Back Downtown

Today I started work in the District again and it feels really good. I think there's just something about getting on a train and walking a few blocks on busy city streets that make me feel like I'm going to work for real. Driving just stresses me out and being out in the suburbs makes me feel removed from any sort of action. There was even a saxophone player playing Christmas carols when I stepped out of the Metro station this morning. As much as I loved being in Tennessee last weekend and as much as I want to have my own house with my own garden and my own trees someday, there's a bit of me that loves the rush of a city too.

Quickie Update

My power cord on my computer has officially died, which means I can't update my blog from home, which means no pictures yet of my Fantabulous Tennessee Thanksgiving Adventure. Well, it wasn't that adventurous. We sat around and ate a lot and caught up with one another. It was fantabulous though. The boy (oh heck. Jason.) has ordered me a new power cord because he is the King of Bargains and I should be getting it soon. My cousin Amy has posted pictures of our holiday on her blog (see link at right). I think both Jason and I look like we're settling nicely into our tryptophan comas.

In other news, I got a temp job at a firm that does health law-related stuff. I'm so excited! It's just an administrative position, but they're really busy and because of my background they've assured me they'll be throwing lots of stuff my way.

Fashion Misstep of the Day

Uggs and gaucho pants.

Um, no.

How Many Thanksgiving Dinners Have YOU Had?

I just had my second Thanksgiving dinner. My first was last night at this big potluck thrown by some girls in my ward. It was great!

The one today wasn't as good. Corporate food in chafing dishes just can't beat homemade. But, hey, free food. One of the perks about working at the fancy-schmancy firm is they like to throw parties. Today we got Thanksgiving dinner for lunch and we're having a dessert buffet at 3:00. I'm hoping for some pecan pie.

Of course the best Thanksgiving meal is going to be in Tennessee on Thursday. I'm so excited! I haven't seen my relatives down there in 4 years and not only do I get to see them and my parents who are driving down from Chicago, but I also get to show off the boy. I plan to parade him around and rattle off his credentials so everyone will be very impressed and say, "Well, we were worried about Kelly for awhile there - she is 29 and still single after all - but looks like she found herself a good one."

In addition to being excited about the holidays, I'm also feeling a little more relaxed about the temp job thing. I met with another staffing agency this morning and they have two potential things for me. They sent my resume in for one of them already. It's at an elder law firm in the District dealing mostly with Medicaid issues. Um, can you say right up my alley? It would be more administrative, but it's a small firm and I'd be working mainly with the head partner. Also, my boss at my job now asked me today if I could potentially stay into December. So either way, it looks like I'll have something for at least the first couple of weeks of December, which is a relief.

So now I can pick up the boy at the airport tomorrow and drive to Tennessee on Wednesday with a lighter heart, knowing I will be able to pay my rent for the next couple of months.

The Stairs. They're Out to Get Me.

Um, so I fell down the stairs again. I think this is the fourth, maybe the fifth time. And I feel like an idiot. But in all fairness the carpet is really slippery. Plus, there's always an extra factor that just pushes me over the edge. Like on a couple of the other occasions I had just put lotion on my feet. Or I had on very slick shoes, as was the case last night. I'd kind of skidded a little on the tiles at work so I knew my shoes were slick already.

I gouged a nice hole in my left knee that, once it scars over, should nicely complement the scar from skidding in some gravel while racing my friend Randy on my bike when I was 7. I also ripped my last pair of hose. And tore a nail. Oh the humanity!

One issue that I have with the stairs, besides the fact that they are dangerously slippery, is that they only seem to trip me up when one of my roommates is home, often standing at the top of the stairs or nearby for maximum auditory and visual impact. I would just like to note that I go up and down those stairs at least 10 times a day with no mishaps. When I was home all day in September, I went up and down probably 50 times a day. See, the kitchen and the front door are upstairs so if I need to leave or get something to eat or drink, or just feel like being social with my roommates (on the off chance that we're home at the same time), I have to navigate the stairs. So 4 or 5 stumbles down an incredibly dangerous and slippery staircase out of 3 months of living in the apartment really isn't that bad. Right?

Back in the Saddle Again

Everyone be proud of me. I got up at 5:15 AM and swam 60 laps this morning. I'm proud of me.

