Meet Jen

I wrote a blurb for Jen's match.com profile. Below is the unedited version. Together we frolic the planet and contemplate life.

Jennifer has beautiful hair and the best sense of humor. She isn't afraid to laugh at herself and at life. But don't mistake that to mean she isn't serious. There is a depth to her that is honest and genuine. She will always give you a straight answer. Jen is grounded and believes strongly in working hard to create a good life for herself. She has a true understanding of herself, but is still exploring. She loves to travel and see the amazing wonders of the world (even if they end up to be kinda disappointing in real life). Jen seeks challenges and growth, but won't hesitate to savor smaller beautiful moments like sunshine in the Sunset, a killer gimlet, nailing a balance pose in yoga class, or frolicking on the beach.

Jen needs someone who doesn't take life too seriously and can laugh at her jokes. Someone who has patience to help her through the hard parts of life, but isn't afraid to challenge her either. A guy who is laid back, but not lazy (that is the worst). She is herself financially independent, so expects the same from a partner. A healthy sense of exploration and career changes are fine, but don't expect this lady to be a sugar mama!

Hydration

San Francisco is known for...

• The Golden Gate Bridge
• Fog
• AT&T Park
• Tap water

San Franciscan tap water is crisp and deliciously clean, even if it does flow through 60 year old pipes. Hetch Hetchy, may you forever be full. But I still find myself still reaching for a plastic bottle of water out of convenience. It's usually one of those flimsy Crystal Spring or Kirkland bottles that once used to be sturdy, but in recent years have been "environmentally-friendly" with thinner plastic and smaller caps. I at least try to reuse them once or twice, filled with that fresh flow from the tap. But my mom was the first to point out that reusing those bottles were bad for you (high BPA and bacteria).

There are so many options for drinking water. Klean Kanteen, Camelbak, Nalgene, Clean Bottle, Fred Water, Boxed Water. Is it a trend, or just that I'm noticing it now? Whatever it is, this is the way to go. Safe, reusable (or more recyclable), and replenishing. Hydrate before you dominate.

Pack for a Purpose

http://packforapurpose.org/blog/2014/09/sarah-chois-story

We are three friends in our mid-20s who love exploring this magnificent world. We feel very fortunate and blessed to have that kind of luxury, so for our trip to Kenya, we wanted to see if there was more we could do with our travels. We knew we wanted to donate school supplies, but we weren’t sure what to bring or who to contact. On Pack for a Purpose, we found Village Life Safaris, which funds Joy House in the Mukuru slum in Nairobi.

Before we left, we took a trip to Target (in the US) to take advantage of their buy one, give one campaign - double win! We went bananas in the back to school section, loading up our carts with notebooks, pencils, pens, crayons, and first aid kits. After a few quick email exchanges with Isaac at Village Life Safaris, we had arranged an afternoon school visit to drop off our supplies. We weren’t prepared to see the conditions of the Mukuru slum.

Seeing the number of children in this community unable to attend school, we were grateful that Joy House serves as much as they possibly can. Despite the living standards in Mukuru, the students are just like any other kids -- from joyous and cheerful kindergarteners to too-cool-for-school tweens. We were impressed to see the kids learning high school level science, and humbled by the teachers’ dedication and positivity.

A big thank you to Isaac, who not only helped us arrange this visit and donation, but also gave us insight into the educational and economic situation in Kenya. We hope that many more visitors take the time to visit this beautiful country and support its growth.

NYC eats: restaurant list from my last visit

Wed: Totto Ramen (newer, bigger location 2 blocks away from original) w/ Minna and Jen
Thu: Jack's Sliders and Sushi, then The Cellar (Seattle Beecher's spinoff) w/ Helen and Sharon
Fri: Buddakan for drinks, Jacob's Pickles for dinner w/ Minna, Jen Chiang, Helen, Sharon, Veronica, Nikki
Sat: Murray's Cheese Shop and Joe's Coffee w/ Jonna; Magnolia's, Milk Bar, and Macaron Parlour w/ Jen and Bryan; Green Table for dinner and Tiny Fork for party time w/ Veronica, Helen, Sharon, Nikki, Minna
Sun: Beygl w/ Helen before church, then Bogota lunch w/ Helen, Sharon, Veronica; 121 Fulton St for a beer w/ Neeshmaster, and Cafe Havana in Hoboken w/ Hyun-Jin
Mon: Corcoron w/ Wilken, Jen & Jen
Tue: Noodle Bar w/ Parilee;

For Grandma

When I came home yesterday, I found flowers on my coffee table sent from my team at work for condolences. Then, at work this morning, they sent me the attached slideshow. They chipped in to make a donation to one of my favorite charities in Grandma's honor (thank you Nate, for telling them about Watsi.org). 5 kids will get special medical attention in her name.

