Performance-enhancing substances

In college, I'd ALWAYS crank Metallica's "Creeping Death" in my Celica's Alpine sound system en route to playing in a volleyball tournament. This was my ritualistic way of getting amped to just play all out and hold nothing back - a metaphysical metronome, if you will, to get me in the right frame of mind for a match.

I bring this up because last night while running/stretching out/warming up for a night of pickup volleyball, my iPod's playlist got stuck on "Prom Songs". And inexplicably, I didn't mind. Whereas in years past I'd get prepped to E-minor-laden pentatonics with dark and debauchorous themes so indicative of 80's metal, last night saw me get ready to the following notions:

• I've found a masterpiece in you
• Shower me with your love
• I got your letter from the postman just the other day
  
• The first time I looked into your eyes, I cried
• Me Minus You Equals Blue

And you know what? It helped! To my amazement I played pretty well last night. Maybe rather that getting all worked up, music did calm the savage beast. The oddity of it all made me laugh.