My car was making a strange noise the other day. Upon shutting off the radio to get a better idea as to the source of said noise, I quickly forgot about my mission when I realized that my radio has probably been turned off a total of 5 times since I purchased the car back in 2010.

It was an odd experience to be sitting in silence while driving. Even times when I am sick of listening to mainstream songs, I change the station to classical music, or local public radio. Needless to say, I quickly turned the radio back on. The strange noise would be ignored indefinitely.

I love music. Always have. When I was growing up my father belonged to one of those Columbia House membership clubs where the company mails ten cds and it’s up to the customer to send them back if he/she doesn’t want them. This led to an impressive (and indiscriminate) cd collection.

Probably the most frequently-played albums were MJ’s “Thriller” and Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” but my point is I was exposed to a lot of different music. I can remember skipping around the living room to “Don’t Get Me Wrong” and rushing home from school to put “Dookie” in my cd player. I loved Gloria Estefan and Amy Grant, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. I saw Les Misérables three times and memorized the entire soundtrack.

Certain songs still remind me of specific moments in time and can evoke a particular emotion. Perhaps music from the 1990s has the greatest affect on me, because those were my middle and high school years (Class of 2000, Baby!). This is why I subscribe to XM radio. Hello 90s on 9 station! Goodbye dreadful commutes (well, sometimes).

“Sorry, Husband. I meant to call you as soon as I got in the car, but then this happened”:

Have you ever been disappointed in reaching your destination because your arrival cuts a fabulous song short? Do I get to my appointment on time, or should I wait to see if Jeremy spoke in class today?

One of my few regrets in life is not continuing to take piano lessons. What an awesome skill/talent to have! I was never great at playing, but I was decent. Now if I sat down to play I’d probably realize I have zero pieces memorized. I’m not sure how easy or hard it would be to pick it back up again, but it sometimes crosses my mind that I should. First thing I need is a piano. And, oh yes, free time. Assuming I could squeeze in lessons (my 12 year old neighbor likes her teacher, so that part is settled), I just need the funds to purchase the instrument. Maybe I should sell my car. It is making a strange noise after all…