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The San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

October 5th, 2008
By Mike Lee
"Pushing through tiredness and discomfort in a race to a new personal record is not only rewarding in itself, but gives you an idea of what you can do in other areas of your life."
- J. Galloway

My eardrums pulsated. The music was loud. Energizing. I rubbed my hands together and jogged in place. The air was spiked with a spirited chill.

"I can't believe I'm about to put my body through this punishment again," I thought to myself.
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The Wear Sunscreen Speech

July 20th, 2008
By Mike Lee

You know the Wear Sunscreen Speech, right? If not, where have you been? Under a rock buried in the sand behind an outhouse on an island with dark sunglasses at night? Tsk tsk.

The Wear Sunscreen Speech—sometimes simply known as the "Sunscreen Speech", but originally called "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young"—was written by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich way back on June 1, 1997 as a fictional commencement speech that she'd like to give if she were ever asked to.

For some reason, a mischievous student decided to send the speech around as a MIT commencement speech given by Kurt Vonnegut. Weird, huh? If you've seen that email, now you know who really wrote that speech—Mary Schmich and not Kurt Vonnegut (though Vonnegut could have certainly written something just as witty & profound).

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A Boy and a Violin

October 21st, 2007
By Mike Lee

It caught Jimmy's eye immediately. "Hey, let's stop in this shop."

"Sure," I answered.

The sign out front read "Antique Music Instruments" in a bold Art Nouveau typeface. I was surprised to see it in English. Most of the other Prague shop signs were in Czech, naturally. We walked in.

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A Viennese Mozart Symphony

October 7th, 2007
By Mike Lee

"Hey look, there's a Mozart symphony playing tomorrow."

Jimmy followed my gaze over to the poster. "Mozart symphony, huh? That would be cool. That's a very Vienna thing to do."

I nodded. "It's not too far away from our hostel either."

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Top Ten Break-Up Songs

October 9th, 2005
By Mike Lee
"Look at me, my depth perception must be off again
'Cause this hurts deeper than I thought it did
It has not healed with time…
Would you find it in your heart
To make this go away
And let me rest in pieces?"
- J. Scott

My desert-island, all-time, top five most memorable break-up songs, in chronological order:

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My First Rock Concert

September 26th, 2004
By Mike Lee

My high school took on a new level of coolness when they called the entire fifth and sixth grades into the auditorium one fine autumn day. They didn't announce the purpose of the gathering, only that it was mandatory.

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The Battle of the Bands: The Office Music Orchestra vs. the Nature Music Orchestra

July 18th, 2004
By Mike Lee

Tap tap tap. That's the sound of a keyboard, an instrument of the Office Music Orchestra. Phone rings, elevator dings, and cube conversations also make up this jolly arrangement.

The 101 North twisted and turned like a dizzy whirlpool. Had we driven any faster, we certainly would have added our lunch to the interior.

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Summer Sanitarium

August 24th, 2003
By Mike Lee

As I peed into the port-o-potty, I could hear Mudvayne's guitars thrashing in the arena. The urgency of the frantic beats made me pee quickly. Then I stepped out and joined my friends.

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A Beautiful Moment

March 30th, 2003
By Mike Lee

It is on the Embarcadero that I see one of life's beautiful moments.

It's a subtle one. But then again, most of life's beautiful moments are subtle.

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The Little Voice That Couldn't

March 2nd, 2003
By Mike Lee

Ironically, on the drive there I was bellowing like a madman to a bunch of recently-downloaded mp3s. My throat was even a bit sore 'cuz I was singing so loud.

But once in that tiny, claustrophobic cell they call a karaoke room, my throat closed in on itself. It slammed shut like a wall of rock coming down on Indiana Jones, right before he reaches back to grab his hat.

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