I carried a watermelon.

Watching the Black Eyed Peas bastardize a childhood memory during the half-time show prompted me to watch the final scene in Dirty Dancing again. Everyone is familiar with Dirty Dancing, and it is probably on most woman's Top Favorite Movies, and lets be honest, there are a lot of great songs in it.

As a child I watched this movie pretty much everyday for a year around the age of 4-5. And every time I watched it, I'd pause it at the last scene, run upstairs and change into my sisters red Polk-a-dot dress so that I too could dance the final dance. (Or fall down the stairs on my way down in the stiletto heels that were MUCH too big for me feet...one of those things)

I mean, the whole movie I have a neat connection with not just with the memory. My grandma grew up knowing Gery Orbach, the father in the movie. My mother managed to get me Bill Medley's autograph because I was so infatuated with the movie and song. (See, my mom's not all THAT bad?) And So what if it wasn't until I was 12 that I finally even got the whole plot/meaning of the movie and had that "ohhhhhh" moment after the 400-some odd time watching it. It's a memory I actually can recall, and its a story my mother loved telling me.
And yes, I did have a massive crush on Patrick Swayze, who didn't. And watch this movie come full circle to relevance to me now. Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer the same week my grandmother was, and I hated him for once in my life. My massive crush, was dwindled down because when people asked what my grandmother was diagnosed with, or why she died they would bring up Patrick. It seem to play down the seriousness and very tragic loss that I just personally felt and witnessed, and it made me incredibly angry, even if I did understand the struggles his family was going through, it pierced my heart.

I don't think any movie has ever made much of an imprint as this one. Dirty Dancing truly has worked its way into my history in more ways than a childhood memory. It's interesting with movies and music can take such foot hold into your life and vine its way into your history, past and present.

Because like Baby, "I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am..."

And to continue with quoting cliches:

Dirty dancing, "I owe it all to you..." for creating such an impact.

And by the way, I fully plan on playing "Take me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money at my wedding, should I ever get married, which totally has the Ronettes in it... "Just like Ronnie said, be my little baby"