Score!

I have this really weird habit. I don't even understand it myself. Anytime I go into a music store, I obsessively check the bins of all my favourite bands, even when I know that I own all their releases. It doesn't really make sense. I don't know what exactly I'm expecting to find when I do this, but I do it nevertheless. Maybe I'm hoping that for some ridiculous reason HMV would have that long out of press self-released demo CD that that obscure indie band released six years ago, that now goes for $200 on eBay. Maybe I'm just a dork and I like to look through all the album art and think "Yep, I have that one, and that one, and that one." There's really no logic behind it.

There used to be this used CD store down the street from my house called Deja Vu Discs. It was old and scummy and dirty, and had the lingering spell of a hospital during dinner time. It seemed that all the employees were mentally handicapped, not that it matters to me, but they were pretty incompetant when it came to helping you find something. I was a young kid at the time and was frightened by the staff, and the smell, and it seemed like not a whole lot of people knew or cared about the place. Several years ago it closed down but I found out that it is actually a small chain throughout Southwestern Ontario. The next closet location to me in North York and though I've been there a few times, I found it to be much like the other location- smells like mold, and full of retards, but today, I was in the area, so I figured why not just run in quickly and see if there's anything worth having?

Well here I am, going through my routine nerdiness in the punk section. "Alexisonfire? Have it, have it, have it." "Blink-182? Have it, hate it, have it." "Cancer Bats? Have it, have it, hav.... What the hell? This can't be what I think it is. Holy crap, it is!" I found the long out of print self-titled, self-released first EP by the Cancer Bats. Best part of all? The $5.99 price sticker. Mine! Once I got home, I checked online and confirmed that this is indeed limited to 1000 and long out of production.

As I walk around the other side of the shelf to keep looking I casually walk past the "Compilations" section. Comps aren't my thing. I'd rather make my own playlist. I mean they were cool when you were 8 and they featured all the newest pop hits, but this is 2010 and I have iTunes. As I walk past it, something catchs the corner of my eye. I see the word "Bedlam". What? No way! It's "Bedlam Society Mixed Tape Vol. 1". If you don't know what I'm talking about, you won't care, so I won't bother explaining it. People who love Alexisonfire and related bands know what a significant piece of Dine Alone Records history this is. Collectors look for this CD like crazy. I am not a collector. I've never quite understood the whole collecting thing, and quite honestly I couldn't afford to if I wanted to. But at $7.99, I just couldn't leave it sitting on the shelf there. I really wish there was a way of knowing how long these two gems sat in the store unwanted and overlooked by everyone.

Well this was certainly a nice surprise an hour after being hit with a $155 vet bill. My poor doggie is sick... again. I figure I lived this long without owning these two pieces, and I'm okay continuing on this way. Besides, I already have the Cancer Bats EP on vinyl. They will be going on eBay soon where a fanatic can get stoked and enjoy them and I can take care of Joey's needs. Not a bad day overall.