my scented and musical memories.

Sometimes I walk into a room and a scent catches my attention; one that reminds me of some other time, some other place, or even someone. The weird thing is, despite the fact that I associate certain scents with particular people or events, I couldn't describe or much less remember those scents at just any time; only in the fleeting moments they exist to wake up my olfactory glands.

My grandma's house has a smell, it's a mix of beans and onions. It isn't unpleasant at all, even though the description sounds like it should be :). My grandma is always cooking, and I think the various aromas from the different foods she's made throughout the years have embedded themselves into the fabrics and cushions. In fact, after chopping garlic and onions, my hands smell similar to hers.

...But then I come across the more indistinguishable scents; their smell is usually weak, almost like the faint smell of detergent that lingers on a jacket long after its been washed. I have a collection of those hidden away somewhere, and I can't always connect them with the people I've attached them to, but they belong to them like a fingerprint. I know psychology can offer an explanation, and I've heard that some doctors even suggest that their patients burn certain oils in order to lessen the severity of their ailments, as silly as it sounds. Still, I think it's peculiar and fascinating how a simple scent can so easily elicit an emotional response.

There is another device that my mind uses to remember people, places, and things. I know I'm not the only one that has this experience: A certain song comes on the radio, then I'm somewhere else, or talking to someone else, or even 19 years younger. 80s music does this to me the most! I know I was only able to experience 5 years of the slap-bracelet-obsessed 80s, but still, how can I forget learning to dance on my mom's feet as she led the way? I even remember riding in the car with her once late at night as we drove home from In-N-Out Burger listening to "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds. I don't have much in common with her (or my dad, for that matter, who she happened to marry at 18, when he was still a partyin-breakdancin-skateboardin-also-music lovin' kiddo!), our lives are almost the complete opposite, but my mom taught me how to love music (and even poetry, but that's another topic :). I think I picked-up my mom's music obsession at such a young age because she had me when she was pretty young; right out of high school, when she couldn't love music more. I miss that wonderful age, when blasting the music didn't bother her because David Bowie, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Psychedelic Furs, Madonna, and Depeche Mode, among others, would take turns making our world a better place in just 3 minutes and 44 seconds...It doesn't end there, though. My entire family is obsessed with it; I think it's genetic, my grandpa was a musician back in the day, so I think he's responsible. Music and dancing go hand and hand with us; I think it's what helps us connect the most. My cousins and I are all pretty different too, but if you see us when the music comes on, it's obvious that we're related. Even my rosary-praying grandma has her moves :)!

Anyway, these days, my mother is partly to blame for my childhood crush on Dave Gahan's voice :) (aka lead singer of Depeche Mode). Strange crush aside, I'm thankful that she not only taught me how to "put on [my] red shoes and dance the blues", but also how to really love music. I can go on and on about how much I love it...but I think you understand how much and why.