Sunday, March 28, 2004
I remember collecting cafeteria sporks in junior high. It started out as a personal challange to get the entire collection (numbers one through 100 - or didn't you know that sporks had numbers on them?) by the end of the school year. Word spread, and after each lunch all my friends who sat with me would offer up their sporks, and the occasional random kid would also come up to me to ask if I needed their number.
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
I remember reading Harriet the Spy and digging up a pair of my parent's binoculars so I could spend hours watching every window I could see from my bedroom. I even kept a log of all the people I spied on.
I remember playing truth or dare in the back of a pick up truck with some neighbor kids. I was maybe 9 or 10, and the Big Dare was when someone dared Scott to "moon" out the truck window, which he, of course, did.
I remember a night at dinner when my 7-year-old sister announced, "Nicole, you're such a bitch!" My mom looked at her, surprised, and said, "Do you know what that means?" She said no. So mom said, "Well then, maybe you shouldn't use words unless you know what they mean.
This memory came in handy when I needed a response when my 3-year-old said, "Come on, Smartass, let's play a game!"
This memory came in handy when I needed a response when my 3-year-old said, "Come on, Smartass, let's play a game!"
I remember a game of trivial pursuit my family was playing with another family. My dad read the question, "What is a polyorchid man?" The answer was "A man with 3 testicles," and my sister, who was about 7 at the time thought he meant "tenticles." She was very confused and all the adults were giggling.
I remember that we began every driving vacation we took at 6 am, and I would open my box of Crunch & Munch right away and eat it before we were out of Illinois.
I remember eating a milkshake, nachos, and chocolate chip cookies every day for lunch in junior high. (My diet is slightly better these days).
I remember our junior high toga party, which I almost didn't get to attend because I had been grounded (for the first and only time) for hiding in my van instead of going to sunday school.
I remember going with my dad before chuch to the convenience store to get a donut and fruit punch.
I remember that Jason and I got into a big fight the night before our college graduation, and when our families arrived the next morning to attend the ceremony, my eyes were still puffy (from crying the night before, not because Jason was beating me. :) )
I remember having a college history professor named Robert Kennedy.
I remember that my driver's ed. teacher was named Mr. Ford.
I remember that my high school geometry teacher had a recipe to make her own chalk, which she did, because she would show up with large globs of chalk at school, instead of normal cylindrical chalk.
I remember being knocked out from Dramamine all the way out west and back.
Monday, March 15, 2004
I remember that my 80-something-year-old great grandma watched Days of Our Lives every afternoon when I was growing up. But eventually she deemd it, "Too racy!" and stopped watching.
I remember watching The Frugal Gourmet because my mom had it on while she ironed.
i remember creating craft masterpieces from styrofoam meat trays
I remember having a healthy dose of stage fright when I performed at a concert or recital. But I remember having no nervousness when I did a play or musical.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
I remember ice skating on the pond across the street from my house. My dad would always go over and jump on the ice before he would let us go skating.
I remember running over my mom's heels when I pushed the shopping cart. She would get so mad at me, and I never understood why. Now that Evan does the same thing to me, I totally understand!
I remember extra chores earning me a punch on my "chore card". Each punch got me an extra 5 cents!
I remember my dad singing a purposefully way-off-pitch rendition of "Good Morning to You" as loud as he could when he woke up on weekends. I also remember him belting out hymns as we got ready for church. "Up From the Grave He Arose" was one of his favorites.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
I remember the day I forgot to wear underwear to kindergarten.
I remember insisting on wearing only dresses when I was about 6 or 7 because I thought pants were too uncomfortable.
I remember being able to pick up ice skating very easily.
I rememeber the ritual for the First Moonlight Swim of the season.
I remember "Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho! Mecca lecca hi, mecca channy ho!"
Monday, March 08, 2004
I remember thinking at one time that a ferret might make a good pet.
I remember a college english professor I had who was always 10 minutes late to cless, due to the fact that she weighed at least 400 pounds. It took her a good 20 minutes to walk the block between her office and the building she taught our class in. And she could barely speak for the first 15 minutes of class because she would be so out of breath from all the exercise.
I remember the first college frat party I went to. It was only a few days after I started college, and I didn't do my research. I ended up at the misfit fraternity house and had the oddest hour of my life.
