Oh, Whitney.

I'm sure by now a lot of people are sick of hearing about Whitney. But, seeing as she was my first favorite artist I feel I have to dedicate a blog entry to her. So, move on if you're one of those Whitney haters who's already making crackhead jokes about her.

My very first album, which was one of those ancient cassette tapes, was Whitney's self-titled album. My mom gave me this album when I was about five or six years old and I played that thing non stop, memorizing every single lyric. I would swing on the tree swing in our back yard with my cassette player going as I belted out the lyrics. I would glue myself to the TV waiting to see a Whitney Houston video. I dreamed of being as beautiful and talented as Whitney. My favorite Whitney song was, "Greatest Love of All." I was thrilled when they chose the song for our class to sing in our third grade Christmas concert. I bragged to my teacher, Ms. Clark, that I didn't even need to practice because I already knew all the words.

In high school, I was thrilled when "Waiting to Exhale" came to theaters. My mom and I went to see it in the theater. During the movie a giant rat ran across the bottom of the screen. No joke. People screamed, horrified they left the theater. My mom and I looked at each other and propped our feet up on top of the seats in front of us. There was no way I was leaving without seeing this movie, especially after seeing Angela Bassett set fire to her cheating husband's belongings on the front lawn. (Note: this theater has since been shut down) I was then obsessed with the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack.

In college, I was hooked on Whitney's "My Love is Your Love" album. I would blast the song, "It's Not Right, but It's Okay," in my freshman dorm room and loudly sing along every time my roommate would leave for class in the morning. I'm sure I got a few knocks on the door from our RA, reminding me that I was living on the "quiet floor" in our dorm. (It seems a bit cruel to place a college freshman on the dorm's quiet floor.

Sadly, Whitney abandoned her golden talent and began to go down a darker path. While others laugh about her drug abuse or bitch that New Jersey is running their flags at half mast, I'm going to continue to remember her through her music. Her voice was one of the most beautiful voices out there and still gives me goosebumps. I'm sad that I can no longer wait for her glorious comeback. She truly was a legend.