Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Stop, Thief!
My Torts professor from last semester sent an email out today requesting the help of some students in giving a demonstration in his afternoon Evidence class. He wanted to prove to his class that police lineups are inaccurate. So, his idea was, a few minutes into lecture, to have a group of us run in to the unsuspecting classroom, with one student running up to him and stealing his casebook while the rest of us raised a ruckus, shouting and running around. I thought this was brilliant, and immediately volunteered. To complicate things, after we ran back out of the classroom, we traded coats, changed our hairstyles, and put on our backpacks before coming back into the classroom for the lineup. Amazingly, it confounded some of the students! Most of the class voted for the right person as the actual thief, but a lot of people picked the girl who had traded coats with the thief, and a few people picked me, even though I was the only blond in the group. What a great demonstration... It's not every day that a professor invites you to disrupt his class and steal from him.
Monday, March 2, 2009
In Like a Lion
The reason why my Criminal Justice class was canceled this morning:
Snow is so adorable! Also, snowflakes really do have a hexagonal crystal structure, as I learned from the railing outside of my window:
Well, I think I'll just have some coffee, do some reading, and enjoy my snow globe-esque view of the city!
Snow is so adorable! Also, snowflakes really do have a hexagonal crystal structure, as I learned from the railing outside of my window:
Well, I think I'll just have some coffee, do some reading, and enjoy my snow globe-esque view of the city!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Potpourri
There were a lot of random things going on this week that I want to share. I think I'll just go through the week chronologically...
Sunday: Snail Soup
As a part of DC's annual Restaurant Week (during which you can eat at fancy restaurants off of a prix fixe menu), I went to 1789, a restaurant in Georgetown. I had a snail and broccoli soup, steak, cauliflower au gratin, and a brandied cherry chocolate cake. Delicious!
Monday: King's Cake
I traveled by Metro all the way to Maryland for cake! King's Cake, that is. Catholic Forum decided to give out free King's Cake for Mardi Gras, but the nearest bakery offering King's Cake was 25 miles away in Rockville. The most difficult part was Mike and I each carrying four cakes on the mile-long walk back to the Metro station in 35-degree weather with 40-mph gusts of wind. I am still amazed that neither of us dropped any cakes.
Tuesday: Obama's Address
I enjoyed watching President Obama's address to Congress. For one thing, it's always exciting for me when something is going on at the Capitol, because I live a half-mile away, which is just ridiculously cool. Also, I was thrilled to see Justice Ginsburg there, in light of her recent pancreatic cancer surgery. She is so tough! I think my favorite sentiment from Obama's speech was what he had to say about education: "And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It's not just quitting on yourself; it's quitting on your country. And this country needs and values the talents of every American." Absolutely.
Wednesday: Ash Wednesday
Lent is my favorite liturgical season, so Ash Wednesday always means a lot to me. I went to Mass at the National Shrine, which was beautiful. I am dust and to dust I shall return (Genesis 3:19). Amen.
Thursday: Uncertainty
I went to Professor Goldberg's inauguration as a new endowed chair for law and religion on Thursday afternoon. I had Prof. Goldberg as my Constitutional Law professor last semester, and he was fantastic, so I was very curious to hear his address on "The Book of Job and the Role of Uncertainty in Religion and Law." The take-away point was that, just as there is much uncertainty in our understanding of our relationship with God, so also must we embrace the uncertainty of the law. It takes the quintessential question of Job--why bad things happen to good people--to the next level. And, here I thought that going to law school would increase my knowledge of the law, rather than increasing my awareness of how little I really know. Go figure.
Friday: Dodgeball
I participated in the annual Georgetown Law dodgeball tournament with some friends from my section. I was a bit dubious about joining the team at first because I had never played "real" dodgeball before, but my teammates allayed my concerns by pointing out that all I really had to do was, well, dodge the ball. (We played by the National Amateur Dodgeball Association rules, in case you were wondering.) My team actually won its first round, which culminated in a spectacular show of force by Brad, in which he single-handedly eliminated the four opponents that he faced alone at the end of the second match. Truly, the stuff of legends.
