August 2018
August 2018
On New Starts and Comfort in Music
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about a few things: capitalism & government, the role LinkedIn plays as a governing body of sorts in the marketplace between job-seekers and recruiters, and new starts. I’ll leave the first two thoughts in my head as they’re likely to bore you, and dive deeper into #3. (#3 my lord, #3!)
August is often a time of change. New school year, new job. And this August, being my first August post-undergrad, is particularly momentous. My friends are now spread across the country – DC, Boston, Columbus, Urbana-Champaign, Provo, Los Angeles, Reno – and one soon to step on a plane to the Canary Islands. They too are starting in new jobs and new schools. My brother just started college at the University of Utah. My parents, by default, are now empty nesters.
In all of our lives, change is a constant. And with it comes uncertainty. For all those kids just getting to campus or all the people starting new jobs in new cities – OneRepublic just wrote a song for you and it’s called Connection. I’ll leave my favorite lyrics here for your reading:
“These days my waves get lost in the oceans
Seven billion swimmers, man I’m going through the motions
Sent up a flare, I need love and devotion
Traded for some faces that I never know, notion
Maybe I should try to find the old me
Take me to the places and the people that know me
Tryin’ to disconnect, thinking maybe you could show me
If there’s so many people here, then why am I so lonely?
Real friends, good friends, hard to find, let’s face it
Find the perfect home and there’s a flood in the basement”
In short, change is tough. And you have to let the nostalgia of the ‘good old days’ come. You should feel good about the memories you’ve already made and the friends you know you can count on. But you ought to acknowledge your new situation for what it is: a blank slate to be filled with new memories and new friends. Above all else, I think the most important thing is finding your true north in the change and that’s yourself. You are the only constant throughout your life.
Today, I got off the Bart and I listened to Taylor Swift on shuffle for all of my mile walk home. From How You Get the Girl to State of Grace to You Belong with Me. And I was jamming. It was kind of late and no one was around me and my blood was still running hot from my post-work workout and you know what? I just turned that T-Swift up and started singin’ and dancin’ my entire walk home. I’m sure some families in minivans driving past me assumed I was just another crazy in the Bay Area, and maybe they’re right. But that’s what I do. That’s me. And that’s the same me at 22 years old with a fancy-pants job as it was at 16 years old singing the same Swift jams in oversized pajamas and annoying my family. That’s a constant.
Below you’ll find a link to a select 10 songs from the August 2018 playlist. This 10-song list is intended to give you a taste of the full thing. Link to the full edition is below as well. I hope one day one of these songs ends up on your shuffle on your walk home. Please dance for me.
– theMonthlyJamm | August 14th, 2018
PS: Recommendation thanks to Brooke for Woman and Chiara for Summer Clothes. Special call out on Summer Clothes, whose lyrics include a reference to Reno. If you want a song to make this list, the easiest way is a reference to my hometown 🙂
Ten from August 2018
Full Edition
On New Starts and Comfort in Music
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about a few things: capitalism & government, the role LinkedIn plays as a governing body of sorts in the marketplace between job-seekers and recruiters, and new starts. I’ll leave the first two thoughts in my head as they’re likely to bore you, and dive deeper into #3. (#3 my lord, #3!)
August is often a time of change. New school year, new job. And this August, being my first August post-undergrad, is particularly momentous. My friends are now spread across the country – DC, Boston, Columbus, Urbana-Champaign, Provo, Los Angeles, Reno – and one soon to step on a plane to the Canary Islands. They too are starting in new jobs and new schools. My brother just started college at the University of Utah. My parents, by default, are now empty nesters.
In all of our lives, change is a constant. And with it comes uncertainty. For all those kids just getting to campus or all the people starting new jobs in new cities – OneRepublic just wrote a song for you and it’s called Connection. I’ll leave my favorite lyrics here for your reading:
“These days my waves get lost in the oceans
Seven billion swimmers, man I’m going through the motions
Sent up a flare, I need love and devotion
Traded for some faces that I never know, notion
Maybe I should try to find the old me
Take me to the places and the people that know me
Tryin’ to disconnect, thinking maybe you could show me
If there’s so many people here, then why am I so lonely?
Real friends, good friends, hard to find, let’s face it
Find the perfect home and there’s a flood in the basement”
In short, change is tough. And you have to let the nostalgia of the ‘good old days’ come. You should feel good about the memories you’ve already made and the friends you know you can count on. But you ought to acknowledge your new situation for what it is: a blank slate to be filled with new memories and new friends. Above all else, I think the most important thing is finding your true north in the change and that’s yourself. You are the only constant throughout your life.
Today, I got off the Bart and I listened to Taylor Swift on shuffle for all of my mile walk home. From How You Get the Girl to State of Grace to You Belong with Me. And I was jamming. It was kind of late and no one was around me and my blood was still running hot from my post-work workout and you know what? I just turned that T-Swift up and started singin’ and dancin’ my entire walk home. I’m sure some families in minivans driving past me assumed I was just another crazy in the Bay Area, and maybe they’re right. But that’s what I do. That’s me. And that’s the same me at 22 years old with a fancy-pants job as it was at 16 years old singing the same Swift jams in oversized pajamas and annoying my family. That’s a constant.
Below you’ll find a link to a select 10 songs from the August 2018 playlist. This 10-song list is intended to give you a taste of the full thing. Link to the full edition is below as well. I hope one day one of these songs ends up on your shuffle on your walk home. Please dance for me.
– theMonthlyJamm | August 14th, 2018
PS: Recommendation thanks to Brooke for Woman and Chiara for Summer Clothes. Special call out on Summer Clothes, whose lyrics include a reference to Reno. If you want a song to make this list, the easiest way is a reference to my hometown 🙂