I sort of wondered over the past year if part of my motivation behind working out and losing weight was the hope that I might meet a boy who found me attractive. Well, I did and he does, and he still does even now after 3 1/2 months of no regular workout routine, eating sugar, and increased bodily squishiness. But I'm not happy with myself right now.

I've been feeling like such a blob. Ever since the Bar, it's been a sugar free-for-all. I've been basically eating whatever I darn well pleased and not swimming except for sporadically (and not at all since I started working a month and a half ago). I looked at my back yesterday and realized the rolls are coming back. I measured myself this morning and discovered I've gained width on my hips and waist. This has got to stop. I will NOT put those 45 pounds that I lost since Chicago back on! And I still want to lose 35 pounds (maybe more now. I don't have a scale so I don't know how much I've gained back).

Plus, there's the added benefit of feeling better mentally. As I contemplate this job ending and wonder if I'll be able to make January rent, and as I continue to hunt for that elusive job, I need something to boost my spirits. I bought a 20-swim pass at the local pool a couple of months ago and after today I still have 14 swims left. Those will defintiely help my mental state.

So it's not because of a boy or the prospect of a boy. It's because of me. I like the way I feel when I'm exercising and have that regular rush of endorphins. I like watching my body become less and less flabby. I like being able to fit into smaller sizes of cute clothes.

I'm going to go swimming tomorrow and next Tuesday (I can't go Saturday, Sunday and Monday because of other commitments). Then I'll let myself enjoy Thanksgiving, but until Christmas I'm back on the no sugar plan and I will do my best to exercise at least 3 or 4 times a week.

The Girls

I've been stewing over this since watching Gilmore Girls last night, and since Katie wrote about it, I figure I should just get it out there.

First, I LOVE Luke and Lorelai together.

Second, I am really angry with the whole


**SPOILER**




illegitimate daughter thing. Please! I know the writers are just coming up with a way to split Luke and Lorelai up because the ONLY way they could be split up is if Luke got all sullen and noncommunicative because of this secret illegitimate daughter because Luke and Lorelai are so perfect and happy and complement one another so well. Grrr!




**END SPOILER**

Third, I think Christopher is a loser and needs to go away. The guy was never around when Rory was growing up and now he only pops in when it suits him. And when he does pop in he's all territorial with Rory and Lorelai. I'm sorry, was Lorelai supposed to put her life on hold for 21 years until you got your head out of your butt and decided you wanted to build a life with her after all?! GO AWAY, Christopher! You're not wanted.

OK, I'm done. Now that Rory is back and sassy and not such a punk anymore, I just want things to be nice for a little while. Let's go back to having a normal life in Stars Hollow.

Manipulative Music

I have a 90's playlist on my iPod that automatically pulls in everything I have that came out in the 90's. This includes soundtracks and classical music, which wasn't really the idea, so I may have to modify it some.

So I was just sitting here merrily going through some correspondence and suddenly a song came on that jerked me right into a very very sad moment in a movie that is now recognized by all as being cheesey. I don't even want to say it.

Alright, it's Titanic. (I'm prepared for an onslaught of "I can't believe you have that soundtrack!" and "I can't believe you thought that was sad at all!" and the boy probably wanting to distance himself from me from now on).

Yes, yes, I know it was a sappy movie and I personally could care less about the supposed allure of Leonardo DiCaprio. But I actually like Kate Winslet generally and I thought the movie was pretty amazing as far as effects and recreating the ship and the costumes and everything go.

And, yes, I cried. Alright? I was 21 and reveling in sappy movies. So when the song came on my iPod just now that played when Rose released the frozen Jack into the ocean and then swam to the frozen seaman to blow the whistle so the lifeboat would come back for her, my eyes welled up a little. I'm not proud of this, but there it is.

The music in the movie is lovely, thanks to James Horner AND some blatant plagiarism of Enya. Seriously. There are two key songs in the Titanic soundtrack that are just variations on two songs from Caribbean Blue. Has anyone else noticed this besides me?

Time's Up

I just found out my temp job ends November 30th. I have mixed feelings. The obvious downside is that my paycheck stops in a couple of weeks. The upside is that I won't have to commute out to the 'burbs anymore. The commute has been really wearing on my clutch and my nerves.

