Back To School Supplies

Mid-July in New Orleans is a challenge. The air is so humid that even my cats won't go outside. The sky is usually dark-dark-dark, and the streets flood, and for all the heat you really can't go swimming because the windy rainstorms fill all the pools with sticks and twigs and oak leaves. And then there is the whole matter of school starting again, and everything that comes with that.

I returned from my summer adventures two weeks ago. Satchmo (the cat, not the late jazz legend) was so mad at me for leaving for a month that he started peeing in the bathtub a lot. (To be fair, he is probably also mad that I recently adopted ANOTHER cat -- Coltrane -- who is just a huge bully and very mean-spirited. Since I left, Coltrane has quadrupled in size. He is twice as bit as Satchmo is now. When Satchmo goes slinking by, Coltrane jumps on top of him and crushes him and bits his ears. I adopted Coltrane to be Satchmo's friend. This is the kind of mentality parents of only children have when they decide to have another baby. It's completely incomprehensible to the one who was there all along, previously enjoying all the attention. "WHAT KIND OF SENSE DOES ANY OF THIS MAKE!? YOU ARE HORRIBLE PARENTS. I'M RUNNING AWAY AND PEEING IN THE TUB.")

I spent the first week in a kind of haze, settling back into everything. There were long, winding hours just sitting out in the garden trying to chart the growth of this huge sunflower that has gotten out of control in the last month. 

And then last week we started professional development for the 2012-2013 school year. It's fascinating how my attitudes about teaching and schools and What Is Important For Kids and What Is Not Important For Kids changes fundamentally with each passing year. I am not going to say it's surprising -- change is one of those inevitable things. But you can never anticipate what it will be. You just have to know it will happen.

Then it's amazing, too, how stubborn we are. This is something I need to remember right now, maybe more than anything: in a year I will believe something completely different. Right now I believe that I know exactly what is right for the children I work with and I have strong convictions about emotional literacy and art and how those things can work together. I have ideas about common language and about restorative practices. I have ideas about keeping teachers around and unions and charter organizations and families and reading intervention programs and the benefits of RTI and special education and everything. I feel like I could write a book about all of it, that's how sure I am about it.

But the only thing I know for sure is that in a year nothing that I believe right now -- I mean, almost nothing -- will match what I believe then.

So, my Back To School Supply List is necessarily a little bit hokey and metaphorical. Here goes.

Be Sure To Get One Of Each, Plus A Back-Up In Case You Run Out In November:

1. Some Play Doh or pipe cleaners or something to move around in your hands. Listening is difficult, but important. It can help when you have something for your thumbs to do while your ears and your brain are so busy being actively still.

2. Felt Tip Markers. Obviously.

3. Whatever it takes to spend a while breathing. Breathing in and breathing out are so often overlooked. I like to sit on the floor in the morning and spend some time just focused on breaths. Which is called "meditating" in both the Eastern and Western hemispheres. I wish it wasn't, because there's a stigma to that word which is difficult for people to shake. I read a "Choose Your Own Adventure" once that caused me to conflate meditating and levitating. I think actually a lot of people do that. Meditating does not mean that you come off the ground, ever, at all. Just FYI. In any case, I always think, "How lucky those breaths are, to have all this attention... and how deserving, too." It's a beautiful, useful strategy.

4. Pie. When Hannah came home, she started making gluten free vegan raw key lime pies from the tree in the back yard (it is just BOWING from the weight of fruit right now). We've had neighbors over for pie afternoons. This is my life right now. I have no complaints whatsoever. 

(Fail-proof gluten free raw vegan pie crust: 2 Cups of almonds, 1/2 cups of dates, 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut, 2 T coconut oil, sea salt, a little agave nectar. Throw it all in a food processor, make sure it is good and tacky, press it into a pie crust, and put your filling in there, and throw it in the fridge for a few hours.)

5. Gouache. MAN! Gouache is such a fun art supply. Someone should have told me that when I was younger. I can't stop using it. I'm addicted to gouache.

6. A Change On Purpose. I think you should purposely change things regularly, just to keep yourself in check. You should give away the clothes that don't look that good on you, you should buy a new kind of perfume, you should change your curtains (do you have curtains? Maybe you should get curtains). I cut all my hair off. I did it just because sometimes you have to move yourself along. There is a danger of getting stuck if you don't change enough things in your life.

I wish MySpace was still a thing because I have Taking A Myspace Picture Of Myself nailed down. See how I didn't even bother to take out my headphones? And BONUS: I took most of thos pictures of myself in a coffee shop. I'm ready for 2001!

Let's talk again soon. 

Comedy Live: Day 14

This is our last official day of the tour. Tomorrow we begin Megaphone Marathons in Houston, and there will be a lot more improv and meeting people all of a sudden. This is startling to me. It does not feel like any time has passed at all, really. Simultaneously, I feel like an entirely different person than I did when I started the tour.

