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Friday, February 27, 2004

I remember taking hours and hours to solve a King's Quest game.
I remember being called "Fruit Loop".
I remember playing in the partially-constructed houses all around my neighborhood. My mom always told me that I should NEVER go in a house that was still being built because you never know what parts are still unstable and dangerous. Even though I played in them quite a bit and never got hurt, now that I'm a mom, I have the same rule for my kids.
I remember being at LCC with Gina P. when I was about 12. We were in the bathroom washing our hands and she opened up the top of the soap dispenser and spit in it. I've always had an aversion to using public restroom soap ever since then.

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

I remember walking down the hall in seventh grade with my "boyfriend"* and a kid tripped and fell right in front of us. My "boyfriend" yelled, "Safe!" and I thought he was hilarious.
*"Boyfriend" in quotes will be used when referring to practice boyfriends from years before I could actually date.
I remember exchanging Christmas gifts with a group of girlfriends in junior high. One friend gave me a mirror, which I thought was an odd gift.
I remember at time when I was convinced that I was going to be either a professional ice skater or a professional gymnast.
I remember seeing Sesame Street on Ice. I was less than thrilled, because I think I was about 12 years old at the time.

Sunday, February 22, 2004

I remember another April Fool's day when the local paper ran a story about the need for everyone to blow into their phone lines at 5:00 sharp to clean them out. My parents recognized this as the yearly joke, but they didn't stop me from being the designated "phone blower" at 5:00..
I remember one April Fool's Day when I was quickly trying to think of a joke to play on my mom, as I heard her car pull into the garage. I couldn't think of anything very clever, so as she walked in the door, I said, "I was cooking and the oven door fell off!" She believed my lame joke completely, and was very concerned about how she was going to get the money to buy a new oven. The relief on her face was obvious when she saw the oven in one piece.

Friday, February 20, 2004

I remember going through stages where I would steal all my dad's cigarettes, and sometimes leave rolled up notes that scolded him for smoking and pointed out all the health problems he was setting himself up for.
I remember falling asleep to the murmur of the tv downstairs, the sounds of kitchen cabinet doors closing, and my parents laughing and talking to each other.
I remember going to a drive-in double feature with my sister & parents. I believe it was "Places In the Heart" with Sally Field and "All of Me" with Steve Martin & Lily Tomlin. I think my sister and I fell asleep in the backseat halfway through the second film.
I remember Harper Valley P.T.A.
I remember listening to Trory Rider, a talk radio host on a Chicago radio station. She was my first brush with talk radio that was young and hip. I miss that show.....

Thursday, February 19, 2004

I remember refusing to ride a horse on a mountain trail becasue I was scared to death that the horse would fall off the very narrow path and tumble down the mountainside with me on it. (I was 6 at the time.) Of course, I didn't want to look like a wimp and admit this fear, so instead I told everyone that I didn't like the horse because "It poops."
I remember that my great-grandpa had a hearing aid that was connected to a litle receiver that he kept in his shirt pocket. Whenever he wasn't interested in talking, he's turn the volume way down.
I remember going in to a store at Orland Mall when I was about 5 or 6 looking for my aunt. My mom was in the store next door, and said it was ok for me to go to the store my aunt was in. I must have misunderstood, because I couldn't find her, and then I couldn't remember which store my mom was in. I ended upp telling a cashier that I was lost, and they sat me up on the countertop and asked me questions about who I was with. It didn't take long for my mom and aunt to come looking for me.
I remember getting donuts before church with my dad.
I remember when my mom drove a group of kids from the church youth group to the train station to catch a train to Chicago. We were all in such a hurry when we pulled into the parking lot, that we jumped out of the car and ran for the train that was about to pull away. As soon as my mom slammed her door shut, she realized that the keys were locked in the car...and the car was still running. We never made it to Chicago that day, since we had to wait forever for a police to come and rescue my mom.

