Hook by Blues Traveler

During my year in Spain, I developed all kinds of friendships with Americans, Spaniards, and other foreigners living in Barcelona like me.  I established a regular get together with several people and it was so nice to have something to count on and look forward to on a regular basis.  Dunkin Donuts for lunch, following by shopping with Elisa....Cafe y Croissant con Chocolate with Carla and Sara....lunches with Anhchi and Christy.  Today we are heading over to one of several of Christy's apartments for lunch.
We were making, or better, attempting to recreate something my roommate Dolors had made.  To this day I have never made it taste or appear quite as delectable as Dolors accomplished.  It's really a simple dish, packed with contrasting flavors and colors.  She started with rice and she tossed in a smashed clove of garlic.  She fried up some italian or pork sausage.  She then halved a couple bananas and fried them in the same pan as the sausage.  Finally she fried an egg.  Now for the assembly:  Stuff the rice into a small water glass and upend it onto a plate.  It should hold its shape.  Spread the sausage around the rice in a circle.  Place the banana halves on top of the sausage and finally, lay the fried egg on top of the rice.  Lovely, right?!  Serve with ketchup to taste and eat by smashing it all up and combining everything.
I can't remember the details of our cooking experiment that day, but I don't think it was a disaster by any means.  The song Hook came on (a cassette most likely as it wasn't a big hit in Spain) and there is this interlude in the middle sung very quickly.  To my surprise, Anhchi and Christy chimed in, singing every word perfectly.  Apparently they were very familiar with the song and had spent some time working on the lyrics.  Truth be told, I was a little envious of their skills.  I was also envious of their close friendship.  They were very close friends at UC Davis prior to coming to Barcelona and were constantly sharing hilarious stories from back home.  They never made me feel like a third wheel and I always enjoyed our lunches because the hook brings you back....

What's My Age Again by Blink 182

It was the morning of July 30, 2000.  I arrived at work in a great mood, it being my birthday and as previously documented, right in the middle of an epic summer.  I had several voice mails, most of them work related, but one decidedly not.  My sister had left me a delightful message.  She wished me a happy birthday, rambled a bit, and then queued up What's My Age Again.  She didn't have it queued up exactly where she wanted it, so there was a bit she did about "having technical difficulties" and there was some mumbling until the line she was waiting for kicked in.  The line was very appropriate: "nobody likes you when you're 23". It was appropriate because this was my 23rd birthday, NOT because nobody liked me.  To be clear. I must've played that message 10 times throughout the day.  I definitely played it on speakerphone to share with everyone else.  I was of course the person who got the most pleasure and amusement out of it because it was 100% Cato and I loved it and I love her.  She still calls me on my birthday every year, but no message has topped that one, when I was 23.

Maria by Ricky Martin

It was the last night in Madrid, culminating an unforgettable first week. The first week in Spain. The first week of my exchange year.  We were supposed to be packed and on the bus early the next morning to make the trek to Barcelona to settle into our new home for the next year.  I wanted it to be a night to remember....an all night long night to remember.  We returned to the place where we started the week which was a bar right across the street from our hostel.  We had met the sweetest bartender there, I want to say Carlos?   Maybe Jorge?  In any case, a bunch of us headed over to the bar for cocktails and dancing.  This incredible song came on and everyone hit the impromptu dance floor.  Un dos tres!  Un pasito pa' adelante Maria! Un dos tres! I really only understood "un dos tres" and "maria", but those parts of the song I sang with gusto.  I moved my hips.  I danced with abandon.  I was 20, blonde, thin, and living it up in Espana!

At some point in the evening we ended up in another bar that had more of a nightclub vibe.  The bartender was with us, along with some other guys from our hostel. Thinking back now I think it was actually a dorm and these were students. It doesn't really matter.  We danced, drank, flirted, and practiced our Spanish until the bar closed and the sun was starting to come up.  Yet I did not want the night to end.  I remember going back to the dorm to quickly pack up all my things and hurry back to another's dorm room spend the last few minutes in Madrid with a beautiful Spanish boy.  It was a night to remember.

