It’s something I never ever would have purchased for myself, but I knew Miranda was getting one for Christmas, so the last time we were in the States I went thrifting and brought home a bunch of records for her. The hunting part of it was fun, gently edging it out of the fold, inspecting for scratches, picking up 10 albums for under $20. But when we actually played one on the sound system- I swear it sounded like Billy Joel was actually standing in the room playing for us. The quality was unreal. Since then it’s been a slow yet steady conversion. She brought home Star Trek and it brought me back to happy times in my childhood, I found a Robin Williams live performance album from the 70’s that we admittedly cried to. And then when in Woodstock to move Sarah’s things, she took us antique shopping and there I found a compilation of Japanese children’s songs, traditional ones, and even popular classics for $2. Even though I don’t own the record player, I still justified it to myself, and have since found myself justifying a modest and mostly nostalgic collection. (I just ordered the Neverending Story Soundtrack!)