Brandelyn: Lyrical Contradiction

7 things I miss...(presented in random order)

1. The Neo-Soul Movement... Man, remember when Erykah Badu, India Arie, Jill Scott and Maxwell all came out with albums at the same time? Do you remember all of the powerful lyrics, intoxicating music and just that feeling? And having so many musical choices. Your five disc cd player was full and on constant rotation, no need to stand there and skip through songs because they were all great. Now, with these particular artists taking 4 and 5 years in between each project, this feeling is few and far between.
2. Good Movies...Remember Love Jones, Brown Sugar, The Best Man, Hav Plenty, and Waiting to Exhale? We used to have some good quality movies back in the day. No one got shot or stabbed; there were no drugs involved, no crack houses. Just successful black people living their lives and entertaining me. Now I’m forced to watch these films with commercial breaks and terrible editing jobs just to get that old feeling back and no it’s not the same. When are we going to get back to that feeling?
3. College: Man, I used to kick it in college. Some of my fondest memories of school consisted of us, and by us I mean me and Rose, planning to skip class to meet up and travel to either my or her apartment and eat chicken nuggets and pasta roni before falling into a mid afternoon haze. And I’d like to add, we both graduated on time and with decent grades, with no problem! I miss that freedom we had to just be.
4. Friends: As an adult, I am learning that your friend base gets more and more narrow. You have a lot less time to just hang out with people and cultivate relationships so we have to depend on the ones that have already been there and done that and just grow from there. I know that I don’t have the free time I used to or even the energy I once had to create that free time. But I do miss having the homies around the house all the time and having random dinners and movie nights.
5. Candy: When I was a kid, no matter what day, or time of year, I always had some sort of candy on me. There was always a Nownlater, or a jolly rancher stick in my pocket or backpack, and there was always plenty to share with the homies. Now it’s all about calorie counting and Dentist appointments (i.e. responsibility), but I miss those candy days. I used to live in South Pasadena and there was an actual Candy Shop where we would go after school and use our nickels and quarters to stock up on our sugary goods for the week. Chocolate covered gummy bears were my favorite, but were not for the long term use. The Fruit Punch jolly rancher sticks though...whew...
6. Roller Skating...I used to be a roller skating fool back in the day. I’ve told the story of me skating my neighbors perfectly paved driveway, pretending to be Debbie Thomas (the only black figure skating superstar in the 80’s). Man, I loved that!! Now days, the thrill is gone. On the rare occasion I can get out to Milpitas to skate, I am forced to roll around with a bunch of half dressed children singing along to Lil’ John and the East side boys, and the Ladies only skate is to Wait (the whisper song) by the Ying Yang twins. And of course there is the hope that you don’t get shot or run over once you leave the establishment. Needless to say, the thrill is gone.
7. The sun...Fall is here, the rain is falling, and while it is nice to get cozy and throw on a nice sweater and sit in the window of a café drinking tea and watching the leaves fall, I’d much rather be sun bathing with a peach iced tea in hand, basking in the sights and sounds of a summer day. I’m never ready for this particular shift in weather because it always seems to shift so much faster and lasts so much longer. Summer only lasts a few days up here and then its fall again...I miss the sun...

Looking back over this, I guess I miss my childhood. I had a great upbringing with lots of good memories to hold on to. Maybe a few years from now I’ll write about how I miss being able to sit at my office at work and write my little blogs. Of maybe I’ll miss my apartment in Berkeley that was the first thing I could fully call my own. Who knows, for now though, I will definitely bask in my memories and work on creating some new ones. But on some real talk, I sure could go for a Fruit Punch Jolly Rancher stick right now!

Peace Y’all!!

B