1. If you were on the go, this was how you had to listen to your favorite radio stations and ONE CD (unless you carried a CD case in the pocket of your cargo shorts).
2. A step too far past this line would serenade you with the sweet screech of static.
3. Nothing taught you patience and persistence more than those repeated calls asking the DJ to play your favorite song.
4. And then there was the tinge of diabolical genius you felt disguising your voice after they ignored your first 15 requests.
5. You perfected when to hit record just before your favorite song came on.
6. But then came the panic when you hit record and the DANG DJ was still talking over the intro!!!
7. Oh, the joy of popping your radio-recorded mixtape in the cassette player and bopping around the house and neighborhood with your favorite jams.
8. Remember the fear you felt racing the radio dial back and forth to find the channel playing the last bit of the sports game?
9. Lest we not forget when familial bonds were tested over which station would play at home.
10. You learned to always call shotgun because that gave you radio-station-picking power.
11. And if your sibling got to pick the station, you knew the way to get back at them was changing the presets.
12. But when you finally won the radio responsibilities, it seemed like every 👏🏻 single 👏🏻 station 👏🏻 decided to play commercials at the same time.
13. It was an unwritten rule that AM was talk radio for your parents and FM was for the cool kids.
14. Nothing felt more empowering than the moment your parent let that explicit song keep playing.
15. And there was no joy greater than hangin' with your homies when y'all's song came on and you were collectively all like...
16. Your radio was your BF4L and the best times were those spent with your bedroom door closed and the radio cranked LOUD.
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