Happy belated National Garlic Day to all! Fortunately for my classmates, especially those who sit around me, I will wait until this evening to celebrate. Of course, I celebrate garlic pretty much every day, so today isn’t all that out of the ordinary! I finished 1989 this morning and it was not a great yearContinue reading “National Garlic Day”
Category Archives: Culture & Content
Good and Bad
Good: The weather here has been beautiful the past couple of days. Yesterday after class I went for a run along the lake. Instead of running a specific distance for speed, sometimes I run a specific duration and try to cover the most ground possible while keeping my heart rate below a certain threshold. YesterdayContinue reading “Good and Bad”
1987
The mid-80s have been pretty disappointing (It’s basically Madonna‘s Immaculate Collection.) with occasional flashes of brilliance in the form of 80s classics and nostalgic movie themes. I’m in 1987 now and I was delighted to discover the following: The #18 song of 1987 was “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany.The #19 song of 1987Continue reading “1987”
1983
Jimmy Buffett isn’t the only music to which I’ve been listening; my march through the American pop charts continues and I just finished 1983. Although the number one song was by the Police (Boooooooo!), close on its heels were “Billie Jean,” “Flashdance,” “Down Under,” “Beat It,” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Not bad! OtherContinue reading “1983”
Early 80s
My American popular musical Odyssey has arrived in the early ’80s and I couldn’t be more pleased. Why? Two words: Air Supply. I still remember how vehemently I disagreed with my mom as she tried to convince me that they were two male vocalists. I listened to their songs over and over again–how was atContinue reading “Early 80s”
Another One Bites the Dust
Not only was it the #65 song of 1981, but Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust is appropriate for today as well. No, not because of its driving bass line or its well timed injections of Brian May “Red Special” guitar riffs; rather because today we sadly bade adieu to our Leading People in OrganizationsContinue reading “Another One Bites the Dust”
Thank goodness for the 80s!
The mid-’70s were a low point for American popular music. This period marked the exit of folk and rock and roll while disco and harder rock had yet to hit their respective strides. In the vacuum between there was . . . a bunch of generic-sounding R&B and soft rock, bleh. Seriously, if I hearContinue reading “Thank goodness for the 80s!”
I Heart Opera!
Tonight’s attendance of La Bohème by the Opéra de Lausanne was magnificent. Aside from featuring a great Musetta, the performance itself wasn’t exceptional, but it’s still hard not to enjoy such a wonderful libretto and score. It reminds me why I love opera so much. It’s an art that features music, singing, acting, dancing, elaborateContinue reading “I Heart Opera!”
Leading People in Organizations
I’ve made it to 1971 in my American popular music journey. This year marks the first major appearances of Rod Stewart, Carole King, the Bee Gees, Al Green, Bill Withers, solo Beatles artists, and many others. It also marks Tom Jones’s surprising (to me), continued popularity. As I find lyrics distracting, I’ve been listening toContinue reading “Leading People in Organizations”
Willpower
I arrived later to Steffen’s party last night and stayed longer than anticipated. It was a lot of fun and it seemed like everyone was there. When I’m around many people I really feed off the collective energy and I could feel that starting to happen as we took eastern European shots, drank exotic beers,Continue reading “Willpower”