Long Distance Dedication

I wonder if it makes me extremely odd that I can look back on certain events, some seemingly minor, and note that they were a major turning point for a part of me.

Case in point-- the last day of my freshmen year at college Chris Rummel (shout-out) gave me his sound design mix-CD for the show The Shape of Things along with another CD, simply titled The Inspiration. Tonight I shared some of my favorites from those CDs with a friend and realized that those CDs changed my taste in music. It didn't happen all at once, or even noticeibly, but that's clearly where the inflection point lies in what I listen to. Another small change happend a couple years after that when Talene (shout-out) less then subtley began a music education program for me.

It probably has something to do with my unique blend of nostalgia, snap-shot memory, and overly cognitive personality. What I do know is this, there's something special to me about music I've gained through my friends. From "New Music Delivery" in the middle of a Syracuse winter to "SU Mix" on the long journey back from UMass Amherst, I have a photo-album of music and the memories of the close friends I first heard it with.