Funny how I decided that the last bargain hunt would make a return back to the Badger state and back to my favorite hangout. Out of all the trips to the Mad City, this one was the easiest. And this happened on a weekend too. My guess is that when the UW football team went to Ann Arbor, that the majority of people went up there. Thus, walking on the lakefront of Lake Monona was practically deserted. However I did run into my share of bargain hunters at the music store, a few of them at Mad City Music Exchange and asking the guy about other places to buy forty fives. Usually owners of record stores do not like to mention other stores, especially in these days and times. But I have to admit that this time out, I may have seen to most hunters of 45s out and about this time around. I'm sure the dude would eventually find out that Half Priced Books do have a decent selection of 45s and I did find three of them at the east side store.
Other fun facts of Mad City Part 4.
Last time I stopped at Pawn America Pawn Shop I ended up finding about 32 CDs of note for a dollar apiece. Guess how many CDs I found up there this time out. None! Zero! Nada! Hard to believe eh? First of all they did not have the dollar sale and second of all the cd section was picked apart. Kinda disappointed but I did managed to find other CDs for two bucks at Frugal Muse Books. It was funny to see the clerk raved about me finding Dead Letter Office from REM for two bucks but only bought it since they had 10 percent off in the store as they celebrated 18 years of being in business. The REM Cd was a bit more scratched than I like but what the dude failed to notice that he had John Hartford's Aero Plain in the 2 dollar section and that one sells for over 50 bucks at Amazon. Score one for the bargain hunter. Also he had a Jules Shear Best Of, that I got for 2 buck and sold that one to cover for the gas money getting up to Mad City. Score two for the bargain hunter. And there were a couple more found, a Webb Wilder Hybrid Vigor CD, More Aero Plain Outtakes from John Hartford and so on. Would have bought a few more but they were a bit more scratched up.
Even though the traffic in Madison wasn't as busy as it was last time I was there, I seen three accidents on the streets including a big pile up on the Interstate 90-94 going to Pawn America. But on this trip while I did stop at the HP Books, Mad City Music Exchange and Strictly Discs I didn't stop at the Pre Played stores simply due to time restrictions and plus that I didn't come up with a lot when I did stop there last trip. This time I didn't do State Street so I didn't get to meet the old hag that brought last trip down and put me in a sour mood. Unfortunately my body didn't cooperate at all and thank God the toilets at Monona Terrance were open. The porta pottys put away for the winter I had to search for an open toilet and if Monona Terrance wasn't there, I would have get a new change of clothing. Had to use the loo twice! Could have used the ones at Wah Kee Noodle House but declined since last time I was there, nobody bothered to wait on me and the time before that the food I got sucked. Hard to believe I gave kudos to that place a few years ago.
Another bad decision was to go to the Laredo for Mexican just before I went back home. I remembered that place for them putting potatoes in their burritos. 2nd time around the peppers were uneven, one was easy to cut and chew, the other one put up a fight to the death and had to use a knife to cut that one. Perhaps I should have gone to Pedro's or some other place. I think the people that came in after me, the guy got sick after a while and left.
Last time the weather was quite warm, this time it was chilly and the breeze blew off the lake so it was a kinda windy chill but I think I liked it better that way. Losing an hour of daylight didn't enable me to really do a full walk but then again, I really wasn't much in a walking mood after a bad case of Montezuma's Revenge times 2.
Finally stopped at Dollar Tree before heading home and chatting up with a female cashier ready to close the store and she was talking about working 2 jobs to pay the bills and give her son a good Christmas. I think she was in her 30's and we talked a bit about Thanksgiving and our plans and pretty much said that I'll be spending it with my folks and taking it easy since all the fools will be out on Black Friday. I guess she really didn't have much to do either, spending it with her child. Being nice I mentioned that being a single mom is a full time job 24-7 and it's much harder than the life that a bargain hunter who comes and goes and works at a job that pays the bills and makes me do the things that I do. I can't say that this was my destiny, nor planned to done this so long in life. Sure back when I was younger say about 15, 20 ago I thought about having a family and having a loving wife but when the time was right back then, I simply picked the wrong one every time out. Or they just said no. After a while I just gave up and lived my life the way I have been before Nicole came into this life.
Despite meeting the Old Hag on State Street, the majority of folks that I have met in Madison have been quite nice an polite and managed to strike up a conversation for a spell. Which is hard to do, I keep to myself and even if they do talk to me, I usually keep it short. I'm sure the clerk at Dollar Tree would have like to gotten to know me better but in the time there, it was closing time, it was time for me to head home and when she asked me if I was leaving the state, I thought about saying actually I did since I'm not from Madison. But I did wish her the best of luck in life and have a good Thanksgiving. And then, got into the car and drove back home.
It's hard to find anybody in life that can put up with the antics of a bargain hunter, who changes like the wind and still remains independent and defiant. My GF does a fine job of putting up with my moods and accepts me who I am even more than I do at times. I doubt if anybody else could put up with me. I can barely put up with myself at times.
But the loner in me still exists and still begs for solitude and basically I couldn't be a step dad, I didn't do a good job of that when I was with Clarice and her boys. With Nicole, its she and I and this woman has a strength of an angel to deal with me but she'll tell you otherwise I'm not that bad. With step kids it's hard to win them over but in Nicole's case her daughter seemed to like me a lot as well as her mom and relatives I've known. BTW her daughter is of the four legged kind. I don't think a lot of myself and of being the guy of anybody's dream simply of the history and my bitter breakups with some of those I've been with. But then again my GF has always been a good judge of character, that's why she picked me.
So in a nutshell going to Madison for the fourth time this year turned out to be the easiest and less annoying since I picked the right time to go. Here's hoping the next time will be just as easy and here also hoping that the next time I get back up there, my guts won't give me fits either.
Thanks Strictly Discs, Half Priced Books East and West, Mad City Music Exchange and Pawn America for the bargains...
