Credit Cards

Seems like every week I get another piece of mail trying to get me to get some type of credit card, usually for students. Heck, I even got offered a free sub last week if I would just sign up for a credit card.

I've passed on these offers. I have my one Visa, and I have used it to make exactly two purchases, books for my first semester, and books for my second semester. Both times, I paid them off right away so I wouldn't rack up interest.

When I get something in the mail from them for the credit card, it made me more glad that I had always paid it off right away. The percent interest on this particular card is 23%, which is, well, a lot. So I really hope to avoid charging anything I can't entirely pay for.

When it comes to credit cards, be it credit cards specially for students or otherwise, my policy is to just say no. And I hope I never have to stray from that.

#1 - Everclear

And finally, we've reached the #1 band on my list, and that is Everclear. I bet you never guessed that (I bet you never guessed at all actually, but that's beside the point). I first heard of them when I heard "Father of Mine" on Now 2 (which also featured "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" by Baz Luhrmann). I liked the song, but I didn't really get into them into some time later. They began to grow on me (figuratively), and I started to listen to them more and more, and liking them more each time. Eventually, they grew to where they are now, which is #1 on the list, just barely above Tom Petty. So congratulations to Everclear!

Top 10 Everclear Songs
1) "Learning How to Smile"
2) "Everything to Everyone"
3) "Father of Mine"
4) "Santa Monica"
5) "Wonderful"
6) "AM Radio"
7) "I Will Buy You a New Life"
8) "Normal Like You"
9) "Chemical Smile"
10) "Volvo Driving Soccer Mom"

See you next year!

#2 - Tom Petty

Tom Petty (& the Heartbreakers) falls in at #2, but just barely. I like the music so much I'm not narrowing the song list down to 5 but to 10. I just like his voice, all his songs sound good, so that's a plus. He's more of a soft rock artist, which is good. Good enough for #2.

Top 10 Tom Petty Songs
1) "American Girl"
2) "The Waiting"
3) "Refugee"
4) "Last Dance With Mary Jane"
5) "You Don't Know How It Feels"
6) "Won't Back Down"
7) "Learning to Fly"
8) "Breakdown"
9) "Free Falling"
10) "You Got Lucky"

#3 - Jack Johnson

I actually started listening to him at the recommendation of MattStew, wherever he is. So thank you Matt. I generally like most of his songs. They're all pretty mellow and they get me in a good mood, which is always good. So anyway, yeah, Jack Johnson at #3.

Top 5 Jack Johnson Songs
1) "Do You Remember?"
2) "Banana Pancakes"
3) "Better Together"
4) "Dreams be Dreams"
5) "Bubble Toes"

#4 - Better than Ezra

I started listening to Better than Ezra only recently, but they have quickly shot up my chart. They're sorta rockish/alternative-pop in their style, though I guess that's subkect to interpretation. Anyway, the point of all of this is, I like their music, and there's nothing you can do about it, so don't try and stop me.

Top 5 Better than Ezra Songs
1) "Sincerely, Me"
2) "Desperately Wanting"
3) "Smallville"
4) "A Lifetime"
5) "Good"

#5 - The Beatles

Growing up, I disliked The Beatles, because all of my older siblings liked them and so it was the cool thing for me not to like them. That has slowly but surely been changing. While I have not heard all of their stuff or anywhere near all of their stuff, I like what I've heard and am always listening to more. So while my choices are a little mainstream with them, that's changing a little over time. But yeah, The Beatles crack the top 5. I should also mention that I like some of the things they each did on their own, but I didn't include them here.

Top 5 The Beatles Songs
1) "Hey Jude"
2) "A Day in the Life"
3) "Eleanor Rigby"
4) "Let I Be"
5) "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"

#6 - Hootie & the Blowfish

This is one I expect to be called a complete loser about, and maybe I deserve it. But I can't help the fact that I like their music! I like most of their songs, although a lot of them sound kinda similar, I like how it sounds. So despite the probable bashing I'll take for this, Hootie & the Blowfish is #6!

Top 5 Hootie & the Blowfish Songs
1) "Only Wanna Be With You"
2) "Time"
3) "Hold My Hand"
4) "Drwoning"
5) "Running From an Angel"

Post 100!

It's been a long, mostly boring journey, at least for the three of you that have sporadically read this. I started this thing sometime last summer, I believe in July after I came back from Europe, and this is now my 100th post, a number that was helped considerably by my ongoing "Favorite Band List."