Saturday, February 14, 2004

I remember my date and I stopping at the video store between dinner and the dance on the night of my first Homecoming date. We picked out a movie to watch after the dance, then went out to the car, which he had locked his keys inside. He called a locksmith, who took his own sweet time getting there to rescue us. Meanwhile, as we waited by the car, a strange man came up and offered to help us. He went back to his truck and pulled out a lock-picking device he just happened to have on hand. After 20 or 30 minutes of trying, he still couldn't break into my date's car. Luckily, Steve the Locksmith showed up and saved the day.
I remember announcing one night at dinner that "I need a new G-string." The lowest string on my violin had broken that day at school, so I needed a replacement. My parents, who weren't versed in the names of violin parts, thought I had made an entirely different request.
I remember the little boy in our neighborhood who inexplicably became very ill and ended up unable to do anything - walk, talk, move on his own, communicate, feed himself. It happened when he was 2 or 3, and up until then, he was a very normal little boy. I think I remember my mom saying that they thought maybe he ate contaminated dirt or something like that, but the doctors could never explain what happened to this boy. I know he was still alive, in this vegetative state when he was about 12 years old. I don't think my parents kept in contact with this family any more recently than that.
I remember going with my cousin to visit her Grandma Mary. Mary was my cousin's biological father's mom, but she didn't see much of this dad during her childhood. I was probably 10 or 11 at this time, so I understood that Mary was her grandma, but not in the same way that the grandma (her mom's mom and my dad's mom) we shared was.
I remember going out to lunch with my grandma and her friend, Donna.
I remember when my sister scored really low on a Metropolitan Achievement Test because she didn't do an entire page. She wanted to be the first in the class to get finished.
I remember that my mom could use frosting to draw anything on a cake.
I remember that when I was about 15, my dad gave me a valentine's card that said, "When you're between boyfriends, I'll be your valentine!"
I remember that my Barbie and Ken used to get married every night, then make out in their Barbie bed.
I remember dressing both my cats up in doll clothes.

Friday, February 13, 2004

I remember reading one night in the cabin we rented in Wisconsin. I think I was reading a Judy Blume book, and I kept watching misquitos land on the page. I would slam the book closed really fast and kill the mosquitos. The pages of that book looked so nasty by the time we were done with that vacation!
I remember when our school orchestra accompanied the school choir at a few different assemblies. The two songs I specifically remember were "Silent Night" and something patriotic. The third year I taught, I remembered this, so I found a song I could teach to all my choir kids (5-8th grade), then arranged the song for every band instrument so the band teacher could get his kids to learn it, too. At the concert, the band teacher stepped in for one of the instruments that was sick that night, so I ended up conducting the entire thing with my head and the occasional hand movement while standing behind the piano that I was also accompanying the entire fiasco on. It was actually my favorite thing that I've ever conducted.
I remember driving to Disneyworld with a friend and her family the week that I turned 16. The four of them bickered the entire way to Florida and I was sick of listening to them by the time we got there. We had a hotel suite with a couple rooms, so the night we arrived, I locked myself in a room by myself, called my parents, and told them that I was going to use all the spending money I had brought with me to buy a plane ticket home. They told me that I needed to stick it out, and I bawled on the phone to them about how annoying this family (who we had all known since I was a baby) was. Luckily, once we were all out of the car and having fun at the theme parks, things got much better.
That was also the vacation that I made rice krispie treats with blue food coloring and got sick because my friend and I ate the entire batch on the ride to Florida (about an 18 hour drive).

Wednesday, February 11, 2004

I remember when my best friend's dad shaved off his moustache for the first time in my memory, and he looked like he was missing his upper lip.
I remember that at one point in high school, I thought that a ferret would make a really cool pet. Since I hate rodents, I'm not sure what I was thinking.
I remember that the only birthday I've had trouble with was my 17th. I was lying in bed awake the night before with "Jack & Diane" going through my head, "hold on to 16 as long as you can....changes come around real soon make us women & men" I was sure that my life was going to start sucking the minute I turned 17.