Cryin' by Aerosmith

Like most in my generation, I am sure the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this song is the video with Alicia Silverstone bungy jumping off a bridge while flipping the bird.  That does come to mind when I hear it and there is actually a funny story there.  This song hit it big in 1993 when I was in Germany and I watched the video frequently on MTV.  Upon returning to US, I saw a Wayne's World sketch on SNL and it was something about looking behind the censor and instead of her finger, it was a leprechaun that freaked Garth out.  I remember wondering why they censored it for SNL and what the big mystery was.  I realized that the video was always censored for my US friends, however it was NOT censored on MTV Europe so I saw that oh so scandolous finger every single time.  

That is only one of my memories associated with that song.  

Flash to early January 1994, we are going to another outstanding party at Niels H's house.  It was my first party there and it did not disappoint.  I had finally figured out french kissing and boy did I put in a lot of practice with my new (first!) boyfriend during that party.  Maybe I was naive or possibly weird, but the first couple times I'd been french kissed I honestly thought it was kind of slimy and gross.  Don't worry, I quickly changed my mind about the experience!  It was a rocking house party with good friends and plenty of alcohol.  There may have even been an embarrassing knocking over and breaking of a sekt glass.  Maybe.  At some point I noticed that I was the only girl left at the party.  This became a common thing after I started dated Bastian and subsequently, my German began to resemble that of a 16 year old boy with a lot of inappropriate jokes and way too much slang.  I wonder if I still sound that way speaking German?  The party continued into the wee hours, in fact, I spent the night.  Aside from the aforementioned kissing, it was an innocent overnight.  

How does Cryin' fit into the evening?  I remember being just delighted that after talking to Uli G about music, he offered to loan me his Aerosmith Get a Grip CD.  It must be noted that Uli was later crowned the Cutest Boy in the Class in the class superlatives and furthermore, someone the prior Turlock iteration of myself would have been way too shy and embarrassed to even approach, let alone talk to and borrow a CD.  Let's just say it was a big deal for my self esteem and nothing to cry about!

Ricemix by Joe Helgeson

It was the middle of the summer of '00, a truly epic summer.  I had received an email (or call) from my Barcelona roommate Jordi.  He said he was flying into LAX at the end of the month and could I pick him up at the airport?  I was living in San Francisco at the time, a mere 8 hour drive from Los Angeles.  So I made a trip out of it.  I had 2 dear friends living in So Cal at the time and one of them had actually stayed with Jordi while she was visiting me in Barcelona.  I booked a flight to LA and Pam picked me up in her red Mustang.  It was a totally LA kind of trip, if I do say so.  Trip to the beach?  Check!  Laying out by the pool?  Check!  A trip to Hollywood and Venice Beach?  Check! Pink Floyd Laser Light Show at the Griffith Observatory? Check!  We also visited the Getty, the Huntington Botanical Gardens, and Japantown, where Jordi got to try sushi for the first time.

There are so many fun memories and we jammed an insane amount of good times into Jordi's and my visit.  I suppose I should just expand on a few, including of course, the impetus for today's post. You've got to be curious about Ricemix, right?  

• Alex only had a car with a manual transmission and some kind of funky engine, if I remember right.  I did not drive a stick.  In fact, I had scant driving experience at that point.  I was nowhere close to confident enough to brave the 405 and the 5 and the 10 to Cahuenga (don't correct me as I am definitely poking fun).  Alex's boyfriend Joe had a car that we later borrowed and Jordi, yes, the Spaniard, drove all over LA.  But in the meantime, we decided to take the bus and train to Hollywood.  There we were, sitting at the bus stop in fancy pants San Marino.  The cops pull over and start grilling us.  Where are you going?  Why are you here?  Can we see some ID?  I finally asked them what the problem was and I don't remember what they said, but obviously, it was highly unusual to be taking the bus in that neighborhood.  We made it the rest of the way to Hollywood with no incident! 
• We had a little dinner party on Jordi's last night.  Jordi did the cooking and we all enjoyed the food, the drink, and possibly even some other refreshment, if memory serves.  Alex's parent's house has this great interior patio. It was very pleasant.  We later got to listening to music in the living room.  Joe is a composer of electronic music and Alex played some of his stuff.  Ricemix is amazing.  I was amazed that he created it, thrilled to be hearing it.  I love how it starts off  naked, just drums, until a very 90s techno beat kicks in, and then it keeps building up with awesome crescendos and phrasing, and finally just kind of explodes!  I still listen to it on occasion today.  It is by far my favorite of his creations, but track #2 is a close second.  There may have been some teasing, as Track #2 has a section where it sounds like you can almost hear the clubgoers cheering for the DJ up there, spinning away, like Joe giving himself a little credit.  Ok, there was a lot of teasing.  But honestly, I kind of dug that he was owning it, owning the awesome that is his music. 

