I stand up from the circle of plastic chairs, clear my throat and reluctantly mumble, "Hi, I'm Carly and I can only drive if I'm listening to rap music."

"Hi Carly," says the group collectively.

That's right, I insist on driving to rap music, and rap music alone. 97.1 and 105.1 are two of my favorite radio stations, blasting the top hip hop and rap beats of the week, any time of the day or night. Not really, but it seems like it because whenever I'm in the car, these stations can always provide me with someone to spit rhymes out of my speakers. And that's impressive because I drive a lot and I drive at weird "off times," too. As long as there is rap to be heard, that's all that matters to me.

Anyway, in our overly complicated world, I believe it really is crucial to appreciate the small things. For me, that's flying down the highway blasting Drake, Kanye, Kendrick Lamar, Fetty Wap, Jay-Z, Future, A$AP Rocky or any variation of rap moguls.

Whether it's a song that's like Nicki Minaj's "SuperBass," with lyrics faster than comprehension, it gets my adrenaline pumping, and encourages very illegal speeding, or something slower with a heavy bass, catchy tune, and memorable lyrics like Drake's latest "Hotline Bling," it all just feels so right on the highway.

The ultimate treat is driving on I-287, paired with a great rap song at 1:00 a.m. when no one else is on the road. Especially because in that environment you can sing and dance like an idiot in the privacy of your own "car bubble," it's truly one of life's gifts to us.

This is not to say that I can't tolerate listening to the top 40 pop songs on 100.3 or 92.3 that include the likes of Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and the occasional up and coming Indie artist. It's just they don't make me enjoy the ride as much as Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne do.

The weird thing is, I only listen to this type of music in the car. When I'm at home, or on the train with my headphones in, or really any other venue where I'm in control of the playlist, the chances of Wu-Tang Clan coming on are slim to none. What you will find, though, are people like Regina Spektor, Feist, Lorde, Hozier, Ruth B, Iron and Wine, and Mumford and Sons. Keep in mind—these are some of the more popular names I thought the general public might know.

But in reality, it's actually really weird, depressing, underground Indie music. I say this in the least pretentious hipster-wannabe type of way. My background in lyrical and modern dance has introduced me to some really unique music and I never really got over it, how could I? It's so good.

This very particular need to listen to a certain type of music while driving is not the only thing I'm picky about. I'm the same way with Netflix; it's very dependent on my mood.

When I'm upset, bored, tired, or need to cool down and zone out, my go-to show is always "Family Guy." As much as I love "Family Guy" though, I have to be in a certain mental place to watch this show. If I'm not, I run the risk of getting offended by its political incorrectness or Peter Griffin's stupidity. However, when I am in that mindset, which is something similar to numbness I'd say, watching a show that needs zero to minimal concentration or interpretation is very therapeutic and enjoyable for me.

But when I'm in the mood to really buckle down and watch a show that requires focus, attention to detail, recollection of previous episodes' drama, and mental plot unraveling, I go for shows like "Scandal" (awaiting the new season!), "Dexter" (just finished it earlier this week!), "Law and Order SVU," and "House."

I've tried to psychoanalyze myself about why I'm so insistent about these things. It's interesting why I find myself demanding these "terms" for when I can/cannot listen to rap, or watch "Family Guy," or when I can/cannot listen to heart-wrenching music and drain the world out with incredibly intense sitcoms. After a lot of self-reflection, I've decided that it has something to do with how the environment and my emotions effect my ability to appreciate something.

What I mean by this is, when I'm driving there are so many other things to focus on that I'm pretty sure that's not the best time to fully indulge myself by listening to what I consider "real music."

Don't get me wrong, I love busting out to rap, but I just don't see its artistic value. I apologize in advance to those who believe Tupac and others are true poets, but I just don't see rap music as real music.

Hollywood has done a pretty bad job at covering up its extensive use of autotune, so that leads me to believe that most of what artists release now is electronically enhanced, computer made (as opposed to using instruments), B.S. So, for me, that doesn't warrant a whole lot of respect, or a desire to pay huge amounts of attention to the lyrics or chord progression.

There's also the fact that the lyrics, for the most part, would make me too upset if I actually did pay strong attention to them. If I really listened to how many times a woman is referred to as a "h*e" or a "bad b*tch" and told to "drop it, make that *ss shake," my head would explode. With all the possible distractions on the road, I'd much rather ignore the misogynistic lyrics and simply vibe to the beats as I drive.

That is to say that the other type of music I listen to, when I'm not driving, is real music. I believe it deserves respect, appreciation and complete focus. I've grown up in an artsy crowd, surrounded by tons of musician friends, so I know a thing or two about their incredible work ethic and dedication to their music.

Countless times I've been witness to exactly how much work needs to be put into mastering 10 instruments, and composing a piece of music. Because of this, I consider the music that actually uses real instruments, and relies on blood, sweat, and tears, to be true art, not just background noise

The same applies for TV shows. I think even the producers of "Family Guy" know it's a joke and not meant to be taken seriously. If you compare the first season to the most recent one, there certainly has been production-quality progress, but still, I can't imagine it taking as much work, time, patience and soul from the voice actors, as "Scandal" takes from Kerry Washington. Shows like "Scandal," "How to Get Away with Murder," and "Lost"—these are cinematic works of art.

The plot lines are carefully thought out, and brought to life through the passion of the actors, directors, and everyone on set. For this reason, among so many others, I believe shows like these deserve to be watched with my phone on "Do not Disturb," meanwhile, when I watch "Family Guy," I tend to also be snapchatting or online shopping.

So, I guess there is some sort of bigger connection here and some method to my madness. I guess that also makes rap music my "Family Guy," and Adele my "Scandal."