Category: Miscellaneous

Happy 100th Birthday to my alma mater, Mesa State College!

Yes, the campus is Colorado Mesa University now, and has been for over a decade, but it’ll always be Mesa State College to me. 🙂 But for simplicity, I’ll refer to the school by its official name in this post, Colorado Mesa University, aka CMU.

100 Years of History

On April 20th, 1925, Colorado governor Clarence Morley signed Senate Bill 262, which established Grand Junction Junior College (GJJC), the school that would eventually become CMU. The school filled the need for education facilities on the Western Slope. At the time, the nearest college was Western State College in Gunnison, over 100 miles to the southeast.

GJJC’s student body for the first year was 39 students, with the school offering seven courses. As Grand Junction grew, so did the school, and in 1937 the campus was renamed to Mesa College. In 1974, the school began offering baccalaureate programs, and in 1988 the school was renamed to Mesa State College. In 2011, the school was renamed to Colorado Mesa University.

CMU Today

As of this writing, CMU enrolls over 10,000 students. The school proudly offers “more than 100 undergraduate programs of study — at the certificate, associate and bachelor’s level — along with graduate programs in business administration, education and nursing,” according to coloradomesa.edu.

During my time at Mesa and after, the campus has expanded, with several new dormitories and academic buildings added, and the growth continues.

Celebrating 100 Years: The CMU Century Project

To celebrate a century, CMU is proud to present The CMU Century Project, “a yearlong, campus-wide celebration of the university’s legacy, growth and vision for the future. Spanning the 2025–2026 academic year, the project will highlight the people, milestones and impact that have shaped CMU over the past century while laying the groundwork for its next 100 years,” per coloradomesa.edu.

The CMU Century Project comprises of several events, with more information available on cmucentury.com. According to the same site, the project is guided by a Steering Committee, that consists of six sub-committees:

• Legacy Committee – Documenting and preserving major milestones
• Centennial Celebrations Committee – Recognizing students, faculty, alumni and leadership
• Decades of Maverick Spirit Committee – Honoring student-athlete alumni
• Academic Achievements Committee – Showcasing innovation and academic excellence
• Mavericks Making Their Mark Committee – Highlighting leadership across the Maverick network
• Century Committee – Envisioning the future of CMU and its Human Scale University mission

Forever A Maverick

Cheers to 100 years, CMU! I’m forever a proud Maverick. I’m excited to see how the school will further evolve. 🙂 GO MAVS!

~LMC

“She’s wet and wild

A typical 90s child”

–“Post Modern Sleaze,” Becoming X, Sneaker Pimps

“Generation X

Is doing fine

We don’t care what’s next

We just wanna blow our minds”

–“Ideal,” Psychic Cat, Kelli Ali

Happy 50th Birthday to one of my heroes, singer and songwriter, Kelli Ali, aka Kelli Dayton!

Best known as the vocalist of the Sneaker Pimps first album Becoming X, I was 9 when I first heard Kelli’s distinct voice on the band’s most famous single, “6 Underground.”

When I first watched the music video for 6 Underground, I wouldn’t be the only one intrigued by the tiny girl sitting in a revolving dentist chair. Spiky haired, crimson lips, and with vampire fangs to boot, one muses, who is this girl? This vampy punk who oozes sex appeal with the sultry vocals to match?

Discovering Becoming X

Becoming X still sounds far more fresh and original than any music produced today. Not an exaggeration when I say I listen to songs from this album daily.

My Dad, a true David Bowie aficionado, would always play music while working from his at home office. I always loved whatever he listened to, which were usually soothing instrumental pieces.

When he started playing an album I’d never heard before–spacey electronic mixed with hip hop beats, paired with a girlish, elastic, pixie-like, soothing yet sultry voice –I’d just discovered Becoming X, Sneaker Pimp’s most successful album, in my humble opinion.

I asked my Dad about the band and the singer. He told me Sneaker Pimps were from England and the singer’s name was Kelli Ali. Looking at the liner notes, I saw Kelli for the first time–a girl with short black hair and red lipstick. I’d just discovered not just one of my all time favorite albums, but one of my heroes.

US Becoming X Tour, 1997. Image from kellialiofficial Instagram.