Then I came home today and found a package with this wreath, from another team at work, also for our loss. It's 4 herbs that will last for a year. I'm so grateful and overwhelmed with how much support I've received at work and from friends and family all around.

I have been thinking about this weekend a lot the last couple days. It was stressful and extremely sad, but I think everything turned out for the best. Sam was right - it was the universe's way of giving her memorial justice. If a pastor came, we would not have shared those personal stories and read the Bible passages that she loved. I can't think of a better way to honor Grandma and say goodbye than by each of us sharing our memories. Before I was upset that we didn't get to see her in person one last time, but now I feel at peace.

I shared this picture with my team to say thank you for the generous donation. They said Grandpa looks like a Korean James Dean.

The hidden things in life

Often times, I move too quickly through life and miss the little things that would help me figure things out faster. Ironic? Yes. Here are a few of the simple intuitive things I never noticed, until a good friend pointed them out to me.

Freeway exit signs | Credit: Bro Choi
You've probably noticed the numbers on freeway exit signs before, but never really thought twice about it. Apparently, those numbers are mile markers from the start of the freeway. This is helpful when GPS lady tells me I need to exit in 5 miles. Pay even closer attention and you'll notice that in cities, you'll often have Exit 14A and 14B. That just means there are two exits in the same mile -- in order, of course. The exit numbers are the same for both directions on the freeway.

Price labels at the grocery store | Credit: maybe Helen or Allan, I don't remember
When you're at the grocery store looking at a product, you're often just looking for the big number that tells you the price. Lean in and look at all the other little numbers surrounding it. One of those tells you the value: price per ounce. You may save $2 per box, but end up spending $0.48 more per ounce. Tricksters! I'm always on the hunt for a bargain. Related, apparently Franzia (9 cents per ounce) is cheaper than Welches Grape Juice (13 cents per ounce). So if you're in a pinch, just drink box wine.

Pay-by-phone for parking meters | Credit: Aly Fried
Parking meters have loads of blinking lights, signs, stickers, and fine print. If you're lucky, it also has a paper bag over it, but if not, you're stuck fishing through your car for quarters. In SF, you now need 16+ quarters for one measly hour. In Philly, using your credit card in the machine will result in suspicious activity the next week (true story, happened to me in the Summer of '12). Several parking tickets later, Aly came home one day raving about this "Pay-by-phone" app. Sounds familiar... is it that blue sticker that I always ignored? Yes, that app charges you 25 cents to add money to a meter from anywhere -- a small price to pay for staying in the restaurant and not running out of the door. It also helps you find a free parking space. The cloud!

The life lesson here: look closer.

Buying happiness

Vanguard, which maintains my retirement fund, sends me regular newsletters. Most of it is the same old song: save more, invest more, retire better. But the most recent newsletter had a nice, simple article that talks about spending better, not just spending less. Turns out, money can buy you happiness... if you do it right. Read on for some sound advice. My favorite line:

"Spend to buy yourself experiences. Looking back on your life, you’ll be happier having spent a week in California touring vineyards than spending more on chairs for your living room."

Be happier living on less

01/18/2013

Buy fewer things. Spend less on what you do buy. Save as much as possible for retirement.

All sound pieces of advice.

But are there alternative ways to improve our finances and still lead enjoyable lives?

To find out, we talked with Laura Vanderkam, author of the personal finance book All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know About Getting and Spending.

Here are some thoughts Ms. Vanderkam, who also blogs* about personal financial issues, shared with us.

Question: You don’t think people are getting reasonable advice about how to save money, right?

Ms. Vanderkam: A lot of people writing financial literature focus on small things because they can be quickly changed. It isn’t a huge lifestyle change to clip coupons or eat at home instead of going out. 

The problem is that the savings from those strategies are very small. Some also take time, and time is a valuable resource.

Finally, they sometimes require sacrifices in happiness that are not worth the money you save.

If it makes your job more enjoyable to go out with a friend for lunch once a week, that may not be the first thing you should cut just because it costs you extra money.

