It was the summer of 2003, which is in the top 5 of my all around best summers. I was in great shape, looking and feeling great. I was dating. I was in transition, finishing up my job and getting ready to move to Monterey to start a 2 year full time MBA program. I was busy, busy, busy doing tons of fun things, all the time. That summer, this totally ridiculous song was getting a lot of play time. It epitomizes the absolute worst parts of kids today. Let's take "whatever". If you say it to someone, it is pretty much the most dismissive thing you can say. Super rude. The entire "song" is this compilation of encounters that the guy has throughout the day. For example: I went down to the beach and saw Kiki and she was all like, Eehhhhh. And I was like, WHATEVER! It is so spot on and exactly how kids today talk. It is the worst!
I am almost embarrassed to admit that I liked the song, but in fact, lots of people liked it. If they didn't like it, they'd at least heard of it and could sing the chorus. Curiously, everyone that is, except Liam Lynch. I was in the middle of the orientation activities with my MBA class and one of my classmates was named Liam Lynch. Now the odds of this singer attending graduate school in Monterey were pretty low. I might have even googled him to see if it could be him. Regardless I decided it would be a clever ice breaker to introduce myself and ask him. Knowing Liam, I am still unsure to this day if he actually knew the song and was messing with me, or if he genuinely didn't know what I was talking about. He is definitely not the singer of that ridiculous song. What he definitely is, is a generous friend who is a ton of fun to hang out with, even though I never quite know what he is thinking! I hope to hang out with him in New York someday, sooner rather than later!
Showing posts with label MIIS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MIIS. Show all posts
Friday, September 18, 2015
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Umbabarauma by Jorge Ben
Mark F. was one of the first people I met at the Monterey Institute. We were assigned to the same team for a scavenger hunt during orientation week. We had a lot in common like the fact that we were both living in San Francisco and working for Telco companies before starting MIIS and we both spoke Spanish. It wasn't until later that I learned that we also both loved making music mix CDs and DJing at parties and get togethers. Mark is a lot of fun, full of self deprecating humor, and very smart. Sadly, we didn't work on very many academic teams together, but I always counted on seeing him at any social event.
It wasn't until the very end of our 2 years at MIIS that I finally got my very own Mark Mix. In fact, I think we had already graduated and we were all packing up our apartments. It was an impromptu get together at Mark and Liam's house and he finally gave me the CD. To be fair, it's not like I had been asking for 2 years. I am just lamenting not having more of them! The mix is excellent with a wide variety of styles and even different languages. This presented a challenge for me as I hate seeing Track 01, Track 02 in iTunes. Thanks to Google and Shazam I was eventually able to figure them all out. My favorite song on the CD is the very first one: Umbabarauma. It is awesome. The song starts with this rumbling, low beat and it then escalates into this very exciting song. I have no idea what Umbabarauma means, but once I figured out it was Brazilian Portuguese I was able to ascertain that the song was about a soccer player. I put it on my own mix when I worked in soccer marketing and it was a huge hit with the soccer players when I played it during tournaments. I liked it so much I even put the song on our Wedding Mix. Thank you Mark for introducing me to such an amazing song.
It wasn't until the very end of our 2 years at MIIS that I finally got my very own Mark Mix. In fact, I think we had already graduated and we were all packing up our apartments. It was an impromptu get together at Mark and Liam's house and he finally gave me the CD. To be fair, it's not like I had been asking for 2 years. I am just lamenting not having more of them! The mix is excellent with a wide variety of styles and even different languages. This presented a challenge for me as I hate seeing Track 01, Track 02 in iTunes. Thanks to Google and Shazam I was eventually able to figure them all out. My favorite song on the CD is the very first one: Umbabarauma. It is awesome. The song starts with this rumbling, low beat and it then escalates into this very exciting song. I have no idea what Umbabarauma means, but once I figured out it was Brazilian Portuguese I was able to ascertain that the song was about a soccer player. I put it on my own mix when I worked in soccer marketing and it was a huge hit with the soccer players when I played it during tournaments. I liked it so much I even put the song on our Wedding Mix. Thank you Mark for introducing me to such an amazing song.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Like I Love You by Justin Timberlake
When Justin Timberlake first came out with his solo album it didn't make much of an impression on me. N'Sync was next-generation boy band and I didn't listen to them much at all. I would see pictures of Justin and Britney and think that the curly hair and matching denim outfits were totally dorky. I didn't even care for his solo music much.
