Annapocalypse

On Kanye West's "Yeezus":

YOU GUYS, IAN MACKAYE (AKA MY PERSONAL HERO) IS PLAYING WITH HIS BAND THE EVENS LIKE FIVE MINUTES FROM MY APT ON JULY 1ST AT LOGAN HARDWARE!!!!!!!!!  FREAKING OUT AND DEVISING MY PLAN TO MEET HIM, BRB.

Ten years ago today, my mom drove me to a Best Buy somewhere in Scottsdale, Arizona.  I hopped out of the car and ran inside the store while she waited in the parking lot.  Ten minutes later, I was back inside the car with Brand New’s Deja Entendu CD in my hands.  I remember feeling like I was “in the know” because I bought the album on its release day.  Once we got home, I listened to the album over and over again.  I remember trying desperately to memorize the lyrics because I had a plane ticket booked to NY two days later to visit Meredith and we both had tickets to Brand New’s hometown record release show at Irving Plaza.  I don’t remember how many listens it took for me to memorize the lyrics to Deja Entendu, but it was likely only a handful.  In those few days, before visiting New York for the first time since my family moved the year before, I felt like I had a lot to prove.  I had to prove I was still a New Yorker, even though I didn’t live there anymore.  I had to prove I was a huge Brand New fan by memorizing all their lyrics.  I had to prove I was cool because I was eighteen and two months away from starting my freshman year of college.  In retrospect, I knew nothing about life.  But that’s the amazing thing about this album and that summer in 2003.  I knew I was on the verge of understanding something about life, even if I wasn’t sure when it would happen and exactly what it was.  Although it’s now 2013 and not 2003, it’s almost impossible to listen to Deja Entendu and not hear the summer of 2003 in every note and vocal inflection.  It’s easy to dismiss bands like Brand New as “emo” and therefore, not critically important to any serious music scene, but anyone like myself knows how important (and necessary) Deja Entendu sounded ten years ago and how it sounds just as relevant today.

I just bought nearly $20 worth of chips and candy to placate my students during their finals this week. Best teacher ever?

"You have a Tumblr, so that says a lot about you."

A thing one of my students just said to me.

The Replacements Announce First Shows in 22 Years

THE REPLACEMENTS ARE HEADLINING RIOT FEST!  IN CHICAGO!  I AM DYING.  I AM DEAD.  HOLY SHIT. 

Hockey talk.

And then there was that time that Mikal Cronin covered Wreckless Eric’s “Whole Wide World” and I died from happiness.

"Someone needs to teach him the tao of YOLO."

Anna with my new life philosophy (via youremybooradley)

Sometimes I’m really wise.

Not having internet at work is just cruel.

Thanks for deciding to rewire the wi-fi with only two weeks left in the school year, CPS. Ugh.

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