Daytona Splendor - A Thesis (Part Three)

Listening to: Various Artists - The OC Mix 3

This is a further continuation of the 2 previous posts, and part 3 in what is totally becoming an interconnected series of posts for each of the 6 OC Mixes. Great! (Also, it's kind of weird listening to a Christmas album this early, but also kind of great.)

Eventually, high school ended. Those four glorious years were great. (Ha ha, just a joke. Though of course, it may not be a joke to you, depending on your regional definition of high school. Here in Alberta, high school is three years. By saying four years, I was implying that it took me an extra year to complete high school. Which, though not uncommon, would be horrible! Again, just kidding, a little.)

After high school ended, I, yes, I, got totally swept up in the tidal wave of stunning blondes, witty dialogue, and contrived plots that was The OC. I'd like to be able to say that this fact is shameful, but the truth is that I blatantly enjoyed it. It was like nothing I'd ever watched. It said some things about the cultural zeitgeist, and even added some pretty significant things to it (See: Every nerdy, sarcastic, heartthrob character since 2003).

I watched the first season of The OC in a 2-day span during the Christmas holidays of 2004. I watched all of the 27 episodes, 45 minutes each, in 2 days. This was the level of devotion/addiction/attachment it cultivated in me. Sarah, my now cousin-in-law, gave me 3 burned DVD's with Quicktime files of each episode, and it was on. I'd never really watched a television show that I got involved in before. I mean, sure, I cried when DJ, Steph, and Michelle's grandpa died in a particularly heart-wrenching episode of Full House, and, granted, I felt justified when Larry "Grandma-ma" Johnson showed up to help Urkel win the 2-on-2 basketball tournament that Eddie had previously rejected him (Urkel) from, but I'd never really been involved to the degree that I was with the pulpy characters on The OC. It was hard not to be. You've got your protagonist, Ryan "Kid Chino" Atwood, a fish-out-of-water bad-boy from the wrong side of the tracks, showing that he is so much more than a pair of brooding fists. Then there's Seth "The Ironist" Cohen, the verbose, Gilmore-Girl-like, self-obsessed geek, who turns out to be the poster-boy for a new breed of hipsters. Who could forget Marissa "Cosmo-girl" Cooper, the tortured socialite, torn between a desire to fit in and follow them norm and the need to uncover her true self. And of course, Summer "Little Miss Vixen" Roberts, who matures from a dim-witted brunette Valley-girl into an environmentalist champion in a little over three full seasons. These people drew me in. They meant something to me in that strange period after high school, after Bible school, and it was comforting.

Now, I'm not trying to convince anyone else of the merits of The OC, because, if I were to look at it from a purely objective point of view, I'm sure I'd be easily convinced of it's lack of any merit. But that's the key: everything I do is subjective. I realize that's a pretty obvious thing, but hey. Everything I see, listen to, or think about, is subjective. These are my opinions and reactions, and I would never presume to be able to convince someone else that The OC is important, because it was really only important to me, in that time, and in that place. What was that time and place, you ask? Well, stay tuned to this ever-unraveling saga in our next post: Daytona Splendor's Totally Cool Life After High School, or, How I Learned to Hurt People's Feelings.

Ok, so that was a bit big. But I have to squeeze it all in, and there's only 6 OC soundtracks available. Speaking of which, this album is alright. I probably will like it more at Christmastime, but there are a few really great songs on here, even not at Christmas. Like how you can really love Dave Matthew's 'Christmas Song' at any point, y'know? Some Christmas songs, on the other hand, are just too Christmasy to be enjoyed at any time other than Christmas. This album introduced me to Ron Sexsmith as well, so that's awesome.



Various Artists - The OC Mix 3 ★★★★★★✩✩✩✩

Favorite Tracks: Rock of Ages, Christmas, Maybe This Christmas
Least Favorite Tracks: Last Christmas

1. The Christmas Song
2. Last Christmas
3. Just Like Christmas
4. Merry Xmas Everybody
5. Rock of Ages
6. Christmas With You Is The Best
7. Christmas Is Going To The Dogs
8. Christmas
9. Maybe This Christmas