Spring, sprang, sprung

These are some of my realizations from the past week.

1. Spring is awesome. It’s all the green and growth after winter’s dead coldness. It’s the sunshine, which can last until well into the evening, instead of dying out around 4:30. Every time I look out the window and see the tiny leaves fluttering in the breeze, my heart palpitates a little.
2. Speaking of heart palpitations, I got flowers this week from a guy. Okay, okay, you may have to replace guy with boy and flowers with weed. But thoughtful things like a bouquet of weeds or wild flowers (roots and all) is what makes subbing delightful. My fridge is covered with pictures and cards from little ones. I guess it’s easy to love your teacher when you only have her one day and she doesn’t get the chance to give you any detentions.
3. My diet needs to be tweaked again. I gained the weight I lost, mostly because I started drinking milk and eating cheese again. I swear I have the metabolism of a hibernating turtle. If I’m going to drink milk, I’m going to walk every night. Not here and there, but every single night. Except on Hawaii Five-0 night.
4. I can see! I can see! I have new glasses AND new contacts. Right now I just have a trial pair, but I’m thrilled to have peripheral vision once again. Oh, bless you peripheral vision. Now I won’t get as dizzy going down stairs. As.
5. I am positive I wouldn’t ever want to live in The City aka Halifax. I spent the day there last Thursday. While I enjoy schlepping around and shopping up a storm (at least at Dollarama and Value Village), I couldn’t stand the bumper-to-bumper traffic. And the roar of the Halifax Shopping Centre food court at lunch time is anything but relaxing or invigorating (if you can even find a seat). It also cost $10 for a bottle of water and a plate of fast-food Chinese. They saw me coming.
6. I should have been a Nova Scotia power exec.
7. I regret voting orange because of all the cuts coming to education for the 2012-2013 school year. I don’t mind when fat and excess is cut. However, cuts at a time of inflated energy costs is probably not the best plan. I’ll be waiting for a full-time teaching gig for awhile, methinks, unless I want to move to Timbuktu.
8. Clean teeth fresh from the dentist is one of the best feelings ever. A week later and I’m still running my tongue over the slick white enamel. Was it uncomfortable at the time? Yes. Was it expensive. Heck yes. But mmmmmm I love slick teeth without plaque.
9. It’s still too cold to go to the beach. I was driving past a local beach after subbing at the quaintest little school. I thought I would go for a walk along the beach, you know, to help whittle my waist a bit AND soothe my soul (because I love the beach). However, it was super windy, cold, and there was as much salty mist coming off the crashing waves as if it were drizzling out. The tide was in, and almost covering the beach. I took some pictures. Then left. Then went to the Lahave Bakery for an orgasmic toffee bar and some delish coffee. I simply cannot drive past the bakery without stopping by for a sweet. I’m glad I don’t live there.
10. I soon need to get my butt in gear and poke some seeds into my garden. All the perennials are in good shape, but it’s soon time to get moving on the vegetables. I might even pick up a few annuals. Bless you spring. You make me feel good. Renewed, even.

How has your week been?

There is plenty of colour in the garden these days!

Pansies always remind me of my maternal grandmother.

I still like dandelions, even if they are weeds.

Some lettuce seeds survived all winter.

Not exactly an ideal day for a beach walk.

Well, it’s not summer yet.

This week, the Reader’s Digest version

It’s a beautiful Saturday evening. The sun is streaming in through the living room window, warm and bright. I should go for a walk, but I’m way too full of roast beefy goodness. And apple crisp. Can’t forget the apple crisp.

I’m hoping that if I kill some time blogging, my supper will settle. I really want to walk, mostly because the weight I lost has sneaked back on (thank you, Cadbury Creme Eggs) even though I haven’t updated my little tracker icon from My Fitness Pal. (Can you say denial?) Part of the problem is that I haven’t been tracking my calories at all. And I’ve been drinking milk again. Bad girl.

Anyhoo. This is what else is up.

