Allen, the young whiz chef at The Impetuous Epicure, tagged me to participate in this music meme. Actually, I don’t know what a meme is, even though my Language Acquisition class devoted a whole lecture to memes. Like most days, I was only half listening during that class.

I look at this “Music in my Kitchen” thing as a cross between a survey and a chain letter.

What is the total amount of music files on your computer?
Yikes, it’s just over 2 GB! In my defense, 80% of my collection consists of songs that you cannot buy. For example, I own almost every Backstreet Boys CD, so you could say I “own” the “As Long as You Love Me,” “Quit Playing Games With My Heart,” etc. singles. But I love live acapella clips because they show off the BSB’s amazing ability to harmonize. (Yeah, I know the BSB are so over, but I don’t follow music as a trend. I like what I like.) So I downloaded lots of clips from TV appearances and concerts. Also in this category are MP3s that the artists gave out for free, so they’re legal copies.

The other 15% are songs that I justified downloading, because I didn’t think it was fair to buy an entire album if I only liked one or two songs from the artist. Since then, iTunes came out so you can buy songs a la carte. So I really have no excuse.

The last 5% consists of virtually entire albums that I didn’t buy because I was being a cheapskate. Note to self: get legal copies of John Mayer’s Room for Squares and Josh Kelley’s For the Ride Home.

The CD you last bought?
When I was an extra for Gilmore Girls in December 2003, I bought Plus One’s Obvious. The Warner Brothers studio lot had a store, and I qualified for the 20% employee discount. Obvious was already on sale for like $5. I figured I wouldn’t go to the Warner Brothers store again, so why not score a deal? Too bad I couldn’t listen to the CD beforehand though, because I really don’t like it.

What was the song you last listened to before reading this message?
“Home to Me” by Josh Kelley, on my free iPod.

Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.
Ever since getting my iPod, I’ve realized that music is very personal. It’s not arbitrary, like a favorite color or even a favorite food. Music either serves as my conscience, transports me back to a memory, or conveys what I didn’t know how to express in words. I used to be anti-iPods. If you want to listen to music, there’s a “free” CD player that comes with your computer. No need to carry a trendy, overpriced device in your pocket. But now that I have one, the iPod is great! It’s like having 200 CDs in the palm of your hand. It allows me to meditate–while I’m walking (which is a lot in New York). I can feel dandy, even when tourists take up an entire sidewalk (and thus make me move at one sidewalk square per minute) because they’re eying fake handbags or can’t decide which way to go.

Anything by Mark Giacobbe, an indie New York artist who’s like Sting but better.

A couple years ago, pastor Tim Keller at my church, Redeemer, spoke about pride. Most of the messages I’ve heard about pride are like, “Pride is bad because Jesus was humble” or “Downplaying your accomplishments can be false humility.” However Pastor Keller, who’s like the modern day C.S. Lewis, said that pride is a puffed up ego. It’s an ego that appears to be big but in reality is empty, because it’s puffed up…with nothing. Humility, on the other hand, is being FILLED with God’s Spirit. During offertory Mark sang an original song called “Thin Branches.” It went so well with the message, and I was touched. The chorus goes like this:

‘Cause the center fails
Leaves fall away
But the thin branches show
The color of the day
The color of the day.

All of Mark’s songs are really deep. The struggles he sings about are universal, but if you’re a Christian, they touch a whole other level. They’re filled with subtle Biblical references.

I can identify with Justin McRoberts‘ “Dangerous.”

“Jesus Walks” by Kanye West. The music video is so powerful!

All of John Mayer’s songs from Room for Squares are good. But his live clips are even better. That man can finesse a guitar in his sleep!

“More to Life” by Stacie Orrico. It reminds me that having a 9 to 5 job, 2.5 kids and a suburban home is just a formality.

Now I get to “tag” three bloggers to participate in this survey. I choose…

• Renee at Shiokadelicious because she’s my favorite food blogger.
• Michael at Cooking for Engineers because he has the most awesome recipe flow chart. Not only is it HTML mastery, but it can convey a whole recipe in less than 50 words! Truly the work of an engineer.
• Clement at A La Cuisine! because he’s a pastry perfectionist and won the Good Looking Blog award.