Dazed Magazine interview, 24 September 1996

I did more research and discovered a real punk–a badass, mixed-raced girl who dropped out of school at 14 to pursue music, singing and songwriting for bands in her hometown of Birmingham, UK. From the beginning, music was always central in Kelli’s life, as she grew up listening to David Bowie and X-Ray Spex (there’s no doubt Kelli is inspired by punk vocalist Poly Styrene). In 1996, she was asked by trip hop band Sneaker Pimps to be the lead vocalist for their upcoming album, Becoming X.

I’m certainly no punk myself, but I’ve always related to Kelli as I’m mixed race as well (Filipina-English), with my Dad’s side hailing from England (my Dad is first generation American and his parents are from London). And I’ve always admired Kelli’s aesthetic. In fact, my cat eyeliner and red lip gloss/ lipstick look I rocked in high school and college were directly inspired by Kelli. 🙂

“And they’ve got the diminutive, drop-dead unconventionally gorgeous, heavily Brum accented, Goth eyelinered and recently cropped n’ bleached 22 year old Kelli Dayton, a singer with the voice of Billie Holliday taking lessons from John Lydon.”

–I.D, Magazine interview, January 1997

Upon discovering Becoming X, I was so excited to follow up listening to Sneaker Pimps other work. After all, Becoming X was commercially successful in the UK, with “6 Underground” and “Spin Spin Sugar” hitting the US airwaves, and the band toured both the UK and US. Though my Dad and I were several years late to discovering Becoming X, we were more than eager to listen to the Pimps latest works.

Alas, what disappointment for the both of us, and Sneaker Pimps fans all over, to learn that Kelli was sacked (British slang for fired) from the band. What madness! To this day, I’m still angry the band rid itself of its secret weapon, its element X, the voice that made the music.

Dazed Magazine interview, 1996. Kelli with fellow Sneaker Pimps Liam Howe (left) and Chris Corner (right). Howe and Liam are incredibly talented musicians, but were envious of Kelli’s popularity.

The Infinite Stars

But enough has already been written and argued over the moronic sacking of Kelli. What makes Kelli all the more badass is her journey as a solo artist. After riding the short but bittersweet success as Sneaker Pimps vocalist, Kelli was suddenly without a band and without a contract. This was the late ’90s, before streaming, so having to leverage your music and artistry was all the more challenging.

It wasn’t easy, but the tenacious Ms. Ali eventually released several solo albums, my favorites being:

Tigermouth (2003) – R&B fused electro/ dance pop. My high school jam! Take me to the Infinite Stars!

Psychic Cat (2004) – Psychedelic rock and electro-pop. College anthems.

Rocking Horse (2008) – Psychedelic folk and dream pop. Another high school soundtrack. Proud to say I have a personalized autographed album from Kelli. 🙂

More than 25+ years after Sneaker Pimps shot themselves in the foot (pun intended), Kelli is still producing music. In addition to her singing and music production talents, Kelli is now also an accomplished oil painter. You can view her multitude of works at her Instagram, @kellialiofficial. She also wrote an e-book, The Modern Day Recording Artist: A DIY Guide to making and releasing your own record.

Nah, Kelli, we still love you.

Kelli, thank you for your brilliant voice and music! I will forever appreciate your individuality, determination, and creative spirit! Cheers to a wonderful day.

Just as your iconic tattoo states: VIVE LA ROCK N’ ROLL!

~LMC

Gen X are a different breed entirely…take me back to the 90s!

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“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.” –Official announcement of the British Sovereign’s death, 8th September 2022

Anyone who knows me well is aware of my love for my British heritage, as my paternal grandparents are from London, and their son (my father) was born there. In particular, I love British royal history, and as a child, I especially loved the first Queen Elizabeth I. So naturally, I loved her descendent, Queen Elizabeth II (as these 2002 journal entries from 9-year-old me show).

So, I am quite sad with today’s news of the Queen’s passing at the age of 96. She reigned 70 years, the longest of any UK monarch. Just as I am fascinated with the Tudor Elizabethan age, I am honored to say that I lived in a second Elizabethan age. RECQUISCAT EN PACE ELIZABETH REGINA. A monarch who embodied British stoicism, duty, honor, and integrity: a class act. So the world loses another of the greatest generation… :’(

~LMC