Saturday: Library of Congress
I got to check off another item from my DC to-do list: getting a Library of Congress reader identification card! You have to go to the Madison Building to register for the card, and then you're allowed to go into all of the Library of Congress reading rooms! How cool is that?! Very cool, let me tell you. Well, before studying at the Library of Congress main reading room (in the Jefferson Building; see photo below), I decided to check out the Law Library of Congress reading room, since it was also in the Madison Building. Boy, was it ugly. I will never study there again, unless I legitimately have research needs that take me there. Also, if you ever want to see the most intense people on Earth, check out the people who show up at the Law Library of Congress on a Saturday morning. Wow.
Anyhow, after a break for lunch and a brief promenade around Eastern Market, I headed over to the Library of Congress main reading room. I had to go down a series of hallways marked for "Staff and Researchers," which eventually led me to the cloakroom, where I had to check basically everything except for my reading materials. Then, one flight of stairs, another hallway, I signed in, nodded to the security guard, and... I was there! It was breathtaking. I tried not to stare at the ceiling too much while I was there because I didn't want to look like a newbie, but I failed miserably. Oh, well. It was so exciting to be in the largest library in the world, studying hard, President Obama's words echoing in my head:
The Library of Congress main reading room. How cool is it to study there? Very.
(Photo courtesy of Urch.)
Sunday: Snail Soup
As a part of DC's annual Restaurant Week (during which you can eat at fancy restaurants off of a prix fixe menu), I went to 1789, a restaurant in Georgetown. I had a snail and broccoli soup, steak, cauliflower au gratin, and a brandied cherry chocolate cake. Delicious!
Monday: King's Cake
I traveled by Metro all the way to Maryland for cake! King's Cake, that is. Catholic Forum decided to give out free King's Cake for Mardi Gras, but the nearest bakery offering King's Cake was 25 miles away in Rockville. The most difficult part was Mike and I each carrying four cakes on the mile-long walk back to the Metro station in 35-degree weather with 40-mph gusts of wind. I am still amazed that neither of us dropped any cakes.
Tuesday: Obama's Address
I enjoyed watching President Obama's address to Congress. For one thing, it's always exciting for me when something is going on at the Capitol, because I live a half-mile away, which is just ridiculously cool. Also, I was thrilled to see Justice Ginsburg there, in light of her recent pancreatic cancer surgery. She is so tough! I think my favorite sentiment from Obama's speech was what he had to say about education: "And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It's not just quitting on yourself; it's quitting on your country. And this country needs and values the talents of every American." Absolutely.
Wednesday: Ash Wednesday
Lent is my favorite liturgical season, so Ash Wednesday always means a lot to me. I went to Mass at the National Shrine, which was beautiful. I am dust and to dust I shall return (Genesis 3:19). Amen.
Thursday: Uncertainty
I went to Professor Goldberg's inauguration as a new endowed chair for law and religion on Thursday afternoon. I had Prof. Goldberg as my Constitutional Law professor last semester, and he was fantastic, so I was very curious to hear his address on "The Book of Job and the Role of Uncertainty in Religion and Law." The take-away point was that, just as there is much uncertainty in our understanding of our relationship with God, so also must we embrace the uncertainty of the law. It takes the quintessential question of Job--why bad things happen to good people--to the next level. And, here I thought that going to law school would increase my knowledge of the law, rather than increasing my awareness of how little I really know. Go figure.
Friday: Dodgeball
I participated in the annual Georgetown Law dodgeball tournament with some friends from my section. I was a bit dubious about joining the team at first because I had never played "real" dodgeball before, but my teammates allayed my concerns by pointing out that all I really had to do was, well, dodge the ball. (We played by the National Amateur Dodgeball Association rules, in case you were wondering.) My team actually won its first round, which culminated in a spectacular show of force by Brad, in which he single-handedly eliminated the four opponents that he faced alone at the end of the second match. Truly, the stuff of legends.
Saturday: Library of Congress
I got to check off another item from my DC to-do list: getting a Library of Congress reader identification card! You have to go to the Madison Building to register for the card, and then you're allowed to go into all of the Library of Congress reading rooms! How cool is that?! Very cool, let me tell you. Well, before studying at the Library of Congress main reading room (in the Jefferson Building; see photo below), I decided to check out the Law Library of Congress reading room, since it was also in the Madison Building. Boy, was it ugly. I will never study there again, unless I legitimately have research needs that take me there. Also, if you ever want to see the most intense people on Earth, check out the people who show up at the Law Library of Congress on a Saturday morning. Wow.