Question: What changes in the way we manage our financial lives would be better?

Ms. Vanderkam: If you want to make big financial changes, you should look at the big things you can do.

In the long run, for example, you want to be in a house that does not consume all your income.

If [for example] you spend 20% of your income on housing instead of 35%, you can bank 10% and still have 5% to spend on fun stuff.

Question: But you do think it’s o.k. to spend money on fun?

Ms. Vanderkam: Many of us don’t actually spend that much on the things that truly make us happy.

There is a lot of room in our financial lives to be happier than we are and to make financial changes that can drastically boost happiness.

Question: Such as?

Ms. Vanderkam: We don’t think of $5,000 as a huge amount to spend on an engagement ring these days.

But as I mention in my book, you could spend $1,000 on the ring and spend the other $4,000 over several years for date nights, buying flowers for your spouse, even paying for a cleaning service. In other words, on all the things that can reduce friction in a marriage.

Question: What can you do to improve your finances if you think you’re saving about as much as you can?

Ms. Vanderkam: I think that many of us could make more money if we tried. But we are not used to thinking about it that way.

If you are a small business owner, or a freelancer, you may be able to find more money by working more hours, by finding new clients, and telling old clients that your rates have gone up.

Question: What can you do if you have a regular job?

Ms. Vanderkam: It’s less obvious how to increase income if you have a W-2 job.

However, you could position yourself for promotions and raises by volunteering for overtime.

If none of this is feasible, you can also look at starting a side business.

In the past, working a second job conjured up visions of having to do the night shift someplace after working at your first job. These days, you can do things like tutor online, which is less exhausting.

Question: What do you suggest about saving for retirement?

Ms. Vanderkam: It’s very important to save and invest for retirement, and the easiest way to do that is to live within your means.

There are two approaches to doing that.

You can cut your spending, or you can increase your earnings and keep your living expenses constant so that you have extra money that can be saved. I tend to think the latter choice is more pleasant, because humans don’t do well with deprivation long-term.

Question: What other lessons about money and happiness might we learn?

Ms. Vanderkam: I’ve realized that money is most likely to buy us happiness when we spend it in three ways.

First, spend to buy yourself experiences. Looking back on your life, you’ll be happier having spent a week in California touring vineyards than spending more on chairs for your living room.

Second, spend to nurture your social network. I mean your real one, not the Facebook kind.

Humans are social creatures, and strong relationships are closely tied to happiness.

Money spent getting together with friends and family is seldom wasted. Curiously, giving also fits in this category. Giving to your place of worship, for instance, creates a strong community that you become part of.

Finally, spend to buy yourself time. People tend to enjoy relaxing or socializing far more than running errands, so pay for shipping fees and get things delivered. It will be money well spent.

Vegetarian Hot Dog

Almost every day at work, Carrie comments on the lunch menu. She has a love passion constant desire for food that is bad for you and will make it known to the world when there are things wrapped in bacon or grilled cheese (with tomato soup of course). But there is one item in particular that makes her go immediately into a overeater second-lunch mood: hot dogs. She loves hot dogs and criticizes when they make them "too fancy" with mango salsa. So naturally, this was the best choice for her birthday cake.

Before I made this cake, my roommate and brother asked, "Why a hot dog?" Simple answer, "Because she loves hot dogs." It wasn't until I saw their confused faces that I realized how uncommon it is to say that someone loves hot dogs. But if you know Carrie, it's not that surprising.

My version didn't turn out quite as good as the linked one, but I was still pretty happy with it. I bought a couple buttermilk loaf cakes from Whole Foods to save time. But Whole Foods does not sell frosting - it's not fairly traded organic vegan compostable blah blah. So I made my own:

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, room temp
1/2 box of powdered sugar (1.5-2 cups)
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp milk

With an electric mixer, whip the heck out of the butter. Then add the sugar, then the vanilla and milk. Use on everything, yum.

For the dog, I used 3 drops of red food coloring; for the bun, 2 drops of yellow. Of course, I didn't have any regular cocoa powder like the link suggested, but had some hot chocolate mix so stirred that into the bun mixture. That made it a little grainy, which actually worked well for bread. For the ketchup and mustard, I used the leftover yellow and red piping icing from the turkeys. But if I do this again, I think I'll just mix more food coloring in and pipe it on. I had also made some green icing "relish" but it didn't harden quickly enough to use.

