My friend Tom's house has been playing the same three CDs on repeat for three months now – The Cranberries, Coldplay, and The Strokes. Every time we hang out, he makes small talk by pointing at me from across the room, mouth set in a stern expression, singing "Ode to My Family" as loud as he possibly can. Today, I finally worked up the courage to politely ask him to turn the music down. For a moment, I thought Tom took offense, but then I saw his face relax into a goofy grin and he started cracking open an old beer from the '06 World Cup party. It tasted like a mix of mold and regret.
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