Here are the things I’ve learned about spending twenty four hours a day for two weeks with three strangers:

1. If you’re a vegan, what’s wrong with you? Also, compromise. Chris was really nice about always letting me pick the restaurant, no matter where we were, because of my crazy and weird diet. I didn’t ever pick the restaurants I really wanted to go to, because those restaurants were all raw, live, vegan-only holes in the wall for other crazy people like me. Instead, I Yelped for places that had a vegetarian option that I could make vegan with a little finagling. I know we didn’t get to eat at all the high-intensity Southern food restaurants I’m sure everyone else wanted to try, but no one complained. There were a lot of really tasty sandwiches on this trip. And let’s not forget the restaurant that only sold pie. That’s a healthy reminder that the universe must like me a lot.

2. Set the alarm. Vanessa and I set the alarm fifteen minutes early every day so we could work out for at least that long. That was great: we never missed a day, and I don’t feel shitty and fat like I usually do after a vacation. Instead, I am enjoying how great I’m getting at push-ups! This bullet point could also be called “Travel With Vanessa,” but that’s not possible for everyone.

3. You should pee if you have to pee. Probably other people have to pee too! If you’re on a long drive, you should just say, “Hey. I have to pee.” 

4. If it’s possible, always travel with comedians. Nothing is bad when you’re with a bunch of comedians. Even if people throw beer at you at your show, someone will always be there to say, “Hey! Bright side: free beer!” Also, there is no limit to the amount of amusing car games you can play with comedians. (Except, comedians do not call this “car games.” Comedians call it “having a conversation.”)

5. You can always get more blankets. The front desk is into getting you more blankets. You might have to call five or six times, but if you do, you’ll get like fourteen blankets that you can stack on the ground to make a mattress if you’re accidentally four people staying in a single room with a double bed. If the front desk gets suspicious, you can use a special accent one of the times you ask for a blanket. Then they might think you are someone different!

6. Silence doesn’t have to be awkward. I have this problem where I try to fill up silences all the time with lots and lots of questions that people don’t always feel like answering. When I’m getting to know new people, it’s just a nervous habit. I am terrified of what will happen if there’s dead air between us. I’ll think, “Oh no. These new people think I’m uninteresting.” Around day three of this trip, I think I figured out that silence can just be respectful and beautiful. Sometimes you have to spend some time with yourself, and that’s okay, because everyone else needs to spend some time with themselves, too. I also always carry a notepad, just so that it always seems like I have something I need to be writing in case it gets weird.

7. Don’t accidentally leave your blue dress hanging on the hook in the bathroom. That was my favorite blue dress. I also lost: my favorite cat shirt and my only bra. So I’ve been performing braless for DAYS.

8. Take what you need. This has been a life lesson for me this year in general. A year ago, I was finishing up my last relationship. It’s harrowing to think about that, because a year ago I was also in one of the worst places I’ve ever been in in my entire life, for a number of reasons. There was a rock bottom period that lasted for the entire month of November. But the main thing that I learned in the time since then is to be honest with yourself and with other people about what you need. If you need space, you should take it. If you need time, you should take it. If you need to talk it out, or walk it out, or jog it out, or dance it out, or cry it out, you should find the right companion (if necessary) and do those things. There is nothing less useful (or attractive) than someone who wants to be the hero all time. People want other people to be able to take care of themselves. It takes a great deal of effort and skill, but it’s amazing how much simpler everything become when you decide to just tell the truth.

Memphis was surprisingly great – small crowd, but a mellow, sweet energy. We hit a rhythm as performers there, where I felt like our spoken banter reached a new height. Memphis itself oozes with Southern charm. It was a joy beyond words to see that bridge at night and to be on that side of the Mississippi River.

One more update tomorrow – final official day. How did that happen so fast?

Moving On: The Playlist

In December, I asked 25 people to share their favorite "whatever, you suck, I'm over it" song with me. And they wrote back with excellent recommendations, which I kept to myself, wallowing in secluded self-pity for months on end while I wore out my Spotify account.

But then this morning I got a text message from someone about losing a (stupid, thoughtless, sexually stunted) boy, and I thought, I should share this list of Moving On songs. Others can benefit from this rich treasury of knowledge. 

So presented below (with commentary, because who would I be without commentary?) is an alphabetical list of the best "Fuck That Dude (/Female Dude)" songs that there are in the whole entire universe. You're welcome.

Title: Are You Fucking Kidding Me

Artist: Kate Miller-Heidke

Recommended by: Wes Hannah, wonderful planter of plants and lover of dogs, and hugger of everyone, big and small.

Sophie Says: This is a song about being friended on The Facebook. I deleted my The Facebook account so I wouldn't have to deal with this kind of shit. This song is perfect. I hope Kate Miller-Heidke wears a tiara when she sings it because she's the fucking BOSS and bosses should wear tiaras. Good poking reference in here, too. 

Listen: Kate Miller-Heidke - Are You Fucking Kidding Me

Title: Back To December

Artist: Taylor Swift

Recommended by: Alexis Johnson, my absolute favorite person in the whole entire world, without a single doubt. Also, the hottest person.

