Isn't it funny how hate turns so quietly to love?
As part of 2010, I am going to figure out what Future Me will tell Present Me ten years down the road. Part of this quest is reaching back into the depths of my past, to figure out my mistakes and learn from them. I *really* hate to admit this, but maybe my constant badmouthing of Baton Rouge and LSU was one of them. Qualification: I don't feel like I missed out on (too many) opportunities, I just think I created a sort of mental roadblock in myself to squeezing every tiny bit of life out of that experience. So, in summary, no regrets, just a newfound and determined appreciation. And a lesson learned.
My penance:
-Cafe ECA, from the ridiculous furnishing (thanks for putting up with us, Shanelle and LeeAnn) to the even more ridiculous parties (sock hops and sit-ins I'm pretty sure hadn't happened in BR for several decades)
-the sidewalks lining Highland from campus to downtown, including that extra large bump by that mental institution type place
-Sunday mornings at Capitol Grocery
-that feeling that we alone were discovering the town, because a) we were literally the only people around and b) we clocked a lot of miles driving out to a bunch of crazy places
-extreme studying
-that neighborhood of magic right off campus
-the spanish architecture and spanish moss that retained their original charm when everything else about LSU had worn off
-Chelsea's hummus and artichoke dip and general awesomeness
-Allen Hall, the most beautiful, most English student building around
-beautiful muggy sunsets around the lakes
-late night drives to Laurel and NOLA
-dorm beds in all their various incarnations
-gingerbread tea in St. Francisville
-the loophole in the system that allowed me to purchase wine with my scholarship money
-sitting on the back roof of the Pi Phi house
-Hotel Lexia
-Mardi Gras mansions filled with people, alcohol, and gumbo
-nights before deadline in the Reveille basement with some of the coolest folks around
-playing piano in the Herget lobby
-misty mornings in Cajun country
-that freakin' fieldgoal to win the Kentucky game freshman year
-blue drinks and bar sofas in Lafayette
-living for four years in what is basically a foreign country with foreign peoples (and only a 6 hour drive from home)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
teaching myself a lesson
Monday, March 01, 2010
music and life.
It's an easily intuited truth that music for my generation is as much about proclaiming your sense of self as it is about melodies and lyrics. This creates a situation where the newness and obscurity of a band is, unfortunately, sometimes its most admirable quality.
This phenomena has been studied by psychologists from various angles.
Most people's music preferences fall into one of four broad categories: "reflective and complex," "intense and rebellious," "upbeat and conventional" and "energetic and rhythmic," according to a 2003 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
The categories include various genres of music. "Reflective and complex," for example, covered classical, jazz, blues and folk, while "upbeat and conventional" covered country, religious, soundtrack and pop. They correlated significantly with a variety of personal traits. People who listen to "reflective and complex" music were shown to be more open to new experiences, and have a higher verbal ability, self-perceived intelligence and political liberalism, while people who listen to "upbeat and conventional" music score highly on extraversion, self-perceived physical attractiveness, athleticism and political conservatism.
People also use music to inform others about themselves. This was the subject of a more recent study from last year that showed people's perception of you can change based on what's on your iPod.
It's just so interesting how, now more than ever due to the omnipresence of media and music, what you listen to defines you. It changes how people see you. It changes how you feel. It changes how you act. It's a powerful, powerful tool.
So this is why depressed teens shouldn't listen to Bright Eyes.
And why people straining to stay true to their moral compass should avoid T-Pain.
And why Nickelback should be locked up for life.