Some of my noteworthy posts (or at least as noteworthy of posts that I've had!):

First Post
The Best Job Ever
A bilingual Oujia Board?
Worst TV Ideas Ever
The Teeth Brushing Rule
80s Slang
90s Slang
Words/Phrases I Like
Top 31 Bands Intro

Here's hoping the next 100 are much more entertaining!

#7 - Led Zeppelin

I think it might actually be sacreligous for Led Zeppelin to be this low, or at least lower than some of the bands that are coming up, but it's my party, and I'll cry if I want to! Anyway, there are a few of their songs that I think are really awesome, and then there's a few that are ok. But not ok enough to make it past #7.

Top 5 Led Zeppelin Songs
1) "D'yer Mak'er"
2) "Stairway to Heaven"
3) "Fool in the Rain"
4) "Kashmir"
5) "Ramble On"

#8 - John Mellencamp

I first liked John Mellencamp when "Hurts So Good" was played before all of my baseball games (it was an excellent CD that also featured "Brown-Eyed Girl" and "Talkin' Baseball"). Now, I listen to him less and less, but I still like the music. One of the classics.

Top 5 John Mellencamp Songs
1) "Hurts So Good"
2) "Pink Houses"
3) "Small Town"
4) "Jack and Diane"
5) "Your Life is Now"

#9 Good Charlotte

I first started listening to these guys mostly because I had a friend that really liked them. Initially, I really didn't like the song "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous," but I began to like it more and more, and listened to more of their stuff, and I found out there were other songs I liked more, and that I actually liked most of their stuff. Hence, the #9 spot on the countdown.

Top 5 Good Charlotte Songs
1) "The Innocent"
2) "The Story of My Old Man"
3) "I Just Wanna Live"
4) "Hold On"
5) "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous"

#10 - The Offspring

"Americana" was one of the first two CD's I ever bought, along with a Red Hot Chili Peppers CD, so they have some sentimental value. They drew me in because I liked "Why Don't You Get a Job?" and "Pretty Fly for a White Guy," then I found other stuff from them I liked better, so that was good too. Good enough to crack the top 10.

Top 5 The Offspring Songs
1) "Come Out and Play"
2) "The Kids Aren't Alright"
3) "Gone Away"
4) "Why Don't You Get a Job"
5) "Self Esteem"

#11 - Our Lady Peace

This is a band I first heard when my cousin was listening to them, and I've really sorta liked them ever since. Most of their songs I like are pretty slow, and then pick up right at the end, which works for them. And puts them all the way up to #11 on my list.

Top 5 Our Lady Peace Songs
1) "Is Anybody Home?"
2) "Do You Like It?"
3) "Innocent"
4) "Sorry"
5) "Somewhere Out There"

#12 - U2

But I do want to clarify, I hate the song "Vertigo." It's very awful. But on the whole, I like their songs. "Sweetest Thing" is one of my favorites. Maybe it's the fact that one of their band members is referred to as "The Edge." Either way, good enough for #12.

Top 5 U2 Songs
1) "Sweetest Thing"
2) "I Still Haven't Found"
3) "Mysterious Ways"
4) "With or Without You"
5) "Beautiful Day"

They say it's your birthday

Well uh, I turn 19 today. Or it's about the age where it's pretty much just another day for me. When the clock struck midnight I was watching a movie called "The River Wild" on the AMC Channel... and that was fine with me.

Last year, I had a surprise birthday party with a bunch of people from school, which I have to admit, was one of the best times I've ever had on my birthday. This year, I'll go to breakfast, take a nap, go to church, go to supper, and then probably sit on the computer. Which is a good day. Nice and relaxing. Just like a birthday should be.

I'll leave you with a quote from Seinfeld, and although it doesn't reflect how I fell, it's very funny and pertains to birthdays. Jerry says this right after George tells him not to be funny because he's trying to impress his date.

"Well, birthdays are merely symbolic of how another year's gone by and how little we've grown. No matter how desperate we are that someday a better self will emerge, each flicker of the candles on the cake we know it's not to be. That for the rest of our sad, wretched, pathetic lives, this is who we are to the bitter end. Inevitably, irrevocably. Happy birthday? No such thing."

#13 - Boston

I just love these guys' music. A lot of it kinda sounds similar, but that's ok because it's so good. Depending on the day, I might rank the top 5 songs differently, which says a lot because they're all so good. Their name is a little unoriginal, but I'm ok with that!

Top 5 Boston Songs
1) "Peace of Mind"
2) "Let Me Take You Home Tonight"
3) "More Than a Feeling"
4) "Rock & Roll Band"
5) "Don't Look Back"

#14 Fall Out Boy (TIE)

This is the type of band I used to make fun of people for liking, but as I began to listen to them, I started to like them more and more, even though they're a little "punk rockish." So I haven't been listening to these guys long either, but I find myself liking a good portion of their songs, or at least to put them at #14.

