Monday night, I read a rather unusual post at the Film Score Monthly message board. One of the posters had discovered a treasure trove of Varese Sarabande CDs on sale from projects over the last decade (and a small fraction from before that time). Here comes the punchline: they were not to be found in some chain store that specializes in music, but in Family Dollar.

(For a number of reasons, be it the feng shui of its wares or the smell, Family Dollar - hell, any store with the word 'Dollar' in its name - gives me the fucking creeps...and yet, over the last couple of days, I've been to three locations in my town looking for Varese CDs. I've bought three so far and - much to my deep regret - there are more titles yet to get.)

This is part of a much bigger problem I've been facing in my town: the lack of soundtracks in supposed music retailers. Borders is dead, FYE (save for one mostly picked-over location within reasonable driving distance) is dead, there's only one Barnes and Noble with a (weak) soundtrack selection and the local record store is an absolute joke in terms of new and used soundtracks. It's getting so I have to do all my shopping online and the prices/shipping fees give me, inveterate penny-pincher that I am, migraines.

Seriously, when Family Dollar is the only game in town to scratch a soundtrack-buying itch, you know the universe fucked up somewhere.