Monday, February 09, 2004

I remember sitting on the lawn of our church, watching fireworks from the Friendship Festival.
I remember the year I had an entirely fuschia outfit and an entirely bright golden yellow outfit. I'm sure my mom picked them out, but I don't know why I consented to wearing them. (I think I was about 12).
I remember our play "Dirty Dan's Last Bow", a show where I believe my character's name was "Marge LaFarge" and one kid in our class had to play a dog.
I remember finding out that a girl in our class was pregnant at our eighth grade graduation. At some point in high school, I also heard that our class had the highest pregnancy rate in the state, something like 25% of the girls had been or were pregnant at some time in high school. I don't know how accurate this statistic was, or who made up the rumor about ours being the most fertile class, but there were quite a few girls that I can remember who got knocked up.
I remember that the worst student in my Spanish class was also a friend of my family's. Both of his parents are immigrants from Cuba, and although they speak English as well as anyone, they also spoke Spanish to each other at home. Their other 5 kids picked up some Spanish at home, but not the son that was in my class. I think he passed by the skin of his teeth.

Sunday, February 08, 2004

I remember a counselor we knew only as "Rhino" at summer camp. All the girls had a crush on him.
I remember being at a cast party where people were standing up suddenly, pushing on their necks and making themselves pass out. I was fairly frightened at this activity, but stood there watching anyway.
I remember the day in history class that the teacher told me he needed to talk to me after class. Katie spent the entire hour trying to convince me that the reason he needed to talk to me was because he wanted to ask me out on a date. Since this teacher was not only married, but also the father of one of my friends (not to mention the fact that it would be terribly illegal and just wrong), I told her that she could not be more wrong. I don't remember what the thing was that he wanted to talk to me about, but I do know that it was totally innocent and teacher-ish.

Saturday, February 07, 2004

I remember the Nerdmobile.
I remember when a boy from our neighborhood was reported missing. Everyone, and I mean everyone was walking around the neighborhood looking for this kid, including my friends and I (though, I don't know why our parents let us do that if they suspected there was a kidnapper on the loose). Anyway, even the police were involved. Imagine the babysitter's embarassment a few hours later when she finally got a hold of the kid's dad and he told her that he had taken his son with him that evening and only left their younger son for her to babysit.
I remember when my bike got stolen out of our backyard. All the bikes were outside overnight because we had moved them out to set up everything for our garage sale in the morning. Mine was the only one that was taken.

Thursday, February 05, 2004

I remember reciting songs I was learning in voice lessons while working in the kitchen at Chicago Dough, just to get the language down. I think I had everyone there convinced that I spoke about 5 different languages.
I remember going to Great American the day after prom with Katie and her date, Joe. Joe and his friend, Matt were driving and navigating, and even though Katie and I told them they were going the wrong way, they took a turn that took us to Indiana. Once they saw the sign for the state line, they admitted that there was a chance we took a wrong turn.
I remember licking the batter off the mixer beaters after my mom made a cake.
I remember having a little ritual with Kerri where we stood on her stairs and said, "Same Barbies!" before we played with them.
I remember the neighborhood boys playing "war" in my backyard clubhouse and tearing the plexiglass windows off.
I remember the large latch hook rug that pictured Crayola crayons and the plastic model of the eyeball that sat in the annex of my 4th and 5th grade classroom.

Wednesday, February 04, 2004

I remember my parents coming home from their trip to Michigan about 4 or 5 hours after they left. The entire side of the minivan was smached in because they had been hit almost head-on when a car crossed the median on an interstate. My dad swerved wnough for the truck to just skid down the side of the minivan, but there was major damage anyway (as you might expect for 2 cars going 65 - 75 mph.) The glass was blown out on the entire driver's side of the minivan. I remember going to the door when they came home to see why they were back so son, seeing the minivan in the driveway, and almost immediately going upstairs to clean my room.
I remember "Exhibit Q! A pen found at the scene of the crime! What does it mean? What is it's significance? I DON'T KNOW!!!"