Top 5 Fall Out Boy Songs
1) "Dance Dance"
2) "Grand Theft Autumn"
3) "My Heart is the Worst Kind of Weapon"
4) "The Pros and Cons of Breathing"
5) "Chicago Is So Two Years Ago"

#14 The Click Five (TIE)

What the tie means is that I forgot to include these guys in my original list, but I really like them, so I have to include them somewhere. I just started listening to them not too long ago, maybe a couple or few months, and I'm starting to listen to more and more of them. They are on the rise, so to speak.

Top 5 The Click Five Songs
1) "Pop Princess"
2) "Catch Your Wave"
3) "Just the Girl"
4) "Baby Just Say Goodnight"
5) "I'll Take My Chances"

#15 - Lynyrd Skynyrd

I just started listening to them sometime last summer, but I pretty much liked them the whole time. As seems to be a common theme, which probably isn't as good, I mostly just like their mainstream songs. As you'll be able to tell, as Lynyrd Skynyrd comes in at #15.

Top 5 Lynyrd Skynyrd Songs
1) "Simple Kind of Man"
2) "That Smell"
3) "Sweet Home Alabama"
4) "Gimme Three Steps"
5) "Tuesday's Gone"

# 16 - Aerosmith

I know a lot of people like to hate on these guys, but I think they're very solid. This was the first time I really had a hard time whittling their top songs down to a list of 5, because there were about 10-15 solid candidates in my mind. But it had to be done, so here it is.

Top 5 Aerosmith Songs
1) "Dream On"
2) "Janie Got a Gun"
3) "Love in an Elevator"
4) "Sweet Emotion"
5) "Livin' on the Edge"

Oh the weather outside is frightful

The only problem is, there is no delightful fire inside!

But wow, it's cold. -1 right now, although it feels like -16. I know most of you folks don't know what -16 degrees feels like, but trust me, it's very cold!

ING Account?

As I think I said, I started an account at ING not too long ago, and am getting 4.75% interest through April 15, and then I will get 3.80% interest, which is a large improvement on my other bank account, where I got like $0.05 a month on interest.

Anyway, the point is, if you're thinking about starting an account there, you should shoot me an email at uclabruins24@hotmail.com , and then I can refer you, you get a $25 bonus, and I get a $10 bonus. It's a win-win situation for everyone!

#17 - CCR

Or Creedence Clearwater Revival, whichever you prefer. Strictly a class rock group, as according to allmusic, they formed in 1967 and disbanded in 1972. I also like the song "Centerfield" which was by John Fogarty, the lead singer, but I can't count that here. But everything else is good enough for #17 on the list.

Top 5 CCR Songs
1) "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"
2) "Bad Moon Rising"
3) "Down on the Corner"
4) "Who'll Stop the Rain?"
5) "Proud Mary"

#18 - Queen

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a great song, or as I say, about 5 good songs combined into one. Very nice. "We Are the Champions" I also like, although that has to do with that song being played (for obvious reasons) when we won the state basketball title. All in all, I really like the top 2 songs, and the rest are still solid. Solid enough for #18 on the list.

Top 5 Queen Songs
1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
2) "Killer Queen"
3) "Fat-Bottomed Girls"
4) "Another One Bites the Dust"
4) "We Are the Champions"

#19 - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Their CD "Californication" was one of the first CD's I ever bought, along with an "Offspring" CD (we might see them later), so they hold a soft spot in my heart. As little as about 3 or 4 years ago, I would have said that these guys were my favorite band, and although now they have fallen to #19, they are still excellent.

Top 5 Red Hot Chili Peppers Songs
1) "Under the Bridge"
2) "Scar Tissue"
3) "Otherside"
4) "Soul to Squeeze"
5) "Californication"

#20 - Third Eye Blind

Very solid band, and I have to say, "Semi-Charmed Life" is one of my favorite songs ever. I don't like a ton of their songs, but quality over quantity for Third Eye Blind. In my book, at least.

Top 5 Third Eye Blind Songs
1) "Semi-Charmed Life"
2) "How's It Going to Be?"
3) "Deep Inside of You"
4) "Jumper"
5) "Never Let You Go"

Deja vu all over again

Well it happened again.

Last night the fire alarm in the dorms went off at about 2 AM, right when I was brushing my teeth. And once again, it was extremely cold outside.