Spring. It came out of nowhere, it seems. The grass became green OVERNIGHT and the buds are just about to burst. Half an hour away, the leaves are out; I’m hoping it will soon happen here.

SafeTALK. I was super-excited to attend a three hour session on suicide awareness. It introduced the basics of talking to someone who might be considering suicide. The course covered some warning signs—invitations, as it were—expressed by someone who is considering death. Then it suggests asking outright “I’ve noticed this, this, and this. Are you considering suicide?” Listen to the person if they’re willing to talk, refer them to someone with more experience, and probably save a life.

It all seems pretty basic. Yet it’s all about having the guts to ask someone if they’re considering killing themselves. And then being willing to help out because few people actually want to die. They really want help. It’s important to be the person who helps even by offering to take them to someone who can help.

After attending SafeTALK, I’m interested in the ASIST course, or Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. It’s like first aid for people who are considering suicide. If you’re interested in this course, or SafeTALK, visit livingworks.net.

What did I learn from my session?

• Thoughts of suicide are common.
• Sometimes just having someone listen is enough to make a person stop considering suicide.
• You don’t have to be a hero. You just have to be willing to NOT stick your head in the sand.
• It takes balls (or ovaries) to actually ask “Are you considering suicide?” even to a person in a workshop.
• Asking this question will not cause a person to commit suicide.
• The warning signs are really simple. Follow your guts. If people are dropping hints like “Things will never get better” or “Everyone would be better if I was dead” etc., then take it seriously. Seriously.
• FYI, this really is a huge issue in our community. It’s hidden, but it shouldn’t be. Because it’s part of the human condition.

On that note, after watching Titanic again (see last week’s post), “My Heart Will Go On” has been playing in my head over and over again. I think I need to get to a piano, sing it out, and get it out of my system. Even listening to Sarah McLachlan hasn’t helped.

One of my local grocery stores has gotten into international foods, and lo and behold, they have orange blossom water, which can only mean one thing!

Baklava.

This is the best pastry. Ever. And I’ve eaten lots of pastries. But the phyllo pastry, butter, nuts, honey, and orange blossom is heavenly. I’m sure I’ll post about it when I finally start putting it together. I’ve only ever made it once, but oh baby! Stay tuned!

Well, it’s time to go for my walk. My heart will thank me. (At least more than eating baklava!)

Back to the Titanic 15 years later

I went to the movies for the first time in a couple of years (I know, I know, I don’t get out much). It was a special occasion: Titanic’s re-release after 15 years.

15 years.

Yes, it’s been a decade and a half since I was a teenager going off to see the movie three times in theatres. First with friends. Then with family. I forget who went with me the third time around. Maybe a guy who was so romantic, I’ve simply just wiped him from my mind. (If that’s the case, I’m pretty sure he looked a lot like Josh Lucas. But I digress.)

I was 17 and in Grade 11. Back when I could stop by the gas station and say, “Put’er on the tab.” Back when gas was $0.62 a litre. Back when I weighed 135 pounds. Good times.

My, things have changed.

Gas is $1.40+ a litre and I pay for it with my own debit card. And my weight? I’m not telling but it’s definitely not 135 pounds.

I was excited to see the old movie in 3D. The 3D aspect was a bit disappointing, mostly because it was nauseating and headache-inducing whenever there was any action afoot. Taking the 3D glasses off helped (though some of the water and lifeboat scenes were very realistic).

There were about 20 people in the theatre—which was enough, considering all the adults laughing behind me during the portrait scene (I guess they never saw a naked woman wearing a million dollar necklace before). It also surprised me how many elementary age kids were there, given the movie’s swearing, death scenes, and Kate Winslet’s naked breasts.

I’ll admit, I may have watered up a little even though it was my 15 millionth time seeing it. Knowing it’s a true story (the character of Officer Murdoch notwithstanding) makes it even sadder. Over 1,500 died on the Titanic, even if it wasn’t Jack Dawson. When I see the old couple on the bed, or the mother tucking in her children, I tear up like a baby. A baby.

