Showing posts with label youth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label youth. Show all posts

Thursday

blast from the past

I got this list of horrifying facts (the only consolation I can find is that obviously many others did these same exact things) in an e-mail entitled "If You Were A Girl in the 70s." Enjoy cringing.
  • You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it. That's so eerily true.
  • You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels. I had both the normal (safe) kind that were like boots and the Death in the Afternoon version that shakily buckled onto my shoes.
  • You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute. Sigh, Fred Grandy.
  • You had either a "bowl cut" or "pixie" or the "Dorothy Hamill." People sometimes thought you were a boy. And I bought the Short & Sassy shampoo to go with it
  • You owned "Klick-Klacks" and smacked yourself in the face more than once! They totally rocked; I wish I still had them.
  • You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers. Possibly all in the same day.
  • You begged Santa for the electronic game Simon. And I got it! Then mastered it! What?
  • You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once. Emphasis on the "at least."
  • You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle). Ugh. And I wasn't even forced to get them.
  • You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink! Alas, it was not. But I was awesome at skating backwards, just in case.
  • Your hairstyle was described as having "wings" or "feathers" and you kept it pretty with the comb in your back pocket. I clearly remember my little pink plastic Goody. Good times.
  • You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie. And their nemesis the evil Purple Pie Man! Which is pretty creepy when you think about it - was he trying to PUT THEM IN PIES?
  • You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stick God's eyes, decoupage, or those weird pot holders made on a plastic loom. Um, that would be the Loom Looper, people. And my grandma LOVED her pot holders.
  • You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your t-shirts. Then I ironed my name in felt letters on the back of the t-shirts...
  • You used to tape record songs off the radio (or tv) by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker. See these posts for documentation.
  • You had subscriptions to "Dynamite" and "Tiger Beat." How else would I have covered every square inch of wall space in my bedroom?
  • You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes, or shoelaces with heart or rainbow designs. How about all of the above?
  • You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer. Desperately.
  • You glopped your lips in Strawberry Roll-on lip-gloss till it almost dripped off. That was in preparation for the first kiss at the roller rink. Duh.

What is surprisingly missing: Smurfs, Happy Days, having a crush on Barbarino from Welcome Back, Kotter, my first album ("Thriller"), Hello Kitty everything, dressing like Cyndi Lauper, rainbow suspenders a la Mork from Ork (not to mention saying "Nanu Nanu" to my friends and laughing uproariously), shamelessly 'smoking' candy cigarettes, movies with intermissions (and drive-in theaters), playing marbles & jacks, and sliding across the slick vinyl backseat of my parents' car because seatbelts were not required. Ah, youth.

I'm breaking the law and posting this as my Thursday Thirteen anyway (it's only six off...).

Go see others here.

thirteen things i love about the world

Thursday Thirteen ~ Now this is a meme I can get behind!

  1. kids laughing till they can't breathe
  2. dark chocolate with raisins & walnuts
  3. gerber daisies
  4. rollercoasters
  5. that sharp smell of a fresh rain
  6. music
  7. harry potter
  8. watching squirrels bury their booty
  9. swings
  10. real smiles
  11. fresh berries
  12. my man who rubs my shins without complaint
  13. it's so big, yet so small

(Thanks, God. You rock).

Wednesday

jobs i've had before my current redeeming position as educator of america's youth

To serve as a source of hope & inspiration for those working in a Ring of Hell

(asterisks indicate level of joy involved in the job, * = I'd rather be poking my eyes out to ***** = bordering on orgasmic experience)
  • picking various items - strawberries, bulbs, potatoes, cucumbers, flowers ~ all negative *****
  • waitress - Longfellow Cafe (connected to a bookstore - I served Anne Rule and Patrick McManus!) ~ ***1/2
  • advertising sales, copy, layout - Skagit Valley College newspaper ~ *** (met many cute guys, oh and I got to write stuff)
  • friendly food-serving cowgirl - Kow Korner Drive-In (I'm so not making it up) ~ **1/2
  • pizza maker ("It's on fire!") & general food counter worker - The Cub @ WSU ~ **
  • sandwich builder (quit before fired for giving away massive amounts of deli foods to future boyfriend/husband & friends) - Mother's Cupboard @ WSU ~ **
  • concessions queen - Old Post Office Theater (yes, it really was an old post office; very cool) ~ **** (free movies, popcorn & pop for me and everyone I knew, but also nasty nasty clean-ups)
  • day camp counselor - Morale, Welfare, Recreation Dept of US Navy (I had to take an oath of loyalty before being hired, honest to God) ~ ***1/2
  • sales clerk - White Drug Store ~ **** (owner's son played in NFL & WSU Athletic Dept had an account - I "How can I help you?"ed Drew Bledsoe & Jason Hanson!)
  • assistant teacher - Gladys McCoy Academy (serving teenage boys expelled from school...super delightful) ~ **1/2
  • bookseller/community relations coordinator - Barnes & Noble ~ ***** ('Will Work For Books' was my motto)
  • middle school teacher (Hey! That's what I went to college for!) - Neil Armstrong MS ~ *****

Tuesday

redemption

or, ways i'm different from when i was in high school

  • generally smarter & more confident
  • have a boyfriend (who conveniently doubles as a husband when necessary)
  • actually enjoy talking in front of the class
  • better fashion sense (um, leg warmers anyone?)
  • bigger ...tracts of land
  • altered hair color
  • do not cry when i hear particular songs by chicago or journey
  • understand popularity is not the key to happiness
  • willing to go places by myself (e.g. mall, movies, bathroom)
  • smudged mascara around my eyes does not equal eyeliner
  • like coffee & tea
  • not interested in knowing a psychologist, much less being one
  • way better writer (doesn't it show?)
  • am not swoony at the thought of guys in loafers without socks
  • love foreign films
  • can do naughty things without guilt

the horror

Or, ways I'm like I was in high school

  • general feelings of inadequacy
  • unnatural enjoyment of new school supplies
  • bad eyesight
  • get hives at the mention of economics
  • attracted to the geeky skinny guys (see "potential second husbands")
  • tendency to dislike bouncy perky cheerleader-types
  • hate high heels
  • want the popular people to like me (or at least notice me)
  • agonizing over hair & makeup
  • relish the angst of The Smiths, The Cure, Squeeze, The Smithereens, omd, Depeche Mode, and Echo & The Bunnymen
  • still have no respect for my American History teacher
  • height
  • 'pleasure to have in class' but 'visits too much with neighbors'
  • love the smell of mimeograph in the morning...