Teenage Love
Aug 30, 2005 Misty watercolor memories
As I’ve stated before I’m reading the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants trilogy. As soon as I finished the first one I tried to pick up the Second Summer at Target, but they were out. So I came home that night and ordered it from Amazon. It was the longest week ever waiting for the second book. Thankfully I ordered the second book with the third book so I won’t have to wait for that one.
And yes, I realize I am a freak. I am obsessing about a teenage book. But read them. They are good. They are bringing back a lot of memories from my past. Mostly good, but some bad. It’s fun to reminisce. And it’s weird to look back on past experiences with a whole new grown up perspective.
If you don’t know the books they are about four girls, all born in September. Their mothers were in the same pregnancy yoga class or something. The books are about three summers in Lena, Carmen, Tibby and Bridget’s lives.
In the first book Lena and her sister went to Greece to spend the summer with their grandparents. While they were there Lena ended up falling in love with a Greek boy. After many, many flubs, Lena finally got up the courage to tell Kostos that she liked him. And the scene was hilarious. It brought back memories of me in ninth grade where I also fumbled through telling a guy I liked him.
At some point in my freshman year I fell crazy head over heels for a senior. Not just any senior, but a very popular senior. As if I ever had a chance in hell. Aside from the fact that I was a freshman and he was a senior (which is a huge, huge age difference at that age), I was also a geeky freshman. I had yet to blossom in to the beautiful woman I am today — you better be agreeing me with there 
. I had big thick glasses. Very frizzy, curly (due to a sad perm that I thought looked good at the time) hair. And, of course, my freckles and clumsiness. Both of which I hated then, but have grown to love since. Needless to say, my parents never needed to worry that something might actually come about with this relationship. Well, I’m not sure if relationship is really the word. Unless you call following him around the halls of school like a lost puppy dog, a relationship.
Now, don’t get me wrong. We did share some words. I even got up the nerve to ask him for his senior picture. And he gave it to me. Not only did he give me his senior picture, but he also wrote on the back of it. As you can imagine I was in heaven with that. I think I still have that picture around here somewhere.
At the end of the year he had a gradutation party with a bunch of his friends. And he actually invited me. Granted he invited everybody, but still. Work with me here people. I was ecstatic.
The party was at one of the colleges in town. In the cafeteria. They had catered food and a DJ. It was quite a shing ding. And my friend Rachel and I were there. And I was so happy. A little too happy, because I allowed myself to let down my guard. I decided that I was going to tell him I was hot for him.
So after some serious discussions with Rachel, I decided to take the plunge. It was either now or never because this was probably the last time I would ever see him again. It’s funny how courageous us girls get when it’s the last time we’ll ever see the boy. In the book, Lena waited until her last day in Greece to tell Kostos she loved him. And I waited until the graduation party to tell my senior I was crazy about him.
So I worked up the nerve to ask him if I could talk to him. He said sure. I said something like “would you like to go out sometime?” It was a long time ago, so I don’t remember the conversation verbatim. He actually said “sure.” But I knew he didn’t really mean it. But he did ask me to dance. He really was a gentleman. He knew this little geeky freshman girl had the biggest crush on him, but he didn’t swat me away. He actually danced with me and was really very nice.
I’ve moved on from the senior boy. I think he’s a dentist or something now. I think I may have seen him at the mall a few times after that party, but I haven’t seen him since that summer. So it’s been more than fifteen years. I don’t remember this story because I’m still holding some old feelings for him. But rather, I remember this story because I was so proud of myself for getting up the nerve to ask him out.
If you knew me in elementary school you would be shocked to find out that I asked a boy out. I was just telling Necole the other day that I peed my pants in the fourth grade because I was too shy to raise my hand and ask the teacher if I could go to the bathroom. That’s how painstakingly shy I was. So I am so proud of myself for taking that step to ask a boy out. And not just any boy, but a popular senior boy.
Now look what the sisterhood has done to me. It made me remember back to an extremely geeky point in my life and it made me admit I peed my pants in the fourth grade. To God and everyone. On the internet. But I still love it anyway.
