Tag / Boiler Up!

by jim

Mix Tape Monday – Volume 1

Between 1989, my sophomore year of high school, and 1995, my fourth year of college, I put together a nearly 20 volume collection of mix tapes, containing my favorite songs that I had gathered either from the radio, a cassette tape, or (eventually) CD. I thought it would be a fun exercise to look back at all 20 volumes and which of my “favorite” songs I still listen to today.

Volume 1 again, was started in 1989 when I was a sophomore and stretches to early 1990, and features a steady stream of hair metal, with a smattering of pop, rap and dance thrown in for good measure.

Side A

Warrant – Heaven

The massive hit that put Warrant on the map was taped off the radio, most likely from Z95.

iTunes stats: 3 plays, most recently on 9/17/2011

Young MC – Bust A Move

Young MC’s one hit was taped from the cassingle.

iTunes stats: 13 plays, most recently on 8/4/2011

New Kids Got Run Over By A Reindeer

Not a real song, but a bit from what I believe was the Welch & Woody morning show on Z95.

Bon Jovi – You Give Love A Bad Name

The first “out of sequence” song was taped from my sister’s cassette.

iTunes stats: 5 plays 5/11/2011

B-52s –  Love Shack

Surprisingly, despite coming from the radio, it is the full version of the song, not the radio edit, unlike the MP3 I have today.

iTunes stats: 2 plays, most recently on 6/29/2011

Paula Abdul – The Way That You Love Me

One of the lesser hits from Abdul’s debut was taped from my sister’s cassette.

iTunes stats: 0 plays

Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting

Marx’s smash hit is another Z95 radio entry.

iTunes stats: 1 play, on 8/31/2008

Side B

Continue reading →

by admin

March Forth

Danny takes center stage in March, with two portrait pictures combined into one to match the landscape format of the calendar.  The photo on the left shows Danny with the Michael Jordan statue outside of the United Center before Purdue’s unfortunate ouster in round two of the NCAA tournament last March.  In photo on the right, Danny poses with Neil Armstrong on the Purdue campus before the homecoming victory over the Fighting Illini last October.

by jim

Global Fit Week 25

Last week of vacation starts off with a thud, as I didn’t use wear the tracker at all on Christmas.  The rest of the week is mostly decent, if nothing spectacular.  Friday was mostly spent doing family obligations, so no real chance to do anything active.  Saturday was a return to campus for my first trip to Mackey Arena since the December 8, 1996 victory over Long Beach State, so I got a little work in, but only about half as much as October’s trip for homecoming.  And, that is officially a wrap for 2011.  By my calculations, I logged 888,273 steps since I got the tracker on the afternoon of July 12th.

by admin

30 Day Picture Challenge Day 12 – A Picture Of Something You Love

As a senior in high school in the fall of 1991, I applied to three colleges: Northern Illinois University, DePaul University, and Purdue University.  One year later, in the fall of 1992, I arrived in West Lafayette, Indiana, ready to matriculate as a member of the Purdue class of 1996.  Nearly 20 years later, the affection that started with an acceptance letter has grown, and continues to grow.  Whether it is the crumpled sweatshirt on the floor behind me, the recently taken pictures of me and my niece and nephews on the same fountain seen above, or the basketball tickets I just ordered last week, or the friendships I still cherish, the love is as strong today as it ever was.

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30 Day Picture Challenge Day 11 – A Picture Of Something You Hate

It’s funny how our most recent experiences inform our emotional responses, like love and hate.  Ask me a week from now, or even a week ago, and I would probably think of 25 things I “hate” before I got to IU.  But coming off of homecoming weekend, and a trip back down to campus, this sticks out in my head.  So, I will go with the red and white polyester wearing Hoosiers from Bloomington.

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30 Day Music Challenge Day 10 – A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

Why has it been nearly three months between days 9 and 10 of this challenge?  Because I’ve been trying to think of an answer.  Music doesn’t make me fall asleep.  Just the opposite, in fact. So, in honor of yesterday’s homecoming victory over the Fighting Illini, I present Hail Purdue, as performed by the All-American Marching Band.  A song which most definately does not put me to sleep.

by admin

Book 11 (of 52) – Airframe

Airframe – Michael Crichton

I read my first Michael Crichton novel, The Andromeda Strain, in 1989 as a high school assignment for freshman biology with Mr. Draski.  The last Crichton novel I read, The Lost World, was in 1997 during my last semester in college.  That makes Airframe my first exposure to his work as (truly) an adult, and while it didn’t have all of the thrills that I remember from my youth, it was an entertaining, and somewhat beliveable, tale of corporate politics and sensationalistic television”jornalism”.

The story follows the investigation an airplane manufacturer undertakes after one of their planes is involved in an incident.  While their VP for QA tries to get the bottom of things, others on the management team seem to have their own agendas and a video has gotten the attention of a tv news magazine show looking for quick story to fill a hole.  Crichton opens with the initial mystery, what caused the incident, and adds in the true to life intrigue of the corporate backstabbing that happens everyday, along with the dubious ethics of the producers who believe they can create the news to fit their agendas/timeslots.  A worthy effort that didn’t disappoint either the current version of me or the teenager who was a big Crichton fan back in the early to mid 90s.