Threw a fractal on a breaking wall.

Today I discovered a mix CD in the car with "Christmas?" written on it. That's it, just "Christmas?" in my handwriting. We threw it in the CD player while we were driving around, and pretty soon I realized that, while I have no memory of making this CD, it might be the best one I ever put together.

Here is a screenshot of the iTunes playlist, which we put together as soon as we got home:



Crazy -- I guess this is why it was a "Christmas?" album. Clearly Crazy is a Christmas song, just not in the usual way. When this song starts, by the way, your butt always clenches a little bit, because you know you're about to get punched in your intestines with feelings. Seal's feelings.

Tear in Your Hand -- Tori Amos has never had a unique way of pronouncing all of her words. "Unique" meaning "these are no longer words."

Stranger in Moscow -- Every time I stumble across an unlabeled mix CD, there's a good chance this song is on it. And I know it's there when a track has no sound for 25 seconds. Michael Jackson needed 25 seconds to relax before starting on the most epic description of existential isolation ever committed to song. Think about it: "Stalin's tomb won't let me be." Only that line has six or seven extra syllables in it. Syllables of feeling.

Gz and Hustlas -- I like to play these songs around my wife and remind her that I grew up on gangsta rap. When a line like "How many hos in '94 will I be banging?" comes up, and I am delivering it right along with Snoop, I like to imagine what thoughts are going through her head. Because I know they are love thoughts.

Sea Lion -- I just wish Sage Francis was good at his job. This is garbage.

Be Our Guest -- Because this is the logical follow-up to Snoop and Sage Francis. And the logical precursor to Italian pop. And because everything about Beauty and the Beast is awesome, especially Lee's favorite line, which happens at 4:28 below (although there's a sync problem with the audio): Gaston's incredible delivery of "Please let me through!" Gaston delivers every line in a way that I can't believe.

(My favorite part is at 2:30, when Belle sings about her favorite part. Because I am sometimes a 12-year-old girl. Wait, what?)



Una Favola -- This is a pretty song with a pretty video.

Daedel's Organ -- What do you know about looping a minute of music into a 60-minute mix CD, Justin? And it being the single greatest mix CD ever? I want so badly to have this be my ringtone, but I can't figure it out. So I just sing it whenever the phone rings.

There are some winners after that, but basically:

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay -- This is the greatest song on the CD, actually, after Daedel's Organ (and maybe the FFIV music). Seriously, Otis Redding? Did you mean any of this?

Crazy on You -- Here's the thing: You might think that James Brown is the winner of emotion, or that Seal is, but they both lose to Heart. Nancy Wilson? That guitar? Your sister's voice? Also, whatever this song is about, I want it to happen to me. Because I don't think we're dealing with hyperbole -- I think we are dealing with literal crazy happening on some guy, and it's the preposition that got it done -- "on"? Not "for" or "with" or "into" -- so something's being done on this guy, or to this guy, and after that guitar work, the answer is yes.