I learned not to wear mascara. Fourth time’s the charm.

It’s hard to believe so much time has passed since I first saw the movie as a teenager.

For my Grade 12 prom, I found a dress that had a certain Edwardian appeal, which I played up with a handbag and silver slippers. I bypassed the corset, though.

I played the piano during a classmate’s rendition of “My Heart Will Go On” at our grad banquet. I wore my blue diamond Heart of the Ocean, which I bought in Mahone Bay. It’s made of Austrian crystal, not diamonds, but it was a nice keepsake of the time. It doesn’t look quite like the one in the movie, but close enough. And no, I have never been drawn in it.

The movie has its faults. There are some historical liberties taken, the make-up is too dark (sorry, but lipliner?) and the love story is a bit farfetched. In reality, Rose probably would’ve gotten pregnant or syphilis.

But the period costumes are beautiful and I love Rose’s determination to survive.

People may make fun of the movie, but it represents two distinct moments in time: 1912 as the world neared the end of the gilded age; and 1997, before the world changed on 9/11.

And my life has changed a lot since I was an innocent teenager with lots of dreams and no student loans.

For better or worse, the movie has informed my consciousness and my writing. My undergraduate creative writing thesis revolved around the sinking of the S.S. Atlantic, which was the Titanic of 1873, an event which was perhaps even more tragic because not one woman survived and only one child.

Some day I’d like to stop by Fairview Cemetery to visit the graves of those who were brought to Halifax. It’s been 100 years since the Titanic sank. I’ve already seen the deck chair at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, as well as the piece of panelling which inspired the wood which keeps Rose afloat.

Where does time go?

Here are 15 years, gone like that. And 100 years, gone almost as fast.

This picture of "The Titanic" was taken at the Public Gardens in Halifax. Note the duck; it gives you an idea of the size of the model. (I wore the necklace to my Grade 12 grad banquet when a classmate and I performed "My Heart Will Go On".)

Forest adventures, graves, and dinosaurs

The other day I didn’t work because I went to my great aunt’s funeral with my father. Then we went to the woods. I don’t go to the woods much. Mostly because I’m usually an indoors girl. (Though I did not scream when I picked two ticks off me. They’re par for the course when you walk through old grass this time of year.)

It was exciting because I got to see some old graves. They’ve been in the woods for possibly hundreds of years. They’re moss covered and look as though they’ve been part of the landscape for a looooong time. Word is, they’re Mi’kmaq graves (though unless they are dug up, no one will know if they belong to First Nations people or early settlers).

In the shadows of the forest are these old graves (or what appears to be grave-sized rock piles). If you didn't know they were there, you might miss them or mistake them for the remnants of stone walls.

These spots bear the mark of humans; even glaciers would not have made these human-length mounds. There's three close together. There are supposed to be six, but only three are visible. Perhaps the other three were destroyed when a local dump was made then later filled in.

The camera had a hard time distinguishing these graves from the natural landscape.

This is what is left of the old dump. It's been covered quite awhile. Who knows what was destroyed when it was made or filled in? You should be able to see the thousands of wood ticks crawling in these old grasses.

Now that the dump is long gone, this is a peaceful final resting spot.

All is quiet except for the rare woods dinosaur, looking for trees to eat.

Rawr. Chomp, chomp.

This is one of the old foundations in the area. The house is long gone, but the well-built basement remains.

Well, those were my adventures in Annapolis County. I guess it was only appropriate that on the day my great aunt was buried, I saw some much older graves. The next time I’m walking through the woods, I’ll be on the look out for more.

Goings on

I know. It’s been awhile. It’s spring, what can I say? And I’ve been busy.

So what’s up? This and that.

Scarlett’s spring cleaning was a success. Thanks to all the snow and road salt and gravel that gets in my car over the winter, my car was DIRTY. I was embarrassed to take it to the mechanic the other week, it was that dirty. I thought I’d have to shovel off the floor mats.