If there is a place to stream Ricemix, I will post it here for you.  It's a must hear.  

Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger

It was Moms Night Out, specifically my last Moms Night Out in Fresno.  I was about to move back to the Bay Area and quite frankly, a bit torn about it.  I had made some wonderful friends in Fresno and I was going to miss them desperately.  In fact, as I sit here today, I do!

I planned the perfect night at the perfect venue.  Englemann Cellars hosted a Friday night event with live music, 21 and over.  It sounded perfect - no "scene", wine, music?  Yes, Please!  Logan T, Heather R, Allyson S, Kristin J, Cassandra W, and Sarah W were in attendance and we all brought an impressive array of sweets and savories.  Heather even brought a tiny princess folding table.  We were all in fantastic spirits, as we were away from the kiddos, enjoying the wine and the company.  The band was excellent, playing a mix of 70s, 80s, and 90s.  After about a half an hour, they announced that the lead singer had gone home with heatstroke.  We found this odd, as the band is native to Fresno and we figured he should've known better, but regardless, the show must go on.  The band continued and they still sounded great to our ears.

Later still, the band announced that they were just making do and if anyone cared to sing, they would welcome it.  Well I am hardly one to turn down an opportunity to be onstage, so I asked to peruse the set list.  Cassandra and Heather joined me for the first number.  We had a blast and the band was ever so grateful.  They welcomed us to sing more. So we did.  By then I was hooked on the energy and adrenaline of a live audience.  It was so much different than karaoke, I found out, as I started singing the chorus and realized I had backup singers!  I was really starting to get my groove on and requested to sing Flagpole Sitta.  It's a one-hit number from the late 90's and a good one.  It's not the easiest song to sing as it is pretty quick-paced, but I had the lyrics up on my phone and I totally pulled it off, if I do say so myself.  Heather said that I might not be the best singer (I wholeheartedly agree), but I have a ton of stage presence and energy.  There was jumping.  There was gesturing.  There was grabbing of the mic.  And I even got to yell "a 1, 2, 3, 4!" which is always fun to do.  This is totally my new karaoke song, by the way, although how can I go back now?  Afterwards my friends were blown away, which I found funny because anyone else wouldn't be surprised by my performance at all.  My Fresno friends only knew me as a stay-at-home mom and our kids usually steal the show.  It was fun to show them the real me before I left and now we have a song to remind us of that epic night.

Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin

I can't very well write about Ramble On without following up with Immigrant Song.  Remember that friend I told you about who clued me in to the awesome LOTR reference in the third verse?  Kevin agreed with me that Ramble On is a great song.  He then shared with me that Immigrant Song is even better.  And you know?  He was right.  This wasn't the first time he had done that...taken something I liked and professed to know something even better....and was right, dammit!  He had this maddening way of usually being right!  And then once I got hooked on whatever he recommended, such as Dawson's Creek, Sex and the City (getting him back a little, clearly), Dave Matthews Band, etc....he would no longer be into that particular thing and on to the next coolest greatest thing like the Sopranos or Ben Folds Five.  I wonder what he is into now?

Kevin and I met in the dorms freshman year and we had a lot in common. He had been in the band in high school, but was over it (of course) by college.  We hung out a lot in the dorms and stayed friends throughout and into the first few years after college.  We attended a lot of concerts together, talked late into the night, drank a lot of beers, shared a lot of laughs, frustrations, and stories.  I always appreciated Kevin because he is genuine and known for keeping things real.  He always gave me the straight story on how guys think and act.  I will never forget the weekend I found out that all guys are totally content to spend an entire Sunday in their sweats on the couch.  I couldn't believe that someone would be content to do so very little, but he assured me that this is what guys do.  And sure enough, I have yet to find an exception to this.  Right again, Kevin, right again.