I have my iPod sitting here next to my laptop, and I am listening to Ravel's Bolero. The first piece of classical music I can remember listening to and simply loving. Bolero has been in my music collection ever since I've had a music collection, and I've had one for a long time. I was the kid in Jr. High that saved his money up to buy music. Tonight I was reminded of this amazing piece while reading an article in Wired. The article is entitled: "My Bionic Quest for Bolero". "With one listen, I was hooked. I was a 15-year-old suburban New Jersey nerd..."  The article is an amazing piece about a man who lost his hearing, but not his drive to hear Bolero again and all of the trials he went through to hear it again.

That first line in the article reminded me of my first time listening to Bolero, I was at my Grandparents house, my Dad's Mom and Dad, standing at my Dad's side, in their leaving room and Granddad put on this record and turned it up loud. I could feel the drums in my chest, and I had goose bumps on my arms and legs, I couldn't believe the sound that was coming out of the speakers. I kept looking up at my Dad and Granddad, they stood in the middle of livingroom, eyes closed and I could see that they could feel every note, and there was a smile that came when a new instrument would coming in, the oboes came in and it was subtle and yet felt like getting hit with a ton of bricks, this music was just so intense, and it kept building. The build up in the piece is so intense that I kept waiting for it to end and wishing it wouldn't at the same time. I was 8 or 9 at the time, so I wasn't able to put my feelings about this piece of music in to words, or the wonderful feeling of sharing the music and the moment with my Dad and Granddad.

Granddad and Grandma are moving back up to our neighborhood, they'll be a block or so from Mom and Dad, I feel certain one of the things we'll do while moving them in to their new place will be to dust of the albums set up the turntable and give Ravel's Bolero a quick spin.