Anyhow, after a break for lunch and a brief promenade around Eastern Market, I headed over to the Library of Congress main reading room. I had to go down a series of hallways marked for "Staff and Researchers," which eventually led me to the cloakroom, where I had to check basically everything except for my reading materials. Then, one flight of stairs, another hallway, I signed in, nodded to the security guard, and... I was there! It was breathtaking. I tried not to stare at the ceiling too much while I was there because I didn't want to look like a newbie, but I failed miserably. Oh, well. It was so exciting to be in the largest library in the world, studying hard, President Obama's words echoing in my head:
"In a global economy, where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity. It is a pre-requisite. [...] It is our responsibility as lawmakers and as educators to make this system work, but it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it."If that isn't motivation to work hard as a student, I don't know what is.
The Library of Congress main reading room. How cool is it to study there? Very.(Photo courtesy of Urch.)
Friday, February 27, 2009
Amanda's Tuna Casserole
On the Fridays of Lent, Catholics abstain from meat. I don't eat very much meat as it is, so this isn't usually a very big deal for me. However, I haven't been to the grocery store in ages, which required some creativity on my part this evening to cook any sort of dinner at all, let alone one in observance of Lent.
So, I rummaged through my kitchen, and this is what I found of note: canned tuna, croutons, penne pasta, Laughing Cow cheese wedges (garlic flavor), and frozen veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots). I pondered about what to do, and concluded that these ingredients were sufficiently close to tuna casserole to give it try! It came out really well, so I thought I'd share the recipe here (based loosely on the real recipe for tuna casserole in my Betty Crocker cookbook).
Amanda's Tuna Casserole
Serves 3.
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked penne pasta
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk
2 Laughing Cow cheese wedges
1 cup frozen vegetables
1 can tuna in water, drained
1/2 cup croutons, crushed
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare pasta and frozen vegetables as directed.
3. Meanwhile, melt one 1 tbsp. butter over low heat. Stir in flour and salt over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in milk, and heat to boiling. Add cheese; stir until melted.
4. Stir in pasta, vegetables, and tuna; mix well. Spoon into casserole dish. Bake 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
5. Meanwhile, in resealable sandwich bag, crush croutons. Melt remaining 1 tbsp. of butter, combine with crushed croutons in small bowl. Sprinkle as topping over casserole in last 5 minutes of baking or until toasted.
I'm usually the type of person who likes to follow a recipe by the letter, so this improvisation was a veritable culinary adventure for me! It was a lot of fun to tweak the recipe as I went along to get the consistency that I wanted. It made me wonder if anyone else has ever put these ingredients together in exactly this same way. Is it really possible for me, in the 21st century, as one of 6.7 billion inhabitants of this planet, to do something completely unique? Food for thought.
So, I rummaged through my kitchen, and this is what I found of note: canned tuna, croutons, penne pasta, Laughing Cow cheese wedges (garlic flavor), and frozen veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots). I pondered about what to do, and concluded that these ingredients were sufficiently close to tuna casserole to give it try! It came out really well, so I thought I'd share the recipe here (based loosely on the real recipe for tuna casserole in my Betty Crocker cookbook).
Amanda's Tuna Casserole
Serves 3.
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked penne pasta
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk
2 Laughing Cow cheese wedges
1 cup frozen vegetables
1 can tuna in water, drained
1/2 cup croutons, crushed
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare pasta and frozen vegetables as directed.
3. Meanwhile, melt one 1 tbsp. butter over low heat. Stir in flour and salt over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in milk, and heat to boiling. Add cheese; stir until melted.
4. Stir in pasta, vegetables, and tuna; mix well. Spoon into casserole dish. Bake 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
5. Meanwhile, in resealable sandwich bag, crush croutons. Melt remaining 1 tbsp. of butter, combine with crushed croutons in small bowl. Sprinkle as topping over casserole in last 5 minutes of baking or until toasted.
I'm usually the type of person who likes to follow a recipe by the letter, so this improvisation was a veritable culinary adventure for me! It was a lot of fun to tweak the recipe as I went along to get the consistency that I wanted. It made me wonder if anyone else has ever put these ingredients together in exactly this same way. Is it really possible for me, in the 21st century, as one of 6.7 billion inhabitants of this planet, to do something completely unique? Food for thought.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Lenten Ideas
Erin was soliciting ideas for Lent, so I thought I'd post the brainstorm that I had a couple of days ago. I'm not necessarily doing all of this, but these are the ideas on the table for me. I'd love to hear other ideas, too!
