kathy garfield.

Another major reason is because I was heavily involved in choir and musicals throughout high school. I even sang in an all-girls a capella group. My school had one of the best choir programs in the state, and one of the best teachers to go along with it.  Some of my favorite high school memories took place in the choir room or on stage. I remember performing in the musical each spring and wishing I could do that every day. The high you get from performing on stage is like nothing else. 

Now one might advise that someone with that passion go on and pursue their dream, but I'm also realistic. I didn't have the strongest solo voice, and even though I loved being in the chorus, chorus members typically don't get cast on broadway. Even the kid who gets the lead role for four years straight sometimes can't even make it, and I dont think i could stomach the rejection.

Deep down, we all want our time to shine, and Glee lets us live vicariously through the characters each week. Glee is my weekly musical escape and gives me the joy I used to feel singing every day in choir.

Finally, I love the characters. One of my favorites is the role of Will Schuester, the loveable choir teacher who instills hope in each of his students, acting as their biggest cheerleader. Played by broadway veteran Matthew Morrison, Mr. Schuester is the kind of teacher everyone wishes they had to inspire and encourage the geek inside of all of us. His curly hair and good looks dont hurt either.

Another role I admire is Kurt, a boy learning to deal with being gay- a character not typically portrayed on TV. He is picked on by the jocks, and doesn't have many friends, but he finds strength through song. I know there are young boys across America who love to sing and dance, yet are teased by others. Now, they finally have someone they can look up to, and know they are not alone. 

Last, but not least, there's Rachel Berry. She's cute, outgoing, a bit of an over-acheiver, and classified dork. She gets picked on by the cheerleaders, but that doesn't stop her. She knows what she wants, and she doesn't let anyone stand in the way of her dream. Characters like this have always been portrayed in a negative light- as the suck up who puts others down to get where she needs to be. Rachel's not like that. Yes, she wants the solo, but she has a heart, and always tries to do the right thing. I like how they show that it's okay to be a bit over-the-top and have a passion for something, even if others think its lame. 

The essence of Glee is about accepting others for who they are- not who you'd like them to be. It's a show that represents how the majority of kids out there feel, and it's refreshing to watch good, clean, comedy you can sing along to for a change. 

I understand that most of today's music is influenced by previous music, but these three songs are eerily similar. They all contain the same four chord progressions, and are nearly identical if you swapped out the melodies. 

My issue is that I don't enjoy a revamped version of a song I liked two years ago. I want to hear something fresh, something new. Do they not think their listeners can tell the difference? Alicia Keys even won some Grammy's for her version, regardless to the fact that it came out after the Black Eyed Peas' song, and is essentially the same.

Listen for yourself and you be the judge:

"Where Is The Love?" - Black Eyed Peas (2004)

"No One" - Alicia Keys (2007)

"Hey Soul Sister" - Train (2009)

For those of you confused by social media is all about, I've compiled a list of articles, videos, and other resources to help you get started.

Sources: www.mashable.com

You know those songs you become completely obsessed with to the point where you feel the need to press 'replay' non-stop? You might play them over and over again for days on end, and then eventually they wear out.  This happens to me fairly often, and when I hear these old favorites  again, I get this nostalgic feeling taking me right back to that day, month, or semester in college when those songs were so vivid in my mind. 

Here are the songs I can recall in my "timeline" of music. Curious to know if anyone else feels the same...

"Need You Now"- Lade Antebellum
My current obsession.

"Black Rock" -O.A.R.
Probably one of my favorite songs of all-time. It just puts me in the greatest mood.

In Rainbows- Radiohead
This album is really chill, mellow, and reminds me of my morning drive to work in the winter.

Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King- Dave Matthews Band
Thank you Uncle David for giving me this album. I listened to it in its entirety during my move out to Grand Haven and it remind me of those first few weeks driving around town. Especially the first night where Tracy and I made a late night trip to the Grand Haven Meijer : )

"Chinese" - Lily Allen
This version done by a children's choir is absolutely beautiful. The original version by Lily Allen is good too, just a more pop sound. I don't exactly remember how I discovered this song, but I COULD NOT stop listening to it at work or at home.  Let's just say I hit "replay" on YouTube a ridiculous amount of times throughout the day. This will forever remind me of the fall.