Friday, March 05, 2004
I remember the friendly (albiet lonely) English gentleman who left this comment card on my table after I waited on him at Chi-Chis.
For those of you who can't read the writing, I'll translate:
"Name: Michael
Nicole, sometimes life can be difficult.
The diffrences between our ages makes things impossible.
But I'm glad I met you. You are lovely.
Michael"
"To Nicole
Is Nicole a "10"? (he checked all the "yes" boxes on the card)
Maybe if I stop in Bloomington I will see you again but after this note I shall probably be embarassed!!"
Well yes, you can say that again. And for the curious, I was probably 19 and I would guess this guy to be early 50's - which was older then my own parents at the time!
I also remember that this was one of two nights that I asked the biggest guys I worked with to walk me to my car when I got off of work.
For those of you who can't read the writing, I'll translate:
"Name: Michael
Nicole, sometimes life can be difficult.
The diffrences between our ages makes things impossible.
But I'm glad I met you. You are lovely.
Michael"
"To Nicole
Is Nicole a "10"? (he checked all the "yes" boxes on the card)
Maybe if I stop in Bloomington I will see you again but after this note I shall probably be embarassed!!"
Well yes, you can say that again. And for the curious, I was probably 19 and I would guess this guy to be early 50's - which was older then my own parents at the time!
I also remember that this was one of two nights that I asked the biggest guys I worked with to walk me to my car when I got off of work.
I remember being creeped out by the huge snake my orchestra teacher kept as a pet when we were at his house for the orchestra Christmas party.
I remember when Mr. K (see entry below) asked me to name the violin strings from lowest to highest, because he wanted to check the answers on his Scholastic Bowl questions. I told him they were G, D, A and E. He told me, "No, you have them backwards." I said, "No, I've played violin for 7 years, and I don't have them backwards." His final word on the subject was "Well, the book says E, A, D, G, so that's the answer I'm going to accept."
I remember writing a letter to a teacher I had for 3 high school classes. I was sick of the way he treated his students (especially the girls) so I put all his transgressions in writing and mailed it to him. Two years later, my poor sister had to have this guy for a teacher, and a couple years later, my mom had to work with the guy! I didn't have him for any classes my senior year, but whenever I passed him in the hall, he would not make eye contact with me, so I like to think that he took what I said seriously.
I remember singing something a capella at one of our Oklahoma rehearsals, and the director was screaming "OUT OF TUNE! OUT OF TUNE!" and I wasn't exactly sure if I should tell him that it was his ears that were out of tune, or if I should just laugh it off and sing it again. In the end, I took the easy way out, even though I knew there was nothing wrong with my pitch.
I remember singing "Silent Night" by candlelight at the end of every Christmas Eve service.
I remember when my sister and my best friend were crazy for New Kids on the Block, and I made fun of them for it. Just as NKOTB was fading in popularity, I jumped on the bandwagon, because, well, that Joe was just so cute!
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
I remember picking through the compacted lunchroom trash bags in search of Trisha's retainer.
I remember hating "recess" in junior high, since it was really just a bunch of kids standing around outside in the cold, instead of sitting inside int he warm.
I remember having a fight with my high school boyfriend. The next day, he appeared in my backyard with a portable sterio and a CD of Elton John's "Sacrifice", which he stood out there and sang to as loud as humanly possible. If memory serves, it didn't work on me.
Monday, March 01, 2004
I remember naming our cars "Ricky" and "Lucy" because they were identical. So instead of our parents telling us "we're taking the brown car," they'd say, "Go get in Lucy."
I remember being at a restaurant with my sister (and our parents) when Nat was about 5 or 6. There was a birthday party for a really old guy, complete with a belly dancer going on in a private room off of the regular dining area. My sister and mom had to walk through the party to get to the bathroom, and as they walked by, the old man asked my sister, "And who are you, little boy?"
I remember returning to gymnastic lessons after a 7-year hiatus and being too tall and two weak to do anything on the uneven parallel bars.
I remember rhythmic gymnastics in my backyard performed with a ribbon on a stick.
I remember Uncle Zeke's Corn Palace and Wall Drug billboards on our vacation out west.
