there are always gems.

So today I got free Rita's italian ice five times because it's the first day of spring.

Actually, that's not the point of this post. I just wanted to note that last night I went to a house show. There were some really creative touring bands who used unique instruments (and things that weren't standard musical instruments). There were kind people and it was a good show.

Today Bianca came back and took me to the Midtown Scholar, which is a cool used-book store which I didn't know existed. Upon entry, I was observing the food drive at the front of the store where I was welcomed by my friend Liz who apparently works there. I love browsing books, and I came across a section where I found Leo Tolstoy (my new favorite), Henry David Thoreau (my old favorite), and a book by my own academic advisor at Messiah College. It was awesome to see all of these authors in the same section. It made me realize what a cool town I live in.

There are always gems. In (almost) every place in this world. You just gotta dig to find them sometimes. Often you have to become one of the local people to realize that they exist.

Also my friend Kristen who lives here is doing her senior paper on silence and words and I think it's just as exciting for me as it is for her. I got to pass on my Bhagavad Gita to someone actually interested in it for once. Although, I have to say that I am disappointed that I could not find a copy of the Upanishads at the Midtown Scholar. Either way, I still hold that the place is a gem, though maybe not yet pure gold.