I broke out my inventory of cleaning products:

Upholstery cleaner, tire foam, rim cleaner, Armour All, etc. Obsessed? Maybe.

Okay, so maybe I use a lot of products (reminds me of my hair and skin, actually), but the result was worth it. It took three hours, but I was happy with the result.

Look at that floor mat! Beautiful.

You can’t smell the Febreeze, but it’s there. Cleanliness is a beautiful thing.

And thanks to the beautiful sunshine and warm weather, the garden is bursting with promise.

Chives.

The daffodils are open in the garden.

Baby rhubarb!

Peony busy poking through the ground.

The irises have multiplied.

Forsythia bush days away from full bloom!

And one of my favourite things: my new glasses. Now I can wear eye makeup again with pride; I even bought new mascara. Exciting times.

New glasses!

Spring is a time of change and growth. I hope you’re all enjoying the sun and longer daylight hours. I know I am.

One of my favourite pies ever… coconut cream

The local community hall is having a fundraising dinner tonight—a turkey dinner, to be more specific. They have it every year to help raise moolah for the park at a nearby lake.

Typically, they ask households for a donation of money or baked yummies. Our house was asked to make pies, so I whipped out my favourite coconut cream pie recipe. It’s divine. Try it yourself. It’s easy peasy.

As for me, it’s still a few hours to go before I can get my $12 turkey dinner. Patience, young grasshopper. Patience.

Coconut Cream Pie

• baked pie shell
• 2 cups milk (or milk mixed with cream if you use skim like I do)
• 3/4 cups white sugar
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 3 eggs (separated into yolks and whites)
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Heat milk and sugar to the boiling point. (I prefer to do this in the microwave because I don’t scald my milk.)

Mix your flour with a bit of cold water or milk—enough to make a paste. Beat until smooth. Add your eggs to that paste and beat.

Pour egg yolk/flour mixture into boiling milk slowly while stirring.

Heat again (back into the microwave or keep on the stove) until it’s quite thick.

Add in coconut, salt, and vanilla. Mix well.

Spoon into baked pie shell.

Meringue

Beat egg whites with a pinch of cream of tarter until stiff peaks form. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Beat until mixed, then spread over pies. Sprinkle with a little coconut.

Place into oven at about 300 degrees until peaks of meringue are brown. Remove and cool.

* Substitution for chocolate pie

Instead of putting coconut into your pie at the final stage, add dark chocolate. Stir until mixture is brown. Add meringue if you desire, or use whipped cream instead.

* Substitution for macaroon pie

Add some dark chocolate with coconut, stirring until mixed well. Make meringue the same as above.

The twins are in the oven!

The finished product!

What’s up, dawg?

Julie not posting often = a busy Julie.

I like this arrangement though. I like to keep busy, whether with work, writing, cleaning, etc.

And, of course, enjoying the 30 degree Celsius weather that came out of nowhere last week.

So here’s what’s new.

The weather has been baffling. In one week we’ve had snow and temperatures of 30 degrees. Zowie! Enter the panic to get my calloused feet shipshape for sandal weather. I must say, it was GLORIOUS to flirt around with sandals and tank tops in the middle of March. The schoolhouses were kinda gross, but it was sooooo nice to feel that warm breeze in your hair. Welcome spring. I missed you.

I’ve been writing. I started a novel in high school. It’s finished. But not finished-finished. I’m sure it will never be perfect, but I’d like to do a rewrite now that I have some English edumacation under my belt.

It’s a nice way to pass the evening. My mother does crafts; I write (my crafting phase petered out in high school and I haven’t had another one since). At one point, I was working with a publisher to get it out there, but I didn’t like the vision the editor had for the story. And it’s not like it would’ve fetched me a large advance, as it was with a small publishing house, which meant I didn’t lose the chance to finance my university career. I’ve pretty much come to terms that I will never earn my living through writing.

