On Michael… (and a note from my 45 collection)

I’ve been wanting to write something on Michael Jackson ever since his untimely death last week. I’ve been putting it off and putting it off… mostly because the subject is very overwhelming for me as it is, but even more so because of the amount of negative comments and press I’ve seen. So, you see, this post will be positive. And no comments will be allowed. My opinion and experience is not up for debate. It’s not open for scrutiny. It’s just my opinion and experience. Deal with it!

I am currently 35 years old. I’ll turn 36 next month – the day after Michael Jackson’s birthday. We’re both Virgos. I feel a kinship with the man and always have. I know what it’s like to be misunderstood. Not on his level, of cousre, but nevertheless. I know what it’s like to deal with people whose minds are not open. People who only see what they want to see about you. I can open my mind and understand what it’s like to have people only react to the media they are spoon-fed about you. People suck. It’s sad, but true.

Michael was found innocent in a court of law. Does that matter to anyone? Some of the posts I have seen remind me of the stereotype of the townsfolk coming after the town “weirdo” with torches and pitchforks. This isn’t the 17th century, folks! Right after Michael’s death – and by that I mean within an HOUR, I had people on my Facebook list screaming, “FREAK! WEIRDO!” and of course, all the pedophile comments. I wonder, had he never changed his appearance, would people be so quick to judge? Possibly, epecially because there are still so many racists out there. But I’d bet you anything the judgemental group would be a lot smaller. People tend to hear the word “pedophile” thrown around and immediately assume guilt, expecially if the person accused is seen as strange by the public. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? What happened to the fact he WAS NOT proven guilty? What about the fact that he was SO not guilty he has custody of his own children?

People who lack critical thinking skills, people who lack empathy and especially people who lack both MAKE ME SICK. I don’t want to deal with your kind! And I lost a couple of Facebook friends because of this. I deleted THEM. I say, “good riddance.” If their minds are that closed who is to say they won’t turn on me someday when I am in need of understanding and empathy? Who needs friends like that?

Michael had loads of money and was around hundreds, if not thousands of kids in his lifetime. During that time only two kids have bothered to say anything at all. Doesn’t that ring the warning bells? Money is the great motivater here. I really don’t want to dwell on this. For more info on the first case and how Michael was framed, please read this:

Was Michael Jackson Framed?

He admitted sharing his bed and having sleepovers with children. SO WHAT? Sleeping does not equal sex! Where are these people living, how did they grow up to automatically assume the worst over the word “sleep”? Is Michael guilty of poor judgement? Absolutely. But only because, in this world, as we have seen, a lot of people have completely lost the ability to think that a grown man does not necessarily equal a pedophile. Michael was an overgrown child!!! My goodness, is this not obvious? I seriously doubt he was remotely capable of the things he was accused of. He completely missed his own childhood at the mercy of beatings administered by his own father. He is absolutely guilty of eccentricity and weirdness in the first degree (a similar quote I saw written somewhere else), BUT SO WHAT? Who is to define what normal is? And last time I checked, being weird, different, or strange-looking does not make you a criminal or, most importantly, a pedophile! Come on people!

There is a boatload more I could say about this, but I want to talk about my personal Michael Jackson experiences.

Because I was heavily into shows like Dance Fever and Solid Gold as a kid, I’m sure I took a liking to Michael’s Off The Wall singles, and I do remember them. I think I was too young to have formed any solid memories of them, though. I was 9 years old when Thriller came out in November of 1982. “The Girl Is Mine” was the first single and, eh… I was not of the generation to worship Paul McCartney, so to me it was … eh. I remember “Billie Jean” taking our breath away. The video, with the sidewalks that lit up as Michael moved onto them held us mesmerized. How’d they do that? “Beat It” was next and oh, man! The world was listening. Michael had somehow gotten King Of Guitars Eddie Van Halen to play on this song, and the kids my age were ever so impressed. No one could deny these singles were totally, well, EVERYTHING.

Somehow, by this time (Valentine’s Day 1983) I had still managed to not have any singles or the Thriller album in my posession. Then, the Motown 25th Anniversary Special was shown on NBC. Taped March 25, 1983 and shown on TV May 16th, 1983, I believe this is the event that put me, and probably so many others, over the top for Michael! It’s hard to imagine now, but when he did the moonwalk here for the first time it had people talking for days, weeks, hey, they STILL talk about it. It was like he was other-worldly. No one ever saw anyone dance like that. Again, as a young aspiring dancer, I was hooked! I remember watching this at my friend Linda’s house. Linda lived down the street and I must have been spending the night. After Michael’s performance we tried in vain to moonwalk all over her living room. It’s one of my favorite 80s memories! And thanks to Facebook, I know she remembers it fondly, too!