Sophie Says: This song makes me think of Alexis Johnson, my sister. It reminds me of Alexis' break-ups and it makes me want to punch some dudes in the face really hard. Also one time we talked about this song while we were waiting to watch Acro-cats, the astounding traveling trick-cat act. YOU TOO CAN CREATE MEMORIES LIKE THIS!

Listen: Taylor Swift - Back To December

Title: Break Down 

Artist: Mariah Carey

Recommended by: Eden Essick, an extraordinary, thoughtful, fashionable success story of a human being stationed in New York

Sophie Says: MAN, Mariah Carey could just SING SO WELL. I don't feel disappointed by "Glitter" at all, by the way. I have seen "Glitter" three times. I wish I could have told young, whispery Mariah -- as she is here -- that she would someday meet Nick Cannon and he would love her even when she was fat and they would have twins together. MAYBE THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO TELL OURSELVES, WORLD.

Listen:  Mariah Carey - Breakdown

Title: Breaking Up

Artist: Rilo Kiley

Recommended by: Alex Kerr, teacher and sports logo nerd, and absolutely fantastic friend to anyone who is lucky enough to know him 

Sophie Says: Remember when Rilo Kiley went down this road where they were playing sort of funk-inspired songs? That was a fun time. That was before they broke up. Do you feel like individual members of the band now play this song about them breaking up? I'll bet they do. This is an outstanding "FUCK THIS SITUATION" song, by the way. Perfect score for that.

Listen: Rilo Kiley - Breakin' Up

Title: Call Your Girlfriend

Artist: Robyn

Recommended by: CJ Hunt, far and away the funniest person I know. Sorry to all you other funny people. You haven't met CJ.

Sophie Says: I think CJ maybe picked this song because when he is trying to move on he likes to sad-dance. Robyn has never been through a break-up, though, I decided, because HAVE YOU SEEN HER? No one is breaking up with Robyn. 

Listen: Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend

Title: Don't Think Twice, It's Alright

Artist: Bob Dylan

Recommended by: Ben Stevens, serial genius and music nerd (he had one of those terabyte hard drives JUST FOR HIS MUSIC before external hard drives were even a thing. Did I spell terabyte right?)

Sophie Says: This is a gimme, right? Why didn't anyone else pick this song? This is the one I would go to, too. I AM SIMILAR TO A MUSIC NERD/ GENIUS IN THIS WAY!

Listen: Bob Dylan - Don't Think Twice, It's Alright

Title: Everything Is Everything

Artist: Lauryn Hill

Recommended by: Jessica Thompson, best friend of all time, brilliant artist, thoughtful emoter, all-around winning human

Sophie Says: Jessica has my favorite taste in music out of everyone in the world. One time we traveled the world together watching Ben Folds perform. We wore Ben Folds T-shirts. Jessica even posted on a message board about Ben Folds. WE WERE TRUE FANS. R&B truly lends itself nicely to break-up music, doesn't it? Just in terms of the rhythm... and blues... of it. 

Listen: Lauryn Hill - Everything Is Everything

Title: Gives You Hell

Artist: All American Rejects

Recommended by: Avery Lawrence, smiliest, nicest guy you've ever met, with a deep gift for the art of cupcake decoration

Sophie Says: YESSSSSS THANK GOOOODDDDD someone else picked this one, because otherwise I would have had to pick it! This is that roll-down-the-window shit that YOU NEED WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING YOUR CAR AND YOU HAVE JUST BEEN DUMPED. Let's shut this thing down. NOTHING IS GOING TO BE BETTER THAN THIS PICK.

Listen: All American Rejects - Gives You Hell

Title: Gonna Get Along Without You Now

Artist: She & Him

Recommended by: Kim Neer, truest soul-mate, calm, collected, mindful, beautiful thinker on the other side of the country

Sophie Says: I'm glad Kim picked this song, because I think it is the song my mom would have picked too. I think it is originally from the '50s or something, by a woman named Teresa Brewer. My mom loved this shit. She sang it all the time. It was like she waited for me to go through a break-up so she could sing this. She sang it to me about Trevor, who I loved FOR NINE YEARS, and I did NOT get along without him before I met him, because I was a BABY before I met him. But she didn't understand my love for Trevor. He totally rejected me. I DID get over it, though, so I guess there was some truth to the song. Badass pick, Kim and Mom.

Listen: She & Him - Gonna Get Along Without You Now

Title: I Learned The Hard Way

Artist: Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings

Recommended by: Emily Nelson, knower of all the best hip tattoos and possessor of none; hard-working molder of young lives

Sophie Says: Oh man, this song just rocks so HARD. It should be on the radio ALL THE TIME. The fact that it is not is a disgrace to all of humanity, I think. I would never cross Sharon Jones again if I was the dickhole in this song.

Listen: Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - I Learned The Hard Way

Title: Just By Myself

Artist: Greg Brown

Recommended by: Bryn Roshong, independent spirit, lover of wonderful stately dogs, and celebratory grower of plants

Sophie Says: This is a really good song for that time when you are REALLY over it; like, you are honestly over it and you're not even really thinking about it anymore, actually, and you're not really interested in anybody else because WHO IS GONNA BE AS BADASS AS YOU BY YOURSELF? I'm into that right now; that's very much where I am. Bryn knew that. Bryn really knows me, across the miles and miles.

