The Vortex

The fourth floor of the Broyhill Music Center, home of the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University, contains the practice rooms and a student lounge of sorts. The lounge is not a separate room – rather, it is merely a wide place in a hallway, and it is nearly impossible to walk through without stopping or at least lingering for a human visitation moment. One just gets sucked in and can’t escape. For that reason, the area is called the Vortex. There is a sofa and there are a couple high-top tables and stools. The vending machines [sugar dispensaries] are nearby, and there is a microwave. The Vortex is homey.

Homework is done there. Loud conversations are carried on there. Marching band routines are watched, planned, and celebrated there. Lots of food is consumed. Me, I use the Vortex as a free-help-yourself yard sale site. I have downsized quite a bit via the Vortex: hundreds of CDs, a handful of LPs, lots of DVDs from home, opera scores, office supplies, three-ring binders I no longer need, extra trash cans, empty folders, a couple wicker baskets, some coffee mugs, tumblers, and the occasional redundant article of clothing. And as I near retirement, I’m sure I’ll be dropping many more things there.

So what? Who cares, right? Well, we’re a family in the Vortex. It’s a safe space, and all are welcome. Lost and Found is downstairs. The stage wardrobe store is downstairs. But the visiting and the yard sale are in the Vortex. Come and get sucked in with us.