I've been alive for 25 years. This marks the Silver Anniversary of my existence. I've been obsessed with making lists since I was young. I also loved the idea of memorizing lists. In ironic correlation, my mom claims that she questioned whether or not I was autistic for the first four years of my life. The results are no longer up for debate. Kind of.
Anyways, here's a picture of me in middle school.
Now I'm going to celebrate my birthday doing the one thing I love doing more than anybody else I know: Make a bunch of lists. Happy birthday to me!
I've been alive, 1990-2015.
These Are a Few of My Favourite Pop Culture Things, 1990-2015
MY 5 FAVOURITE MOVIES
5 (tie) Shrek + School of Rock (2001, 2003)
I can still quote Shrek from front-to-back (but then again, can't we all?). School of Rock was a big deal for me when it came out. In 2003, I listened strictly to only classic rock radio.
4 Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
And from thereon out, every Jim I met became "Jim, Jim, Jimmy Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim!" Also, greatest quote ever: "One leg Jim, count 'em: One."
3 The Lion King (1994)
Too many people parallel this movie with Hamlet or Christianity. Please just shut up and enjoy the darn movie.
2 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
The fact that I was getting into Lord of the Rings and Led Zeppelin at the same time was beautiful. And no, I never read the books.
1 The Sandlot (1993)
I used to be the biggest baseball fan ever, yet somehow I grew more scared getting hit by the ball as I grew older. Anyway, I quote this movie now and even quoted it when I was 4. I remember getting in trouble at the dinner table for saying, "Aw man, he's in deep sh*t!" And of course...
MY 5 FAVOURITE TV SHOWS
5 (tie) 30 Rock + The Office
When it comes to nostalgic value, The Office is the real winner. Some season 3 and 4 episodes make me cry. Never watched 30 Rock until it stopped airing, but this is my favorite TV moment.
4 Sesame Street
I liked it as a kid and I like it now. I never knew as a kid just how educated I was becoming! Or exposed to political correctness and ethnic diversity! And Cookie Monster is my icon!
3 Sports Center
I don't watch TV anymore. Just ESPN.
2 Recess
This could easily be #1. My siblings and I would quote it all afternoon and laugh hysterically. The personality of this show shaped my sense of humor for years to come.
1 Seinfeld
Now here's a show I can quote forever and still laugh hysterically. I just went into college assuming everyone else was obsessed with this show in their teens. Turns out Seinfeld is truly a cult following. With the "show about nothing," you either know everything or you know nothing.
MY 5 FAVOURITE ALBUMS
5 (tie) The Soft Bulletin + good kid, m.A.A.d city (Flaming Lips, Kendrick Lamar)
With every listen, The Soft Bulletin makes less and less sense to me, which is impressive. And I needed a rap album on here.
4 Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Wilco)
This led to my obsessions with Wilco and the city of Chicago. I've written 3 college papers about this album. My 2009 one got me into the Northwest Undergraduate Conference of Literature!
3 Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (Pavement)
I bought this my senior of high school, and it changed my life. This was my idea of the mid-lower class teenage emotional experience. The lyrics were never weird to me; always relate-able.
2 Loveless (My Bloody Valentine)
I have an image of myself putting this into a tape player in 1991 and having my mind blown, assisted by the classic question that comes with the album: ARE THOSE GUITARS???
1 Kid A (Radiohead)
I remember being 9 years old at the turn of the century. Lots of people legitimately thought the world was going to end on New Years. Well... it didn't. But we did get Kid A. Which is close enough.
MY 5 FAVOURITE SONGS
5 (tie) You Get What You Give + Hey Ya! (New Radicals, Outkast)
I hated "Hey Ya!" when I was 13. But then again, I hated rap. This song grew the widest hate-to-love gap in my life. And "You Get What You Give" still hasn't died on me. "What's real can't die."
4 Kaputt (Destroyer)
I consider this song the ultimate farewell to "indie," a genre that used to require hard work and a lazy appearance. It has since turned into true carelessness disguised by lavishness. Girls, cocaine, music critic publications? "Wasting your days... sounds like a dream to me."
3 Teenage Spaceship (Smog)
This is a 1999 song that defines my teenage years in a nutshell. Yet I never heard this song until I was 23! It was a beautiful time, a simple time; I jettisoned the neighborhood streets at night.
2 Loser (Beck)
I memorized this song when I was 16 and thought that was my coolest attribute. (sigh)
1 All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem)
In my final months before graduating high school, I thought of my friends in a different light. I knew I would graduate and would soon all leave each other. When I thought of my finest friendships and friendships I wanted to develop, I would play this song and it would drive me to tears; maintaining my fear of the future with my heart full of sincere love and desire. With all the hormonal energy within me I'd recite: "I wouldn't trade 1 stupid decision for another 5 years of life."
OTHER FAVOURITES
FAVOURITE GUITARIST: Doug Martsch
FAVOURITE ACTOR: Tom Hanks
FAVOURITE AUTHOR: I don't read books.