Another upside is I won't have a boss that I feel the need to walk on eggshells around. OK, truth is, I might have a boss like that again, but some craziness happened right after I started here and I've been tiptoeing around ever since to ensure that the craziness does not happen to me too.

Another upside is that I won't be doing the same old mind-numbing paper shuffling. No, if I get another temp job I'll get to learn all new mind-numbing paper shuffling. At least learning the routine is interesting at first.

So really the ups outweigh the downs. But the down is a pretty big down.

I've already emailed all my staffing agencies to let them know. This week I was planning on getting on the ball with a huge resume blitz of the DC and Boston areas. This just gives me more of an impetus to make sure that happens.

The issue I'm debating right now is whether I should work 3 hours of OT tonight. I was planning on going home and doing job stuff, but 3 hours of time and a half will come in handy in a couple of weeks. I'm working OT Wednesday and Thursday, but then next week I'm only working two days because of Thanksgiving (Reason number 467 why it sucks to be a temp: no holiday or vacation pay). I'll probably end up staying tonight.

I'm tired of this. I just want a real job with real pay and real benefits.

Animal Magnetism

The boy's cat loooves me. It's very sweet. Last night he bounded off of the boy's lap to come snuggle on mine. I think this explains why when I was 13, my mom wouldn't let me touch our new kitten for a couple of weeks. Animals like me, I don't know why. Cases in point:

My cat TC: she came into our house a scared, formerly abused little girl kitty and decided that she would live under my bed for the rest of her years. I managed to coax her out, though, and she glued herself to my side. She used to climb up my back and perch on my shoulders when I was sitting on the floor doing homework. If I took too long downstairs eating breakfast she would stand at the top of the stairs and meow for me to come back up. Then she would sit on the top of the toilet and watch me get ready for school, purring all the while.

The two bloodhounds down the alley: My friend Carrie and I used to take a shortcut through an alley on the way home from school. Behind one fence were two bloodhounds, one very old (Mama Dog) and one obviously younger (Baby Dog). They barked and barked at us as we rode by. One day, I stopped and walked toward the fence. They stopped barking and cocked their heads, watching me walk toward them. As I got to the fence, the younger dog stuck his nose under the bottom of the fence. I let him sniff my fingers and he gave me a little lick. Then he ran to the other side of the yard, got his ball, and trotted back, pushing the ball under the fence to me. We played fetch for a bit. Every day I would stop for a few minutes and play with them. It got to the point that if I showed up and they weren't outside, I could whistle and they would come dashing out to greet me.

Santa Cruz Jenn's dog Bob. Although to be honest, Bob loved everyone. But there was always a certain high-pitched whining and excited piddling on the floor that was meant just for me

Beauty, the neighbor's Springer Spaniel: again with the piddling.

Sammy, the other neighbor's cat: if I took too long getting out of the car after pulling into my parking spot, she would jump on the hood and peer at me through the windshield, plaintively mewing. Once I got out, she would leap in front of me and writhe around on the sidewalk, begging to be petted.

My mom has this natural affinity for children, and apparently I have that with animals. Except for my aunt's cockatiel. She has an affinity for men and adores my uncle above all others. Unless I have pasta - then she's my best friend.

So, boy, I'm very sorry that your cat likes me so much and jumped off of you to come see me. I'll try to ignore him next time I'm visiting if you like.

Thoughts

Oh the cuteness! You need to go look at my old college roommate's post for today. Her two little girls are such dolls and since we all live in NoVa, I get to see them occasionally. Hurrah!

I was reading through some of my pre-Bar posts the other day(see months of June and July) and realized that despite berating myself for my lack of diligence at the time, I really did a lot of studying. No wonder when some people saw me at a wedding reception post-Bar they looked all confused and said, "I thought you moved already..." It was because I DISAPPEARED during July. Good thing I passed because I honestly don't know if I could have put myself through that again.

On Naming

I want to take a poll. Do you name your car and/or iPod? The boy and I have been having a debate about whether this is a strictly girl thing. My opinion is that it's more of a family thing, since my family has a long tradition of naming cars, including my grandpa with his Suburbans Big Blue and Blue 2, and my uncle with his blurple Infiniti named Tyrone. For those of you who haven't heard, I personally have a white Ford Focus named Bunny.

