Since I've been banned from a site I usually stalk :( I've taken up hunting down new blogs to read on a repeated basis. One of them had this posted, and I had to see what happened the year I graduated high school...you know, as I approach 30, the memory starts to fade...
So, here are the rules:
A.) Go to Music Outfitters.
B.) Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year.
C.) Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you REALLY hate.
Of course, I have to modify the rules...I've bold the songs I loved then, and struck the songs I REALLY hated then :) Here goes!
1. Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix), Los Del Rio
2. One Sweet Day, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
3. Because You Loved Me, Celine Dion
4. Nobody Knows, Tony Rich Project
5. Always Be My Baby, Mariah Carey
6. Give Me One Reason, Tracy Chapman
7. Tha Crossroads, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
8. I Love You Always Forever, Donna Lewis
9. You're Makin' Me High/Let It Flow, Toni Braxton
10. Twisted, Keith Sweat
11. C'mon N' Ride It (The Train), Quad City Dj's
12. Missing, Everything But The Girl
13. Ironic, Alanis Morissette
14. Exhale (Shoop Shoop), Whitney Houston
15. Follow You Down/Til I Hear It From You, Gin Blossoms
16. Sittin' Up In My Room, Brandy
17. How Do U Want It/California Love, 2Pac
18. It's All Coming Back To Me Now, Celine Dion
19. Change The World, Eric Clapton
20. Hey Lover, LL Cool J
21. Loungin, LL Cool J
22. Insensitive, Jann Arden
23. Be My Lover, La Bouche
24. Name, Goo Goo Dolls
25. Who Will Save Your Soul, Jewel
26. Where Do You Go, No Mercy
27. I Can't Sleep Baby (If I), R. Kelly
28. Counting Blue Cars, Dishwalla
29. You Learn/You Oughta Know, Alanis Morissette
30. One Of Us, Joan Osborne
31. Wonder, Natalie Merchant
32. Not Gon' Cry, Mary J. Blige
33. Gangsta's Paradise, Coolio
34. Only You, 112 Featuring The Notorious B.I.G.
35. Down Low (Nobody Has To Know), R. Kelly
36. You're The One, SWV
37. Sweet Dreams, La Bouche
38. Before You Walk Out Of My Life/Like This And Like That, Monica
39. Breakfast At Tiffany's, Deep Blue Something
40. 1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New), Coolio41. The World I Know, Collective Soul
42. No Diggity, BLACKstreet (Featuring Dr. Dre)
43. Anything, 3t
44. 1979, The Smashing Pumpkins
45. Diggin' On You, TLC
46. Why I Love You So Much/Ain't Nobody, Monica
47. Kissin' You, Total
48. Count On Me, Whitney Houston and Cece Winans
49. Fantasy, Mariah Carey
50. Time, Hootie and The Blowfish
51. You'll See, Madonna
52. Last Night, Az Yet
53. Mouth, Merril Bainbridge
54. The Earth, The Sun, The Rain, Color Me Badd
55. All The Things (Your Man Won't Do), Joe
56. Wonderwall, Oasis
57. Woo-hah!! Got You All In Check/Everything Remains Raw, Busta Rhymes
58. Tell Me, Groove Theory
59. Elevators (Me and You), Outkast
60. Hook, Blues Traveler
61. Doin It, LL Cool J
62. Fastlove, George Michael
63. Touch Me Tease Me, Case Featuring Foxxy Brown
64. Tonite's Tha Night, Kris Kross
65. Children, Robert Miles
66. Theme From Mission: Impossible, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen
67. Closer To Free, Bodeans
68. Just A Girl, No Doubt
69. If Your Girl Only Knew, Aaliyah
70. Lady, D'angelo
71. Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First), John Mellencamp
72. Pony, Ginuwine
73. Nobody, Keith Sweat
74. Old Man and Me (When I Get To Heaven), Hootie and The Blowfish
75. If It Makes You Happy, Sheryl Crow
76. As I Lay Me Down, Sophie B. Hawkins
77. Keep On, Keepin' On, Mc Lyte
78. Jealousy, Natalie Merchant
79. I Want To Come Over, Melissa Etheridge
80. Who Do U Love, Deborah Cox
81. Un-Break My Heart, Toni Braxton
82. This Is Your Night, Amber
83. You Remind Me Of Something, R. Kelly
84. Runaway, Janet Jackson
85. Set U Free, Planet Soul
86. Hit Me Off, New Edition
87. No One Else, Total
88. My Boo, Ghost Town Dj's
89. Get Money, Junior M.A.F.I.A.
90. That Girl, Maxi Priest Featuring Shaggy
91. Po Pimp, Do Or Die
92. Until It Sleeps, Metallica
93. Hay, Crucial Conflict
94. Beautiful Life, Ace Of Base
95. Back For Good, Take That
96. I Got Id/Long Road, Pearl Jam
97. Soon As I Get Home, Faith Evans
98. Macarena, Los Del Rio
99. Only Wanna Be With You, Hootie and The Blowfish
100. Don't Cry, Seal
Look, I didn't really hate any of them!
