Secret Santa coming in for a big win!

I received two big boxes pretty early in December so I was trying to hold off opening them as long as I could. Finally caved and opened the smaller one drunk after a holiday party. LOVE the gift bags.

I didn't even know picture discs existed but I love this! My SS profile included a list of my diverse music tastes (metal, film scores, punk, Disney, swing, EDM, etc) but they didn't know that I've watched this particular movie a thousand times. I immediately planned to frame it, since I don't own a record player. I have several sentimental framed records on my wall already.

My SS thoughtfully included a freaking awesome wookie toy for Miina, but I'm not letting her see it until xmas. She hates wrapping paper, so this will be the perfect distraction while we open gifts.

I managed to make it four more days until I finally caved and opened the bigger box last night, and HOLY SHITBALLS. My SS must've gone back into my old posts and seen that I was part of a build crew for a giant gramophone a few years back: https://imgur.com/gallery/1xFwW

They couldn't have known, but the 'La Victrola' art piece I built back in 2016 has become very important to me, and I also met my partner while building it. We have a ton of the art from it all over our house. I had no idea what a "bluetooth turntable" was, but they'd already won christmas right there. SO FRIGGIN COOL!

Opened it up to see, yeah it really is a record player. Also doubles as a bluetooth speaker. This is the first record player I've ever owned, even though I'm [redacted] years old!

I don't know why I decided to show the Victrola to the Victrola, but there ya go.

Figured out how to set it up today! Used my man's DJ table for the height/lighting, while he's out at work. HE may know his way around a turntable, but it took me entirely too long for me to figure my Victrola out (mostly because I hadn't plugged it in, facepalm).

BEST. GIFT. EVER. Thank you so so much to Paul K, but I don't know your Imgur handle! It might've been on the outer box I threw away while drunk, if so I apologize...

Action shot.

Bonus photo of La Victrola at Burning Man in 2017. We are currently fixing the steel top portion up again, for permanent installation locally here in Northern California. The wooden panels on the bottom we turned into an absinthe bar.

Gratuitous bonus bonus photo of the absinthe bar we built from the panels of La Victrola, Burning Man 2019. The art was applied to the panels using a traditional wheat pasting (wallpaper) technique and stained with coffee.