I was now primed, and since “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” was released on May 8, 1983, I ran out and bought it!

Furzdurzelette's copy of Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

I love this song sooo much! It peaked at #5 on the Hot 100 Singles Chart (and I helped!). The red mark on the sleeve is not lipstick, I swear. I marked all of my 45s with a stamp that said “Karen” (my mother’s name – I didn’t have one of my own) to mark it as mine when it was brought to a friend’s house or a party. I played this single so much it started to skip not too long after I got it, and the sleeve is coming apart. I somehow acquired a second copy of it which will remain in my collection untouched and pristine!

Back of Furzdurzelette's copy

This single was released without a video, or I’d have put it here!

It was only after this that I somehow got my hands on Thriller, the Lp, on cassette. I don’t remember buying it, and I don’t remember buying this single either. I have a feeling my parents bought both for me, but most definitely the cassette, as I was still 9 and had not much money to speak of. And for some reason I’m almost certain the cassette came from K-Mart. A good bet, as there weren’t  a lot of places to buy music in my hometown. The cassette is in storage (I’ve been listening to B’s cd copy of it lately).

“Human Nature” and “P.Y.T.” came out as singles after this. I remember not caring for “Human Nature” that much as a kid, but I do like it now. I used to listen to “P.Y.T.” a lot, though, even then though I knew at 10 (I had a birthday by that point) how silly it was! I think that might even be why I liked it so much!

“Thriller” came next and blew the roof off the world. What a song! And what a video! It was definitely one of the videos that molded me as a person and made be want to be a dancer more than anything in the world!

Naturally, they are all over any posting of this video, so I cannot embed it here. If you want to see the “Thriller” video, click here:

Thriller

I have vivid memories of walking through my neighborhood with my tape recorder (I didn’t own a boom box) blasting “Billie Jean.” “Smooth Criminal” was another dance video that had me in awe of the dancing. I love these memories. I know in my heart, and for the reasons outlined above, Michael Jackson was a good man and not capable of the horrible things he was accused of doing. I’ll never understand why he felt the need to change his beautiful face. But he did it, and that was his choice. I adore Michael, and I always will.

Rest In Peace.

Beloved Benjamin Is Waiting by Jean E. Karl

When I was growing up I was a voracious reader – a hobby I try to keep up with to this day. I went to the library regularly to check out everything from astronomy books to young adult novels.

One day I remember hunching down in the H-K author section looking for S.E. Hinton books and whatever else caught my eye. With the title, Beloved Benjamin Is Waiting, this book definitely caught by attention. Then I read the jacket flap and was intrigued. I took the book home and read it (I think I got it out a lot!) and have never forgotten it.

Over the last few years I became obsessed with the idea of reading this book again and I finally bought it used through Amazon last month. It is out of print, so used is the only way to get it now. I was really wondering if it was as clinically awesome as I remembered it being. If I re-read books that I found great as a kid I usually find them oddly lamer than I recalled. I guess that’s the sophistication of being grown up. And the true genius you must employ to be a young-adult novelist. But this book is still completely amazing!

Quick plot synapsis from the Amazon page for this book: Hounded by a gang of kids after her mother’s disappearance leaves her on her own, Lucinda hides in the abandoned caretaker’s house in the local cemetery where she makes contact with intelligent beings from another galaxy.

This leaves out the fact that Lucinda is only 11 years old. This book always haunted me, and after reading it I think I know why. The ending leaves you wanting more. You want to know more about what becomes of Lucinda, what becomes of her family, what becomes of the caretakers house… everything.

This novel was originally published in 1978. And, by the way – I’m not the only one who enjoyed this book so much they remembered it into adulthood. Just look at the comments on the Amazon page! And check out this book if you get a chance (haha- get it? check out this book)- I highly recommend it. English Major Approved!

A Vintage Salute To Halloween

Thanks to The Vintage Halloween Group on Flickr! (all these pics should open in a new window)

I just love seeing other people’s old costumes. This kind:

http://flickr.com/photos/jff123/2965445329/in/pool-vintagehalloween

These look really scary, actually!

http://flickr.com/photos/swapatorium2/2939111830/in/pool-vintagehalloween

http://flickr.com/photos/swapatorium2/2961202577/in/pool-vintagehalloween

I love how our old plastic smock-y costumes with the bad-eyehole/no breathing-hole masks always had pictures of whatever-the-costume-was-supposed-to-be on the chest. Because everyone knows the Creature From The Black Lagoon had a picture of himself on his yellow T-shirt!

http://flickr.com/photos/swapatorium2/2939034152/in/pool-vintagehalloween

This one is awesome. The TV in the background rules. So fifties!

http://flickr.com/photos/afropix7/2929084742/in/pool-vintagehalloween

Costumes in the fifties really were quite scary!

http://flickr.com/photos/illtakeyourphoto/1809553940/in/pool-vintagehalloween

Halloween 1978:

http://flickr.com/photos/neatocoolville/1712526148/in/pool-vintagehalloween

I love this stuff!

