Orange County, Calif.

When I’m not in Atlanta, I live in Orange County - which, by the way, nobody called “the O.C.” until Fox did. I went home for spring break, promptly got sick, and spent most of the week being nursed back to health by my mother and her miracle-cure chicken soup. But I did manage to get out a little bit to soak up the SoCal rays and hear some tunes while shopping.

1) “American Wife” - Rilo Kiley: At Urban Outfitters. Hey, it’s where all the high school hipsters are hanging out ... and they look younger than ever. No to UO’s huaraches, but yes to Rilo Kiley.

2) “Beautiful Day” - U2: At Irvine Spectrum. Sitting outside, eating at Wahoo’s Fish Taco on an aptly beautiful, breezy, freewheeling day. If you haven’t eaten at Wahoo’s, you haven’t lived. Really.

3) “Collide” - Howie Day: At Metro Pointe in Costa Mesa. Day also seems more fall than early springtime to me. Maybe that’s why there weren’t too many people around. Or maybe they were all doing their bit for the economy at mega-mall South Coast Plaza across the street.

4) “Lightness” - Death Cab for Cutie: At Huntington Surf and Sport in Huntington Beach. Definitely winter-ish. But it was a rather gray day for the world’s surf capital, anyway. Too bad for all the people there for the paintballers’ convention.

5) “Cowboy Take Me Away” - Dixie Chicks: In my sister’s car. Pre-no clothes, pre-political statements. I’m not a real fan of country, but I like singing along to this song.??