Thank you for the kind words. You truly made my day.

My pleasure...

Hello, my name is Scott, I'm a college student in California. I'm not sure why I picked my name because I'm certainly not a huge person, but I'm taking Spanish classes and my favorite baseball team is the Giants, so... it'll have to do.

I've been reading Metacritic for a long, long time (for me that's a couple of years) and have occasionally glanced at the forums down at the bottom of the page. Lately I've been looking for an intelligent forum and this one looks very encouraging.

My primary interest is in film, I edit the movie section of a campus magazine, but I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the intimate knowledge of the classics that I wish to have. Other than that, I'm excited to be on board, and it's nice to meet you all.

Hello, my name is Tom Johnstone. I'm 26 years old, and have been out of school a few years now; I attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, as a music major and creative writing minor. My main instrument in school was trombone, but I'm alright at piano and guitar as well.

I'm currently living in Madison, WI. At the moment I'm just working to clear things away for, yes, more school. Within the next 1-2 years I plan to attend a recording arts school in Minneapolis and become either an engineer or producer, or possibly both.

I've played in orchestras, wind ensembles, some rock bands and various jazz groups...the last year and a half I've been somewhat inactive as a musician (right now the "real world" is making it difficult), but do enjoy playing and writing when I have the time.

Music-wise, I've gone through intense periods of listening to classical, jazz, alt-country and indie rock. My favorite bands, in no order, are Wilco, Ween, Pavement, and Crowded House. Composers I enjoy include Stravinsky, Ravel, Tchaikovsky and Brahms...on the jazz front some of my favorites are Miles, Wayne Shorter, Brad Mehldau, Kenny Garrett, Coltrane, and Duke Ellington.

Some recent favorite books: "The Man In The High Castle" by PKD, "The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe, "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote, and "The Plague" by Camus.

I'm currently on a David Cronenburg kick. Just had my brain scrambled by "Videodrome," and will be watching "Naked Lunch" soon..

Welcome, El Gigante and Commontone, although Tom, you've been here awhile. Don't hesitate to get into all the different forums, and if you any questions or concerns, feel free to Private Message me.

Thanks mark..better late than never, right?

Good Lord!! I have been posting since October and haven't done this yet....uhhhh....My name is Crowdiggs, and I am a 26 year old husband, with a 17 month old daughter. I live in a smallish city in Northern Indiana....with no good record store!!! I am a huge music fan...well duh....I am posting on Metacritic. Anyway, I was really introduced to rock n'roll when I was 12 and my mom played me her vinyl copy of Sgt. Pepper's. I have been hooked ever since. Some of my personal "landmark" albums would be:
Afghan Whigs-1965
Radiohead-OK Computer
Rhett Miller-The Instigator (proposed to my wife with this in the background)
Oasis-Definitely Maybe
U2-Pop (don't ask)
R.E.M.-New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Metallica-...And Justice For All
The Tragically Hip-Phantom Power
Pearl Jam-Riot Act
Beck-Sea Change
Bill Hicks-Dangerous
Jellyfish-Spilt Milk
The Wu-Tang Clan-36 Chambers
Semisonic-All About Chemistry
The Verve Pipe-The Verve Pipe
Brian Vander Ark-Angel, Put Your Face On
Stevie Wonder-Talking Book
And many, many others.

I enjoy being a part of this community, and would like to say thanks to everybody who has posted a response to a topic. That is all.
Good night, and good luck.

I'm 22, currently living/going to school in Columbia, MO....hopefully I'll graduate next May or shortly thereafter with an English/History dual major. I'd like to work for a non-profit org., travel the world, and write about the evils of capitalism,imperialism etc. etc. I guess I'll list some of my favorite music, for lack of anything better to contribute...
Radiohead
Nine Inch Nails
Bjork
The Black Keys
The White Stripes
Death Cab for Cutie
Peaches
Modest Mouse
Nuetral Milk Hotel
Velvet Underground
The Mars Volta

Welcome to the site. I'm guessin' that you've checked out the Peace Corps? What places especially appeal to you and why?

Yeah, I've definitely checked out the Peace Corps. They actually pay back 15% of (certain types) of student loans..for each year you serve...so it's really not a bad deal. Honestly I'd rather get paid to travel..well, more than the $6000 they give you at the end. I want to try and make a career out of it...

Africa appeals to me, because the country is in desperate need of AIDS education. I have a friend who was a rape counselor in South Africa for a semester...I wouldn't be opposed to working on women's issues.

I'm almost afraid to go somewhere like Africa, at least in the beginning. I've never traveled internationally, so I feel really inexperienced in all aspects of life...so maybe somewhere like Romania would initially be a better choice...

There's also my parents to consider...they don't know my career plans, but since they've paid for basically most of my education I think they're going to flip out. They're very over-protective now, and I only live an hour and a half away from my hometown...I can't imagine how they'd react if I was in a foreign country with no way to contact them. But this is something I feel very strongly about...they can either be understanding or make things uber difficult.

First off, t., good on you for wanting to start your career by giving back in such a tangible way. You're one of the good ones.

I can certainly understand your concerns as regards your folks. My sis-in-law went into the Peace Corps after she completed her MA. Her parents, too, can be a bit on the over-protective side and were pretty freaked out that she would be overseas in a third world country. Her assigment was Namibia and she spent two-and-a-half years there. My wife and I visited for twelve days in 2000 and I can honestly say it was one of the great things I have ever done in my life. It changed me and I was only a tourist. I know the effect it had on her was profound.

