alternative notion

I didn't have regular MTV access until I started at McCook Community College.  This may seem like a trite thing but to someone who didn't like country music or the country lifestyle, this was a big handicap.  I longed to know what the rest of the world was doing and did not trust basic cable to tell me. 

During my second year in McCook, I met my friend Nate who wooed me with his CD collection.  I was a sponge, ready to absorb it all.  I quickly came to love Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins as well as many many more.  I was able to pass the music onto my brother who was also experiencing musical and cultural isolation in our little town.  As technology improved over the 5 years that separates us, I did think he was better off though.  Anyway, Eric told me to listen to all of Siamese Dream.  I had the CD and loved it but I didn't really appreciate it until he brought it to my attention.  Now Smashing Pumpkins remains one of my favorite bands (although I believe they are a shell of themselves without D'Arcy or James Iha).

After Justin and Dom each sang Pearl Jam songs last night, I couldn't get them out of my head today.  I pulled out all of my old Pearl Jam CDs and put them on my I-Tunes.  I then got all of my Pumpkins CDs and so on and so forth.  It was great.  I forgot to mention that I bought a new I-pod on Friday and was able to put on four times as much music and it was all Alternative all day today.  I've become a pop music junkie lately so it was refreshing to listen to good quality music.  I may be on this phase for a while.

What else?
I did a lot of biking around today (listening to my alternative mix), stopping in at a plethora of athletic and mountain stores, looking for a late bday gift for Ashes but to no avail.  I suppose I'll just wait until Seven Corners opens up again on Tuesday and buy it then.