my political views

that dot is me.

those dots are important people.

The 2000s: Music, part 2. (single tracks, and top albums)

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TRACKS OF THE DECADE:

(if i wrote for a music magazine that shared my music taste. trying to be objective. based on popular appeal, critical appeal, how influential a song is, how indicative a song is of the general trends in music during the decade, what the 2000s will likely be remembered for, and for GENERAL AWESOMENESS.... etc.)

30. "Heartbeats" - The Knife
29. "Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson
28. "Chicago" - Sufjan Stevens
27. "Clocks" - Coldplay
26. "Love Story" - Taylor Swift
25. "Clint Eastwood" - Gorillaz
24. "B.O.B." - Outkast
23. "Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley
22. "Maps" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
21. "Toxic" - Britney Spears
20. "My Girls" - Animal Collective

Music of the 2000's: Favorite 25 albums. (#25-1)

Revised (version 2). A little more accurate, I feel. this list sits a little better with me.

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25. Hold On Now, Youngster... - Los Campesinos! (2008)


This is a golden slice of hipster pop that really helped me through some oddly angsty-times in my sophomore year of college. The song "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks" really sticks out in my mind and helped me through that time. It's really weird too, because this album is pure pop goodness, but it was able to help me through some serious angst. It doesn't make sense, but what in life does?

Highlights: Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks, You!Me!Dancing!

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24. Fearless - Taylor Swift (2008)


Taylor Swift may have single-handedly re-established my faith in mainstream pop music. Her music embodies everything I want music to be. It's authentic, there's a real person expressing real emotions, real fears, real hopes behind it. It's catchy, she has the musical maturity of an artist who has been writing pop songs all her life. I may not be a teenage girl, so I can't perfectly relate with everything she expresses here, but when music is done this well, I can't help but sit back and admire. "Love Story" is a contender of song of the decade, in my eyes.

Highlights: Love Story, Fearless, Tell Me Why, Forever & Always

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Music of the 2000's: Honorable Mentions

Maybe it's because I've seen a bunch of "Best of 00's" music lists that I don't agree with, or maybe it's because I've seen those lists at all, and it made me start thinking about it. But, I actually compiled a list of my 25 favorite 00's albums.

Seeing as how these are albums i like, I will write a small tidbit about each of them, detailing something about the music, or how it impacted me/how i related to it. I'm thinking it won't really feel like work, so I should get this done by 2010.

I'll do each of them in 5 album installments, so 5 installments after this.

But, here are the 2000's albums that missed the cut, but I would feel bad to not mention them. Thus, the honorable mentions (30 of them, if i counted correctly).


Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

Fireproof - I soooo want this.

Fireproof is a 2008 Christian movie that's basically just for Christians. I'd find it hard to believe that a non-Christian could get anything out of this movie, to be honest. But enough of that, I already wrote a review of this movie on my Flixster, so I'm not really gonna try to go into the actual movie too much. I'd much rather use this window to write about what this movie is helping me to realize... which is the point, right?

The more and more I learn about the true nature of romantic relationships, the more increasingly blessed I feel about never having been in one (LOL LOSER ATTEMPTING TO JUSTIFY HIS LACK OF GAME). No, but seriously. In the past, whenever someone commented that I was "so lucky" to have never been in a relationship before, I was always uncertain of how to react. But I have a better comprehension of what they're referring to (if they're not straight up calling me a loser, that is.)

Relationships look like scary things: there's so much at stake.

Because I love me my baseball stats

this is to the best of my knowledge, some numbers may be off.

(AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS)

Freshman year (Freshmen)
.120/.363/.120/.483, (3 for 25), 6 Runs, 5 RBI, 9 BB, 15 K

Sophmore year (JV)
.333/.500/.333/.833, (3 for 9), 2 Runs, 0 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K

Junior year (JV)
.314/.407/.392/.799, (16 for 51), 13 Runs, 8 RBI ( very unsure), 8 BB, 10 K, 4 SB (very unsure)

High school career
.259/.400/.306/.706, (22 for 85), 21 Runs, 14 RBI, 20 BB, 28 K, 4 SB

Jackie Robinson is my hero

I touched upon this in my last entry, but yeah. I just realized how true this is. Aside from Jesus Christ, he might be the single most influential person in my life (aside from people i know in real life - family, friends, etc.)

Jackie Robinson's story is the biggest life lessons I've ever had. It includes the values of doing what is right (regardless of it's popularity), sacrificing self for the sake of others, equality of all human beings everywhere, and the belief in the American dream (as Jackie went from poverty to fame). I honestly think Jackie had a big part in my adoption of these values. He wasn't the sole influence, but he certainly helped instill these morals within me. I also just recently realized that he was a hugeee reason that I wanted to attend UCLA. I don't where along the line I forgot that, but it seems to have slipped my mind until realizing it again now.

like Milton Bradley said, "If I could even be half of what Jackie was, I'll be pretty good."