some music is made for memories

i was driving to work the other week after picking up a fish burrito (i guess ive graduated from the fish tacos) and after a long night of hanging out that ended around 6:30 in the morning (my last late night for awhile) when the song "i gotta be" by jagged edge came on...that song took me back to 1999 and my then boyfriend Joe....we met a month before i left for college...we were going to make it work long distance cause we loved each other...ha...we had decided that was going to be our song...and now every time i hear that song i think of him...last time i talked to him he was happily engaged...
as i was weaving in and out of traffic i began creating a list of in my head of songs that take me back to moments and memories....

i had a friend Leedon..she was my GURL from 6th grade til about 10th grade...i remember i had just gotten the "waiting to exhale" soundtrack on TAPE...and we were diggin it...thinking we knew something about exhaling....there was a song on there called "kissing you" by faith...i remember sitting in my dads studio with Leedon, a small boombox between us and we out that song on repeat for HOURS...and we talked about whatever seventh or eigth grade girls talk about...thinking we had some real drama in our lives..HA

my sophmore year of college i was involved with a great guy, we alwyas called him by his last name Maxwell, he was a football player, they were all called by their last names...we had our issues but we were pretty cool...we were so laid back things just rolled smoothly with us...my best friend drea loved him cause he would cook and invite us to eat...sophmore year neither one of us had cars so his roomie would pick me up and id spend my weekend at their place (i hope my mama aint reading this, lol) everytime i hear any song off of Jill Scott's first album i think of Max cause he introduced me to her music...i think of the fun we had goofing off at his place on those weekends, taking pics, going to Fridays to eat...me playing wifey...after almost a year, i finally got tired of playing...but we always remained cool...

senior year of high school i ran around with a group of 6 girls, we did almost evreything together that year...i was closet to shrie...we had such a good time doing typical teen stuff...i love hanging out with her...i was so sheltered and she kinda of help put a crack in my shell...i remember riding around in her car all the time listening to lauryn hill's "ex-factor"...just singing the song like we really knew about heartache...maybe she did, i didnt, but lauryn's voice was so rich with emotion it made me think i knew a little somethin...i can play that song now and forreal relate to the words...

i dated this guy sean my junior year in college...he was this gorgeous guy from louisiana...he was seeing other people, i was seeing other people...okay, maybe dated is the wrong word for what we did...it was kinda hush hush for some reason...basically, i would go out with my girls, he would go out with his people, we would see each other at the same parties sometimes...although we never spoke to each other much...i would get back to my dorm room and pack a bag, he would call and tell me he was out front and we spent the weekend in his dorm room...he had the best dorm room, it was hooked up...i even helped him lay the carpet down, he had black lights, 2 double beds pushed together to create one giant bed which he then covered with a down feather bed and down comforter...it was a pretty plush dorm room once he got through decorating...he a great computer he had built and he had this music program on it which would chop and screw songs...he introduced me to choppin and screwin...he would spend hours doing that while i laid out on his bed reading a book or doing homework...he also introduced me to jazz...mostly coltrane...i bought this cd 'coltrane for lovers'' whenever i hear "in a sentimental mood" i think of sean... we would talk for hours about anything while listening to some jazz...we both had this artistic streak..we would read stuff to each other...its funny cause only a couple of my girls knew about him and i doubt he told many of his boys about me....we hung out my whole junior year...every other weekend i was with him...it didnt end well with us...funny, i still remember his phone number....

G fell into my life last year and made it much more productive with his encouraging words and quick wit...kept me from going out of my mind a few times...a great guy...showed me what a man is all about...he is a kindred spirit...i call him my twin...whenever i hear the song "everytime i go away" by brian mcknight i think of him...he burned the cd for me and i was like thanks...and i listened to it a little...it wasnt until i was taking him to the airport one day and the song came on that i really listened to the words...i dropped him off at the airport that day and played that song repeatedly on the 40 min trip back home..it was a great memory...i tried to get him to make it into a ring tone for me...great memories though...im so glad he is happy now..he def deserves it...

this may sounds kinda cold...but the song "Burn" by usher brings up memories of my ex-boyfriend jason...it was his ring tone for awhile too...until i could get through the pain of our break up....i remember i was in tennesse at my journalism fellowship at vanderbilt...i was there for 3 months..i thought we could last...i really thought i was going to marry this man....my mama did too...she still does...in my mamas eyes he can do no wrong...but the long distance didnt work out...we were good together but apart...not so much...i was experiencing so many new things....i new after this fellowship my life was never going to be the same...and it hasnt been....i remember the week before graduating from my program me and jason finally had "the convo"...i knew it was coming, but i wanted to hold on a pretend i didnt see the signs...he has always been the more "cut to the chase," "lets think realistically about this" one between us...i remember i didnt have a lot of time to cry because i was in the fellowship buliding finishing up a project and had to go to a networking dinner after...but in between that we talked on the phone and it was over...it hurt...but it was for the best...we are still good friends, although we dont speak as much as we used to..whenever i come home he makes sure he stops by to see me...and im proud of him, he has a lot of his plate, he is BUSY being sucessful and i cant be mad at him for that...he had always treated me with the utmost respect and love...

ill finish with my best friend andrea...me and this girl grew up together....granted we met in college...but forreal that is where we both grew up, went through a lot of painful lessons together...a lot of trials and tribs that helped build our character, and gave us our tough skin (and gooey interior,lol)....i cant even explain my love for this girl...she is my sister, no one knows me better, or can put up with me, or put me in my place like she can...and i just feel blessed to have her in my life...me and her have TOO many songs though....the whole r.kelly 12Play album, lol...we used to get DRESSED, get in the car, turn that album all the way up and drive down peachtree...didnt even hit up a club just drove around all night singing (and we cant sing), maybe going out to eat, maybe not...sophmore year, i got the maxwell unplugged album w/ "this womans work"...drea played it on repeat EVERY night, ALL night for quite possibly 2 months...our neighbors actually asked us to play something else...i began to detest the song...i can finally listen to it again now...the whole blueprint album, the chronic 2001 album, jadakiss songs "knock yourself out" and "we gonna make it," juvenile "back that ass up" when she had to literally carry my drunk butt off the floor - i never got drunk again! the song "P.Y.T." by memphis bleek....we would just pop in whatever cd we were feeling and ride almost every weekend for 4 years...drea you bet' not cry when you read this either...i know you! LOL