1. Busted Halo (the online magazine for Catholics and seekers in their 20s and 30s run by the Paulists) put together a Lenten calendar called "Fast, Pray, Live" that provides a different factoid and act of discipline to be done each day of Lent. They're getting really creative, too; e.g., "fasting" might mean reducing your carbon footprint for the day.
2. Study the readings for daily Mass, well, daily. There are tons of different booklets published each year to guide you through the readings with a Lenten focus. My favorite is "Daily Reflections for Lent" by Sr. Katherine Howard. Oh, my gosh, Amazon is out of stock! Maybe they'll get more? Hm. I know that the UC Berkeley Graduate Theological Union bookstore on Le Conte between Euclid and Scenic used to carry them (though, I heard the store might be closing). Or, go to Christian bookstore online, I suppose. Or, if you find yourself in San Jose, I bought mine at Ave Maria, possibly the best Catholic bookstore in the Bay Area.
3. Participate in the Sacraments as much as humanly possible. Go to Mass on weekdays. Confess your sins weekly. We were talking about this last night in my Bible study; when we attend reconciliation just to talk about the big stuff, we never get around to confessing the little stuff. I mean, St. Therese de Lisieux would apparently burst into tears as a child for saying a harsh word to her siblings--imagine if we were as attuned to our own sins!
4. Don't just give up something for Lent: replace a bad habit with a good habit. For example, I waste a lot of time on the Internet, so I was trying to think of ways to shift that behavior. I could make my homepage a spiritual website instead of the New York Times. Or, after I read an article online, I could pray for the people involved in the story. Or, just like we pray before meals, think of how often you would pray if you said a prayer every time you were about to touch your laptop!
5. Do a different discipline or devotion each day of the week. This is what I'm probably going to do. I was thinking that I could focus on the seven heavenly virtues (the opposites of the seven deadly sins) as a theme for each day. This isn't necessarily what my schedule will be, but I was thinking of something along these lines:
I'm curious to hear how others are planning their Lenten devotions...
1. Busted Halo (the online magazine for Catholics and seekers in their 20s and 30s run by the Paulists) put together a Lenten calendar called "Fast, Pray, Live" that provides a different factoid and act of discipline to be done each day of Lent. They're getting really creative, too; e.g., "fasting" might mean reducing your carbon footprint for the day.
2. Study the readings for daily Mass, well, daily. There are tons of different booklets published each year to guide you through the readings with a Lenten focus. My favorite is "Daily Reflections for Lent" by Sr. Katherine Howard. Oh, my gosh, Amazon is out of stock! Maybe they'll get more? Hm. I know that the UC Berkeley Graduate Theological Union bookstore on Le Conte between Euclid and Scenic used to carry them (though, I heard the store might be closing). Or, go to Christian bookstore online, I suppose. Or, if you find yourself in San Jose, I bought mine at Ave Maria, possibly the best Catholic bookstore in the Bay Area.
3. Participate in the Sacraments as much as humanly possible. Go to Mass on weekdays. Confess your sins weekly. We were talking about this last night in my Bible study; when we attend reconciliation just to talk about the big stuff, we never get around to confessing the little stuff. I mean, St. Therese de Lisieux would apparently burst into tears as a child for saying a harsh word to her siblings--imagine if we were as attuned to our own sins!
4. Don't just give up something for Lent: replace a bad habit with a good habit. For example, I waste a lot of time on the Internet, so I was trying to think of ways to shift that behavior. I could make my homepage a spiritual website instead of the New York Times. Or, after I read an article online, I could pray for the people involved in the story. Or, just like we pray before meals, think of how often you would pray if you said a prayer every time you were about to touch your laptop!
5. Do a different discipline or devotion each day of the week. This is what I'm probably going to do. I was thinking that I could focus on the seven heavenly virtues (the opposites of the seven deadly sins) as a theme for each day. This isn't necessarily what my schedule will be, but I was thinking of something along these lines:
Sundays: read the Sunday Missal, focus on charity (contra: greed)6. Go on a personal retreat. You don't have to participate in a group retreat that goes away from the weekend, either. Grab your Bible, your journal, perhaps some spiritual study aids, and spend a day by yourself with God. Let your roommates know that you're doing this, and try to be silent for the day, focusing on your relationship with God. Read the Bible, journal, pray, rest, nourish yourself, be rejuvenated! You could do this with a friend, too, where you each decide to take a day for yourselves, and then meet up for dinner to discuss how your day went, and what you learned.
