Dear Beyonce...

Just like those dramatic ex-heroine junkie types say, music really gets me through those hard time in life, man. Lately, I've been listening to a great deal of "power music" a.k.a. "I'm the shit and you're not music," and the greatest song of this genre is, hands-down, Beyonce's "Irreplaceable."

With lyrics that include statements such as, "You must not know 'bout me/You must not know 'bout me/I could have another you in a minute/Matter fact he'll be here in a minute," and questions like, "If I can't be your everything, how 'bout I be nothing?," this song can be sung ballad-style, or shouted, as Meagan and I practiced in the car yesterday afternoon coming home from the Lyon Center after some much-needed Precor-age.

Little does Beyonce know that when M and I are feeling a little (or very) crappy about our love lives (or lack of), or start foolishly reminiscing about a guy who broke (or pureed) our hearts, one of us flips on the iPod, connects the speakers, and the familiar guitar strum fills the apartment. Beyonce's crisp voice seeps into our ears as she begins the song with what has become the Pine Street mantra: To the left, to the left... A dance party ensues and somehow, all seems right in life.

Filled with hope for the future, and utilizing that good ol' 50/50 hindsight, after those glorious four minutes and eleven seconds, we believe that yes, we could totally get another you in a minute. Not that we'd want another you per say, but we are hot, sexy, young, fun, and, um, hello, hilarious, so if anyone should be worried about ending up alone, it's certainly not us.

Anyway. I wish Beyonce could know the role she has played in our lives. That despite such musical blunders as "Single Ladies" (which is a good song in theory but really super annoying to listen to), other tracks like "Irreplaceable," and, let's not forget, "If I Were a Boy," can literally shift my mood from teary to fuck you in a couple minutes flat. If I ever do get the random chance to meet Ms. Knowles, I will surely tell her that her music makes my world a better place.

In the mean time, I'll be humming to myself, to the left, to the left.