Listen: Greg Brown - Just By Myself

Title: No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)

Artist: Donna Summer

Recommended by: Tami Nelson, extraordinary improviser, never-misses-a-beater (beater?), beater of lots of other things as well, actually, all-around winner

Sophie Says: Tami says this is the first record she exhausted, and I get that... this is a great song. Bring your damn tissues with you as you close yourself in a phone booth with the Haagan Daas and you listen to the first two minutes of this. And then after that, PLEASE put on your roller skates and disco dance the fuck out of that phone booth and throw that Haagan Daas at that tool who screwed you over. 

Listen: Donna Summer - No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)

Title: Ocean Breathes Salty Air 

Artist: Modest Mouse

Recommended by: Chris Trew, unparalleled comedian, who does all kinds of comedy, yes even prop comedy, if by prop comedy you mean he pretends to have sex on stage a lot of times, and one time he only wore scarves on stage

Sophie Says: Guys, when this song used to come on 94.7 NRK in Portland, I would turn it up so damn loud, and I would listen to it and I NEVER HEARD THE LYRICS. Now I'm hearing these lyrics, and yeah, this is a really great break-up song. "Get away from me!" is a central lyric in this. Did you know that? Oooh... no one picked Ludacris' "Get Out The Way." What the fuck is up with that?

Listen: Modest Mouse - Ocean Breathes Salty Air

Title: On The Borderline

Artist: Sally Seltmann

Recommended by: Andrew Witherspoon, the single best graphic designer in Portland, who manages to always fill his world with beauty and laughter, and who always makes me smile

Sophie Says: Andrew almost certainly picked this song because he knew I would like it. I like it because it has spare female vocals and a quiet seventies pop melody and really kicky drum beat, and anyway, Andrew really knows me pretty well. That said, this one is also perfect for that "seriously though you guys I'm over it now" moment. 

Listen: Sally Seltmann - On The Borderline

Title: One Of Us Must Know

Artist: Bob Dylan

Recommended by: Ariana Rampy, brilliant writer, successful food preparer, teacher of theatre to young people, and shooting star on her way to the sky

Sophie Says: This song is a great song for when you and your significant other mutually kind of know that it wasn't going to work out, but really, they're more of a dick than you are in the end, and that's a good thing to have in a song. On a related note... BOB DYLAN SURE UNDERSTANDS HEARTBREAK. Right? Am I right?

Listen: Bob Dylan - One Of Us Must Know

Title: The Ghost

Artist: Deer Tick

Recommended by: Ben M, mysterious lover of birds, printing presses, and equality

Sophie Says: First things first: this song does a great job of utilizing the under-utilized shaker egg. So six points for that. Also, this is of the hip-country genre, which is absolutely the genre that lends itself best to I'm-over-you songs. I would say mainstream country lends itself the best to this, but I just feel weird advocating mainstream country in general. Maybe if you buy me a drink first.

Listen: Deer Tick - The Ghost

Title: Too Many Birds

Artist: Bill Callahan

Recommended by: Andrew Hall, drummer for the fabulous Dude York, satirical writer, too-smart-for-his-own-good knower of truths

Sophie Says: This project of asking for these songs was born out of asking Andrew for five, and receiving a list so perfect that it made my mouth dry. I'm only posting one, because Andrew's list felt very personal to me, and I want to greedily keep it to myself. But he says this about this song: "Joanna Newsom and Bill Callahan's breaking up was weird not because she left him for Andy Samberg but because they literally never once acknowledged it in public while their records (his Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle and her Have One On Me) very very very much acknowledge it in public.  [...] Something about the way he adds one line to the previous line, again and again, changing the sentiment each time. There's something in that."

Listen: Bill Callahan - Too Many Birds

Title: You Make Me Feel Like A Whore

Artist: Everclear

Recommended by: Nady Persons, wonderful decorator of homes, defender of children, skater of roller derbies, biggest role model of the most people I've ever known

Sophie Says: This is another one where I want to throw my hands to the sky and thank heaven someone picked this track. YES THIS IS WHAT I LISTENED TO AFTER EVERY BREAK UP I HAVE EVER BEEN THROUGH IN MY WHOLE ENTIRE DRIVING LIFE. I say driving life because you need to put the windows down for this. You know you do.

Listen: Everclear - You Make Me Feel Like A Whore

Sophie's Top Five

Here are five that I've been listening to on repeat. They are wonderful, perfect shining moments in the getting-over-it process encapsulated in music. I do think that getting-over-it music should probably have drums, which is why I haven't made any personally yet. Although I am thinking about it. I am feeling over it. Now. Let's get some WINDOWS ROLLED DOWN!

Ben Folds Five - Song For The Dumped (You can't stop a classic, can you?)

Slow Club - Giving Up On Love (Amen.)

