and my previous post sheds light on the emotional performance of this song at the most recent concert. I approached the toll-booth attendant with my sunglasses on even though I could care less about whether or not he sees my worn face. As I drove away and turned the up the volume, the crying came back. Good grief!
On Sunday, I made the drive home to Ohio from my vacation to the Philadelphia suburbs. I was visiting family and friends, but I mainly chose to go at this time of the year because it was the last chance I had before school starts to see family and Colin's free show was nearby. It's hard to pinpoint the specific reason I was emotional on the drive back to my current residence. It could be because I don't know when I'll see any family again. Or, it could be because I had such a fantastic, memorable summer of music and traveling that I didn't want it to end.
Whatever the reason, I'm very fortunate to have been given the many opportunities I had this summer. I've met a lot of new people, including the musicians I follow or just started to follow, caught up with old friends, did new sight-seeing, conquered a few anxiety roadblocks, and got a few steps closer to accepting who I am at this point in my life.
Some new sights included towns in New Jersey. Thanks to Mitch of The Soapbox Office, I had a list of film locations to visit while on my day trip. A college classmate and I visited a few of these spots together, and it was a blast! First stop was at Asbury Park Boardwalk where the beginning of Dogma was filmed (where the old man gets beat by the triplets.) I then met with Maribeth, and we went to Red Bank and small neighborhoods around the area to go to The Secret Stash, Jack's Music Shoppe, The Quick Stop, RST Video (pictured below, now closed), and other locations Kevin Smith related. The other movies at these locations include Clerks, Clerks II, and Chasing Amy.
Pictured are just a few places we visited, but we hit all the locations but two on Mitch's list.
Looking back at these photos, I'm delighted I was able to go on the many adventures I went on this summer, but I'm looking forward to the adventures at work, from the building of a new department to supporting students in as many ways as possible.
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