Wednesday, October 22, 2008

What I learned from Judy Blume

I am in the process of reading "Everything I need to know about being a girl I learned from Judy Blume." It is this nice little anthology of some of my favorite females authors about how JB's books affected their lives. It got me thinking about the JB books that have had the most impact in my world. I think the two that stick out in my mind the most are "Are you there God, its me Margaret?" and "Forever ..." Sure, I read her other books - like Super Fudge or Deannie or the Rachel Robinson ones. I think I devoured every JB book there was (well, minus the adult ones and I never read Tiger Eyes - at least I don't think I did). And yet, those two are the only ones that stick out in my mind and well it would seem for obvious reasons.


"Are you there God ..." tells the tale of Margaret and all she wants is her period. All of her other friends get there periods and she feels left out. I mean, I suppose the whole puberty thing and girls becoming women is an important topic and the time when it was written also plays a role in the importance of the book. And while I do think that it is a book that every girl should read because by the end you don't feel as totally alone in the whole puberty world you some how got into -it also just never seemed totally realistic. Perhaps I was reading it around the time I had gotten mine for the first time (or even before) but either way it was nothing something I wanted. It wasn't something my friends and I discussed or was jealous about because some girls got their periods and others didn't. It was just a part of life, so deal with it.
And it was sure as heck something I didn't really care for (still don't) because it meant the end of being a kid. It meant I was a woman now. It meant that I could get pregnant (while sex wasn't on the radar for quite sometime after that - there was now all of a sudden this possibility). It meant that I basically could never wear white pants again - not that I think I ever wore them to begin with. It meant pain that induced vomiting numerous times. It just meant a slew of more problems than benefits. Oh, yeah you're supposed to get things like boobs and hips and grow taller and loose all that baby fat around the middle right? Hmmm... I must have missed that part of the deal.

So what did this book teach me about being a girl then? Not much. Everything in JB's seems just too idealistic for me. I guess it taught me that apparently becoming a woman was a big deal and that you too should feel superior instead of shame that you got your period before the rest of your friends. And also apparently your period is magically thing you just feel, while sitting at the dinner table - not the gut wrenching, all day long stomach pain. Man, did I get the short end of the stick when it came to getting my period.

p.s. what did I learn from "Forever ..." I learned that never have your first time on someone else's sheets -use a multi-colored blanket that will hide the inevitable blood stains. Oh yeah, also that person you have sex with for the first time is not someone who has to be a part of your life for a long period of time - which was good for my 14 year-old, romantic, self to understand.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

My junk is you

Last night, the roomie and I went to see "Spring Awakening." It was really good and both of us thoroughly enjoyed it. The music, was obviously better live than on the soundtrack - which would have been terrible. Though, I must say, the sex scene not has hot as everyone made it seem to be, it was just awkward (though two people have sex for the first time is awkward). This could also be because, sitting in the third mezzanine, the "hot" factor of the scene decreases significantly - oh well.

But can I just say one of my biggest pet peeves is people who wear jeans to the theatre (or even worse the guy in his jeans and UW sweatshirt, go to a football if you are going to wear that). I get it, I live in Seattle, capital of the fashion impaired. A place where people think wearing the nice, black Northface is dressing up. But still. You never wear jeans to the theatre, this isn't the movies, this isn't some sporting event, this is real, live, people performing for you.

For pete's sake people, traditionally people wore ball gowns and tuxedos to performances, the least you could do would be put on a nice pair of pants; I would even settle for khakis. True, there are very few exceptions to the jeans rule (ie last minute procurement of tickets) but other than that, take the time to look just a tad nicer. I would even be willing then to overlook the Danskos and the Northfaces, is you at least put on nicer pants or a skirt.

Oh, it is just another reason to leave this, rainy, dreary town.




*please excuse the fact that the words "ass" and "fuck" are edited ... the FCC are jerk faces

Friday, October 10, 2008

You're what I wanted, I gave what I gave...

I saw Stars last night for Rubi's birthday - man was that a spectacular show. It might have been better than the first time I saw them, which was still so amazing and moving. But can I just say, that when they closed the set with "You're Ex-Lover is Dead" I was borderline, outright crying. There is something about that song, when I hear it live, that I get goosebumps from my toes to my head, my stomach gets tied in knots and I start tearing up. Shoot, I get emotional when I hear the song in general (even when I watch the Degrassi episode it is in). I couldn't find video of last nights show, so here is a version of them performing it. If you don't feel even a little moved, then you have no soul.





p.s. that piece of paper that I found the other day - not a sign of things to come - which, I am really glad about

Thursday, October 9, 2008

We pressed against back doors and wood floors ...

So two nights ago, Ben Kweller became a record in my book. He is the musical artists that I have seen the most in concert - bringing it to a total of five times now. And man, he did not disappoint. There had been a point- at times 2 and 3 that I had been left wanting more-but with these past two times that I have seen him, he completely redeemed himself. Though, I never blame him for the reason the other shows had been a tad lacking; its hard to get psyched when there isn't a huge crowd (Sept 2006 with the crappy Sam Roberts Band) or when you are the opener (Feb. 2007 to Gomez who had a much older fan base than anticipated-plus that was just an awk. concert anyway).

But on Tuesday night, in packed Chop Suey, BK took the stage and totally rocked it. It was awesome; plain and simple. He played a half dozen new songs off his soon to be released album. Then he also had a fantastic mix of his other albums. But the two songs that made my night, where when he came back for his encore and played "Commerce, TX," which is by far my favorite song. And it is a song I haven't heard him sing live since when I saw him in March of 2004.

The other song he sang was "Wantin' Her Again." This is a little known song off of his first EP - that I am pretty sure no one else knew the words to, besides me - not even you girl in front of me to tried to pretend she knew which songs were which, and couldn't even get the album right. And if this song follows suit like "Don't Know Why" it might end up on this upcoming album. But as I was standing there - mouthing the words, being elitist, I was struck with the memory of my first BK experience and discussing with my friend Kristen (rest in peace). She was a much of a BK fan as I was and we were both so excited that he had sang "Problems" (off the same little known EP). We both had the same experience of being super excited he was playing the song and then suddenly realizing that we were the only people around who knew what was going on.

Oh, to be so superior to others ;)

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Signs

I read my horoscope daily ever since I could remember. It was always just something fun, nothing I ever took too serious. It was just interesting to see what would be in store for me for the day. As time went on I learned a little more about astrology and importance of when your birthday is and how it effected your personality. Again, never serious enough to actually believe in the fact that my horoscopes would ever come true. It might all stem from that fact that I can't put all my eggs in the fate basket and that I have control over everything in my life.

Though it is always interesting when horoscopes come true or when reading a birthday book describe my various relationships with people accurately. This all times in with fate and signs and things that are bigger than my control. I've blogged about this before about things whether they are coincidence or have some sort of higher meaning. So that is where I am today, figuring out if something is a coincidence or means something more. I was cleaning out my car (no more trash, still have the fruit cocktail can though) and I came across something I thought I had thrown away. Something I distinctly remember taking out of my wallet and putting in my trash. I have no idea how it ended up in the back seat of my car to begin with. It threw me off for a second, and made me think if it meant something more or was just a piece of trash in my car.

It could also just be one of those things, like the answers to the crossword puzzle, that once it is out in the world, it starts connecting to other things that you would think have no relation to each other. And you end up staring at a piece of paper in your backseat and wonder if it has anything to do with what is happening in the week ahead.