Typhoon - Starting Over (Gotta give some love to those Portland kids. They go through break-ups, too.)

Eamon - Fuck It (AMEN.)

Stars - Your Ex-Lover Is Dead (I don't care how much of a cliche it is, I love this song. It's the only song I can think of that is about being ambivalent or indifferent. "There's one thing I want to say, so I'll be brave: You were what I wanted, I gave what I gave. I'm not sorry I met you, I'm not sorry it's over, I'm not sorry there's nothing to say.")

List: Top 10 Best Albums of 2011

This was a good year for me to go through a break-up (What? You're sick of hearing about that? TOO BAD!) because of the sheer volume of wonderful soul-crushing music and awesome life-affirming music and so-emo-even-I-can't-fathom-wearing-that-much-black music.

This list is probably not correct. I'm sure I'm leaving off some really great slam poetry compilation or Afro-influenced bop grunge releases. But I'm just a kid in New Orleans who likes pop music and cries easily at references to the simpler nineties. If that is what you are interested in reading about, keep reading.

10. Thao & Mirah: "Know Better Learn Faster."

I am among the legions that were disappointed with this collaboration. It's obvious that for some of the songs Mirah had to compromise her musical ideas, and for others Thao had to compromise. That's not really what you want in a collaboration. You want the two musicians to work together and to create something that is bigger than the sum of its parts. This is not that. However. The two parts that come together to make Thao & Mirah were already awesome, so the result is something consistently listenable, often nauseatingly adorable, and ultimately triumphant. The Thao-driven tracks are better (Thao Ngyuen of Thao and the Get Down Stay Down is the better of the two musicians), but Mirah gets some sweet moments, too, singing with that syrupy voice that made me want to be a lesbian in high school. Thao convinced me I WAS a lesbian in my early twenties because her music gave me such a boner. What we have here, essentially, is an album that will make Sophie make out with girls. Nothing bad about that.

MP3: Thao & Mirah/ "Know Better Learn Faster"

9. St. Vincent: "Strange Mercy"

"Strange Mercy" is one of those rare, staggeringly mind-blowing albums that makes you feel like you're falling, and you don't hit the ground until the final moment of the final track. Annie Clark (the everything behind St. Vincent) has a gift for melodic surprises, and she capitalizes on that here in a way she never has before. I was personally unimpressed with 2009's "Actor." On that album, Clark sacrificed her great gift for song-writing in the interest of intriguing production. While that has its place, it's a great waste of a terrific musician who doesn't need all the bells and whistles to convince us of her uniqueness. This record, though, is stirring to the very last drop, and never shows its hand. The result is something so compelling that I dare you not to listen to it twenty times in a row.

MP3: St. Vincent/ "Surgeon"

8. M83: "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming"

In 2009, I went to an M83 concert in Philadelphia with a blindingly hip friend. Everyone at the concert wore those hoodies with white zippers from American Apparel, zipped all the way up with the hoods on and their hands jammed in the front pockets. All the concert-goers closed their eyes and moved back and forth while the band sort of frowned and moodily moved between different synthesizer-type instruments. It was the closest I think I have ever been to understanding what it would be like to be in a cult. It did not make me any more interested in being in a cult. I thought it was silly and weird and I decided I'd never understand M83. I'm not going to say that "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" attempts to do anything different than they did with 2008's "Saturdays = Youth." What I'm going to say is that this record's breadth is so deep and the care with which its twenty-some tracks are arranged and produced makes a meal of what had previously been just a weird snack at your cool friend's sparse upper-East-side apartment-warming party. Finally, shoegazing is something the rest of us can enjoy. And we will. Just let me do it in the safe, non-cult confines of my local coffeehouse.

MP3: M83/ "Wait"

7. Jay-Z and Kanye West: "Watch The Throne"

John Parales of the New York Times calls this collaboration a "driven, sometimes experimental, often wacky and decidedly serious examination of what stratospheric success means to African-Americans who find themselves with more options than they ever imagined, but also lonely at the top." An anonymous friend of mine says, "They only rap about how rich and awesome they are and how they are even more awesome because they are so incredibly rich." (That's not 100% off -- Kanye himself calls this "luxury rap," and likens it to a musical version of a Hermes bag.) My impression of this album falls somewhere in the middle. I understand why fans were disappointed in general: when you get two powerhouses of hip-hop who basically want to suck each others' dicks really bad in a room together, you expect for the whole thing to be a giant orgasm of awesome. It's not. It's a fairly self-congratulatory compilation of assorted musical experiments that feel sometimes incomplete and often unrealized. That said, this is a risky album. It's not a rap album. Kanye and Jay-Z are trying to do something different here, and while they do it in a somewhat veiled way, they are trying to make a few fairly radical points: on "New Day," for example, Jay-Z raps, "Only spot a few blacks the higher I go/What's up to Will/Shout-out to O/That ain't enough/We gon' need a million more/Kick in the door." These moments are heavy and huge, and it's refreshing to hear them sprinkled throughout something mainstream. I hope this is only a starting effort for this pair. I like the thought of what they can do together.