Mondays: fast, focus on temperance (contra: gluttony)
Tuesdays: do prayers of intercession, focus on kindness (contra: envy)
Wednesdays: pray the Rosary, focus on chastity (contra: lust)
Thursdays: do Bible study, focus on diligence (contra: sloth)
Fridays: do the Liturgy of the Hours, focus on patience (contra: wrath)
Saturdays: go to Reconciliation, focus on humility (contra: pride)
I'm curious to hear how others are planning their Lenten devotions...
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Musical Autobiography
I was recently tagged by my friend Brad to list the top 15 albums that have had a profound effect upon me, regardless of their musical merit. At first, I dismissed this inquiry as futile, because I don't really know the name of most of the stuff I like, by virtue of the radio being my primary exposure to music. However, once in a blue moon, I like something well enough to actually find out the name of the artist and make a purchase, or I will acquire an album through sheer happenstance. So, for your reading pleasure, here are the top 15 albums that have influenced me. Taking after Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, the albums are listed autobiographically, with the year of influence in parentheses.
Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill (1995)
Imagine a fourth-grader sitting in the back of a white Dodge Colt Vista on the way to school, singing along to "Hand In My Pocket" along with her mom and brother, and you'll get a pretty good feel for what my childhood was like. Not only was this one of the main cassette tapes that my mom played in the car when I was in late elementary school, but "Ironic" was inspiration for a definitional essay that I had to write for my AP English Language course junior year.
Jamiroquai - Travelling Without Moving (1996)
Like Alanis Morissette, Jamiroquai was another cassette tape staple in my mom's car. I can recall being immensely perplexed by the artist's voice, because I was unable to determine whether it was a man or a woman singing. I later bought the CD for $5 during my sophomore year of college, and rediscovered just how crazy the lyrics to those songs really were.
Weird Al Yankovic - Bad Hair Day (1996)
This was the first CD that I ever purchased. Yes, I am a nerd. To this day, Weird Al represents the highest number of albums by one artist in my iTunes collection, at seven. The first concert that I ever saw was a Weird Al performance at Great America (an amusement park in Santa Clara, CA). Weird Al helped shape my appreciation for certain types of humor, especially word play, sarcasm, parody, and self-deprecation. Plus, if it weren't for his parodies, I guarantee that I would have an even more dismal grasp of pop culture references. Though, that has backfired in some respects; for example, I was recently in a situation in which everyone started singing "American Pie" and I quickly realized that I only knew the lyrics from "The Saga Begins." My, my, this here Anakin guy...
Lou Bega - A Little Bit of Mambo (1999)
I don't recall the exact circumstances under which "Mambo No. 5" was played during my 8th grade English class, but that was my first exposure to Lou Bega. After that, I repeated ran across the song on Radio Disney (AM KMKY, ha ha)--granted, it was an edited version that had replaced the plethora of female names with Disney characters, and I believe he referenced a "candy store" instead of a "liquor store." I thought the song was really catchy, so I bought the CD. I listened to the entire album, and was shocked by the blatant chauvinism. I was also shocked by Radio Disney's censorship, which helped to spur me on to more mature radio stations.
Barenaked Ladies - Maroon (2000)
I associate this album with my dearest friend from middle school, Morgan, for several reasons. Most prominently, the summer that "Fat Lip" gained popularity was the same summer that Morgan gave me a fat lip while we were roughhousing up at her family's cabin in Tahoe, and I thus always think of that incident when I listen to the song. Also, Morgan was, is, and will always be cooler than I am, which included her knowledge of music. She introduced me to FM 104.9, the Bay Area's alternative rock station, which drastically improved both my knowledge of and taste in music. Thanks, Morgan.
The Beatles - 1 (2000)
Growing up, I had only a cursory knowledge of the extreme importance of The Beatles. I found myself continually surprised to discover that song after song that I had heard was actually by The Beatles. After a while, I decided that I needed to educate myself about the evolution of classic rock. This endeavor would last several years, aided in part by my sophomore year World History teacher, Mr. Humphrey, who actually wrapped up the year with a fantastic, off-the-wall unit on rock and roll. We each had to write a report on a different influential band; I chose The Buggles, whose hit "Video Killed the Radio Star" was the first video aired on MTV.
Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home (2001)
My dad brought this CD home one day. I have no idea why he happened to have it, but he handed it to me, and I never gave it back. Wow! Bob Dylan sparked an interest in 1960s folk rock, such as Simon & Garfunkel, The Mamas & the Papas, and the Byrds. Actually, that's a good segue into Forrest Gump, as a matter of fact...
Forrest Gump (soundtrack) (2001)
Forrest Gump is quite possibly my favorite movie of all time. I've watched it dozens of times, I can quote most of the movie from memory, and my family will sit down and watch it every time it plays on television. After watching it a few times, I realized that this movie, as much as it is a brief summary of the crucial events of U.S. history from the 1950s through the 1980s, is also a good compilation of major songs from those decades. The soundtrack greatly supplemented my musical self-education, formally introducing me to Creedence Clearwater Revival, Buffalo Springfield, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Three Dog Night, and many others.
No Doubt - Simple Kind of Life (2001)
In my high school French class, we earned play money Euros for participating in class. At the end of each semester, my Mme Reak conducted an auction for prizes, using the Euros as currency. We all brought in contributions to the auction, which Mme Reak "bought" from us for a baseline amount of Euros, and then bid on the items in French. It was always a lot of fun, and, thanks to my prolific participation in that class, I was often able to outbid my classmates on the best stuff. One such item was the "Simple Kind of Life" single. No Doubt was one of the bands that I listened to on the radio and loved, so I was excited to see the CD, which had presumably been discarded by my classmate because they had acquired Return of Saturn, the full studio album. I mark this moment as the start of my appreciation for what might be called post-grunge music.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication (2002)
I love every song on this album, with the possible exception of "Porcelain" (frankly, it's a downer). The songs were arguably overplayed on the radio around the turn of the millennium, but my love for this album never diminished. I didn't get around to purchasing the CD until the middle of high school, but, once I did, I listened to it on repeat for ages. I hadn't liked the Red Hot Chili Peppers' music before this album, which seemingly heralded a shift in their style, and I still don't like their stuff before 1999 very much, but I am a fan of everything they've done since then.
Les Miserables (Broadway soundtrack) (2003)
More high school French stories! I was co-president of the French Club my junior and senior years of high school, and I must say that Erica and I were determined to make stuff happen. I don't recall if the trip technically ended up as a French club or French class field trip, but the upshot is that a bunch of us went to see Les Miserables in San Jose. I had never really heard the music before in its entirety, but I was deeply moved by the performance, and immediately started saving up to buy the CD of the Broadway soundtrack, which was rather pricey. To this day, my mom teases me for listening to what she disparagingly terms "show tunes."
The Strokes - Room On Fire (2003)
This album epitomizes my high school discovery of post-punk revival bands, such as Franz Ferdinand, the Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, the Kaiser Chiefs, etc. I really enjoy this style. There is something about the guitar and bass work that makes me want to dance in front of my bedroom mirror. This is good wake up and get ready for the day music. It makes me happy. Some of the songs are fairly vapid, content-wise, but not every song has to trigger an existential crisis, right?
Glay - Blue Jean (2004)
Alissa, another good friend dating back to middle school, introduced me to Glay, which is a fantastic Japanese rock and pop group. Even though I don't speak Japanese, their music really appealed to me, and it was fun and educational to explore the intense world of music fandom through this group, with Alissa as my guide. With most groups, I'm lucky if I know the name of the song to which I am listening, but Glay revealed to me that there is an entire culture of musical appreciation outside of mere listening, such as the dynamics of the band members, the extravagant quality of live concerts, the anticipation of future albums, and the discussion of music with others. I had no idea. I still remain an outsider to these practices, but Glay helped me to expand my understanding of the music industry vis-Ã -vis its fan base.
Madonna - The Immaculate Collection (2005)
I am not at all a Madonna fan, but this album is relevant to my freshman year of undergrad. In the spring of 2005, I joined Alpha Delta Chi, the Christian sorority at UC Berkeley. Each semester, the new pledge class is dubbed with pledge names. My pledge class was the Madonna Class, with names taken from Madonna's Immaculate Collection album. The logic of my sisters is still somewhat beyond my grasp, but my pledge name was "material girl." (Forgive the lack of capitalization--it's an alleged ADX pledge name rule.) My only rationalization is that they chose this name for me to be ironic, because I am not particularly materialistic, but do appreciate sarcasm. Pre-2005 ADX girls, care to shed any light on this mystery?