Digger The Dog

Ah, Christmas 1975… it’s hard to believe since I was only 2 years old then , but I remember it! Well, I remember one thing about it, really. I really reaaalllly wanted a Digger The Dog toy! I remember asking for it over and over and over again. I loved this thing. I had a real dog that was my best friend, but it wasn’t enough, I needed a plastic pull-dog with no discernable special feature other than a Sherlock Holmes hat!

I must have seen it on TV or something. It was probably this commercial that got me, because it seems really familiar. “Diggah” is Obviously Awesome and a Must-Have Item if I ever saw one! Sh.t I really loved all those Romper Room toys (but that is a story for another day)!

And I got it! I couldn’t have been happier (but you can’t tell here since I covered up my face!)!

My Digger is long since gone. I think it went in a garage sale in the late 80s or early 90s. Don’t get me started on the things I wished I’d saved!

So, B and I are in a Rescue Mission store the other day for shiz and giggles – we like to look there for bargains and/or fodder for Project Absurd. We were standing in front of the toy section, which naturally looked like Hurricane Rose Marie hit it, when something caught my eye. No way! Could it be? I dug through the naked Barbies, filthy stuffed animals and rogue puzzle pieces and fished it out… and it was! A vintage 70s-era Digger The Dog! I was beyond ridiculously excited. I hadn’t seen one of these in person in.. oh, 20 years or more?! Sure, he’s missing his tail and was dirty, but otherwise was in perfect condition. He was mine for $2.99 and it was Christmas 1975 all over again! I cleaned him up at home and he know adorns our stereo. I heart Digger!

(Keep feeling) Fascination – Human League

Anyone here like the Human League?

Seriously, B and I were driving home from my Mom’s and listening to the 80s channel on XM radio in our car when “(Keep Feeling) Fascination” by Human League came on. It’s one of my favorite Human League songs (not that there are many), and yet one I frequently forget all about. As it turns out, it was a huge hit tonight, prompting an impromptu karaoke session right there on Route 81! I am still thinking about it and it’s still in my head and it was an hour and a half ago now. Damn that Human League!

If it seems a little time is needed
Decisions to be made
The good advice of friends unheeded
The best of plans mislaid

Just looking for a new direction
In an old familiar way
The forming of a new connection
To study or to play

And so the conversation turned
Until the sun went down
And many fantasies were learned
On that day

Keep feeling fascination
Passion burning
Love so strong
Keep feeling fascination
Looking learning
Moving on

Well the truth may need some
Re-arranging
Stories to be told
And plain to see the facts are changing
No meaning left to hold

And so the conversation turned
Until the sun went down
And many fantasies were learned
On that day

And so the conversation turned
Until the sun went down
And many fantasies were learned
On that day

Like, the 80s are totally back!

So I was at a mall last weekend and decided to stop in Forever 21. This store has a history of having cool clothes that are always sold out in my size. Seriously, I envy tiny chicks – mostly because they always get to have clothes available when they want to shop. I’m not fat – I’m the same size as everyone else. And everyone else beats me to the racks! When when when will stores figure out they need to order more larger sizes and fewer smaller sizes? You’d think they’d get a clue when all the clearance merch is size 0!

Well, while I was grumbling around Forever 21, I made a shocking discovery. The 80s are totally back. I saw this trend coming a few years ago, yes. But it’s shocking that (a) it’s still here (b) it’s more pervasive than ever (c) this is upstate NY (does that mean the trend is dying it’s natural death? oh probably) and (d) the 80s trend covers the best and worst of my 6th & 7th grade years er, I mean 1984-1986.

What got me in the store in the first place is a Duran Duran T-shirt with the cover of the Rio album on it that I think I’ve wanted since 1984. It’s not on the website, and they didn’t have my size (in 2 different Forever 21 stores) so I can’t show it to you. Nor can I show you the T-shirt I did end up buying - a Stones one with a zebra-print tongue logo (not on the site and I don’t feel like taking a picture).

What shocked me the most was (sit down, folks)…

STIRRUP PANTS!

What the…? I mean, I knew leggings were desperately trying to forge a comeback, but stirrup pants? In 7th grade I had a bitchen purple pair. I remember even at that age the stirrups annoyed the living shiz out of us all and we almost never ended up wearing them in our shoes all day. They were so irritating on the feet. This one won’t last.

Speaking of leggings – animal print leggings were in the store. Including this leopard pair!

Need more proof? How about these photos from the Forever 21 site?

