DISCLAIMER: None of the songs mentioned in this column are used purely for comedic effect. Rather, they are all actually awesome songs, and I am unashamed, better yet, proud to like and sing along to them.

The way I see it, there are two strategies you can employ to make a great driving mix. You can go the Wayne’s World route or the Tommy Boy route. Both options can get the job done in their own way. Although I respect those of you who’d prefer to bang your head to “Bang Your Head,” for me nothing makes the time fly by on a long car ride quite like singing along to ridiculous and cheesy songs from my youth, just like Chris Farley and David Spade belting out The Carpenters.

Rarely does a movie that’s not a Broadway adaptation rely on original music to drive the plot. But if you took away the soundtrack to Once, there would be no movie.

The film follows a Dublin busker (which is the name that those in the UK call street performers), played by real-life Frames frontman Glen Hansard, as he meets a Czech immigrant (Marketa Irglova) as they form a bond solidified by making music together.

Some reworked old songs by the Frames, a.k.a. that other band from Ireland, are mixed in with some new Hansard material, and some Irglova original additions to round out the tracklist.

It all probably started when Sugarhill Gang boasted: “Ya see I got more clothes than Muhammad Ali and I dress so vicious/ I got bodyguards, I got two big cars.” It continued throughout the ’90s as “bravado” and “machismo.” As the 2000s began, hundred dollar bills swirled around hundred thousand dollar cars, and this in your face pomposity became integral to very idea of “rapping to the beat.”

And then came Kanye West. He’s the most publicly egotistical rapper/producer we’ve ever seen, perhaps more in what he says when the music isn’t playing than when it is.

I am sure you will all be happy to hear that my alter-ego, Regina (named after the wonderful, fabulous and uber bitchy Mean Girl) is taking off this week. I will not be ranting about Vera Bradley or trying to make people cry because I ripped on their use of leggings. Instead, I will be giving you a couple of suggestions on the Ithaca staples — jeans and sweaters, for you to take advantage of.

Let’s start with jeans. Jeans are my favorite staple and I get very sad when jeans that are not properly chosen for the individual. If you go to any department store, there are tables and tables of different styles, designers and fits, all so everybody can find their perfect match. Finding a pair of jeans is like finding a husband. It isn’t easy, but once done it should be very rewarding.