My old friend Baldwin...

Music has always been a big part of my life. Music is like food. Absence of it in your life leaves a hole. You can't survive without it. The same is why you spend so much of your childhood at your Grandparents' house. Because Grandma always has something cooking, and not just anything. It is her special recipe that is often imitated, but never recreated. Grandma knows exactly what spices to add, to avoid, how to fix burnt meringue or any fallen soufflé. And best of all, Grandma's food is inherently based on the culture of her own childhood. A New Orleans native, or as she says "Nawlins," my Grandma's specialty is cajun cuisine. Crawfish. Crabs. And of course the best of the best....Gumbo.

And recently I was able to rediscover myself, on the piano. As a child I took 11 years of lessons, got a little burnt out in high school. It was right at the time where life starts to pick up speed, and it is all you can do to hang on for dear life. I suppose the fact that this year, my life incurs another change whereas I have to leave the cozy nest of Blacksburg. So while at home, an old friend of mine and I reconnected. The best part about him is that he is always there, when you are angry, excited, joyful, or annoyed. He does not judge. His 88 ebony and ivories are like solid ground: a place to start over when it feels like life is ending. I picked a new song to plunk away at: 100 Years by Five for Fighting. And while this old dog is trying to teach her fingers new tricks, the old ones were always there. Old songs memorized for piano festivals, recitals and christmas gatherings fly out of my fingers' muscle memory. No music. No words. Just us. Me and my old friend Baldwin. He is nothing fancy, a dark-wooded upright with glossy mahogany finish. But we get the job done. On their website I found some of the most beautiful, and crazy pianos I have ever seen. For a pretty penny, $100 grand, *gulp*you could get any kind of grand piano you want! Even if you are into

zebra.... :D Like an animal hunting prey, I found holes in my schedule to spend in the living room bonding with my old friend Baldwin every day over Christmas Break. And now back at school, I am piano-less... and searching for a replacement.