Johnny's Top 25 Most Played Songs of (the last half of) 2012!

I haven't been in the blogging game for quite a while, but with the start of a new year and my desire to reset my play counts I've felt inclined to at least share my annual Top 25 (even though I missed last year...) The play counts are a little lower than they've been in previous years, but that's due to having had to re-install Windows a couple times which wiped my play counts so really this list only represents the last half of the year or so. Still, I think it has some pretty good gems in it. I hope you enjoy these songs as much as I did in 2012

#	Artist/Song	Times Played
25:	Hey Champ - Cold Dust Girl	10
24:	Taylor Swift - Mine	10
23:	Spoon - I Turn My Camera On	11
22:	Regina Spektor - Us	12
21:	Wolf Parade - Modern World	12
20:	Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers	13
19:	LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends	13
18:	Rihanna - S.O.S. (Rescue Me)	15
17:	Blitzen Trapper - God & Suicide	17
16:	The xx - Night Time	18
15:	Of Monsters And Men - Little Talks	18
14:	The Beatles - Come Together	18
13:	Empire of the Sun - Standing On The Shore	19
12:	Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer	21
11:	Muse - Map Of The Problematique	27
10:	Foster The People - Call It What You Want	28
9:	Coldplay  - Princess of China	28
8:	M83 - Midnight City	31
7:	Cassettes Won't Listen - Freeze and Explode	32
6:	Florence + The Machine - Only If For A Night	38
5:	Muse - Supremacy	40
4:	Two Door Cinema Club - Settle	40
3:	LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean	46
2:	Divine Fits - My Love is Real	58
1:	Two Door Cinema Club - Sleep Alone	63

I'm pretty happy with this list.  Yes, I have some Taylor Swift and some Rihanna on there!  Everybody is allowed a couple guilty pleasure songs, aren't they?

25 Most Listened to Songs of '10

We've started a new year which means it's time to reset the play counts on my iPod/iPhone again, but before I erase such wonderful history let me share with you the 25 greatest hits from Johnny's iPhone in 2010.

#	Artist/Song	Times Played
25:	Thom Yorke - The Eraser	42
24:	Vampire Weekend - I Think Ur A Contra	43
23:	La Roux - Bulletproof	43
22:	Empire of the Sun - Walking On A Dream	43
21:	Discovery - Osaka Loop Line	43
20:	Coldplay - Lost!	46
19:	The Temper Trap - Resurrection	46
18:	Radiohead - Everything in its Right Place	46
17:	TV On The Radio - Dancing Choose	47
16:	LCD Soundsystem - Tribulations	52
15:	Imogen Heap - Loose Ends	52
14:	Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks	59
13:	The Killers - This Is Your Life	67
12:	LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great	72
11:	Muse - MK Ultra	75
10:	Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn	80
9:	The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs	82
8:	Band of Horses - Laredo	82
7:	Florence And The Machine - Cosmic Love	86
6:	The Whitest Boy Alive - Burning	88
5:	Florence And The Machine - Dog Days Are Over	92
4:	The Temper Trap - Love Lost	96
3:	Two Door Cinema Club - What You Know	107
2:	Jaydiohead - Dreaming Up	133
1:	Band of Horses - Dilly	152

I'll be honest... There were a few songs on this list that were a surprise to even me, but I'm not ashamed!  Also, if you want to know how this list compares to my 2009 top 25?  Click here!

25 Most Listened to Songs of '09

Last year my pal Bryce made a list of the 25 most played songs on his iPod for the year and then reset his play counts and started over. I followed suit and am prepared to report on my top 25 played songs for 2009. Here they are.

#	Artist/Song	Times Played
25:	Phoenix - Fences	55
24:	Radiohead - Jigsaw Falling Into Place	56
23:	Loney, Dear - Everything Turns To You	56
22:	El Ten Eleven - My Only Swerving	56
21:	Vampire Weekend - M79	57
20:	The Sounds - No One Sleeps When I'm Awake	58
19:	Andrew Bird - Imitosis	58
18:	Bloc Party - Signs	60
17:	Mew - Beach	64
16:	Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer	66
15:	Vampire Weekend - Ottoman	68
14:	Pinback - Good To Sea	68
13:	Vampire Weekend - Campus	69
12:	Cake - Love You Madly	70
11:	Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You	70
10:	The National - Fake Empire	71
9:	Phoenix - Armistice	76
8:	Muse - Uprising	79
7:	White Rabbits - Percussion Gun	82
6:	Phoenix - Lisztomania	82
5:	Blitzen Trapper - God & Suicide	82
4:	Passion Pit - Little Secrets	86
3:	The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition	100
2:	The Whitest Boy Alive - Burning	107
1:	Phoenix - 1901	122

There you go... That's how 2009 treated me in the music department. Now it's time to reset and restart.

