Thursday, January 31, 2008

Love The One You're With

It's funny how when your innocence gets taken away, you don't realize it for a while. I don't remember learning the...well, the ins and outs of sex, or death or Santa=Big Lie. But the following entry shows that I certainly knew about adultery!

Lex, this one's for you!

May 17, 1987

Hi. I was at the McKissocks' for a Youth Fellowship party. It was fun. I love their house. CM is possessed with me. She kept on following me around. I like her.
Last night L. and I babysat for Mrs. G and yes, they were late again. We massively raided their pantry, vaulted onto their couch and threw toys.
*here I drew a diagram of us whapping toys down the length of their freakishly clean and white kitchen island. It was funnier in 1987*
L. slept over and we went to the the Country Fair. It is so much better when C. doesn't sleep over. I don't want her in my room again.
Bye!


1. The family in question had the first "portable" phone I ever encountered. Mr. G. would call from his car, which I thought was the coolest thing ever. Sometimes the husband and wife would leave together, but only one would come home. Or, I'd show up to babysit and some guy who was NOT the Mr. would be there, freely helping himself to the fridge. He would leave with the Mrs. The Mrs. was actually the kindergarten teacher at our elementary school! L.'s mom was friends with her, which is how we came to find out about adultery. They had twins who were tolerable.
Their kitchen was also sterile as an operating room. It was a big, new house built on a former farm. You could roller skate or ride a bike in their basement.
I distinctly remember watching the show Hunter, which is weird because now I hate crime shows, except for Monk. God bless the OCD.
One time, an older cousin called, and I got to have one of those super brief infatuations with a stranger who you never meet. We exchanged numbers, I pored through their photo album (he was sorta cute), and envisioned him being the Smiths-loving, poetry-reading, sensitive boyfriend of my dreams.
It never went anywhere.

2. Yes, I was in Youth Fellowship at my church. I grew up in the country! There was nothing else to do! I learned how to ski (and ski very well....I'm short), so nyah!

3. (For Kate) C. was one of my closest friends, but it was an uneven relationship. She was bossy, demanding, and didn't appreciate sleep as much as I did. Plus, my room was always a god awful mess after she'd leave. Even in 1987, I was sort of a neat freak!

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

James Dean

May 13, 1987
Wednesday

Today, being a half day, C. and I walked to New Hope. She bought James Dean crap and a J.D. address book! Preserve the Queen! I bough shampoo, Seventeen and gum.
She didn't want H. to go with us because she said H. is a pain. So now H. is mad at me! But I know Ill make her laugh and then we'll be friends again. I have a knack for that. Once, C. was REALLY mad at me because of something to do with BW and so I called her and talked in my early Toadwort (of Gummi Bears) impression. Of course, she burst out laughing because I am a humorous person!
Bye.


Okay, where to start with this one?
My friend C. was wicked into James Dean and Sal Mineo. In fact, she later believed their ghosts lived in her room. I didn't really know who they were and thought it was a little weird.

You'll note I only had $11 to blow, and of course, thriftster me had to buy freakin' shampoo with it. I wish I could remember what kind it was/what fruit it smelled like. My mom was a Prell woman, so we never got anything fancy.

And Gummi Bears had voices? Since when? Oh... since Disney got a hold of them...

I think this really shows why I didn't blow my brains out with one of the many guns in our house. We learned to deal with things with humor, a trait that helps me immensely in my daily travails with those wily 7th graders! Or, it shows that I'm unable to say "I'm sorry" directly and have to joke my way around the situation.
Or, that I'm just a moron.
Can you tell I was big into the "All Creatures Great and Small" series?

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Mac Mini presents...May 12, 1987




This is my first post using the glorious, wee Mac Mini, my birthday present. Yes, yesterday was #35 and I am still accepting gifts of Kit Kat bars and vanilla lattes.

And now, faithful readers, let us journey back to the time of slouch socks and Forenza....1987

May 12, 1987

Dear Diana!
Hi!
Today was normal. At lunch, LH. and I went down to see the elementary school practice, then we went to see Dr. Hogan about L.'s parents. Her "Dad" is going away for 2 weeks at the end of May. She is so happy! I hope I can learn to swim! Dad was in a decent mood. I have $11 to go to New Hope on. L told Dr. Hogan that I am her best friend. I didn't know that. It sort of makes me feel nice like I was needed. I like that. We are pretty true friends. Today in Science, L and MM had a huge water spray bottle fight when Volpe walked out of the room. The floor was VERY wet!
Bye!

And now to explain:
1. The elementary school practiced for their spring concert in the high school's gym.

2. Looking back now, her step-dad was wicked abusive, maybe even sexually, but it just didn't occur to me at age 14! Nobody ever told me what to do in a situation like that. It makes me wonder what my students know is going on at each others' houses and if they know that they can tell me. Since I'm apparently Most Popular Teacher (due to my "Back That Cart Up" song or Descendants Vans), maybe they do feel okay talking to me. Hm.

3. I still can barely swim, regardless of working at a pool (in the snack bar) or who tried to teach me.

4. Okay, totally stream of consciousness, eh?

5. The $11 refers to spending money I would take with me when we walked down to town from school.

6. Volpe=physical science teacher. I totally remember this day. The lights were off, there were dissected worms in trays on the sinks next to us, and Lexi and MM attacked each other with water bottles. Totally hilarious if you're in 8th grade. I can only imagine what Volpe thought when she came back in!

7. Dr. Hogan was the school psychologist. I think she was the one who Dan and I got to talk to later on. Maybe the school did think some abuse was going on, which is why LH and then Brother Man and I got to see the shrink. Hmmmmm.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Thursday, January 03, 2008

2007 In Review

As my husband knows, the computer I currently type on is maddeningly slow. I am an impatient German girl and I want it NOW.So, this post will be word-scant and photo heavy.

So, to review:

My mom and I at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.



I taught sewing in summer school so these kids and I could finish the hurricane quilts that Robin and I started 2 years ago. We got 11 quilts (I think) done, and donated them to a women's shelter.


We took the train to Maine, thanks to my summer school earnings.


We ate fresh lobster and mussels and green beans and blueberry beer at Kate and Vin's house.


Matt bought this silver beast.


I made this.


And these. Ignore the dog rolling in the grass.


I turned my tresses over to the talented trimming talons of Erin at Bouffant Daddy.


I won these awesome motorcycle boots on Ebay for $20!

And now my fingers are sore from quilting a quilt I have no pictures of yet.

It was a damned good year, and hopefully 2008 will be better and include a new computer for my birthday (in 23 short, short days)!