MP3: Jay-Z and Kanye West/ "New Day"

6. Yuck: "Yuck"

Listening to "Yuck" is like reliving all the best parts of 1993. The hazy overdrive and fuzzy production makes you feel like you're in the front row at a Pavement concert, in the best way possible. This is a pretty straightforward record; everything here gives the impression of being done in a single take. You can almost see the rips in the wide-legged jeans of frontman Daniel Blumberg when you listen to it. But there's sentiment at the heart of it; the songs are about screwed-up relationships, lost love, and longing. It's a hidden gem in this year's releases. Put on a plaid shirt, put Big-Orange-Couch-era Nickelodeon shows on the TV on mute, and enjoy.

MP3: Yuck/ "Get Away"

5. Drake: "Take Care"

I might be one of those white girls for a soft spot for Drake because he used to be on "Degrassi," and when he was on "Degrassi" he was in a wheelchair, so I'll always sort of assume he's a survivor of a school shooting. I might also be the kind of person who likes rap music that is annoyingly honest and sad (I listened to a lot of Immortal Technique in the early ots). Still, I don't think you can deny that Drake is a really talented musician, and it's fun to watch him to get better and better at what he's doing. It's obvious he loves what he does, and he's writing songs that reflect his own experiences. You never wonder if Drake is putting up a front; he's not. His brilliant use of samples adds production value to the stuff Drake already has going for him: a smooth singing voice and killer rap skills (you'd think this latter one goes without saying in the hip-hop world, but it doesn't; Kanye can't hold a candle to what Drake can do).

MP3: Drake/ "Marvin's Room"

4. Beyonce: "4"

I read a lot of kind of mediocre reviews about this album, so it took me a long time to listen to it. This is a decidedly more mature sound for Beyonce. She's not the girl in Destiny's Child anymore with her mom managing her wardrobe; she's a WOMAN, and she's having a BABY, and you can tell. Let's start with the obvious: Beyonce gets classier and classier with each passing moment. It's possible Beyonce has had the best year ever out of everyone in the world for the last ten years. That's not really fair to the rest of us, but we have to forgive her, because she gave the world the music video for "Countdown," and for that we are forever in her debt. Beyond that, this album really has all you could want in a pop record. Half of these tracks are undeniably danceable, and the other half are songs you can listen to while you're crying into your Ben and Jerry's. There's nothing on here to skip; it's all good.

MP3: Beyonce/ "Countdown"

3. tUnE-yArDs: "WHOKILL"

You have got to try to forgive Merrill Garbus (tUnE-yArDs) for being so damn hip. It makes the concertgoing experience of a tUnE-yArDs show a lot like being stuck in the "edgy" photospread of an Urban Outfitters catalogue. But it's not her fault. You get the distinct impression she's not faking it. The only way to describe this album is to call it purely delightful. There is never a moment of even remote boredom in listening to "WHOKILL." You are still pondering whether that weird high-pitched noise you just heard could have possibly been a glockenspiel when all of a sudden she hits you over the head with a sunny tribal drum beat that gets your attention. Maybe this is the soundtrack for the ADHD generation of pop lovers. Maybe it's just something so unique and its own that it becomes perfect for all its loopiness (pun intended). She's hit a high note, and I predict she will only go up from here.

MP3: tUnE-yArDs: "Bizness"

2. Atlas Sound: "Parallax"

This is a warm record. It's the soundtrack to one of those French films that's not about anything at all. It's keeping you awake while you finish your Spanish essay. It's what you're listening to on a summer day while you build a bookshelf in the basement. This is music you fall in love to; and at the same time, it's music you fall out of love to. It's easy to say "Parallax" fades into the background, but that's not giving it nearly enough credit. Bradford Cox has found a sound that outdoes his work as a member of "Deerhunter;" he's paved a path for himself by creating a very cohesive portrait of humanity that works as a unit in a way that few records do these days. Less psychedelic and perhaps a bit more ambient, this is a shy album that packs a punch in its meticulous details: freckly popping sounds and fuzzy overtures that propel this project to truly great heights.

MP3: Atlas Sound/ "The Shakes"

1. Youth Lagoon: "The Year of Hibernation"

In the video for "July," nothing really happens. It's a video of a girl sitting on a rooftop, holding herself and crying, and then a boy comes and puts his arm around her, like he's comforting her, and it's sunny outside. That's what this record is like for me. Like a long stretch of someone putting their arms around me and being a presence that will tell me that everything will be alright. It's clear that this is a coming-of-age album for Trevor Powers, who whipped up the perfect, unassuming ten tracks of "The Year of Hibernation" obsessively, in his own time and his own studio. To me, it's every season at once; it's a treasure. I can't get enough of it. It's exactly what it means to be 25, which is what I am this year. I'll listen to it when I'm 50, and I know for a fact I will still taste what it is to be me right now.