Monday, February 02, 2004

I remember the first night of my college orientation. I was assigned to a dorm room with another orientee who snored. I layed there for awhile trying to sleep, but she was literally 2 feet away from me, because the room was very narrow. Finally, I grabbed my pillow, whacked her hard on the head, then faked like I was sleeping so she wouldn't know what had happened. It did, by the way, halt her snorning long enough for me to fall asleep.
I remember the night I slept at Trisha's house and she gave me a pillow that her dog had peed on to use. I'm not sure how I didn't notice the smell right away, but it didn't really get to me until I woke up in the middle of the night with a headache from the pee smell. I think I slept the rest of the night on a balled up sweater.
I remember having my underwear frozen at Jenny's sleepovers.
I remember the dictionary of "naughty words" that some of the girls in my class made for me in 8th grade.
I remember the mother/child swimming class at the YMCA that my mom took me to when i was about 3. The enlightened old hag who taught the class thought that a good way to acclimate a small child to the water was by dunking them completely under. I remember clinging to my mom in terror as she tried to dunk me, with this wicked teacher cheering her on. I think she might have succeeded in getting me underwater once before we left and quit the class.
In a related memory, a few years later my mom enrolled me in swimming lessons at the college in town. I think I spent the first lesson or two sitting on the side of the pool, dangling my feet in as one of the teachers tried to gently talk me into pulling more of my body in the water. I was still getting over the fear of water created by the wicked teacher at the Y. Incidently, once I did find the courage to get in the pool, I instantly became a fish.
I remember running around the house trying to escape my mother when she was trying to get me dressed to go to tumbling class when I was about 4 or 5.
I remember going to Florida with my dad to attend my cousin's wedding. The day of the wedding, there was a big storm that knocked out the power in the town she got married in. They lit lots of candles and it was still a lovely service. What I remember most though is her bemoaning the fact that she couldn't use a blow-dryer, and the smell of the butane-powered cordless curling irons that all the bridesmaids were using to get ready with.
I remember selling cinnamon rolls at church before the service as a youth group fund raiser.
I remember standing at the piano with Mrs. Bell, my junior high orchestra teacher, playing a solo I had been working on. Very suddenly, I knew I was going to throw up, so I handed my violin to a girl watching us, and took off running down the hall to the bathroom. My teacher must have known what was going on, because she grabbed the garbage can and took off after me. I think I made it to the bathroom, and I didn't have another bout of the flu until I was 23 years old.
I remember struggling through my one and only required college math class. It was all interest and amortization and crap like that. Luckily I had a friend who was a math major, so he got me through it.
I remember being very shy about singing in front of anyone. (Actually, I still am.) But I would never sing if my family was home and within earshot when I was growing up.
I'm not sure why I'm giving Jason a forum to mock my memories, but I added the comment feature on this blog at his request.

