Six years is a long time. I used to be a sappy 16 year old who would post Facebook status updates each day that ended with phrases such as “text it.” Now I’m a broken 22 year old suffering from RSI and severe allergies to: everything. It’s been a journey filled with good, bad, wacky, shitty and juicy moments.

Leaks suck, but they’re never going to stop. That comes as someone who has reported on leaks; leaked things; fought to keep leaks from happening; and planned around leaks. Just be smart. People are so often not smart.

Family, Friends, Work, and Health. That’s a lot to balance.

Do you remember anything more than a few song titles by Metro Station, Forever The Sickest Kids, Mercy Mercedes, or any of the others? I don’t, but I do remember the names of songs from All Time Low, Mayday Parade, and The Maine. All three of those bands have something in common as well, compared to the landfills presumably filled with destroyed Underdog Alma Mater CDs that ooze neon green, pink, and purple. They lasted. Lasted through questionable haircuts, the “swandive” of the music industry, and most impressively — major label flops.

Around a year or so ago, I was having a conversation with a friend about each of our entry points into music. In a pause between beers, I muttered something along the lines of, “I kind of discovered music in retrospective real time.