The boy says that he thinks it's a girl thing because a lot of girls he knows have named their cars, versus the manly men he knows who spit upon the idea of anthropomorphising cars (I'd just like to point out that the boy's car has a name, but whatever...).

I'd also like to announce that I have named my iPod. Enrique. Partly because he's currently clothed in a fabulous Miami-blue iSkin. Sexy!

Let's Hear It For Fancy-Schmancy Litigation Firms Who Bill A LOT

Because I passed the Bar, my supervisor (at my temporary job, mind you) took me and the temp who's leaving today and the supervisor's long-suffering assistant out to a fancy lunch. Then she gave us Barnes & Noble gift certificates and fancy chocolate bars (I took the dark chocolate. Mmmm...dark chocolate...).

In addition, if I work more than 2 hours of overtime on a weeknight I get free dinner on the firm, up to $15. Can you say leftovers? I'm not making the big bucks, but some of these little perks of being in the big firm milieu are nice.

Quaintness and Character Are Sometimes Overrated

I went to Boston this weekend and flew back to DC this morning on a 6:17 flight. I'm getting through this day on sheer willpower and big cups of Diet Coke with Lime.

There are these great brick sidewalks throughout Boston and Cambridge that make you say, "How quaint!" and reflect upon the history of the town and area, especially as you stroll by graveyards with ancient tombstones. Yes, the bricks looks nice, but just try walking in heels on them. None of them really meet in what you might call a straight and unfettered line. There are usually cracks and fissures between the bricks, just about the perfect size to suck in a kitten heel. I got used to walking on the bricks while I lived there, but in just a few short months I've forgotten how to be obsessively aware of the brick patterns and where I can actually place my foot. I counted no less than four instances of walking along holding hands with the boy, and having to pull him back and balance on him as one or the other of my shoes refused to budge from between two bricks.

Saturday night we went out for dinner at The East Coast Grill to celebrate my passing the Bar. The food was yummy. The restaurant does upscale cuisine in a semi-divey atmosphere with lots of boisterous activity. I have a soft spot for dives, so I thought it was great. In addition, they served the limes in my Diet Coke on plastic skewers shaped like marlins (or swordfish. We couldn't decide). Those are now tucked away in my purse, destined for use in future drinks at home. I also have to give a tip to anyone around Inman Square who goes to Christina's for some fall ice cream. Pumpkin and Ginger Molasses are fabulous together!

Sunday I saw some friends at church, which was kind of weird. I loved seeing them and it made me realize how much I miss everyone up there. But I'm not really sure what to say when people ask how it's going, so I usually wind up being truthful. I do like DC, but it hasn't been easy. I haven't really built a life here for myself yet because I'm back and forth to Boston and the boy comes here, plus I haven't gone to the singles ward yet due to being gone and conferences and wanting to check out the family ward first. The job search feels stagnant and I don't feel very encouraged from some of the other recent grads I work with. Plus, I'm constantly waffling between whether I should even invest the time and energy and a LOT of money to waive into the DC Bar if I'm going to move back to Boston maybe. I feel a constant tug back to Boston because of the boy.

It would also be very nice if spending more time with him actually managed to satiate me a little and help me get through the two weeks in between our visits. Sadly, the more time I spend with him, the more time I want to spend with him. Thank goodness I only have to wait 4 days this time. Yes, it may seem kind of ridiculous for me to have been there this weekend, come back for 4 days, and then go back this coming weekend, but the reason is, his birthday is Friday and we didn't want to go 3 weeks without seeing each other. (Gah! I can't believe I just wrote that in a public forum! I apologize now for the present and future mushiness that may occasionally invade my blog.)

I also figured out the best way in the world to get to Dulles Airport if you don't have someone who can chauffeur you around and if you conveniently happen to work near the airport. There's a park and ride bus stop right near where I work where I can park overnight and catch the Dulles bus. Very, very handy for these weekends and, since all I have to pay is $3 each way on the bus, much cheaper than the Dulles $9 a day cheap lot parking.