Terrible secret--I don't remember most of the songs being played around Podunk...I didn't even know some of the artists were recording back then--or that they were STILL recording then. I'm not even sure that I knew some of these songs when I was in high school or if I heard them later in the 90s' and loved them then. I have no clue.
See what I mean about memory?
Showing posts with label The Good Old Days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Good Old Days. Show all posts
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Bleeding Green and Gold
So I may be the saddest person on Earth...I sincerely remember LOVING high school. In fact, I remember loving it so much that I have gone to Homecoming parades and games ever since high school (which was long enough ago that I'm embarrassed to tell because it just reminds me how old I am becoming...but that's another post another day). For the past several years I have forced my sorority sisters to dress themselves and their children and spouses in Topper colors and to brave the cold afternoons/evenings in the spirit of celebrating with the town Homecoming--it doesn't even matter to me that a number of my sorority sisters aren't from here and weren't Toppers; I've made them honorary Toppers.
Let's pause here for a moment, while we discuss what a truly ridiculous thing a Topper is. Legend has it that millions of years ago (OK, so the town is just now approaching 60 years, so it couldn't be "millions" of years ago), the high school mascot was actually a top hat and cane. That's absurd enough--how do you dress up like the mascot?--but apparently it was offensive, as if those of us in Podunk were rubbing in the status of being better off than 90% of New Mexico*, and the Hilltopper mascot changed into this big, hairy red-headed man that stood on top of a mountain with his hands held out to the side. That then became an issue, because the man's hands were reported to be shaped so that he was passing on a racist slogan. The artist had painted the forefinger angled out with the middle and ring finger together and the pinkie out stretched so that it could be argued that his hand was arched as if making a "W", and that offended somebody that obviously had way too much time on HIS hands, because he thought it stood for White Supremacy**. So the Hilltopper is now a large hairy red-headed man on a mountain with all five fingers distinctively drawn out on both hands. Needless to say, nobody dresses up like this mascot either.
Instead, students, staff, alumni and the town have embraced the Topper colors, green and gold. Over the years there have been arguments about whether the green is forest green or Kelly green, and whether the gold is truly a golden yellow or just yellow, but as long as you're in some sort of green and some sort of yellow, we'll embrace you as a Topper.
Homecoming in Podunk is a huge deal. I love Podunk this time of year, because of the town bonding over Homecoming. The schools let out a little after noon, and most shops in town come to a standstill while the staff and patrons meander out to our Central Avenue (really is in the center of town) and watch all the organizations march with floats enthusiastically cheering on the current theme of "Lasso the Losers" or "Eliminate the Enemy" (no, we've never actually had those themes--that would be RUDE, and a big hairy red-headed man is not rude) and tossing candy to the children that are everywhere.
Typically, my mom and I watch the parade together, dressed in green and gold (I even humiliate Hubby by breaking out his Letterman jacket that's so old it's losing its pins), whether we're joined by the sorority sisters and their children or not. Immediately following the parade, I usually race home and load up a truck with my grill and goodies and head to the parking lot by the town's football field, where I'm joined by other crazy tailgaters (no alcohol allowed, as we're within so many feet of school property) until the sorority ladies trickle in with their families. We all then don face paint and pom-poms and race into the stands so we can freeze together and mainly not watch the game***, but visit with others around us that come out once a year for this occasion. We sing the fight song loudly and off key****--again, humiliating Hubby who usually is trying to watch the game with whatever other poor long suffering husband got suckered into attending with us--and have a great time.
This year, however, for the first time in 15 years, I did not attend the parade or the game. Instead, I had to work--and it was with great force that my supervisor got me into work, I'll confess (actually, it only took an e-mail saying "you will work" and my need for some sleep between shifts). I didn't see any floats. I didn't eat any hot dogs. I didn't catch up with the other alumni that turn out (there are a surprisingly large number of us). I didn't put on any face paint. Instead, I put on my green work uniform shirt and my khaki BDUs (the closest I can get to green and gold and still comply with the uniform requirements. My super awesome sorority secret sister made me a little Topper spirited koozy for my coke cans (it's green with pom-pom like stuff attached to the sides!), and I brought that in to work with me. And I only had a little pity party for myself. And the officers and other dispatchers only laughed a little at me.
However, I like to think that my spirit transmitted over the radio waves, as the town was flying high due to the Toppers major win (30-0!). Go Toppers!
*Some jackass announced that 1 in 10 of those living in Podunk are millionaires...I don't to whom they are referring, as I know more than 10 people, and most of us are paycheck to paycheck thanks to this circulating belief that we can afford milk that's $4.79 a gallon or spend $300/month for keeping the thermostat at 65 degrees (and that drops to 55 degrees after 10 pm because Hubby freaks over the bill!) for a 1078 square foot condo, because we're millionaires...it's an evil cycle!