In any case, it had the desired reaction. Hot dog cake: two things Carrie loves in one.

Gobble Gobble

As a kid, turkeys were either 1) dry pieces of meat that weren't as good as the ham, or 2) a hand. You know, when you take a crayon, trace your hand, draw some feathers and a little gobble gobble. In that spirit and using this, I set out to make this Thanksgiving a little more cute this year.

I made a few adjustments to the linked instructions:

• Walgreens was out of regular Whoppers, so I used the peanut butter ones instead, which I think worked out better anyway
• I trimmed a side of the top Oreo (like the pb cup) to make it stand better
• I used the Oreo crumbs as the eyes

I brought it to work, Nate's friendsgiving, my family's Thanksgiving, my friendsgiving, and just had a bunch on my coffee table til they turned stale. They were a hit! I should have made more. Except that I felt a little sick eating all the bits and pieces. Next year, I might go healthier.

Happy Turkey!

You are not special

YOLO. Carpe diem. Live like you're dying... Common phrases, especially in commencement speeches. This is one of the best ways I've heard it contextualized:

http://lybio.net/david-mccullough-jr-you-are-not-special-commencement/speeches/

Stranded in Thailand

Earlier this week, I was stranded in Thailand with no comfort from this sign:

I'm on a grand tour de Asia, but traveling during summer holiday season presents some challenges. In particular, sold out nonstop flights to hot spot destinations. With that in mind, I booked the only overnight flight from Singapore to Sydney left, connecting in Phuket, Thailand (it's the opposite way, I know I know). Long story short, the airline had issued me a connecting flight that was physically impossible to make -- the ticket counter closed even before I deplaned.

With no other flight to Sydney until Friday (for $4000!), I spent 43 minutes on the phone with the travel agent (roaming charges, sorry Google) and rearranged my travel plans. Luckily, there was a Korean Air flight leaving just after midnight to Seoul, where I could connect to Tokyo (my destination after Sydney). Thank you Korean tourists!

Then... the flight was delayed. Flashbacks to just a few hours ago, I panicked. But Korea Air ftw! On the flight, they moved everyone with a connecting flight up to the front for to deplane quickly. At the gate was a wonderful Korean man holding a sign with my name. He escorted me to my Tokyo flight, which was waiting for me and we took off no less than 5 minutes past schedule. Jetstar, please take note: THAT is how you do a connecting flight.

I'm heading to Sydney on Monday. Let's hope take 2 is successful, otherwise you may find me 'Working From Beach' back in Phuket ;)

Always my right leg

I've never broken a bone or sprained an joint. Never been to the ER or had to be ski patrolled down a mountain. But in my adult life, I still often get hurt, with scars to prove it. And it's always my right leg.

2008: Fighting crime (jumped off of a swing, landed on my right knee on gravel)

2010: Chasing a robber (got pushed (intentionally) into rocky mud water during a Mud Run)
2011: Gun fight (snowboarding, fell off backwards from a box, hit my shin on the side of it)

2011: Attacked by ninjas (snowboard slipped under me, slammed right knee on ice)

2012: Saving a baby from a speeding bus, evidence below (left foot slipped in the rain walking downhill, hit my right knee on the downward slope)

Gosh, I need to stop trying to save the world. It's really messing up my knee!

TYPTWD

Yesterday was the first ever Take Your Parents to Work Day. I've been working here for ~3.5 years, and being able to open up campus to my folks beyond a good, hearty meal was amazing.

After the day ended, I sent this email to my parents, fondly nicknamed by my team "MaChoi" and "PaChoi" (off of my own nickname/email address "sachoi").

Hi MaChoi and PaChoi,

Thanks for coming to TYPTWD (Take Your Parents to Work Day)! I had a lot of fun giving you a tour around campus, introducing you to my teammates, and showing you a little bit of what I do at work. I hope you had a fun day and are still full from all of the snacks. Enjoy your new mugs, mousepads, and the 1000 photos you took!