Beck - Guero (2005)
The opening of "Girl" was my cellphone ring tone for at least a year. To this day, I cannot listen to the song without an instinctual lunge toward my cellphone. Beck is so quirky and creative. His music is what I imagine SFMOMA would sound like, if some of the art came to life, grabbed musical instruments, and started jamming. Beck's music sounds like a collage. It sounds like photography. Does that make sense? No, but I daresay Beck would not be too worried about it.
Thus concludes my top fifteen list of albums pivotal to me as a person. I'd be curious to read your musical autobiography... Have at it! It's fun to go back through your music and reminisce.
Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill (1995)
Imagine a fourth-grader sitting in the back of a white Dodge Colt Vista on the way to school, singing along to "Hand In My Pocket" along with her mom and brother, and you'll get a pretty good feel for what my childhood was like. Not only was this one of the main cassette tapes that my mom played in the car when I was in late elementary school, but "Ironic" was inspiration for a definitional essay that I had to write for my AP English Language course junior year.
Jamiroquai - Travelling Without Moving (1996)
Like Alanis Morissette, Jamiroquai was another cassette tape staple in my mom's car. I can recall being immensely perplexed by the artist's voice, because I was unable to determine whether it was a man or a woman singing. I later bought the CD for $5 during my sophomore year of college, and rediscovered just how crazy the lyrics to those songs really were.
Weird Al Yankovic - Bad Hair Day (1996)
This was the first CD that I ever purchased. Yes, I am a nerd. To this day, Weird Al represents the highest number of albums by one artist in my iTunes collection, at seven. The first concert that I ever saw was a Weird Al performance at Great America (an amusement park in Santa Clara, CA). Weird Al helped shape my appreciation for certain types of humor, especially word play, sarcasm, parody, and self-deprecation. Plus, if it weren't for his parodies, I guarantee that I would have an even more dismal grasp of pop culture references. Though, that has backfired in some respects; for example, I was recently in a situation in which everyone started singing "American Pie" and I quickly realized that I only knew the lyrics from "The Saga Begins." My, my, this here Anakin guy...
Lou Bega - A Little Bit of Mambo (1999)
I don't recall the exact circumstances under which "Mambo No. 5" was played during my 8th grade English class, but that was my first exposure to Lou Bega. After that, I repeated ran across the song on Radio Disney (AM KMKY, ha ha)--granted, it was an edited version that had replaced the plethora of female names with Disney characters, and I believe he referenced a "candy store" instead of a "liquor store." I thought the song was really catchy, so I bought the CD. I listened to the entire album, and was shocked by the blatant chauvinism. I was also shocked by Radio Disney's censorship, which helped to spur me on to more mature radio stations.
Barenaked Ladies - Maroon (2000)
I associate this album with my dearest friend from middle school, Morgan, for several reasons. Most prominently, the summer that "Fat Lip" gained popularity was the same summer that Morgan gave me a fat lip while we were roughhousing up at her family's cabin in Tahoe, and I thus always think of that incident when I listen to the song. Also, Morgan was, is, and will always be cooler than I am, which included her knowledge of music. She introduced me to FM 104.9, the Bay Area's alternative rock station, which drastically improved both my knowledge of and taste in music. Thanks, Morgan.
The Beatles - 1 (2000)
Growing up, I had only a cursory knowledge of the extreme importance of The Beatles. I found myself continually surprised to discover that song after song that I had heard was actually by The Beatles. After a while, I decided that I needed to educate myself about the evolution of classic rock. This endeavor would last several years, aided in part by my sophomore year World History teacher, Mr. Humphrey, who actually wrapped up the year with a fantastic, off-the-wall unit on rock and roll. We each had to write a report on a different influential band; I chose The Buggles, whose hit "Video Killed the Radio Star" was the first video aired on MTV.
Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home (2001)
My dad brought this CD home one day. I have no idea why he happened to have it, but he handed it to me, and I never gave it back. Wow! Bob Dylan sparked an interest in 1960s folk rock, such as Simon & Garfunkel, The Mamas & the Papas, and the Byrds. Actually, that's a good segue into Forrest Gump, as a matter of fact...
Forrest Gump (soundtrack) (2001)
Forrest Gump is quite possibly my favorite movie of all time. I've watched it dozens of times, I can quote most of the movie from memory, and my family will sit down and watch it every time it plays on television. After watching it a few times, I realized that this movie, as much as it is a brief summary of the crucial events of U.S. history from the 1950s through the 1980s, is also a good compilation of major songs from those decades. The soundtrack greatly supplemented my musical self-education, formally introducing me to Creedence Clearwater Revival, Buffalo Springfield, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Three Dog Night, and many others.