Flash forward a year to Monterey, CA. I think it was the very first week of school and a bunch of my classmates decided to go to Doc Rickett's for $1 beers and dancing. I know I have referenced the crazy Danes before, and this night was no exception. I remember walking in to the place and finding my friends. There were Kent H., Nis H., Morten J., Peter D., who I am missing? They each had ordered $20 worth of beers (that's 20 beers at $1 each and I cannot believe that they were allowed to buy so many at one time!) and the table was just covered with beers. It was hilarious and I happily accepted their offer of a beer or 3 and later contributed to the table. There were many, many others there that night... I remember Holly S, Mark F, Stacy H, Nina L, it seemed just about everyone was there. Doc Rickett's had this reputation for being pretty divey, a total meat market, and full of jar/jug/whatever you call em heads. Monterey is home to both the Naval Postgraduate School and the Army's Defense Language Institute. I suppose that if I was at Doc Rickett's as a single gal, going out dancing with my girlfriends, it might've had a yucky vibe, but I was with 30 of my newest, most favorite people and we were having a blast.
There was a big projection screen on the wall playing music videos and Like I Love You by Justin Timberlake came on. I recognized the song, but as I said, I'd never really been a fan. I was dancing, totally getting into the 3-4 beers in-I love this song!-mode. I was watching the video and .... Justin Timberlake is HOT. H-O-T-T Hot! The video was seductive and risque and, it bears mentioning again, hot! The music was clever. Catchy. I became an insta-fan! I remember telling Holly that I had no idea that Justin Timberlake was so hot! I was really really excited about this realization! When I got home I downloaded both the video and the mp3. 10 years later, I tried to get tickets to his 20/20 tour...and it was sold out. Apparently I am not the only one to realize all the awesome that is JT.
Flash forward a year to Monterey, CA. I think it was the very first week of school and a bunch of my classmates decided to go to Doc Rickett's for $1 beers and dancing. I know I have referenced the crazy Danes before, and this night was no exception. I remember walking in to the place and finding my friends. There were Kent H., Nis H., Morten J., Peter D., who I am missing? They each had ordered $20 worth of beers (that's 20 beers at $1 each and I cannot believe that they were allowed to buy so many at one time!) and the table was just covered with beers. It was hilarious and I happily accepted their offer of a beer or 3 and later contributed to the table. There were many, many others there that night... I remember Holly S, Mark F, Stacy H, Nina L, it seemed just about everyone was there. Doc Rickett's had this reputation for being pretty divey, a total meat market, and full of jar/jug/whatever you call em heads. Monterey is home to both the Naval Postgraduate School and the Army's Defense Language Institute. I suppose that if I was at Doc Rickett's as a single gal, going out dancing with my girlfriends, it might've had a yucky vibe, but I was with 30 of my newest, most favorite people and we were having a blast.
There was a big projection screen on the wall playing music videos and Like I Love You by Justin Timberlake came on. I recognized the song, but as I said, I'd never really been a fan. I was dancing, totally getting into the 3-4 beers in-I love this song!-mode. I was watching the video and .... Justin Timberlake is HOT. H-O-T-T Hot! The video was seductive and risque and, it bears mentioning again, hot! The music was clever. Catchy. I became an insta-fan! I remember telling Holly that I had no idea that Justin Timberlake was so hot! I was really really excited about this realization! When I got home I downloaded both the video and the mp3. 10 years later, I tried to get tickets to his 20/20 tour...and it was sold out. Apparently I am not the only one to realize all the awesome that is JT.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Ka Huila Wai by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
The scene: beautiful Monterey, CA. The situation: involving roommates. It was not a good one.
