5 Homesickness + Nostalgia= Suckerpunch to the Heart

Today has been the definition of dreary. 

The only fluctuation in the weather has been the amount of rain currently falling;

we've had drizzle and typhoon-like amounts in intervals.

I've been working on pictures from our Amsterdam trip,

which was also mostly grey skies and drizzle.

I ran a couple of errands and even took the dogs out- although only for a little over a mile,

because drenched and miserable Max and I outvoted insane and giddy Sloan.

I've been cuddling my babies, giving out lots of scratches and rub-downs,

since I always feel guilty after we go on a trip.

(despite their petsitter being excellent and them adoring her...)

Anyway.

I was listening to my iTunes as I worked.

A playlist I call "the Attic."

Eddie's Attic is a music venue in Decatur, my hometown.  Just before my 18th birthday I applied for a job there- any job.  During my interview, Eddie (who'd already called my mom to make sure she knew her 17 year old daughter was applying for a job at a BAR- gotta love the South!) asked me why I wanted to work there.  I told him, simply, that I couldn't afford to keep buying tickets to the shows I wanted to see, and if I worked there, I'd get to see them for free.  

He hired me as a waitress and barback.

Eddie's Attic was where I learned what top shelf meant, where I discovered that showing up early to help stock the bar meant I got to listen in on sound checks, where I truly learned to lose my soul to a good bass line (thank you, David LaBruyere).  

It has become a representation of a pivotal time in my life- when I learned that rebelling from my Mom didn't have to mean disrespecting her, when I discovered that being in my own company was actually a good time, and where I learned that no matter how exhausted I was, washing my face (and, depending on the audience's smoking, my hair) was imperative before going to bed.

My employment there was short lived, since after I left for college the drive back (1 1/4 hours away) on weekends got old, plus the Attic changed ownership...

but it's still one of *my* places. 

Not only does the Attic represent freedom- my first "real" (non-babysitting, non-volunteer) job,

it also makes me immediately flash back to getting an artist's new cd,

putting it in my Jeep,

and driving around Atlanta with the top off,

soaking up either sun or city lights, depending on the time of day.

My Jeep, Jack, is currently living at Paul's parents', as we decided he's a little too old ('89) and rust-susceptible to have made the journey across the Atlantic. 

I'll admit, both times I've been back to the States,

I've looked forward to driving him as much as I've looked forward to Chinese food, sunshine, and family (uhhh... not necessarily in that order... sure).

Anyway.

This whole rambling

(you're getting more appreciative of my photo-heavy posts now, aren't you?)

is just my way of saying thank you to Josh Joplin, Matthew Kahler, Shawn Mullins, Angie Aparo, early John Mayer, and the Indigo Girls. 

Thank you for being the soundtrack to my nostalgic happy place.

Sweetest statues ever, in front of the Dekalb County Court House.