As I’d said earlier, these months tended to blur one into the other, between job hunting, floating from one temp position to another, saving money when and where I could yet still being deep in debt, avoiding JA at this point (Z had met him once by this time and thought he was a bit of an a**hole), and thinking about my writing. I think I’d put Two Thousand on the back burner by this time while playing around with True Faith. D was just about finishing up her semester and would be spending the winter break back home with her family, leaving me up here in Boston. What did I do for New Year’s Eve? I probably went up to my sister’s place just to be out and about and not hiding away like a moody bastard.

Something had to change, and I was hoping it would happen soon.

The Stone Roses, Second Coming, released 5 December 1994. It took five incredibly long years for this band to follow up on their insanely popular debut album, and by all means everyone expected far too much from them. They wanted something as brilliant and as exciting and joyful, but this one was different. It was moody, intense, bluesy, and incredibly loose. Any hints of 60s jangle was well hidden. That said, however, it was in fact a good album on its own, and the blistering single “Beggin’ You” remains one of my favorites of the band.

Bush, Sixteen Stone, released 6 December 1994. This could have been one of those bands you love to hate, what with its pretty-boy lead singer Gavin Rossdale doing the grunge growl over a much poppier hard rock that got way overplayed on alternative and rock stations, not to mention heavy rotation on MTV, but they just kept on proving everyone wrong by dropping one great single after another. It’s one of my favorite albums of this particular era and still holds up beautifully. They’re still on my ‘will buy anything they release’ list. Highly recommended.

Pearl Jam, Vitalogy, released 6 December 1994. This is a bit of a weird album for them, moving away from their previous two incredibly popular albums. They were still getting major airplay, even this one with “Corduroy”, the itchy “Not for You”, the lovely “Betterman” and the punky “Spin the Black Circle”. But it also had weird tracks like the wonky “Bugs” and goofball “Hey Foxymophandlemama, That’s Me” closer. I listened to this one a lot on my Walkman during my work commutes.

Throwing Muses, “Bright Yellow Gun” single, released 12 December 1994. A teaser single for the new album coming in the next month, this was a surprisingly catchy and punky single that got the attention of several radio stations. WFNX had this one on heavy rotation for a good couple of months.

Oasis, “Whatever” single, released 18 December 1994. A filler standalone single between the last album and the next one that was currently in the works, this might not be one of the band’s best songs but it had its fanbase. In retrospect it does kind of feel like a throwaway tune, considering what would come out later the following year.

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Coming up: A new year, a new job, a new plan, and a new motto.