I graduated from high school in 1988, a rich period of reckoning when bands like REM were emerging from the local radio playlists of college towns like Athens, Georgia to become monsters. That kind of musical fable is still happening, with Ithaca bands like X Ambassadors currently moving from the local indie rock scene on their own adventure up the national charts. The college music scene clearly still has its place in the sun. We may have replaced "Hi-Fi" with "Spotify," and swapped our rainbow leg warmers for green "Ithaca is Gorges" t-shirts (or maybe we wore those all along...), but I reckon that out of the old often comes the new, if only those connections can be revealed.
Speaking of REM, the song Stand from their 1988 album Green is eerily familiar in that it clearly anticipates geocaching! Granted, it was meant by the band as a send-up of pop-song tropes (which backfired when the spoof itself shot up the Top-40 rankings), but just look: "think about direction," "now face west," and "carry a compass to help you along" could all be talking about geocaching right here in Ithaca. To find this cache, you'll want to "stand in a place where you live" exactly as directed. And watch out for a worthy quartet of local muggles near GZ, even if they appear friendly.
LYRICS to STAND by R.E.M.
Stand in the place where you live
Now face North
Think about direction, wonder why you haven't before
Now stand in the place where you work
Now face West, think about the place where you live
Wonder why you haven't before
If you are confused, check with the sun
Carry a compass to help you along
Your feet are going to be on the ground
Your head is there to move you around
So, stand in the place where you live
Now face North
Think about direction, wonder why you haven't before
Now stand in the place where you work
Now face West, think about the place where you live
Wonder why you haven't before
Your feet are going to be on the ground
Your head is there to move you around
If wishes were trees the trees would be falling
Listen to reason
Season is calling
Stand in the place where you live
Now face North
Think about direction, wonder why you haven't before
Now stand in the place where you work
Now face West, think about the place where you live
Wonder why you haven't before
If wishes were trees the trees would be falling
Listen to reason
Reason is calling
Your feet are going to be on the ground
Your head is there to move you around
So stand (stand)
Now face North
Think about direction, wonder why you haven't before
Now stand (stand)
Now face West
Think about the place where you live
Wonder why you haven't
Stand in the place where you live
Now face North
Think about direction, wonder why you haven't before
Now stand in the place where you work
Now face West, think about the place where you live
Wonder why you haven't before
Stand in the place where you are (now face North)
Stand in the place where you are (now face West)
Your feet are going to be on the ground (stand in the place where you are)
Your head is there to move you around, so stand (stand in the place where you are)
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.
For the geochecker, you'll want the two key words in alphabetical order.