Not all hope is lost.  I’m sure I’ll be published at some point. Years ago, I entered the novel in the Atlantic Writing Competition through the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, but the main criticism that came back was all about the ending. The judges thought the book itself was publishable but the ending didn’t feel right. And they were right; I didn’t like it either. Now I’m working to make it right. I hate being a perfectionist, sometimes. Perfection is the enemy of completion.

I’ve lost another pound to equal the grand total of 3 pounds. (Says the girl with Passion Flakie on her breath.) It’s very slow going because my plan is to lose just 1 pound a week. First off, I don’t want to convince my metabolism to slow down any more than necessary (that’s already part of the problem). Second, I don’t think I could handle eating less than 1,600 calories per day. I think my stomach would start digesting itself.  At this rate, I won’t be my ideal weight until next summer, but I suppose that’s better than nothing. At least it should be gone before the diabetes gets me.

Some of the weight has been lost through cleaning and organizing. There’s something about spring that makes me want to clean and organize like crazy. As a result, my filing has been updated, I threw out most of my university notes (except the useful ones), and am working on the dreadful basement so I can have a library area sooner rather than later.

What has your spring been like?

Notes from spring break (and Twilight versus The Hunger Games)

I spent most of my March break cocooned on the couch with a book because I was sick (or snick as it sounded like when I said it).

Apparently, there’s a nasty cold floating through the human population. I’ve heard the cough alone can last up to six weeks. I’m hoping that’s for smokers only.

There was, however, one good thing about being sick: I had oodles of time to read.

And read I did. I may not have gone to Florida or Cuba, but I did travel to Forks to hang with some vampires. I competed in The Hunger Games.  I even went to visit the animals at Mayor Farm. And I happened to visit a Brave New World while I was at it.

It was a very economical spring break (most of my books are second hand, though I did buy The Hunger Games brand spankin’ new).

First off, I was delighted with The Hunger Games. There’s nothing like a good dystopia (unless you’re living in it, of course). I was hooked by the setting, the strong and feisty protagonist, and the tight plot. I read it in a day. (Not that this is a big feat, given its size. But I couldn’t put it down. The TV faded to mere white noise in the background. Conversation was carried on with a few mumbles and nods. I even trooped on when I had to hold the book above Jack, begging for a brush, a pet, some love.)

Spring Break has turned out to be Dystopian Days thanks to a re-read of Animal Farm (without the hatred of a teenager forced to endure it for English class) and Brave New World, which is probably the gold standard of dystopian fiction next to 1984. (FYI, 1984 is waiting in the wings to be read next. If I could find my copy of The Handmaid’s Tale, I’d polish that off too.)

As a result, The Hunger Games fit nicely into my reading diet.

Also, inspired by my liking of The Hunger Games, I cracked open Twilight again. I tried reading it awhile ago, got a bit bored, and left it two-thirds unread. To be fair, at the time I was a bit bored with everything I read. I just wasn’t in the mood, I guess. University did a good job of killing my desire to read recreationally. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the literature I read in university. In fact, I enjoyed mostly everything I read (even Chaucer).

But years of academic reading is bound to diminish your appetite for literature; this has persisted for a couple of years despite the piles of books I keep collecting. (Yes, you’ll see me on an upcoming edition of Hoarders: The Book Lovers’ Edition.)

However, my love of reading is springing up again. Reading becomes a competition for me. How many can I read? And how fast?

This time, when I read Twilight, I let myself fall in love with the simplicity of the love story. That’s what it’s all about, really. It’s a love story. With some vampires thrown in for good measure. Twilight draws on the conventions of every love story out there while adding in the novelty of vampires.

Is Twilight great literature? Well, what is “great” literature anyway. Does it have to be boring? Include big pretentious words like pretentious?

I stayed up until 3:35AM to finish Twilight. Like The Hunger Games, I just could not put it down.