The Technology Boom
Aug 25, 2005 Family Funnies
You know technology is really taking over when you check your voicemail and you hear a message from your grandmother that says:
Hi Christine. Give me a call when you get a chance. Call me on my cell phone because I’m pulling in my email and it’s taking a long time.
I can just picture grandma sitting in front of the computer talking on her cell phone. If she starts to IM me I’m going to fall out of my chair.
Fat Chick
Aug 24, 2005 In my humble opinion
Have you heard about the doctor who is in trouble for telling his patient she is obese and needs to lose weight? No, it’s not a joke. It’s real life. Read about it in this USA Today article. According to the article, the doctor “told a fat woman she was obese”and she needs “to get on a program, join a group of like-minded people and peel off the weight that is going to kill you.” The doctor was asked to attend a medical education course and acknowledge that he made a mistake, but he refused. One of the medical board’s members said “Physicians have to be professional with patients and remember everyone is an individual. You should not be inflammatory or degrading to anyone.” And apparently the doctor could face penalties from a reprimand to the revocation of all rights to practice in the state.
Come on. Nobody is saying he called her names. He didn’t say “hey, your fat ass needs to be on a diet.” He told she was obese and it was in her best interest to lose weight. She is unhealthy. He is a doctor. He is telling her what she needs to do to be healthy. How is that at all a case for the legal system? How is that at all a reason to reprimand him, let alone take away his right to practice medicine? If you don’t like your doctor’s bedside manner then find a new doctor. But don’t sue him because his personality clashes with yours. Maybe the problem isn’t him. Maybe it’s you.
What’s next? An anorexic girl sues her doctor for telling her she’s needs to gain weight or she’ll die? Or a cancer patient suing because she didn’t want the bad news that she has cancer? If you want to live in denial then don’t go to the doctor. Cause if your stupid lawsuit jeopardizes my health, then you have more to worry about then your doctor telling you you’re fat. If doctors stop being honest with me about my health issues because they are concerned about lawsuits, then I’ll be pissed. You are a grown ass woman. Surely you can handle a little constructive criticism. If not, shut the fuck up and sit down until you can grow a thicker skin. Yeah, I’m calling you a cry baby bitch. What are you going to do? Sue me?
Body image is such a big deal to girls these days. We take it way too personally. It’s your doctor’s job to give you medical advice. If you are overweight then he needs to tell you how that is affecting your body. If you are underweight he needs to tell you too. That’s his job. That’s why we go to him.
Be offended when your blind date tells you “Oh, John didn’t tell me you were so….umm…heavy.” Or when some bitch tells you to move your fat ass in the grocery store. But when you go the doctor leave your self image problems at the door. Your doctor is there to help you. He’s not telling you you’re fat to hurt your feelings. He’s telling you you’re fat because you are.
Soccer Stars
Aug 22, 2005 A day in our life
Tonight was Skyler & Spencer’s very first soccer game. And it was a little rocky. Who knew there could be so much crying in soccer.
I was a few minutes late because I was coming from work. By the time I got there Skyler was already in tears. I don’t know what she was crying about. Other than she was very tired. I think she was crying because her coach had taken her out of the game. In the kindergarten/1st grade league they play four on four. And there are nine kids on Skyler & Spencer’s team. So they need to learn to take turns. Through Skyler’s tears she was telling me “I don’t like soccer.”
Then it was Spencer’s turn to come out of the game. And guess what. Yeah, he cried too. Lee and I were so embarrassed. Nobody else’s kids were crying. But ours were outright howling. But we were able to talk Spencer down. He just needed a drink and a little pep talk. As soon as the coach asked him to come back in Spencer was ready. And he did a great job running after the ball and kicking it. And while he was on the field they scored a goal. He didn’t score the goal, but he was still excited that his team scored.
Skyler continued to cry. Man, did she sleep at all last night? I don’t think so.
When there was only a few minutes left in the game Skyler went back in. And she was doing really well for a while. But when the other team scored she was very upset. She didn’t like everybody cheering. It was giving her a headache. She is such a drama queen.
At least they both enjoyed the granola bar treat and fruit drink after the game.
And needless to say, we didn’t have any problem getting the kids in bed tonight. Both Skyler & Spencer were out as soon as their heads hit the pillow.
