I had no concept of how young the United States was until I walked through the ruins and buildings in other countries that predated anything I had ever seen. It was my first time traveling out of the country and it opened my eyes to how other people live. My poor Texan roommate had to endure me playing this song on repeat for much of the semester. At the end, a friend and I backpacked across Italy, France, and the U.K. In college, I had an opportunity to study abroad in Greece for a semester, with two weeks spent in Egypt and two weeks in Israel. In case you were thinking that my musical taste is completely garbage, I offer up a little nugget of genius in Joni Mitchell. I broke out of my shell as a shy kid and became the girl who went out of her way to welcome everybody. I graduated, and after flying halfway across the country to start at a university in Arkansas, I threw myself headfirst into making it the best experience of my life. Around that time, I rediscovered this album and this song, with lyrics that sing, вЂњYou could be waiting for a day that wonвЂ™t comeвЂ¦ You could be so much more than youвЂ™ve become.вЂќ Those words stung! I was sitting there, waiting for my life to begin instead of embracing it and enjoying it as it happened. I had a good group of friends, but I felt the whole exercise was a waste of time, and a holding cell until I could go to college (Yes, I know вЂ“ I was a bit of a punk). The song is about finding your way and moving forward.

вЂњ257 WeeksвЂќ is not their best song, but it represents my life back in 2006. I loved every song, placing вЂњThe Madding CrowdвЂќ high on my list of favorite albums, not far from Bon JoviвЂ™s вЂњSlippery When Wet.вЂќ Album reviews were underwhelming, with people like Sputnik Music calling it вЂњ completely unmemorable and woefully genericвЂќ. Nine Days is most famous for writing вЂњThis is the story of a girl who cried a river and drowned the whole worldвЂќ in their 2000 song вЂњAbsolutely.вЂќ That song was the reason I purchased their album вЂњThe Madding Crowd,вЂќ making it the first album I ever purchased for myself. In fact, in the job I started one week ago, I finished my orientation by standing and reciting an oath to defend it. More than 10 years later, I still carry my pocket Constitution in my wallet and never leave home without it. Later, I discovered my passion for public administration, and I went on pursue my degrees and my career in a subject I once disregarded. Somehow, I still scored well on the AP exam, and for some reason, I couldnвЂ™t bring myself to discard my pocket Constitution. At the time, I had a nasty case of senioritis and I deserved (and received) the worst grade of my entire academic career in her class. Painter gave each student a pocket copy of the U.S. In my AP Government class my senior year of high school, Mrs.

Nelly ride wit me acapella