I never had any luck with roommates who were unrelated to me. I spent my first year at MIIS living in a fun apartment near downtown with another grad student. The problem was that he was a student at NPS (Naval Postgraduate School) and there seemed to be a culture clash. Things started off really well - he was very friendly, extremely clean and tidy, and he liked hanging out with me and Nick. He accompanied us to a party or two and he eagerly co-hosted a party of our own. He was quirky, but then, aren't we all. I guess it comes down to whether he is the kind of weird you like. It turns out he wasn't. The guy was honestly pretty lonely. He had an out-of-state girlfriend, he wasn't very close to his family, and he didn't seem to have made very many friends in Monterey. Truth be told, perhaps I am not the best roommate either. I never really figured out the boundaries, as in, do you share every meal? Do you share food? How much time do you need to spend together? Etc. During the weekends I was either out and about with Nick in Monterey or out of town altogether. During the holidays, I spent an entire month out of town. It is possible I came across as someone who didn't want to spend very much time with her roommate.
Whatever the cause, as spring semester wore on, things felt more and more strained. He told me that his girlfriend was moving out to Monterey in the summer and he hoped that I would be ok with that. I said that would be fine. I then noticed that certain items from the front room were no longer there, such as his fancy globe, his projector.... these were pricey items which I know because he told me numerous times. I then noticed he had begun locking his bedroom door. All very weird as Monterey is hardly a hotbed of crime and this guy was a trained expert who kept a sword in his room for goodness sake. One weekend Nick and I decided to garden and generally spruce up the yard. Apparently this was the last straw for the guy. On Monday, he told me that he no longer wanted me to live there and I had until the end of the semester. I gardened without permission and his name was on the lease. Furthermore, he considered me a safety risk. Apparently, he would listen when Nick would leave at the crack of dawn and then get out of bed to lock the door behind him. I also then began to notice the guy locking the patio door while grilling. Unlock door. Put steak on grill. Come inside and lock door. Unlock door. Go flip the steak. Come inside and lock door. More than a little weird and definitely not the kind I liked. Also, couldn't he have just told me his girlfriend didn't want another woman in the house when she moved there?
I already had a Luau party in the works for that weekend which he said of course would not be cancelled. I spent a lot of time in my car that week, just driving around, not interested in being home. I would leave for class and just stay out all day. I ate dinner out or in my car. It was pretty being out and about and it really wasn't so bad as it gave me time to process and figure out what to do about the following year. In preparation for the Luau, I was test driving my Luau mix. One of the songs was Ka Huila Wai by Brudda Iz and I listened to it over and over. I have no idea what he is saying, but I loved the melodies, his crooning voice, the Hawaii feeling just washing over me. The Luau was a huge hit, by the way, and I found a new apartment all to myself. Win-win.
I never had any luck with roommates who were unrelated to me. I spent my first year at MIIS living in a fun apartment near downtown with another grad student. The problem was that he was a student at NPS (Naval Postgraduate School) and there seemed to be a culture clash. Things started off really well - he was very friendly, extremely clean and tidy, and he liked hanging out with me and Nick. He accompanied us to a party or two and he eagerly co-hosted a party of our own. He was quirky, but then, aren't we all. I guess it comes down to whether he is the kind of weird you like. It turns out he wasn't. The guy was honestly pretty lonely. He had an out-of-state girlfriend, he wasn't very close to his family, and he didn't seem to have made very many friends in Monterey. Truth be told, perhaps I am not the best roommate either. I never really figured out the boundaries, as in, do you share every meal? Do you share food? How much time do you need to spend together? Etc. During the weekends I was either out and about with Nick in Monterey or out of town altogether. During the holidays, I spent an entire month out of town. It is possible I came across as someone who didn't want to spend very much time with her roommate.