MP3: Youth Lagoon/ "17"

Top Six Podcast Episodes of 2011

The only thing I like better than reading Skymall in the bath and doing aerobics to old episodes of The Daily Show is listening to podcasts while jogging very slowly. I listen to a lot of podcasts that stretch across the vast reaches of my varying interests. In other words, I subscribe to the approximately ten podcasts that everyone else who went to a liberal arts college and "buys local" subscribes to. Nevertheless, I know how easy it is to get behind on these kinds of things, so you might have missed some auditory gems of the past year, no matter how often you may masturbate to Ira Glass's voice. So I thought to kick off the season of lists, I'd start with a list of the top six episodes of podcasts that ruled my world this year. 

6. On The Media: Google - I don't like Bob Garfield or Brooke Gladstone. I find their voices irritating and their reporting extremely slanted and argumentative. However, they have spent over 10 years doing a show on something that ignites me more than anything else -- the new media landscape. This episode is particularly good and thorough, with a lot of new information on Google. It's like a Festivus treasure trove for nerdy atheists.

5. Radiolab: Sleepless in South Sudan - This is one of two episodes of Radiolab that came out within two weeks of each other that completely changed my life. It's just one story, achingly sad and beautiful, about life and death and the way love impacts us in invisible ways. I listened to this one week out of a break-up, and it meant a lot to me.

4. This American Life: Thugs, Act II - This act in particular reminds me so much of what we do as teachers, particularly in low-income communities. It's the kind of story that really upsets you... you don't leave it feeling satisfied or pleased with the outcome. But that's the honesty that makes this act something truly unique and special, and helps us to think more realistically and urgently about the work we all do in this world. 

3. How To Do Everything: How to Read CAPTCHAs - This is my favorite podcast of 2011. It's probably a lot of people's favorite. It's smart and funny and delightfully short, and it breaks a lot of rules, but not so many that it's crass or unlistenable. This particular episode is not only very funny, but it's also useful. I learned a lot about CAPTCHAs. My brain swelled with joy when I listened to this.

2. This American Life: Middle School - The most engrossing episode of the year (actually, you know, this is almost of tied with the Kid Politics episode... but this one is just a little more joyful and less calculated). This episode is very anecdotal, so if you're more of the statistical, historical TAL listener, skip this one... however, if you want a lovely little casserole that delightfully explores the richness of being a middle schooler, play this RIGHT NOW. How easy it is to forget... and to remember again.

1. Radiolab: Loops - There are not enough positive adjectives in the world to apply to the "Loops" episode of Radiolab. To start, it's gorgeously edited (as a title like "loops" necessarily lends itself to in this digital auditory age). Beyond that, the pieces here are deeply thought-provoking and brilliantly executed. This should be treated like a terribly expensive 10-course meal at a restaurant you can barely afford: slowly, carefully, and single-mindedly digested. The latter parts of this are the best -- the section about a whale's decomposing body may be the most striking thing I've heard in my life. You just have to... listen.

For the record, I subscribe to the following podcasts. Some of them (like The Moth) are great shows that didn't have any particularly life-changing episodes this season. So I offer them up (with five-word descriptions) to be subscribed to, if you are in want of something new to eat up your time.

1. The Moth: Sometimes interesting stories from humans.

2. This American Life: If you don't know already...

3. Wait Wait Don't Tell Me: Cocky weekly NPR news quiz.

4. For The Birds: Unintentionally hilarious avian news items.

5. The New York Times Popcast: Beautifully reported mainstream music reviews.

6. Radiolab: Science for hipsters and loners.

7. Stuff You Should Know: Comical Wikipedia histories of miscellany.

8. Lifehacker: Video DIY bits and tips.

9. On The Media: Old people discuss new journalism.

10. Thrilling Adventure Hour: New old-timey adventure stories.

There are others, too. But we all have to start somewhere.

The Small Stuff

As Thanksgiving weekend comes to a close, I thought I'd make a list of ten things I'm thankful for that are generally overlooked.

1. Cameos and guest appearances. I am easily bored. So when I'm watching a major motion picture, or trying to find the funny twenty-five seconds of Saturday Night Live this week, or listening to a hot new rap single, it always tickles me in just the right place when someone more famous comes out. I was very disappointed when Nicki Minaj decided to have her own album, because nothing was going to be as good as Nicki being a way better rapper than any other dude in the room for about twenty seconds. I thought Spice World was the greatest movie of all time for about ten years just because it had Elton John, Elvis Costello, AND Meat Loaf in it. Now I think Spice World is the greatest movie of all time because of the witty dialogue. 

2. Free samples that come in magazines. Look. I'm never gonna buy perfume. It costs like a thousand dollars an ounce and I don't understand anything that has "notes" and is not of the Cliff variety. Luckily, Seventeen has me covered with peel-off powdered strips of fragrance designed by pop stars and ex-cons. It all smells like the inside of my mom's car, but it makes me feel classy anyway.

3. All the movie posters in my parents' basement. At some point, my parents tried to have a "cool" basement. They bought "surround sound" (which was essentially two giant baseball bat-shaped speakers that teetered behind the sofa) and a "cinema-style" TV (flat screen before that was the main kind of TV available). But the best thing they did was decorate the room with sort of tacky movie posters. We have a Napoleon Dynamite one that came framed already from Target. I am not sure my parents have even seen Napoleon Dynamite. Anyway, they gave up on that dream, and now that's the room where my sister plays Paper Mario on a futon. For many reasons (all listed above), this is my favorite place in the world. 