"Career Day" - The Format
"Russian Roulette" - Rhianna
Both these songs remind me of my first couple months in my apartment.

"Never Say Never" - The Fray
This song was stuck in my head around the time I was apartment-hunting in Grand Haven. I vividly remember walking through model apartments singing this.

"Smile" and "Earth Song" - Michael Jackson
Here starts my obsession with MJ. After his tragic death in July, I played his songs all day at work (The Smile YouTube video was always a tab on my browswer) and pretty much watched his entire music video collection surrounding those first few days of his passing (who didn't?)


I fell in love with his music all over again and grew to love some of his lesser-known songs. This takes me back to the summer after graduation big-time. Here are some of my favorites:

"Linger" - The Cranberries
I watched the movie "Click" one day on TV where they play this song in a  scene. I've always loved the song, but I probably overplayed it after hearing it that summer.

"Dream a Little Dream of Me" - The Mamas and The Papas
"I'll Be Seeing You" - Cass Elliot
Thank you Biography channel for providing me with an instant fascination of all things The Mamas and The Papas. These songs bring back summer evenings where my sister had to tell me stop playing them because she was getting sick of them.

"What I Did for Love" - A Chorus Line
After seeing the documentary "Every Little Step" about the casting of the musical "A Chorus Line," I completely fell in love with their soundtrack, but this song in particular reminds me of the summer nights I listened to it over and over.

"Without Love" - Hairspray
I have my THR 305 class to thank for introducing me to the Hairspray soundtrack since we had to read the play and watch the movie for class. My roomates probably got sick of me singing along to this on YouTube for a good two weeks, but it's such a feel-good song. I even got my sister obsessed with it.

"On the Tower" - Sondre Lerche
"Face Down" - Red JI discovered both of these songs while listening to Pandora at my internship at Campbell-Ewald the summer after my junior year. There's a chance someone may have walked past my cube and seen me totally rocking out to hem haha.

"Never Alone" - Barlow Girl
"So Close" - Jon McLaughlin
Both these songs remind me of junior year listening to these nonstop while doing homework- or just going online in my room on Cedar St.

"Miscommunication" - Timbaland
Whenever I hear this song it brings me back to Study Abroad. That summer before I left for Asia I was living on a duplex with one of my sister's sorority sisters and she introduced me to Timbaland. She played his album, "Shock Value" in the car and I had no clue who was singing this music, but I loved it. I bought a bunch of his songs before my trip, and I listened to them non-stop throughout my 4-week trip. In particular,  'Miscommunication' totally reminds me of getting ready for our nights out in Tokyo.

"Winter" - Bayside
"Angels/Losing/Sleep" - Our Lady Peace
Both these songs remind me of my sophomore year walking to class in the snow, because that was right around when I got my iPod and I listened to it everywhere I went.

"Please Remember Me" - Tim McGraw
I heard this song playing one night in a friend's room and immediately went to their iTunesd to find out who sang it. Let's just say it was on my iTunes most frequently played list for a good 4 months.

"Thumbelina" and "In the Bathroom Is Where I Want You" - Nightmare of  You
Both these Nightmare of You songs remind me of fall semester Sophomore year when I would listen to Pandora at my front desk job in Wonders hall. I discovered this band through Pandora, and listened to their entire album nonstop while house hunting online that fall.

"Dice" - Finley Quaye-William Orbit
Reminds me of the my second semster of freshman year at MSU when my sister and I started watching her roomates' dvds of  "The OC" and quickly fell in love with their amazing soundtrack. This is just one of the many songs that totally take me back to late night OC marathons in Tracy's dorm : )

"Several Ways to Die Trying" - Dashboard Confessional
This song reminds me of the summer after high school graduation when I listened to this in the car on the way to work (Starbucks).