Car Naming

Does your car have a name? Did you follow the rules for naming it? Did you know there WERE rules for naming it? My heart weeps because my current vehicle doesn't have a name, and I feel like there's nothing I can do about it.... so I figured I'd blog about it.

There really aren't many rules, but it's necessary they are followed meticulously unless you want your car to be mocked by all the other more popular bully cars.

1) You can't name your own car. It's like a nickname, if you try to give one to yourself it never sticks (and your friends make fun of you behind your back.)

2) The process usually takes time due to the nature of it's natural occurance, but under some special circumstances it can be forced.

These circumstances include but are not limited to:

a) Road Trips

b) Festivals

c) If the car is a gift

i) Birthday

ii) Christmas

iii) Valentines Day

d) To impress the ladies

3) Once a vehicle has been named, despite how much you love or hate the name, it sticks! Sometimes a car can have more than one name, but you must recognize ALL names that have been assigned and accepted by the masses

Here are some examples and stories of cars me and my friends have been involved in naming.

Owner: Johnny Etchemendy

Vehicle: 1984 Toyota Tercel Wagon (The original was white, but I couldn't easily find a picture and I didn't want to waste the time trying to find one)

Named: Old Dirty Hank

Story: The name "Old Dirty Hank" comes from a Barenaked Ladies song (Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank) that was a favorite of mine in high school. Bryce Sagers named the car Old Dirty Hank and named me Straw Hat. Turns out people loved the name Old Dirty Hank for my car. Straw Hat on the other hand, did NOT stick as a nickname for me. This is perhaps one of the most remembered cars I've owned with some of the best memories. Old Dirty Hank lives on in my heart and anybody that knew him in his prime.

Owner: Johnny Etchemendy

Vehicle: 2000 Kia Sportage

Named: Bounce-a-tron; The Rolodex; Dexter the Rolling Stone

Story: Not much of a story. As far as I can remember, Bryce Sagers came up with all these names, and it has been regularly referred to by all three names. Rolodex was probably the most common, but it often went by Dexter.

Owner: Bryce Sagers

Vehicle: 1992 AND 1993 Chevy Corsicas

Named: King Cedric Silver Fox & Prince Cedric Silver Fox

Story: There were actually two of these vehicles. A '92 and a '93 that were owned by the Sagers family. Bryce drove both of them. The '92 Corsica was the King and the '93 was Prince. I'll be honest, I could never tell the difference.

Owner: Kamille Barker

Vehicle: 1994 Honda Accord

Named: MacGyver

Story: Bryce Sagers, Scott Tuckfield, Jonathan Gracey, and I were all trying to get to a concert in Denver Colorado. The problem was that we didn't have a vehicle that could get us there. None of our parents would lend us a vehicle and the day before we were supposed to leave we didn't know what to do! Then my older sister came through and told us we could take her car. Since he came through just in the nick of time we named him MacGyver.

Owner: Joanne Rich

Vehicle: ???? Toyota Highlander

Named: Nigel the Norwegian Constable

Story: Bryce Sagers, Bobby Rich, and I were again going to a concert, but this time it was in Las Vegas. Bob's mom told us we could take her car so we decided it definitely needed a name. We all posed names and surnames, and through democratic processes, we settled on Nigel the Norwegian Constable. Shortly after we returned Joanne decided she wanted to name her car. She wanted to name it Rhonda because of the song, but nobody would recognize the name because she didn't follow the rules.

Owner: Johnny Etchemendy

Vehicle: 1998 Subaru Outback

Name: Ira

Story: There was a sticker on the back of my car when I bought it that said "Ira" and the rest is history. I didn't like it at first, but that's how everybody referred to my car, so I lived with it...

Here are some cars that need names, but it's just never happened... Maybe you can help and we'll see if any of them stick.