Sometimes, it’s best just to let yourself go, and enjoy books for what they are, not what you think they should be. I’ve spent years reading light fare and heavy literature, and I’ve found you can explore deep themes in whatever reading you have in your hands at the time. (For example, you could look at the role of domestic violence in this novel, even if it is presented as vampirism. However, there is no doubt that Bella is a belle bound to get hurt by her love.)

Which did I prefer?

I think The Hunger Games would have to win, but only because I’m so obsessed with dystopias these days.

However, Twilight was not too shabby either. I adored the setting of Forks, which reminded me of my Vancouver Island visit of 1999.

Comparing the two, though, is not unlike contrasting Jane Eyre with Animal Farm. I don’t think they’re meant to be talked about in the same breath unless you begin looking at the literary phenomenons both have been.

Here are my final thoughts:

The Hunger Games

Pros

• short, with easy-to-read language
• feisty heroine who can take care of herself
• well-thought out dystopia
• makes our reality TV obsession seem weird
• love story doesn’t overpower the narrative

Cons

• the ending is left hanging a bit for the next novel, so it’s not entirely self-contained
• not really explained out how the Capitol can manipulate everything in the arena (like how can they see everything? there can’t be THAT many cameras)
• violent
• not enough development as to whether Kat likes Peeta or Gale
• the wolves with the special eyes = really weird

Twilight

Pros

• features a simple love story
• beautiful setting on the West Coast
• heroine many women can identify with (what teenage girl doesn’t have self-esteem issues?)
• the lifestyle of the vampires is novel and intriguing
• banter between Bella and Edward

Cons

• seems to glorify sacrificing yourself for your partner
• the end conflict is a bit overkill as far as violence goes
• focuses a bit too much on Edward’s beauty
• man always does the rescuing; woman is presented as helpless
• characterization could be more detailed given the length of the novel

My spring-is-coming photo essay

My March Break is going delightfully well. If by delightfully well, that means having a cold. Yesterday, my muscles were so achy, I inhaled Advil and slept for hours (Jack assisted in this, of course).

However, today, it was about 15 degrees Celsius. Which meant opening the windows. Going for a walk. And taking some lovely photos.

Thus you have my photo essay.

Ah, memories of winter: plough rocks. It's my job to squat my butt on the ground and pick them up; they're too sneaky for my rake. Of course, it is amusing to hear the lawn mower pick them up.

Another sign of spring: Scarlett needs a bath. Her undercoating is showing.

Thank you birdies, for pooping on my car. Muchly appreciated! (But of course, is this not another sign of spring?)

Real daffodils, not plastic ones! Spring must be around the corner!

All of this surely makes up for the fact snow is coming Thursday. Mother Nature is such a tease.

Things that have changed in my lifetime (a lot, if you consider how ancient I am)

A new post on Rainy Saturday this week brought back a lot of memories of the olden days. You know, back when we walked uphill to school both ways IN PYJAMAS.

If you’re my age (by which I mean POSITIVELY ANCIENT) then you remember mix tapes. If you’re under the age of dinosaur, then you’re probably going, WTF? (You know, back in my day, we didn’t have the saying WTF. I don’t even remember what we said. Maybe Ye Gods or Gadzooks.)

I post this just to embarrass my brother. Because I'm not the one wearing grey socks with sneakers. Muwhahahaha. (Also, note the style of the sneakers: high tops. Very chic back in the day.)

Back when I was knee high to a grasshopper we didn’t have MP3s. Or even CDs. We had cassette tapes. When you went into a music store, you bought a cassette tape, not a CD. Or, if you were super-thrifty, you bought blank cassettes and listened to the radio. When an awesome song was on, you hit record. Not too early, or you had the announcer’s voice. Not too late, or you missed the first notes of the song. And you couldn’t go ANYWHERE because you had to press stop before you got the announcer’s annoying voice again.

As a result, the music of my youth involved lots of clicks and glitches. But it was next to free, so it was all good. I really cleaned up during the year end countdowns; New Year’s involved sitting in front of my tape player, waiting for Number 1.

So what other things have changed in my lifetime?