I also want to say thanks for being such awesome parents. The speaker today showed a slide with a man jumping in the air and it said, "If you give people freedom, they will amaze you." I think I'm able to do this because you raised me with a lot of freedom and trust. You have always allowed me to be myself and do what I enjoy, and supported me with positive encouragement. You gave me a lot of independence growing up -- dropping me off and picking me up from my friends' houses every weekend, and letting me take $20 from your wallet whenever I needed money (I spent it all on beer and drugs. Just kidding!). You let me decide which school to attend (luckily I chose Berkeley) and travel the world. You didn't force me to play the piano (sorry Mom) and let me live on my own (even though you still don't like it). The only thing you ever said, "NO!" to was getting another ear piercing. But that's not so bad. I knew you trusted me, and that gave me a lot of confidence in myself. Now that I'm an adult, I understand how the way you raised me shaped who I am.

Today reminded me of how you both attended every orchestra concert, open house, Parent-Teacher meeting, Back to School night... Thanks for always being there for me.

Love,
Your daughter, sachoi

Age 25 is gross

Mom (translated from Korean): My kids are turning 25 and 27 this year?! 24 and 26 are OK, but 25... that's gross (징그러)!

When I was a young warthog, I came up with a list of 9 things I wanted to do before I turned 25. Last year, I did a one-year-to-go check in. Time is up, let's see where I landed:

1. Visit Thailand -- FAIL, but not for lack of trying
2. Learn Spanish -- FAIL... for lack of trying
3. Do something, anything! in microfinance or non-profit -- FAIL, I'm a corporate sell-out. But I did start sharetocaresf.org with Helen, which was completely unexpected.
4. Fully and regularly donate 10% of my net income  -- SUCCESS, I don't think it's quite 10%, but it's pretty close
5. Take the GMAT -- FAIL, I think grad school may be out of the picture
6. Be a size 4 again -- FAIL, but at least I didn't go up a size!
7. Commit to a church that I love  -- SUCCESS, City Church SF
8. Live in a different city -- SUCCESS, NYC is my 2nd city
9. Go to the gyno. Not because I want to but because I should.  -- SUCCESS.

Dang, 4 for 9, those are some bad stats. Looking at what I accomplished, they seem to be the foundational things. Thailand, Spanish, MF, and GMAT aren't things that influence my day-to-day. (Except for the size 4 thing -- I need to get my lazy bum to the gym more!) Honestly, I'm surprised. I thought your early 20s were the time for doing wily things. Well, I guess I'll flip it. Early 20s -- ground myself. Late 20s -- go nuts!

Stay tuned for The List: Age 30.

Lent

Ash Wednesday, Lent, Good Friday, Easter Sunday.

For most of my life, these events didn't mean much to me. The church I grew up in didn't celebrate the first two, and the latter was always associated with coloring and finding Easter eggs.

But in the last few years, these four events have held great importance. No, nothing traumatic happened -- actually, the opposite. Life slowed down after college, and with it, my spiritual life. Small habits like journaling, prayer, and reading went to the back burner. I found myself living life and playing, but never finding enough time in the day to get back to those habits.

But when something is important to you, you make time for it. At least, that what I keep telling myself. So for Lent 2012, I am giving up my time.

In the words of Chuck D (pastor at my church):
"As people addicted to comfort and convenience, we're often unaware of how we live to feel good about ourselves, to gain a bit of affirmation, to exert influence, to maximize our own pleasure, to satisfy our immediate needs. Lent invites us to intentionally frustrate ourselves, to engage in a season of deprivation, which actually makes us more aware of the depth of our dependence on any number of things – a substance, our reputation, control, achievement, being right, being comfortable, being secure.

Lent is NOT a behavior modification program. It's not about going off chocolate or caffeine or alcohol. It's about frustrating what Thomas Merton calls our "false self," our illusory self, the part of us addicted to living the lie, a life of hiding."

I spend nearly 3 hours a day sitting on my butt in a moving vehicle. My evenings are often spent finishing work, catching up on my social life, and scouring deal sites and real estate listings. I can give that up for 40 days to get out of my "Live Life" mentality and become uncomfortable being comfortable.

To all you out there observing Lent, I hope that you find yourselves challenged, frustrated, and in the end, closer to God.

Sarah Chois rule the world

In my high school class, I remember there were 6 Sarahs. Sarah on student govt, hot Sarah, athletic Sarah, Sarah something, some other Sarah I didn't know very well, and... me. But back then, I was the only known "Sarah Choi".

In '04, I joined Facebook when it was still in it's infancy. I searched for "Sarah Choi", and with only a handful of colleges in the network, low and behold, there were 5 of us sprawled across America. I friended them all. One messaged back, "Hey! Have we met??" Hmm. Not the brightest of us.

