Dirty Dancing

It was just me and my mom, when I was younger.  About a year after my grandpa died, my gram came and moved in with us, but it was still really all about me and my mom.  She was my best friend.  There was never a 'dad' in the picture.  I was basically the product of a one-night-stand (not quite, but practically - she did know him for more than their single date, but he moved shortly after they hooked up and she never saw him after that).

My dad *probably* doesn't even know about me.  My mom never told him, although she ran into his mom some time later and she suspected that his mother knew.

But that's besides the point.

Basically, what I'm saying is that my life, growing up, was all about me - and my mom.

She was already 35 when I was born.  She'd been alone for a long time before me, and was set in her ways, despite the addition of a child.

She went and saw the movies she wanted to see, and didn't care if they were 'appropriate' for me to see them.  She took me with her to theater movies, even if they were rated R.  She let me watch movies on HBO with her, no matter what supposedly 'inappropriate' content they might have.

Young children don't really get the so-called inappropriate stuff anyways.

When I was younger - like... 7 and 8 years old, my two absolute favorite movies were A Chorus Line, and Dirty Dancing.  I loved the dancing and the music.  Looking back on both films, as an adult, I see there were LOADS of stuff that I didn't get way back then.  All of the sexual references and innuendo.  But none of that mattered to my 7-year old self.

Patrick Swayze was probably my first girl-hood crush.

I freaking LOVED that movie.  Dirty Dancing.

L O V E D  it.

My mom and I watched the movie a zillion times together.
I could practically recite it word-for-word, and I knew the words to every song.

I danced around the basement to the soundtrack.

It's one of those treasured childhood memories.

And yesterday Patrick Swayze died.
There are no words for how much that sucks.  He was only 57 years old.
He was a really fantastic person, in addition to the whole 'being totally fricking hot', even when he got older.  He was kind and did charities, and he and his wife were together and happy for like ten-times as long as any normal hollywood marriage ever lasts.

So I'm bummed.

Patrick Swayze was awesome.  He will be missed.