Lauren somehow got into my CD binder a few days ago and emptied all of my CDs all over the dining room floor. While this was slightly annoying, it gave me the opportunity to go through all my old CDs that rarely get listened to anymore. It’s funny how I can look at each CD and remember an exact moment that I’ve listened to it, and how my CDs sort of fit into the events in my life.

I received my first CDs for Christmas when I was in 6^th grade, and they were Melissa Etheridge and John Michael Montgomery. I still have both of them. Other CDs from the middle school era include Mariah Carey, Elton John, and Shenandoah. Yeah, I guess I was into country then. I can still remember my tiny little bedroom in that stupid trailer dad and I lived in after grandma died and how I would just spend hours in there reading and listening to music.

Early high school CDs included Alanis Morrisette, La Bouche, Oasis, the Presidents of the United States of America, Savage Garden, and Soul Asylum. I remember my friend Betsy did a skating routine to Runaway Train by Soul Asylum and every time I hear that song I think of her. Now that I think of it, I guess Soul Asylum was more of a middle school CD. I also remember listening that song coming on when I was listening to my Walkman the day that I moved out of my mom’s house in 7^th grade, and how it fit so perfectly.

Late high school music was Aerosmith, Aqua, Creed, the Cranberries, Enya, Sarah McLaughlin, Matchbox 20, and Offspring. I remember making tapes of all these CDs in my room because I didn’t have a CD player in my car. I remember listening to Sarah McLaughlin (Surfacing) and writing letters to Brian late at night when I was supposed to be sleeping or studying. I was always listening to music my junior and senior years of high school. I slept with my CD player on repeat every night.

My first two years of college I really had no idea what I was doing or where I was going. I remember desperately trying to Find God ™ and several CDs show this effort – 4Him and Third Day. Donald bought me the Train CD during this time because he told me the song “Drops of Jupiter” was everything he ever wanted to say to me. I still love this song and think of him every time I hear it. I also have Lifehouse, and can remember seeing them when they played at our county 4-H fair.

The CD that I’m so glad I found again though is Marcus Bovre – Angels, Bones, and Clocks. Marcus Bovre was a local musician out of Madison that was popular locally, but should have been famous nationally. His music and lyrics are beautiful. The first time I saw him and his band in person was at the Willie Street Festival in the summer of 2003, right before I left for London. He left the music business in 2004, I think, in order to spend more time with his family. One of the songs on this CD just struck me during this time, and has stuck with me since. I don’t even know the name of it, but it is exactly how I try to live my life. Here are the lyrics the best I can tell –

Twenty years and the minutes crawl and the days fly by
Twenty years ain’t nothing at all when you’re young like I
The absurdities are so sublime
I run red lights just to stand in line
Just to save myself some precious little time

I can’t save my life
Spend it by the nickel and the dime
I can’t save my life like that
Lazy days just growin’ fat
Feeding on my precious little time

Show some faith as a smile on the face of the millennium
Show some grace, just might change the pace of the days to come
When you measure all your time in line
The unbroken circle seems unkind
When you wave goodbye to your precious little time

I can’t save my life
Spend it by the nickel and the dime
I can’t save my life like that
Lazy days just growin’ fat
Feeding on my precious little time

The absurdities, they’re so sublime
I run red lights just to stand in line
Just to save myself some precious little time…

I don’t know how much more time I have here, so I want to do something every day to reach my goals. I don’t have time to wait for things to happen to me – I try to make them happen for myself. Anyway, the whole CD is great and I’ve been listening to it for the last day.

Oh yeah, since 2003 I’ve given up on CDs and just download my music. Unfortunately when my computer died in 2005, it took all of my 5 gigs of music with it. Boohooo.