an ode to mixed CD's

What started out as a blog paying homage to mixed CD's turned into a nostalgic journey down memory lane. You know, just in case the World ends today...

I don't know about anyone else, but growing up, I went through an intense mixtape making phase. I remember using my cassette player to record the top 9 at 9 on the radio even though the songs would most likely be the exact same the following night. I would even dub my voice over to say who the song and the artist was before the song started. I thought I was SO cool.

As time went on, my hobby quickly turned to a mixed CD making phase with the purchase of my first external CD burner and several packs of colorful Imation blank CD's. (I remember saving up FOREVER for that dang CD burner).

CD's my friends made for me back when mixed CD's were the the new friendship bracelets. My friends Marjorie, Alina, Amelia, and Annie seemed to make the best mixes which are now safely nestled into my iTunes library.

My first mixed CD, creatively named "CD #1"... When cleaning out my childhood room I found I had numbered up to CD #32 before I started coming up with more creative titles. My music taste also improved (thank goodness). Although, who doesn't love Missy Elliot, Jay-Z, and Dr. Dre? 

I would spend so much time intricately numbering and labeling my creations with fine point sharpies, trying to come up with creative titles for my friends. I even was part of a mixtape trading club on Livejournal, where I would swap mixtapes/cds with strangers to get new music. (How I never became a pretentious hipster, I'll never know... but it did spur a lifelong interest in music, so at least I have that).

This is by far, the best CD my friends and I ever made in high school. This was part of  a 2 CD compilation made at Marjorie's house (she had the awesome printer if you couldn't tell). Yes, it says "I like butt"... if you only knew what the title was supposed to be...

Technological innovation has given us iTunes and MP3 players and to cynics (as well as hipsters) can be partially to blame for killing off creativity. I can't hate, I love my iTunes library and all 3 of my iPods, but I do miss the joy of creating mixed CD's for special occasions, to gift to friends, or so you can delete the most recent Napster downloads of your parents Gateway 2000 (er, what? surely that wasn't just me?)

So what? I decided to make a mixed CD. A "Best Of" compilation of all my mixed CD's. It has to be just right, and when it is... I'm sending it to all of my high school friends, for good times sake. Yeah.