I was solid on the fact that I didn't want to pick up any more new TV shows or series or movies to get super excited about. In fact, I'd fallen behind on a ton of my favorites, but there simply isn't enough time in the day to study, commute, work and still get as into entertainment as I used to be. I certainly wasn't getting into any musicals. The last one I saw was Wicked, which I went to with my fifth grade class and which I still sing songs from occasionally. So when Hamilton got big, I refused to listen to it. No reason to push myself to obsession with some mainstream musical.

But I didn't really have a choice because it was everywhere. One of my closest friends had gotten the CD and refused to stop playing it in the car. I drove with her often so when we went on our nightly drives, I'd have to endure the non-stop (no pun intended) playthroughs of both acts. For a month, maybe longer, I resisted, until we got lost somewhere in a town over and the drive back was long enough for the second act to play through.

Driving back into our town, I was forced to listen to the death of Hamilton's son, which I cried over. Yes, for some strange reason I was sitting in the front seat of her car, crying over the death of a founding father's son. And that's pretty good insight into how weird this entire musical situation is.

It became a problem for me gradually. I learned song by song unwillingly, until I could rap the fastest songs with no issue. If only the ability to rap "Guns and Ships" could get me brownie points on a resume I'd be set to go. Instead, I've got this weird insight into American history that I didn't ask for, as well as an emotional attachment to several characters that were literally the worst in real life. It's like being really into fandoms all over again, with a stupid amount of references that are ridiculous sounding when you try to explain them to anyone who hasn't listened to the soundtrack.

The worst part is that I'm committed now... to a show that has thousand dollar tickets that are impossible to get. I've spent months listening to nothing but this damn soundtrack only to find out that I essentially will have to choose between college tuition or Hamilton.