Sunday, February 01, 2004

I remember making the "A" bell ring by singing a perfectly in-tune "a" in music class.
I remember the night our house got broken into. My sister and I were home with the babysitter, who was in the kitchen talking on the phone. She heard a noise in the family room, and when she peeked her head around the corner, she saw a pair of legs leaving out the sliding glass door. She called her dad and came upstairs to wake me up. She asked me if I want to "stay up a little later", so I was like, "Yeah, sure!" I answered the doorbell when it rang, and her dad was standing there almost hiding his shotgun that he had behind his back. She hadn't told me what had happened, so I was a little disturbed by the fact that her dad had arrived with a gun. Anway, long story short, the poilce came, my parents came home from their costume party (a witch and the grim reaper), and they combed the field of weeds behind our house to make sure the guy was gone. I'm sure this is the reason I still lock all the doors to my house, even in the middle of the day, and my husband calls me paranoid.
I remember going to a Cubs game as a reward for good behavior in 5th grade. I was slightly mortified, because my dad was a chaperone, but as it turned out, he knew when to give his 10-year-old daughter some space.
I remember that the kid who sat next to me in biology class refused to wear his contacts. He preferred to look at my page of notes to copy down anything he couldn't see written on the chalkboard.
I remember "your token is gone!"
I remember couple's skating at the Skating Rink where we would leave Jenny to guard our snacks and she would inevitably eat some of them.
I remember going to The Nutcracker multiple times on school field trips. I think they took us to the Art Museum, too.
I remember hot chocolate after cross-country skiing at Camp Sha-wa-na-see.
I remember the year it snowed so much that we had an 8-foot tall drift in our backyard. My dad, sister and I hollowed it out into a fort.
I remember the caboose that my Grandpa welded together. It attached to the back of my dad's riding lawn mower, and seated about 10. My dad would drive it around the cul-de-sac we lived in and pick up kids and give them a ride. We thought it was the coolest thing ever.
I remember getting dressed for the church fashion show. One woman changing near me looked thin with her clothes on, but had a giant hanging belly when she got undressed. Now I realized that was probably the result of a few c-sections, but back then I had no idea how a person could only get fat in that one area.
I remember after the last performance of Oklahoma, I jumped on Chad, the guy who played opposite me, and gave him a big hug after the last curtain had closed. Our director had a thing about ONLY opening the curtain once after he had closed it, so it didn't occur to me that anyone would be watching me except the cast. Well, since it was our last performance, the director opened the curtain one extra time, to reveal me and Chad locked in a big hug. (We became very friendly through the course of the rehearsals, for anyone who remembers my previous entry about this guy). Anyway, my boyfriend was sitting front & center, and when I looked over, his jaw was pretty much on the ground. Quite a few "woo-woo"s came out of the audience, and I was fairly embarassed.
I remember that my doubles partner on the school tennis team had the occasional wild serve, and I would end up getting whacked in the back or legs with a ball.
I remember stopping by McDonald's after every tennis match.
I remember the night my parents went out to the Kankakee train station to pick up my grandparents. My grandparents called after my parents had left, and they were going to be delayed for a few hours. I didn't want my parents to worry, so I decided to drive out and tell them. It was a VERY foggy night, and I literally could not see more than a foot past my own windshield when I was out on the interstate. I luckily got behind a semi, whose tail lights I could vaguely see if I followed really closely, and we drove about 30mph the whole way there. Once in Kankakee, I realized I had no idea where I was going, and since I could not see anything on the side of the roads, my plan of "finding it when I get there" didn't work. I turned around and went home. My parents got back about a half hour after me, and my mom just about died when I told her I had been out looking for them. Looking back, I know I would never have driven under those conditions now that I'm a little wiser.
I remember the night before the orchestra's District Festival, I was ironing my clothes I would wear for the concert the next day. I was holding the iron, and bent my wrist back, and the edge of the iron burnt a 2 inch long line in the front of my arm, close to my wrist. It wouldn't have been that bad, except that the next day I had 8 hours of orchestra rehearsals. The burn was on my bow arm, which sawed back and forth for eight hours, all the while my long-sleeved shirt was rubbing against the burn.
I remember Brett's back rubs on the orchestra bus.
I remember sock hops in junior high. I liked getting ready at Trisha's house because her mom would help me curl my giant bangs just so.
I remember never believing in Santa Claus.
I remember closing the door to my dorm room for the first time after my family helped me move in, and dancing a little jig. Then I sat down on the bed and wondered what the heck I was supposed to do next.
I remember the silky yellow dress my Grandma, The Garage Sale Queen" bought for me. My mom insisted that I wear it to an orchestra concert, and I was just sure that the previous owner of the dress would be in attendance and recognize it.
I remember "Back in Korea...."

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