Owner: Johnny Etchemendy

Vehicle: 2008 Subaru Outback

Owner: Scott Barnes

Vehicle: 1998 Audi A4

Owner: Bryce Sagers

Vehicle: 2007 (or is it 2008) Toyota Yaris

Owner: Rich Patterson

Vehicle: 2000 Honda Accord

Also, listen to this song: Passion Pit - Better Things

Top 15 Albums of 2007

It's time for Johnny's 15 Albums of 2007! This is an impressive list.... 2007 really pulled through in the music department. Check out these great hits! (again, in alphabetical order)

1. Armchair Apocrypha, by Andrew Bird	2. Autumn of the Seraphs, by Pinback
3. Boxer, by The National	4. The Broken String, by Bishop Allen
5. Cassadaga, by Bright Eyes	6. Cease to Begin, by Band of Horses
7. Chase This Light, by Jimmy Eat World	8. Dan In Real Life, Original Soundtrack
9. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, by Spoon	10. In Rainbows, by Radiohead
11. Loney, Noir, by Loney, Dear	12. Neon Bible, by The Arcade Fire
13. Under The Black Light, by Rilo Kiley	14. We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, by Modest Mouse
15. Wincing The Night Away, by The Shins

Can you believe that list?! 2007 blew my mind right out of my skull!

This song has popped up in three different "Genius" playlists on my ipod this week. I think it's trying to tell me something... Well, Johnny's ipod... I got the message. You rock as much as 2007 did... Andrew Bird - Skin Is, My

P.S. The link to the song is for a live version, but it's still amazing.

Top 15 Albums of 2006

I think the world needs to know what albums I feel were the best releases in 2006. Later I will post 2007 and 2008, but we should start small. I've ordered them alphebetically because it was too difficult to order them in any other fashion.

1. Black Holes & Revelations, by Muse

2. The Crane Wife, by The Decemberists

3. Dog Problems, by The Format

4. Dying To Say This To You, by The Sounds

5. The Eraser, by Thom Yorke

6. Everything All The Time, by Band of Horses

7. First Impressions Of Earth, by The Strokes

8. A Lesson In Crime, by Tokyo Police Club

9. Light Grenades, by Incubus

10. Nighttiming, by Coconut Records

11. Sam's Town, by The Killers

12. Stadium Arcadium, by The Red Hot Chili Peppers

13. Stranger Than Fiction, Original Soundtrack

14. Under The Iron Sea, by Keane

15. We, The Vehicles, by Maritime

It's possible that I've forgotten some essential 2006 albums, but I think this is a pretty solid list. Feel free to leave your thoughts, suggestions, or complaints.

Music in 2006 was great and all, but you really need to check out this tune from 2009. You won't regret it!

Phoenix - Lisztomania

Money Times

Money has been on my mind a lot lately. I've decided that I love it AND I hate it. I love that it has the potential to buy services I need, such as my car, the gas required to operate my car, and my tuition. On the other hand, I hate just how many cash monies these objects require! I've been spending a lot of mental energies on this problem lately and have come to a few different conclusions.

1. I could lead a much more fulfilling life I think if I didn't have to worry about money.

2. I need to find activities to engage in that are more filling to my life's energy.

3. If only I could find an occupation that would not only restore my will to live, but also fill my bank account I could kill two birds with one stone.

I'm happy with my career choice to be a high school teacher. I think it covers all these bases (for the most part...) It obviously isn't going to bring home vast amounts of monetary rewards, but where it lacks in dollar signs it makes up with satisfaction points.

I spent a year as a teaching assistant in the Special Education department at Hillcrest the year after I graduated. Working with the kids was without question the best "feel good" job I've ever had, but at the same time, one of the most emotionally draining. I would go home exhausted every single day.

The immediate obstacle I have to overcome is finishing college. This week I worked up a calendar with every class up until graduation. I compiled the calendar twice; the first one under the assumption that I'd only be able to take 9 credit hours a semester and the second taking 15 credit hours a semester. On the first calendar I'm set to graduate Fall of 2014, on the second I'm done Spring of 2011. 3.5 years of being in my career instead of working simply for a pay check... That would be the sweetness. Unfortunately funding my other expenses as listed above don't allow me the luxury of going to school full time. Scott Barnes would tell me (as he often does) that the answer is to take out student loans and focus solely on school. Although wonderful in theory, how in the world do you pay of tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt on a high school teacher’s salary?

I'm open to suggestions...

P.S. Rich Patterson often leaves a song he's digging at the end of each of his blogs. I love this practice and am going to adopt it. I know I'm not being original, but I'm not so prideful that I'll turn my back on a good idea. (Okay, I am that prideful most of the time! That just shows you how much I really really really like the idea, right?)

These are the guys that opened for Bishop Allen and unfortunately for Bishop Allen, I fear this band played the better set:

Miniature Tigers - Dino Damage