That's 3 times the fire alarm was pulled in 2 nights.

College. Gotta love it!

#21 - The Killers

I like them more and more every time that I hear them, which is always a good sign. If I'd ever do this list again in the future they might get a higher spot. More of an alternative rock style. I still have no idea what the song "Somebody Told Me" means, so if anyone does, please let me know.

Top 5 The Killers Songs
1) "Under the Gun"
2) "Mr. Brightside"
3) "Jenny Was A Friend of Mine"
4) "Somebody Told Me"
5) "Smile Like You Mean It"

FIRE!!

Here was my night:

7:30 - 2:00 AM - Over at friends house watching movies.

2:30 AM - Arrive back at my dorm room. Go on the computer for a few minutes and listened to some music.

3:30 AM - Fall asleep for the first time.

4:00 AM - Fire alarm goes off, everyone has to go inside or their eardrums explode. It's about negative degrees outside.

4:10 AM - Go back inside, try to go to sleep. I make a comment about how it would kind of be funny for the fire alarms to go off again in like half an hour just to see everyone mad.

4:30 AM - Finally fall back asleep again. For the second time.

5:05 AM - Large, ear-piercing noise. Fire alarm goes off again. Still very, very cold, cold enough to basically wake me up.

5:20 AM - Finally go back inside again... but the cold has woken me up some. I go on the computer for a few minutes, then go lay in bed.

5:35ish AM - Fall back asleep for the third time... this time for the night.

College. Gotta love it!

#22 - Van Halen

I know they've had different singers, but I'm counting it all as one, and it doesn't gett too much better than Van Halen. The music's great, the guitar is great, and the hair is very big. Just an all-around great band.

Top 5 Van Halen Songs
1) "Dance the Night Away"
2) "Jamie's Cryin'"
3) "Panama"
4) "Right Now"
5) "Jump"

I chuckled

So I was looking through site stats, and I found that someone had found this site through a Yahoo search about "arabic oujia boards", which directed them to one of my first posts where I talked how it was strange that any story you hear about a oujia board they always reply in english, which I found funny. The lack of bilingual ghosts is a very real problem, I think!

Anyway, just wanted to share because I at least found it rather funny that that search topic led to this blog.

#23 - Barenaked Ladies

They're kind of a quirky band (as evidenced by their name, which is more than a little misleading). But maybe that's why I like them. They seem to really enjoy making their music (and the money helps, I'm sure!), but maybe I'm just blowing smoke here. Either way, they make it to #23 on the countdown.

Top 5 Barenaked Ladies Songs
1) "It's All Been Done"
2) "Another Postcard"
3) "One Week"
4) "Falling for the First Time"
5) "If I Had a Million Dollars"

Because not everything in life is music

Or in other words, I'll post something on my blog now that doesn't involve my top bands list.

I have 4 tests next week, which is not so fun. Criminology, Applied Calculus, Microeconomics, and Government. Should be exciting!

I should go have my car get jumped, because it's not starting. Pretty sad car, even though it has a little bit of an excuse since it's quite cold in North Dakota, in case you didn't know.

I already have accrued (is that the right word?) over $1 in interest for my ING account in like a little over a week, which would have taken like a year in my other bank account, so that's nice. However, sometime soon I'll make a payment on my student loan, so that's not fun.

I got called to jury duty, which would be really cool, except that I'm going to college 4 hours away. I sent the paper back to them saying this, but I'll probably try to give the court a call tomorrow to make sure. This would have been way cooler if it happened to me in the summer.

Got a couple more friends coming into town this weekend, so that should be fun. Combined with the Super Bowl on Sunday, it should be a nice little weekend. And the weekend after that is my birthday!

So uh yeah, talk to you later!

#24 - Pearl Jam

I actually had heard of these very early in my younger years because they were my sister's favorite band... she even had their name on her license plate. (though I think this had a lot to do with the fact that she had a crush on Eddie Vedder!) But then I started to listen to them more, and I began to like their music, hence they moved to #24 on the countdown.

Top 5 Pearl Jam Songs
1) "Better Man"
2) "Last Kiss"
3) "Evenflow"
4) "Alive"
5) "Daughter"

#25 - Green Day

Cracking the top 25 is Green Day, with the caveat that I hate the sing "American Idiot." Maybe I just played Madden too much, but it's awful. That said, I like a lot of other of their stuff (although "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is not one of my favorites), including the high school classic "Time of Your Life." So yeah.

Top 5 Green Day Songs
1) "Basket Case"
2) "When I Come Around"
3) "Welcome to Paradise"
4) "Holiday"
5) "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"