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In Which I Delay Studying by Talking About Productivity
It’s amazing how specific albums can affect my productivity level. I always listen to music when I’m studying or doing work (or cooking, or doing the dishes, or taking a shower, or driving…), and typically when I’m writing I’ll try to put on something with sic beatz which is not-too-distracting (I’ve been on a real hood internet kick lately). At some point during the study groove, however, I will inevitably resort to two albums to fuel my productivity. Those albums are Wincing the Night Away by the Shins, and The Shepherd’s Dog by Iron & Wine.
I first discovered these albums in third year University. I had just returned to school after a two year hiatus, and I felt like I had forgotten all together how to work. I had recently read a review of Wincing the Night Away in a magazine (like, on actual paper; I know, I’m old), and I bought it from puretracks.com, with a coupon that I got from McDonalds (life before itunes and torrents). Post-download, The Shepherd’s Dog was a recommended album purchase. I’m not sure why, since they’re not actually very similar (although admittedly they’re now back-to-back album buddies). I listened to the Shins. And then I listened to Iron & Wine. And then I listened to the Shins again. Repeat until I had written my first paper in 2.5 years, my first ever 25 page paper. That night I felt like I learned what it was like to work really, really hard on something. And since then I basically haven’t written a word without this soundtrack.
My link between these albums and productivity only intensified when I was studying for the LSATand I listened to nothing except their 25 tracks for three weeks or more (that’s actually a lie, I also did this really dorky thing and listened to fo’ real white noise). I had to pause _the Shepard’s Dog_while I wrote this post because these albums are so intrinsically linked to the concept of “me working hard” that I now feel guilty if I listen to them in a non-working context. They make me feel productive. They make me feel like I should be more productive. And when I’m not being productive enough I know I can count on this specific album combo to make me buckle down.
It’s strange and awesome that certain songs can be so tied to certain moments in your life or triggers in your brain. So strange and awesome, in fact, that I had to turn off my music, put aside my study guide and write a blog post about it.
What? It’s not like the process is infallible.
[Ed. Note - In this post, parenthisis have secrets in them!]
Rock Yo Sea Legs (Crime Mob feat. Lil Scrappy vs The Shins) — The Hood Internet | Last.fm
[This mashup reignited my love of the Shins.]
[I do not do anything right now except sit in the library and listen to The Hood Internet.]
How to Date Someone Twice Your Age
I do [did] so love Thought Catalog.
I know that by posting this I’m revealing the extent of my nerdiness, and frankly I’m okay with that. I am so into this album right now.
Where did Wilson get the inspiration for such lyrics as “Yesterday was Thursday/Today is Friday?” “I wrote the lyrics on a Thursday night going into a Friday,” he said. “I was writing different songs all night and was like, ‘Wow, I’ve been up a long time and it’s Friday.’ And I was like, wow, it is Friday!”
Friday, the gift that keeps on giving. Meet the Man Responsible for Rebecca Black, On Gawker.
Cake in a mug! Amazing! I had no Whipped Cream, so I topped this one with cinnamon and brown sugar. Yum.
Make your own cake in a mug! It’s so fun!
“…and then, crescendo: “Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday, Today it is Friday, Friday … Tomorrow is Saturday, and Sunday comes afterward.” It’s funny, but then not quite funny enough — you keep expecting it to get more extreme, but the punchline never comes. About halfway through, you realize with a sick feeling that it’s not a parody at all.”
I love the Rebecca Black song, I love the parodies, I love the “Which Seat” meme and I love that naming the days of the week now counts as lyrics. Thank you, Rebecca Black, for distracting me from Charlie Sheen - while you destroyed modern music.
If you want endless delight and also poop jokes, you should really be reading Three Word Phrase. (it also can help you learn, if the things it references were not things you knew about before!)
I’m about halfway through 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth. I love this book, I love the Oatmeal, and I love this picture of a bear trying to fool me into petting him.
I’m not fooled by you, Bear.
I almost never reblog Simpsons stuff, because there’s just so much of it and I feel like I look at it all - but I had to reblog this one because “possibleye” has affected my everyday lexicon more than any other Simpsons reference (save, perhaps, for SMRT).
Source: sufferbus
Gum Manufacturers Take Note - This Sucks
Me: gum?
AM: i’m chewing gum. fruity gum. blugh.
Me: want some minty gum? i hate fruit gum
AM: meh, i’ll just chew this i bought it by accident it was green.
Me: aw man
AM: green usually means mint
Me: sometimes it means green apple. or pineapple. they fuck with you.
An honest look at your Twitter account via someecards.
I am so into this. The tiger blood, the droopy-eyed children, the bi-winning… all of it. Best Internet in a long time.