Tolerance, Hairdo Envy, and Bad First Dates: Lessons Learned from a Brute & His Bride
Ah, you always remember your first time. There I was, in a dimly lit room…body tense and trembling under crisp sheets…heartbeat wild in anticipation…breaths short and shallow…spellbound by my first glimpse of something big, scary, and invasive…a spectacle that would excite me for the rest of my life: the 1935 classic, “The Bride of Frankenstein.” This cinematic masterpiece introduced me to societal rejection, unrequited love, mob mentality, and the tortured soul of the outcast. It’s the grandest monster flick of all time.
They Had Mohair Rings, But I Had Jo Jo Gunne
“No, Spiardi. I bought myself a ring that’s too big.” This is how Miss S.T. sarcastically answered when I asked if her boyfriend bought her
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?
“What did you do in the war, Daddy?” That’s a question most kids eventually get around to asking when they learn their fathers served in
VD is for Everybody — And Other Scary Facts I Learned from Watching PSAs
Ten-year-old kids shouldn’t be worrying about the after-effects of unprotected sex, mind-altering drugs, and adult unemployment, but thanks to several artful public service announcements (PSAs) that aired on network television in the early 70s, I once considered pre-booking a room in a nunnery!
And the Score is Love-Love: A Teenage Tennis Tale
“Where the boys are, someone waits for me,” Connie Francis once sang. And just where were they waiting in my sleepy little hometown in the slow, sweet summertime? Well, let’s just say it wasn’t at our old cracked-concrete tennis courts. But for me, it was someplace to go, and go I did – back in my pre-car, pre-cash teen years. Every night after dinner, my friend Ann and I would dress to impress and make our way up cemetery hill to the courts to see and be seen. Alas, not much came of our tennis trolloping. Once or twice a guy friend would offer us a ride home, but it was never the guy we hoped for. Weren’t we pretty enough, clever enough, or popular enough? Such thoughts would consume our high school years.
Is it Doomsday Already?
Heavens to Murgatroyd! According to the ancient Mayans, the world will end on Friday, and I have SO much left to do! I’ve had “doomsday” pencilled in on both my pocket calendar and the kitchen wall calendar for months. And, because I’m such a high tech kind of gal, I also listed it on my Google calendar (too bad I forgot to hit that “email reminder” button). Oh, I’m such a silly goose! I rarely bother to even LOOK at any of those calendars until it’s too late! One day left on earth doesn’t give me much time to do all those things I’ve been wanting to do for eons. Why do I ALWAYS procrastinate?