My Waist – Back when I was 7, I had a model’s waist. True story! Now… not so much.

Pre-Debit Banking - When I was an early teen, I opened my very first account and actually got a BANK BOOK. You went to the bank and got it updated instead of logging online to see how many pennies were in your account (or if your direct deposit went in at midnight). We used cheques. Not debit cards. Cheques. And when you went shopping, you always double-checked to make sure they had Interac because it was so rare, only a few places had it.

No Helmet Biking – My parents were pretty careful with us. You know, turning in the pot handles, not letting us play with matches, etc. But when I was young, we biked without helmets. I was still in mid-elementary school, I think, when health people started promoting helmets as a way to keep your noggin from getting hurt. Now you do NOTHING without helmets. (Oh, the influences of the Nanny state… )

Babies on Laps – Nowadays, you’d get hung if you let a baby go in a car without the proper seat but there were a few times I drove in the car on someone’s lap. True story. It ended when a motorcycle hit my parents’ car. I was a’ight though. My tongue was not. Lesson learned. From then on, ol’ Julie went in a baby seat. (This is one way in which the Nanny state was spot on. Come to think of it, helmets are pretty groovy too.)

Catch Phrases - Catch phrases can’t stay the same. Fair enough. After all, they wouldn’t be cool any more. But I can still remember saying the following:

• “That was mint.”
• “Psych!”
• “Like, whatever!”
• “You’re cool. Not.”
• “Did I do that?” <—– needs to be said in geeky Urkel voice
• “I’ll be back.” <—— needs to be said in cool Austrian accent
• “Shawiiiing!” (Just creepy that I said it when I was young.)

Neon – I don’t look good in neon yellow, neon pink, neon orange, or neon green, but you can bet that when I was in elementary school, I wore EVERYTHING in neon. Remember those black sunglasses with neon arms? Had those. Neon shirts, neon sneakers. I think I know where my high school love of black came from…

Little Girls Dressed Like Little Girls – When I was a little girl, I dressed like a little girl. I didn’t wear make up until I hit the big school. Nowadays, with the hypersexualization of our young folk, little girls are more apt to be wearing miniatures of adult clothes. As a child, I wore pigtails and frills and Mary Janes. I still wear the Mary Janes. (Frills just make me look fat.)

Clothes - Okay, so these change too. But some of the trends I’ve worn are unusual to say the least. The following trends I have, um, followed:

• fanny packs
• stretch stirrup pants
• army boots with beaded safety pins
• overalls with one strap undone
• silk button up shirts
• duckies (not shoes, not boots but something in between)

Soap – You’re thinking, soap is soap, right? Well, back when I was in high school, someone thought we needed more liquid soap, so they started marketing body wash and bath poufs. And now there’s as many body washes as there are soaps. If you ask me, “body wash” is really the same thing as “foam bath” except for the marketing. (In other words, I buy it.)

McDonalds pizza – There was a time when McDonalds made pizza. And it was pretty darn good. As a kid, I loved having the option of something other than a Big Mac or McNuggets. Even now, I wish they still had the pizza to go along with their awesome Caesar salad. Kids, you missed out. I can’t even describe McDonalds pizza and do it justice.

Pay Phones – I don’t think you could find a pay phone in the country to save your life. Literally. When I was little, and you needed to be picked up, you didn’t call someone on your cell phone. You found a quarter and called someone who cared. I mean, even Springfield and New Germany each had a payphone. (Though if you were really lucky, someone might come along with a bag phone!)

Word Processing - I didn’t have my first word processing computer until I was in high school. It had an orange and black screen, and I printed everything off on a dot matrix printer. Before then, I used a typewriter. I thought I was a millionaire when I finally got my own Smith Corona with self-correcting ribbon (though the imprint of the letters was always there, no matter how many times you corrected it). I still have it. Do I use it? No. Will I ever throw it away? NEVER.

Well, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this meander down memory lane. Now to get my Minard’s Liniment.

What changes do you remember from the olden days?