You get the idea. Actually, redoing the 80s fashion seems like it could be fun. If only I weren’t about to turn 35! I’d feel totally dorkalicious wearing stirrup pants now! Hell, I was dorkalicious wearing them then!

And the 70s? If you’re looking for 70s yumminess I suggest you look no further than the dress department!

1984 Olympic Gymnastics

During the time of the 1984 summer Olympics in Los Angeles I was about to turn 11 years old. Gymnastics was my “thing.” I had studied dance earlier in my life and during the lessons we were also taught some gymnastics. So I was into it very early. I had all the prerequisite abilities for a gymnast – I was skinny and short and had dance training (which can make one look more elegant in routines) and flexibility. The sport came fairly naturally to me – at least at first. And I so wanted to be Mary Lou Retton! I so wanted to train with Bela Karolyi!

This is before I set eyes on the actual height of the uneven parallel bars. Haha.

My friend Mandi lived across the street from me and we would always put on our own version of gymnastics competitions. When the ‘84 Olympics hit we reached new levels of fandom. As far as I remember we each had either leotards and/or swimsuits that matched the ‘84 Olympic gymnastics teams leotards:

On our most ambitious days we would change into these outfits to get our day started. Then we’d head to my side yard. I lived on a corner and had a sidewalk running in a rectangle next to our house. This was close enough to a track to accommodate the running of the torch for the opening of our “Games.” I wish I was kidding!

Mandi was a Jehovah’s Witness and this was as much as her mother could stand of her being at my house, so we would head back to her house after this. She lived across the street, but the second house in, so her side yard was more isolated and perfect for performing Floor Exercise competitions. Not to mention they didn’t have a dog and we did, if you get my drift.

Our Vault was out front of her house. Ok, it was a tree stump. You laugh, but it worked!

The balance beam was drawn on the sidewalk in front of her house in chalk. I kid you not. At least we couldn’t fall off it. I know, how is it we never hurt ourselves? By the grace of God! I honestly don’t know how our parents could stand to have us doing such stupid stuff, either. My mother says she couldn’t stop me so she just didn’t look and prayed for the best. I guess it worked. You should know that neither of us ever mastered doing any backward maneuver, but we could both do mean handsprings, walkovers, flips – you name it and it was forward and we did it! By the way, the sidewalk balance beam is, I’m pretty sure, what has permanently messed up my knees. The pain started as early as high school.

What about the uneven parallel bars, I bet you’re asking. This apparatus was only performed on our most hearty of days, and never in the “uniform” because it involved walking 5-6 blocks to our elementary school. On the jungle gym there was a high bar (not really that high) that we would use for this purpose.

I can’t remember how exactly we determined scores and who actually medaled. I don’t have any recollection of this actually. I think we hardly ever got this far. We hardly ever did the bar routine part. But man did we have a blast! And we both wanted to play the part of Mary Lou Retton. I believe whomever wasn’t Mary Lou was usually Julianne McNamara. Ah… memories!

I’m pretty sure I was aware of Mary Lou Retton before the Olympics. The Amercan Cups, U.S. Nationals and of course, the Olympic Trials made sure of that. I can’t be sure, but I think my first vivid memory of Ms. Retton was at the Trials. She was getting ready to go on the uneven bars and was chalking her hands. She was smiling and the commentator said something like, “remember that smile – you’ll be seeing a lot more of this girl very soon.”

That always stuck with me.

Mary Lou won 5 medals during the 1984 Olympics: Bronze on Floor and Bars, Silver on Vault and Team competitions, and of course the All-Around gold. During the all-arounds she was in very close competition with Romanian Ecaterina Szabo (all of the Soviet bloc nations boycotted these Olympics except Romania and Yugoslavia). It was so, so exciting to watch! After Bars and Beam Mary Lou was behind, but went on to score perfect tens on both floor and vault and won the all-around competition. I’ll never forget her jumping into Bela’s arms after the vault! It was so exciting!

I don’t want to forget to mention the “Retton flip” for the uneven bars – her own invention:

And I don’t want to marginalize the other team members. They were all our heros! Especially Julianne McNamara and Kathy Johnson. Julianne:

I tried to find a clip of Julianne’s appearance on Charles In Charge, but alas, no. (

Kathy Johnson:

And then there was the men’s team that year – Mitch Gaylord, Bart Conner, Tim Daggett. More sheer excellence!

And I won’t put the vid here, but if you missed it go find Kerry Strug’s vault from the 1996 olympics. That’s what it’s all about, kids!

If you can’t tell, I’m excited for Olympic Gymnastics to start in a few days! Go Team USA!

Best Wedding Reception Centerpiece EVER!

It involves Hungry Hungry Hippos. Click here to see it!

I wish we had the nerve!