I know that many communities have organizations for former Peace Corps volunteers to get together. Seek them out in Columbia as these are often a great opportunity to get valuable information about the programs.

Also keep in mind that if your parents can't stand the idea of your being stationed overseas, look into Americorp. I know several individuals who are or have been in that program. As with anything, their experiences vary, but it's worth a look I think. For that matter, Habitat for Humanity is always looking for smart people who are willing to give a couple of years service right out of school. A friend of mine from high school did that with her husband and parlayed the experience into a business providing PR services to non-profits.

One way or another, I'm sure you'll find a way to make a difference. Thanks in advances. Speaking as one who has made a career in the non-profit world, it means a lot.

Now Playing: "The Man Who Doesn't Know How to Smile" Josh Rouse Subtitulo

One other thing the Peace Corps lets you do is to practice a vocation which may turn into a love of your life, and I'm pretty sure once you've served a certain amount of time your travel allowances/vacation time is extremely attractive.

My sister went in after she retired fom teaching and, yes, she had some investments, etc., and didn't really need the money. Not to scare you off, but almost immediately after getting off the plane in Belize, she was mugged and knifed and sent back to Miami for surgery. You would think that would have put her off, but she went back, lived in Belize for over five years, spent three more years in Madagascar, set up all kinds of womens' programs in places that didn't really have any, was able to write and publish a lot, and was also able to travel around the world. So, yes, she was a "retired" person when she went in, and not poor (not rich, but OK), and she found it to be the most-fulfilling experience of her life. (Plus she learned lots of interesting languages.)

This is coming from a slacker though, so be warned.

i just wanted to say hello.

i am relatively new here, only been around a few years or so.

i kind of like it here,i check back every now and again when i can.i mostly keep toposting in music.generally in hip-hop/rap and electronica.

so come join me in a chit chat on homophobia in hip-hop today, or help me answer the question "what is drone, and why is it considered music?"

hello to all.

Hi, Found this site while browsing and liked what i saw

My name is L-Mcqueen, or Catrina to be exact. I am 27 and hail from hot ol Britain.
I have just stepped into the new century and brought a PS2(old i know but i never have been up to date)
I like to write and read. Love my DVD collection. Not a big music fan but i do listen to some when i fancy it
My fav actor is Owen Wilson, colour is Orange and............all boring

Anyway thats me

I'm Mike, and I reside in the state of Indiana. I've noticed an unusually high number of people from the state here at Metacritic, which I thought was kinda strange. I'll be a college graduate in November. I guess we'll see what happens after that.

As far as the forums go, I nearly exclusively post and read the music threads. I do, however, occasionally venture out into the other categories. I would probably post and read more often in the game forums, but they don't get very much traffic.

I write music reviews for my school's newspaper, The Rose Thorn. It's a pretty small school, so it's extremely unlikely you've even seen a copy or even heard of the school, for that matter. I've also played keys in a few bands, none of which have lasted very long or been very successful. Hopefully that will change sometime.

I like a lot of different kinds of music, and I never like to confine myself to any style. I like artists ranging from Elliott Smith to Mike Skinner, from Green Day to Liars, from Explosions in the Sky to the Ramones.

I guess I'll sign off with a funny quote:

"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar."
-Drew Carey

Great! Welcome to the site, and did you catch the name of "the Bar"?

quote:

Originally posted by less_success:
I write music reviews for my school's newspaper, The Rose Thorn. It's a pretty small school, so it's extremely unlikely you've even seen a copy or even heard of the school, for that matter. I've also played keys in a few bands, none of which have lasted very long or been very successful. Hopefully that will change sometime.

Welcome, LS.

Rose Hulman's the school I assume? I know (of) a couple people who go/went there. One of them's even named Mike! You're definitely not him though. What's your major, by the way? The people I knew who went there were all gonna be engineers I think.

quote:

Originally posted by Imprezu21:
i just wanted to say hello.

i am relatively new here, only been around a few years or so.

....so come join me in a chit chat on homophobia in hip-hop today, or help me answer the question "what is drone, and why is it considered music?"

hello to all.

Hello. You like electronica? So do I! We should be friends.

I think drones are, like, machines from Star Wars or something. And the sound their machinery makes is what is described as "drone music," I think. I don't know, I think I need to read the Avant-Garde thread in Indie to make sure. I like Star Wars and everything, but I've never been able to get into drone music.

quote:

Originally posted by less_success:
I'm Mike, and I reside in the state of Indiana. I've noticed an unusually high number of people from the state here at Metacritic, which I thought was kinda strange.

It's been interesting to watch the number of Indiana members grow over the years, l_s. Me, RL, crazed, Crowdiggs, you. I know a couple of less frequent contributors and lurkers personally.

Perhaps one of these days we'll all have a field trip to Indy.

And, hey, I Rose-Hulman was on my short list of colleges way back in the day when I was graduating high school in St. Louis. I ended up at Purdue for one year instead. I was going to be an engineer, but wised up before anybody got hurt.

Now Playing: "Spring" Charalambides A Vintage Burden

quote:

Originally posted by RavingLunatic:
What's your major, by the way? The people I knew who went there were all gonna be engineers I think.

Yeah, almost everyone at Rose is an engineer (I'm in mechanical engineering, by the way.) A lot of computer science guys, too, but that's pretty close to an engineer too. ^^ There's a few chemistry, physics, biomedical, mathematics people there...but mostly just engineers.