80's Retrospection

It's happened. I'm old. I'm officially pining for the good ol' days-- the fab 80's, my friends! Music was at an all-time high. Fashion, an all-time low (hello, "Units" and neon!). New wave was the rage. Hollywood brought us fresh, new ideas, no remakes. We had the Breakfast Club, The Outsiders. The economy loved us, we loved President Reagan.

Incidentally, some of my happiest times have been replaying like a broken TiVo in my head lately. I'd like to share a few of those happy places.

1: In kindergarten, there was this kid, Chris Z., who came to school with a Superman Backpack. Superman! That was the ultimate. Christopher Reeve was the rad actor who immortalized our superhero on the big screen. I guess that wasn't lost on Chris. He wore that backpack everywhere, everyday. To the library, no big deal. But, to the bathroom? Down the "big" slide? It got to the point that our teacher, Miss Simmons, asked him to remove the backpack. He refused. Go, Chris! This memory's for you.

2: This is not my first marriage (sorry, husband!). In first grade, I got married to Chris T. in the sandbox. Then he peed in the sandbox. Then we got divorced on the swing set because he peed in the sandbox.

3: My best friend growing up was a petite brunette girl named Michelle. We were inseparable. We spent time together everyday, and everyday we had adventures. There was this tree outside her front lawn that was the perfect climbing tree. Being quintessential tomboy-girlie girls (think Margaret-- Dennis the Menace), We dubbed the top of the tree our "salon." We figured out how to stash nail polish in the tree branches. Every day after school we'd race home (running contests, of course) and climb the tree to get to our salon. Many a nail was painted and secret spilled in those branches. She was (and is) a true friend.

4: You know how every class has "that kid who puked on the first day?" That was Cameron B. He totally blew chunks all over the playground on the first day of first grade. I was just behind him in line (to go back to class) when he hurled his lunch. We all screamed. He cried. Then I distinctly remember the janitor hauling out a bucket. "Ew! It's more puke!" We all screamed. The janitor grumbled something, showed us the sawdust in the bucket, and dumped the contents over the Cameron-puke. He was just getting over being called "Throw-up boy" in class when he fell asleep during a test and drooled all over his paper. Remember that brown school paper that disintegrated with water? Yup. He sat up, bringing part of his test on his slobbery face,the other half shellacked to the desk with his drool. "Throw-up boy" became "Drool Boy." Poor kid.

5: I've been thinking about a pivotal moment in my childhood, and I have just gotten in contact with the girls who were a major part of that point in my life. Shauna, Marianne, this one's for you.
In High School I was a floater. In a school of tightly-knit cliques, I ambled between circles, grateful for the acceptance of each group of friends. I was a part of student government, but was in love with a skater. It went like that...
Anyhow, I found some friends. Marianne and Shauna were truer friends than anyone in that school. Totally accepting, they never ceased to entertain with witty conversation, great taste in music and boys, and we never were at a loss for things to do. They introduced me to Harry (Harry Connick Jr. ... Our first celebrity crush...or was it Fabio?).
Here's my plug for Facebook-- after too many years, I found these friends thanks to Facebook. I'm sad for the years I lost contact, but I can relish the years to come that we can create new memories. I love those girls! Okay, I GUESS I should call us women now, but ehhhh!

There's nothing like a crisis that causes us to yearn for the good ol' days. The economy, gas prices, housing bubble popped, we're all yearning for a little security. Maybe I should get a Superman backpack...