Shout It From the Rooftops!

I PASSED THE BAR!!!!!!

The 80's

If the Mass Bar folks are going to post the results today, the least they could do is be nice and post them at 9 AM today. But no.

So in the meantime, here's a list I stole from Chris because I'm so in an 80's mood, what with my Fashion Plates nostalgia and all.

1. You had a crush on one of the New Kids on the Block members.
Yes, but only because of peer pressure. And because Jon seemed so nice. He was the quiet, misunderstood one.

2. You wanted to be on StarSearch.
Of course.

3. You ever uttered the word “Radical!”
Probably. Most likely "Rad," though.

4. You wore jelly shoes and jelly bracelets
I LOVED my jelly shoes and had piles of jelly bracelets.

5. You thought “Ghostbusters” was by far the coolest movie
I don't know if it was THE coolest, but it was up there.

6. You remember watching shows like “Punky Brewster” , “Webster”, “You Can’t Do That On Television” , “Wild&Crazy Kids” and “Double Dare”
Yes. Jenn in Santa Cruz and I share a passion for Alistair from "You Can't Do That On Television."

7. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off. Or even when he had those freaky eyes in “Thriller” at the end of the video.
Yes. Poor Michael. He used to look like a human being. Even with the freaky Thriller eyes.

8. You wore a banana clip in your hair or one of those slap on wrist bands at some point during your youth.
I definitely had a few banana clips.

9. You rolled up the bottoms of your splatter painted jeans.
Um, I rolled, but they weren't splatter painted.

10. You wore loafers with everything, and you put the laces in those little rolls.
No

11. You had slouch socks, and puff painted your own shirt at least once.
Absolutely!

12. You owned a doll with ‘Xavier Roberts’ signed on it’s butt.
Yes, Inga Sallie. I got her Christmas of 1983 when I had the chicken pox.

13. You knew what Willis was “talkin’ ’bout.”
Yes.

14. You know the profound meaning of “Wax on, Wax off.”
Yes. As well as how to do the crane move.

15. You can name half of the members of the elite “Brat Pack.”
Probably all of them actually.

16. You can remember watching Full House and Saved by the Bell for endless hours!
Oh yes!

17. You have seen at least 10 episodes of Fraggle Rock.
Dance your cares away,
Worries for another day.
Let the music play,
Down at Fraggle Rock.

18. You yearned to be a member of The Babysitters Club, and tried to start a club of your own.
Totally! I thought Claudia and Stacy were cool, but realized that in reality I was probably most like Mary Ann.

19. You sat on your back porch, playing with your “My Little Pony” , “Rainbow Brite” , and “Strawberry Shortcake” dolls
I never had Rainbow Brite, but I was all about the My Little Ponies and Strawberry Shortcake. To prove what a child of the 80's I am: I had a Strawberry Shortcake Atari game.

20. You know that another name for a keyboard is a “Synthesizer.”
Well, duh.

21. You hold a special place in your heart for “Back to the Future.”
Love it!

22. You know where to go if you “wanna go where everybody knows your name.”
To Cheers of course

23. You thought Molly Ringwald was REALLY cool.
Anyone who gets Jake Ryan in the end is obviously someone I should model my life after.

24. You know what “sike” and “not!” mean
Yes

25. You fell victim to 80’s fashion : big hair, crimped, combed over to the side, big hoop earrings, and possibly the worst:you wore spandex pants.
Oh yes. The shame.

26. You wanted to be a Goonie, or Elliot from E.T.
Goonies!!!

27. You owned an extensive collection of Cabbage Patch Kids and trolls.
Only one troll, which was the mascot of my little car, but by virtue of being the recipient of many hand-me-downs, I wound up with 12 Cabbage Patch Kids.

28. You knew “The Artist” when he was humbly called “Prince.”
Yes

29. You actually saw Ted Danson as the MacDaddy he played “Sam” to be.
I didn't know any better. He also played the same character in Three Men and A Baby.

30. You ever wore flourescent -neon if you will clothing….
Yes

31. You could breakdance, or wished you could.
I sort of wished I could.

32. You know who He-Man and She-Ra are.
By the power of Grayskull!
The fate of the world in the hands of one beautiful girl! She-Ra! Princess of Power!