**Before living in Podunk, I lived in some big cities--like Denver, the city that the Neo-Nazis were at one point trying to make a strong presence in--and, despite this jerk's insistence that everyone knew it was a White Supremacy sign, I had, and still have never have, heard anything of the sort. It's a good thing we're all millionaires, since we had to chip in our tax dollars to get the mascot repainted...
***Podunk isn't like other small towns with our high school football obsession--we only obsess at Homecoming and if we make it to the State Championships.
****Lyrics available.
Let's pause here for a moment, while we discuss what a truly ridiculous thing a Topper is. Legend has it that millions of years ago (OK, so the town is just now approaching 60 years, so it couldn't be "millions" of years ago), the high school mascot was actually a top hat and cane. That's absurd enough--how do you dress up like the mascot?--but apparently it was offensive, as if those of us in Podunk were rubbing in the status of being better off than 90% of New Mexico*, and the Hilltopper mascot changed into this big, hairy red-headed man that stood on top of a mountain with his hands held out to the side. That then became an issue, because the man's hands were reported to be shaped so that he was passing on a racist slogan. The artist had painted the forefinger angled out with the middle and ring finger together and the pinkie out stretched so that it could be argued that his hand was arched as if making a "W", and that offended somebody that obviously had way too much time on HIS hands, because he thought it stood for White Supremacy**. So the Hilltopper is now a large hairy red-headed man on a mountain with all five fingers distinctively drawn out on both hands. Needless to say, nobody dresses up like this mascot either.
Instead, students, staff, alumni and the town have embraced the Topper colors, green and gold. Over the years there have been arguments about whether the green is forest green or Kelly green, and whether the gold is truly a golden yellow or just yellow, but as long as you're in some sort of green and some sort of yellow, we'll embrace you as a Topper.
Homecoming in Podunk is a huge deal. I love Podunk this time of year, because of the town bonding over Homecoming. The schools let out a little after noon, and most shops in town come to a standstill while the staff and patrons meander out to our Central Avenue (really is in the center of town) and watch all the organizations march with floats enthusiastically cheering on the current theme of "Lasso the Losers" or "Eliminate the Enemy" (no, we've never actually had those themes--that would be RUDE, and a big hairy red-headed man is not rude) and tossing candy to the children that are everywhere.
Typically, my mom and I watch the parade together, dressed in green and gold (I even humiliate Hubby by breaking out his Letterman jacket that's so old it's losing its pins), whether we're joined by the sorority sisters and their children or not. Immediately following the parade, I usually race home and load up a truck with my grill and goodies and head to the parking lot by the town's football field, where I'm joined by other crazy tailgaters (no alcohol allowed, as we're within so many feet of school property) until the sorority ladies trickle in with their families. We all then don face paint and pom-poms and race into the stands so we can freeze together and mainly not watch the game***, but visit with others around us that come out once a year for this occasion. We sing the fight song loudly and off key****--again, humiliating Hubby who usually is trying to watch the game with whatever other poor long suffering husband got suckered into attending with us--and have a great time.
This year, however, for the first time in 15 years, I did not attend the parade or the game. Instead, I had to work--and it was with great force that my supervisor got me into work, I'll confess (actually, it only took an e-mail saying "you will work" and my need for some sleep between shifts). I didn't see any floats. I didn't eat any hot dogs. I didn't catch up with the other alumni that turn out (there are a surprisingly large number of us). I didn't put on any face paint. Instead, I put on my green work uniform shirt and my khaki BDUs (the closest I can get to green and gold and still comply with the uniform requirements. My super awesome sorority secret sister made me a little Topper spirited koozy for my coke cans (it's green with pom-pom like stuff attached to the sides!), and I brought that in to work with me. And I only had a little pity party for myself. And the officers and other dispatchers only laughed a little at me.
However, I like to think that my spirit transmitted over the radio waves, as the town was flying high due to the Toppers major win (30-0!). Go Toppers!
*Some jackass announced that 1 in 10 of those living in Podunk are millionaires...I don't to whom they are referring, as I know more than 10 people, and most of us are paycheck to paycheck thanks to this circulating belief that we can afford milk that's $4.79 a gallon or spend $300/month for keeping the thermostat at 65 degrees (and that drops to 55 degrees after 10 pm because Hubby freaks over the bill!) for a 1078 square foot condo, because we're millionaires...it's an evil cycle!
**Before living in Podunk, I lived in some big cities--like Denver, the city that the Neo-Nazis were at one point trying to make a strong presence in--and, despite this jerk's insistence that everyone knew it was a White Supremacy sign, I had, and still have never have, heard anything of the sort. It's a good thing we're all millionaires, since we had to chip in our tax dollars to get the mascot repainted...
***Podunk isn't like other small towns with our high school football obsession--we only obsess at Homecoming and if we make it to the State Championships.
****Lyrics available.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)