I’m listening to this Mix Tape titled June 1997/July 1997. We made it at the end of our summer internship at Iowa State University. We (Delney, Amy, Becca, Stephanie, and I) were interns in the Program for Women in Science and Engineering. Geeky science girls spending the summer doing full time research. The boys we befriended included Mike, Tariq, Fadi, Manuel, and a couple more boys in Mike’s circle.
We spent a hundred hours laughing and drinking coffee in the cafeteria of Friley Hall. We met Mike & Company in the cafeteria. They were in another internship program and living in the same monster residence hall. I had a crush on Mike, that was how we met them. We went ballroom dancinc, salsa dancing, to movies, to the mall, on naked relay races, to a water park in Des Moines, and all over Ames together. On our final night in Iowa, we all raced to the campanile to kiss at midnight.
Other than the hilarious group kiss at the end of the summer, there was no romance. As much tension as was flying around the group–me with crushes on Tariq, Fadi, and Mike, Becca’s on Mike’s Friend, Manuel on Delney and Stephanie, everyone on Stephanie, Stephanie on Fadi… oy. Nothing ever happened.
Now I’m listening to the tape we compiled as a memory of the summer. While we thought it was completely innocent at the time, we all were in love with each other. Every single song is about unrequited love, friend crushes, missed opportunities.
Violent Femmes, “I don’t even remember, if we were lovers or if we were only friends.” Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Suck my kiss.” George Michael “Faith.” Some song from Rent about regretable hook-ups. Every single song is about the friend crush.
It is bizarre, after so many years to listen to this and realize that we all felt the same way. Everyone donated 2-3 songs and I mixed it. It is a soundtrack to a great movie. Even better than the one I wrote about me and Adam. This is from all sides, not just me.
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