Later that year, as my friend was signing me in at his dorm lobby, he asks, "Hey, did you sign in already?" Scrawled on the last box: "Sarah Choi". My friend yells, "SARAH CHOI!!" and a girl at the elevator whips around. She had graduated just before I started and was visiting a friend.

When Facebook reared its ugly head to the global world, I started getting requests from people I had never met. At first, I would respond back. By now I have stopped responding to all Facebook, LinkedIn, and yes, even Google+ requests for some other "Sarah Choi". I tried, I really did. But there are too many to keep up.

My senior year, we were doing freshman outreach during Welcome Week. Sitting at the table on Sproul, my friend says, "Yo, stop signing yourself in to make our list look longer." But I had not. Later that week, as I traipsed the hallways of Unit 3, I look at a door and written on that piece of construction paper... can you guess? "Sarah Choi". She wasn't home that day, nor did she end up joining our fellowship. Nor did she reply to my welcome to Cal email. Bringing us down, Sarah. Was it because your new friends kept finding me instead of you on Facebook?

When I joined Google, a "Sarah Choi - Finance" started receiving many of my emails. There was even one time she received my postal package (shipped to Mountain View, then to Seoul, then back to Mountain View, then finally to NYC). "Sarah Choi - Finance" is no longer at Google, but now there is a "Sara Choi - YouTube".

A few days ago, I posted some stuff to sell craigslist. Here's one of the replies:

To all you Sarah Chois out there, I hope you share my love for our name as much as you share my actual name.

Share to Care (SF)

We're live! Check out the stories behind Share to Care on our blog, and vote for us on GOOD!

Beware of flash sales

What's a Motto with you?

After a recent bout of SaranWrap sayings, I realized have a few mottos that I seem to tout often myself. Here are the mantras of my life and what the heck I'm trying to say:

Everything in moderation.
Too much of anything is bad for you. Candy, work, play, love... even water. (Seriously, you can die from drinking too much water.) So I try not to live too much in the extremes.  My life is pretty mellow. I let my friends fill that void with their drama ;).

Don't complain unless you're going to do something about it.
Clarification: complaining isn't the same as venting. By all means, vent away -- everyone needs to do that. But at some point, you're not angry anymore, you're just complaining. And that's when you have to do something about it. Easier said than done, I know. But complaining about your problem isn't going to help. It's also hard for me to watch someone who is unhappy stay unhappy because they won't do anything to change their circumstances. I have a bias toward action, so if I feel like something is awry, I want to fix it.

Open mind, open heart, empty stomach... closed legs.

This applies to dating, specifically online dating. As my friends started dipping their toes in the online dating scene, I started encouraging them to take chances with strangers. You can't really judge someone based on their thumbnail picture and beefed up profile. So go on the date, and:

• Keep an open mind that your perfect man/woman may not be what you think. 
• Have an open heart and break down any walls that are preventing you from being honest and earnest. 
• Make sure you have an empty stomach because if you are going on a date, you're probably going to eat dinner. Food bonds people. 
• The last part is due to Clayton butchering my phrase. Keep those legs closed until date #100!

90% of drama is due to misunderstandings
No wonder our group name is SaranWrap. We've stuck together though some serious issues, or at least many spats between individuals. I've done scientific research with a double blind experiment and some statistical modeling to prove that 90% of these issues are due to simple misunderstandings. He said, she said, you said, I said... Things just get lost in translation. Most people, especially your friends, have good intentions. So next time you feel angry toward or hurt by a friend, take the time to calm down and clarify what they meant to say. It saves a lot of ill will, awkwardness, and anxiety.

Live life
You have two options: 1) swing on the rope and jump into the cold lake, or 2) just watch other people do it. Pick option 1. You'll have way more fun, promise.
Hydrate before you dominate.
The first sign of dehydration is chapped lips. Drink lots of water. But don't over-hydrate, see motto #1.

Songs of the Month, er, Moment

By popular demand of my one blog reader, DJ Melon, here's a full list of all "Songs of the Month" I've had on this blog. There are only 7. Clearly, I did not do this every month. I've also brought it back (lookit the sidebar -->) as "Songs of the Moment", since that's more accurate.

• Hey Mama by Mat Kearney
• Nothing by The Script
• Just Say Yes by Snow Patrol
• You and I by Ingrid Michaelson
• Under Control by Parachute
• Mad by Ne-Yo
• New Soul by Yael Naim