No Doubt - Simple Kind of Life (2001)
In my high school French class, we earned play money Euros for participating in class. At the end of each semester, my Mme Reak conducted an auction for prizes, using the Euros as currency. We all brought in contributions to the auction, which Mme Reak "bought" from us for a baseline amount of Euros, and then bid on the items in French. It was always a lot of fun, and, thanks to my prolific participation in that class, I was often able to outbid my classmates on the best stuff. One such item was the "Simple Kind of Life" single. No Doubt was one of the bands that I listened to on the radio and loved, so I was excited to see the CD, which had presumably been discarded by my classmate because they had acquired Return of Saturn, the full studio album. I mark this moment as the start of my appreciation for what might be called post-grunge music.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication (2002)
I love every song on this album, with the possible exception of "Porcelain" (frankly, it's a downer). The songs were arguably overplayed on the radio around the turn of the millennium, but my love for this album never diminished. I didn't get around to purchasing the CD until the middle of high school, but, once I did, I listened to it on repeat for ages. I hadn't liked the Red Hot Chili Peppers' music before this album, which seemingly heralded a shift in their style, and I still don't like their stuff before 1999 very much, but I am a fan of everything they've done since then.
Les Miserables (Broadway soundtrack) (2003)
More high school French stories! I was co-president of the French Club my junior and senior years of high school, and I must say that Erica and I were determined to make stuff happen. I don't recall if the trip technically ended up as a French club or French class field trip, but the upshot is that a bunch of us went to see Les Miserables in San Jose. I had never really heard the music before in its entirety, but I was deeply moved by the performance, and immediately started saving up to buy the CD of the Broadway soundtrack, which was rather pricey. To this day, my mom teases me for listening to what she disparagingly terms "show tunes."
The Strokes - Room On Fire (2003)
This album epitomizes my high school discovery of post-punk revival bands, such as Franz Ferdinand, the Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, the Kaiser Chiefs, etc. I really enjoy this style. There is something about the guitar and bass work that makes me want to dance in front of my bedroom mirror. This is good wake up and get ready for the day music. It makes me happy. Some of the songs are fairly vapid, content-wise, but not every song has to trigger an existential crisis, right?
Glay - Blue Jean (2004)
Alissa, another good friend dating back to middle school, introduced me to Glay, which is a fantastic Japanese rock and pop group. Even though I don't speak Japanese, their music really appealed to me, and it was fun and educational to explore the intense world of music fandom through this group, with Alissa as my guide. With most groups, I'm lucky if I know the name of the song to which I am listening, but Glay revealed to me that there is an entire culture of musical appreciation outside of mere listening, such as the dynamics of the band members, the extravagant quality of live concerts, the anticipation of future albums, and the discussion of music with others. I had no idea. I still remain an outsider to these practices, but Glay helped me to expand my understanding of the music industry vis-Ã -vis its fan base.
Madonna - The Immaculate Collection (2005)
I am not at all a Madonna fan, but this album is relevant to my freshman year of undergrad. In the spring of 2005, I joined Alpha Delta Chi, the Christian sorority at UC Berkeley. Each semester, the new pledge class is dubbed with pledge names. My pledge class was the Madonna Class, with names taken from Madonna's Immaculate Collection album. The logic of my sisters is still somewhat beyond my grasp, but my pledge name was "material girl." (Forgive the lack of capitalization--it's an alleged ADX pledge name rule.) My only rationalization is that they chose this name for me to be ironic, because I am not particularly materialistic, but do appreciate sarcasm. Pre-2005 ADX girls, care to shed any light on this mystery?
Beck - Guero (2005)
The opening of "Girl" was my cellphone ring tone for at least a year. To this day, I cannot listen to the song without an instinctual lunge toward my cellphone. Beck is so quirky and creative. His music is what I imagine SFMOMA would sound like, if some of the art came to life, grabbed musical instruments, and started jamming. Beck's music sounds like a collage. It sounds like photography. Does that make sense? No, but I daresay Beck would not be too worried about it.
Thus concludes my top fifteen list of albums pivotal to me as a person. I'd be curious to read your musical autobiography... Have at it! It's fun to go back through your music and reminisce.
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