Whatever the cause, as spring semester wore on, things felt more and more strained. He told me that his girlfriend was moving out to Monterey in the summer and he hoped that I would be ok with that. I said that would be fine. I then noticed that certain items from the front room were no longer there, such as his fancy globe, his projector.... these were pricey items which I know because he told me numerous times. I then noticed he had begun locking his bedroom door. All very weird as Monterey is hardly a hotbed of crime and this guy was a trained expert who kept a sword in his room for goodness sake. One weekend Nick and I decided to garden and generally spruce up the yard. Apparently this was the last straw for the guy. On Monday, he told me that he no longer wanted me to live there and I had until the end of the semester. I gardened without permission and his name was on the lease. Furthermore, he considered me a safety risk. Apparently, he would listen when Nick would leave at the crack of dawn and then get out of bed to lock the door behind him. I also then began to notice the guy locking the patio door while grilling. Unlock door. Put steak on grill. Come inside and lock door. Unlock door. Go flip the steak. Come inside and lock door. More than a little weird and definitely not the kind I liked. Also, couldn't he have just told me his girlfriend didn't want another woman in the house when she moved there?
I already had a Luau party in the works for that weekend which he said of course would not be cancelled. I spent a lot of time in my car that week, just driving around, not interested in being home. I would leave for class and just stay out all day. I ate dinner out or in my car. It was pretty being out and about and it really wasn't so bad as it gave me time to process and figure out what to do about the following year. In preparation for the Luau, I was test driving my Luau mix. One of the songs was Ka Huila Wai by Brudda Iz and I listened to it over and over. I have no idea what he is saying, but I loved the melodies, his crooning voice, the Hawaii feeling just washing over me. The Luau was a huge hit, by the way, and I found a new apartment all to myself. Win-win.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Lithium by Nirvana
The two years I spent as a student at MIIS were a wonderful time in my life, but my most favorite memories come from the very first semester. Due to the nature of the MBA program and the Institute itself, I feel like our class created a special bond. The students in the 2-year program were scheduled to take the core classes during our first semester and since we were such a small class, we all had the exact same schedule that first semester. This means that we spent a lot of time together - we ate lunch together and often dinner, we studied together....and since we all really liked each other, we hung out together most of the time, too. It was also the semester of the Danes. There was a large group of students from Denmark who were all super friendly and generally just a blast to be around. In fact, I felt like the dynamic of our class changed when they went back to Denmark at the end of the semester.
For two years, I could always count on something fun to do. Nick and I would usually decide who was driving to whom each weekend, based on the better party! Today, we're going back to a party at Stacy H's. It was a house party and I don't think it was for any particular occasion. It was just new friends, hanging out, drinking, talking, and laughing. At one point in the evening, a little impromptu dance party burst out. One of the songs that came on was Lithium, an oldie but goodie. This is a song that gets everyone on the dance floor, including Nick. I remember Gabe R. out there dancing, and maybe Mark F, too, but what I most remember is Nis H. During the chorus, Nis would bust out this perfect air guitar. I just loved watching him rock out, playing tribute to this truly epic song. I wish I could do it justice, but sadly, all I have is my memory! Yeah Yeah Yeah!
For two years, I could always count on something fun to do. Nick and I would usually decide who was driving to whom each weekend, based on the better party! Today, we're going back to a party at Stacy H's. It was a house party and I don't think it was for any particular occasion. It was just new friends, hanging out, drinking, talking, and laughing. At one point in the evening, a little impromptu dance party burst out. One of the songs that came on was Lithium, an oldie but goodie. This is a song that gets everyone on the dance floor, including Nick. I remember Gabe R. out there dancing, and maybe Mark F, too, but what I most remember is Nis H. During the chorus, Nis would bust out this perfect air guitar. I just loved watching him rock out, playing tribute to this truly epic song. I wish I could do it justice, but sadly, all I have is my memory! Yeah Yeah Yeah!
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