4. Vintage clothing is always making "a comeback." In my many years of reading fashion magazines there hasn't been a single year when vintage clothing wasn't "coming back." That's good, because that's what I have in my closet, and I like to be up-and-coming. Leopard print is always "coming back," too, but I think dressing like a jungle cat is weird and kinda Neanderthalian. 

5. Rice. We are always making a fuss about the food that gets to go on top of rice, or is served with rice, or is accompanied by rice. When does rice get its due? Rice is like that plain-looking friend you have that you're always giving a make-over, but the men are way more in love with her cute shoes than with her. OK, that's not a cliche. But it would be if more women brought their made-over friends to gay bars.

6. Someone else's photographs. I love when thrift stores/ flea markets/ garage sales/ my co-workers houses have these. I usually buy twenty of them and get a great deal of satisfaction knowing that I would never wear a pant suit that cut me that badly. 

7. Crayons melt. HOW COOL IS IT THAT CRAYONS MELT!? It has endless potential of creating a SUPER-CRAYON, hybridized from nubs of former crayons now fallen, come together to form a mega-medium much larger than the sum of its parts: the ONE CRAYON TO RULE THEM ALL. 

8. Nobody else eats the cereal dust or the crumbs at the bottom of the tortilla chip bag. I always get that part. I don't understand! The crumbs are THE BEST PART. But no one else wants them, so they're mine, and the world is good. Ditto the salty-chemical-butter stuff that gets left behind on the insides of microwave popcorn bags. I like to drag my fingers along that stuff and then lick it off. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING.

9. The cute bottles that airplane liquor comes in. Isn't it depressing that we don't have snuff bottles anymore? I always see them in the museum, and they are just so damn cute, the little glass bottles with all their colors and details and everything. Thank god that there are at least little bottles of liquor that they give out on airplanes for future generations to put in museums and admire someday.

10. Alexis has collected them all. My sister Alexis has collected all the Pokemon. She also has a Zelda Tri-Force tramp stamp tattooed on her lower back and a calculus integral tattooed on her foot. She is also a Dungeon Master in a current game of Dungeons and Dragons. She also regularly scores in the 400s on Scrabble games. I have accomplished none of these things and have no real desire to. But because Alexis has done them, I can tell stories about them as though they are my own conquests. Thanks Alexis.

And thanks, America!

People I Could GChat With Right Now: A List

1. My sister.
2. My friend from college who never says exactly what he means and writes brilliant music reviews that also never say exactly what they mean. (This works well in music reviews, by the way.)
3. The former, brilliant co-editor of my college newspaper who I admire enough that he intimidates me
4. A web designer with nice blue eyes and a sarcastic sense of humor.
5. The funniest man I know. (With or without a beard!)
6. Some kid I used to "mentor" about how to be a teacher, but all I ever really taught him was how to make etoufee with portobello mushrooms.
7. A girl who made me cry once, although she never knew it. Also, she had the first bike I was ever jealous of.
8. This guy who I met the first time when he was out on a date with a friend; the second time when he was out on a similar date with a similar friend; and the third time when he found me on Craigslist and was asking me on a date. Then I took myself off the Craigslist Personals section.
9. A great improviser who is having a baby.
10. This fellow I briefly lived with who always had lunchmeat in the fridge and kept most of his stuff in Tupperware containers in his room and possessed TWO very expensive air mattresses, but no actual bed.
11. A woman who I met in Phoenix when we were learning how to teach together and to whom I told all the sordid details of my deep love for my boyfriend at the time. Then, four years later, she went to Atlanta to become a leader of teachers who were learning how to teach and happened to have that former boyfriend in her learning group. We all thought it was a very small world.
12. One of the two people I once taught Sunday School alongside.
13. I don't know who this person is, but she is always, always logged into GChat. It's like she's never closed her computer in her life. Poor computer.
14. This crazy, talented girl I met at a Hornets game and who started a book club that I attended for a year.
15. Four people I interned with at The Nation and have not spoken to since.
16. Two ex-boyfriends. Although they are both "busy" and idle.
17. This girl with a really pretty laugh who tried to start a singing group a year ago, but I don't think that's how I met her.
18. The girl from my first year of teaching who was insanely beautiful, freakishly talented, and hobbled around on crutches from a lacrosse accident.
19. A friend of the boy who was three relationships ago who made films about old people.
20. The new girlfriend of one of the ex-boyfriends. She's really pretty and talented and smart and crafty and we used to be friends but I screwed it up.
21. An assortment of people who contacted me on Craigslist (see number 8) after I put my profile on the "Strictly Platonic" section of the Personals when I said I was seeking a "partner in crime" four years ago. Most of these are middle-aged men who showed me, in some capacity, vaguely pixelated low-resolution photographs of their penises.