Thursday, March 12, 2009

R is for Radical

Just a quick post to say I'm still alive, here!!! So, the word "radical...." This word was very popular lingo amongst my 6th and 7th grade peers. A quick walk down memory lane....

You know people send around all those forwarded emails about being children of the 80's and growing up in the 80's? Well, I was around in the 80's but the 90's stick out more.

In 6th grade, being a "skater" was cool. Caucasian boys had what we called "Pee-wee" haircuts (whole head is shaven except for your bangs which hung, slyly, over your eyes) and African-American boys often sported the "Gumby." If you were not considered a cool skater, you were called a "poser" which meant you were a wannabe skater. Some kids dressed nice--wearing stuff like expensive rugby shirts and penny loafers or Eastland dock shoes--they were called "preps."

We often used words like "radical," "gnarly," and "bodacious" to describe anything remarkable to our junior high minds. I loved to see all the Reebok pumps shoes in their varying colors--the little "pump" basketball on the shoe tongue is so cute!

For fun, at school, we enjoyed hitting lockers and listening for the clunks of fallen locker mirrors. The hallways smelled like Love's Babysoft. Everytime I smell that stuff I am immediately transported back to those days. Weird....

Why do I bring up "radical?" I guess, I just can't believe, sometimes, that I am a wife and a mother of 4, and paying bills, and doing fundraisers, and talking politics, and... and doing what grown-ups do! Does anyone ever really feel "grown up?" Guess I better fake it 'til I make it!

8 comments:

ldsjaneite said...

I think it's funny that I was familiar with those terms, yet they weren't really used in my school as they were in yours. Must be something about an age difference.

Micaela said...

I sometimes have to stop and think, "Wow! I'm a mom! Crazy!" Everyonce in a while I still feel like I should be 18... I didn't get older, right?

LOL about the Love's Babysoft! I have the same reaction! Everytime I smell it, I remember my 6-7th grade years. Weird! Still LOL. :)

Susan said...

I'm still faking it. I've been a grownup for long time and I still don't feel like it.

Carrie said...

Sometimes I wonder when the parents are going to get home and pay me for babysitting. :) I agree with you, I don't know when I got "old" but somewhere it happened. *sigh*

Melissa said...

It is totally weird how you feel exactly the same but time just marches on. I have that same thought all the time. Some of those styles were so ugly. I just remember the boys all had their hair short except for a long tail at the nape of the neck. Sometimes they even braided it. UGLY!

Shea said...

Sometimes I will catch myself thinking about high school and in my mind, it was just a few years ago. Well it was 17 years!

Jacy said...

I have that feeling all the time. How did I end up with 3 kids and a mortgage? I am DEFINITELY not old enough for that!

Does it scare anyone else to walk past the store windows in the mall and see all the 80's clothes glaring back at them?! I was hoping we wouldn't have to revisit that era...

The Fullers said...

I totally still say "rad" and people look at me weird. Apparently I'm ahead of the curve because unfortunately it's all coming back. This was one fashion era I thought we wouldn't have to repeat.