the socially constructed tendency to organize

here they are, my favorite albums of 2005:

10. Spoon, Gimme Fiction
9. Hot Hot Heat, Elevator
8. Ryan Adams, 29
7. Gorillaz, Demon Days
6. Brendan Benson, The Alternative to Love
5. The Sun, Blame It on the Youth
4. Son Volt, Okemah and the Melody of Riot
3. System of a Down, Mezmerize
2. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, Worlds Apart
1. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Cold Roses

honorable mentions: Beck, Guero; Orange Drink, The Widowmaker; The Darkness, One Way Ticket To Hell... And Back; and, of course, Ben Kennedy, Plaid Flag.
biggest disappointments of the year: Better Than Ezra, Before the Robots; Billy Corgan, TheFutureEmbrace; Coldplay, X & Y; Ben Folds, Songs For Silverman; Our Lady Peace, Healthy In Paranoid Times.

five songs i really really liked that aren't on the aforementioned 10-best:
5. Doris Henson, "Sidestepping"
4. Fans of Kate, "Tape 23"
3. My Name is Rossmer, "Everybody Knows a Girl Who Went to William and Mary"
2. Brian Byrne, "Jen's Song"
1. Kelly Clarkson, "Since U Been Gone"

Please, comment. Let's discuss.

Nostalgic senior appreciates campus: April 29, 2005

link to article -- The Flat Hat, Williamsburg, VA

"Now that we're about to graduate, it's easy to fall into the trap of being so ready to graduate, or so over this. Slowly weaning ourselves off the things upon which we've come to depend on is a natural part of the leaving process. And it's healthy to be ready for a new chapter in life when the current one is coming to a close. It would be ridiculous, though, to tell me I could skip "Star Wars" and go straight to "The Empire Strikes Back," since it's the early chapters that make the later chapters understandable and enjoyable."

Graduation speaker to serve vital role in easing transition: March 25, 2005

link to article - The Flat Hat, Williamsburg, VA

"Who, then, will minister to the great unwashed masses? Clearly the College should already be looking for someone newsworthy and well-respected. I think we should also try to find someone congenial and full of handy pointers for evading post-grad starvation and homelessness. Ideally, we should also find someone who doesn’t use the public forum to expound on his own neuroses. I guess that rules me out."

'Last Word' writers shirk responsibility - February 4, 2005

link to article - The Flat Hat, Williamsburg, VA

"The offending (anonymous) comment was something to the effect of: "Isn't it wonderful to be in Williamsburg in January? When the students are gone for the holidays, there's no littering or loud parties, and there's parking everywhere. What a beautiful city it is when the students aren't in town." I'm honestly not sure what annoys me more about this: the fact that it's mean-spirited, or the fact that no one would own up to it."

Hinckley debate brings thoughts of free tacos: Nov. 12, 2004

link to article--The Flat Hat, Williamsburg, VA

"Love him or hate him, it's poor etiquette to assassinate the president. Even if it's to win the love of fair Jodie Foster. Some call it stalking; John W. Hinckley, Jr. called it love. And now he's calling on St. Elizabeth's, his mental institution home since 1982, to let him visit his parents. Each unsupervised visit would be four days long and about two weeks apart. The catch that makes it relevant to we here in Williamsburg is that his parents live in Kingsmill."

Homecoming brings thoughts of change: Oct. 15, 2004

link to article--The Flat Hat, Williamsburg, VA

"It's strange, though, to know what the future holds for campus, knowing I won't be here to see it happen. I imagine it's a little like what the returning alumni feel now, coming back to a campus filled with kids who might be young enough to be their children. I will even admit to seeing "Class of 2008" and cringing. Won't we have flying cars by then? Granted, the Class of '95 probably saw "Class of 2005" and thought the same thing."

'Fahrenheit 9/11' furor ignores meaning of freedom: Sep. 24, 2004

link to article--The Flat Hat, Williamsburg, VA

"Last week, the political dialogue in Williamsburg reached new heights of hypocrisy when area conservatives lambasted Colonial Williamsburg for showing "Fahrenheit 9/11" at The Kimball Theatre. The national headline-writing community had a field day, as the potential for unconscionable puns was tremendous. "'Fahrenheit 9/11 is Turning up the Heat in Colonial Williamsburg" in The Daily Press and "Temps rise over 'Fahrenheit 9/11' courtesy of The Virginia Gazette are just two examples. My fierce love for punnery aside, I can't help but come down somewhere on Michael Moore's side, even though he annoys me almost as much as Ann Coulter does."