33. You remember when ATARI was a state of the art video game system.
See above with the whole Strawberry Shortcake thing.

34. You know all the words to “Ice Ice Baby”.
Yes

35. You remember MC hammer well.
I think I still have that tape somewhere...

36. You can still sing the rap to “Fresh Prince of Belair”.
It still runs through my head occasionally

37. You own any cassettes.
Yes

38. You were led to believe that in the year 2000 we’d all be living on the moon.
Well, at least by 2001.

39. You remember and/or own any of the CareBear Glass collection from PizzaHut.
Mm, no.

40. Pizza Hut was the coolest place to hang.
Actually, it was The Biggest Taco Bell in the World

41. Poltergeist freaked you out.
Absolutely. Love it!

42. You carried your lunch to school in a Gremlins or an E.T. lunchbox.
I think I had a Smurfs lunchbox...

43. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the ONLY female smurf.
Yes

44. You wanted to communicate with some being named Cinergy, or you wanted green hair like that lead singer of the Misfits.
Truly truly truly outrageous!

45. You totally LOVED Barbie’s cooler, punkier counterpart, “Jem” and her “Rockers”
Isn't that the same as 44...?

46. You wanted to have an alien like Alf living in your house.
No because he would have eaten my cat.

47. You wore biker shorts underneath a short skirt and felt stylish.
No, but I envied the girls who could pull that off.

48. You wore tights under shorts and felt stylish.
Yes. I'm so ashamed.

49. You layered your multi-colored slouch socks, and added suspenders to make your outfit complete.
I definitely layered the socks

50. You ever had a Swatch Watch.
No, but I was envious of them

51. You actually spent countless hours trying to perfect the care-bear stare.
No

52. You had a crush on one of the Coreys
Corey Haim was much cuter. He's weird looking now.

53. You remember when Saturday Night Live was funny.
and then not funny...and then funny...and then not funny...

54. You had WonderWoman or Superman underwear.
Um, I believe the term is underROOS! Wonder Woman and R2-D2.

55. You wanted to be The Hulk for Halloween.
No, but I think Wonder Woman or Princess Leia would be the girl equivalent.

56. You believed that “By the power of Greyskull, you HAD the power”
Well, I needed the sword first

57. You thought that Transformers were more than meets the eye.
Yes

58. Partying “like it’s 1999″ seemed SO far away!
Yeah, like I would be 23 in 1999. That's SOOOOO old!

59. You ever owned or wanted any of the NKOTB action figures or dolls.
No, thankfully, no.

60. You remember when Deborah Gibson was “Debbie” Gibson.
Of course!

Happy Holidays

I've decided that despite my angst and uncertainty, despite my lack of funds and wondering if I'll be able to pull together enough money to buy a ticket to Chicago for the holidays, despite the fact that I won't see the boy for the entire stretch of Christmas and New Year's, I need to get myself in the Christmas mood already. I mean, Wal-Mart has been in the mood since August, so it's about time I catch up.

Usually by this time of year I'm listening to my Christmas music and feeling happy and jolly courtesy of Perry Como, who in my mind is the King of Christmas Music. Don't get me wrong, I love Bing and Frank and Nat and all the others, but Perry is the king. This year has been different because September crawled by filled with anxious interviews, emails, and calls to firms and staffing agencies. Then I started temping in October and fouond myself just holding on until the next paycheck and working overtime in the meantime. Plus, I've been counting the days off every for two weeks so I can see the boy. Somehow, October FLEW by.

So I have a plan. First, of course, I'm going to start listening to Christmas music when I get the chance. I have some work to do up in my lonely office on the 9th floor this afternoon, and I brought my iPod and I think my Christmas mixes from last year are still on it.

Second, I'm going to sell some Christmas ornaments - or at least try to. In the early summer I took pictures of some of my old ornaments that are very pretty, but go more with my 13 year-old rose and cream Victorian Christmas aesthetic than my current gold and crimson Elegant Christmas aesthetic. I'm hoping to be able to sell some on ebay and early November seems a good time to start that process since people are starting to think about Christmas. Going through those will help me feel festive.

Third, even though I'm going to Tennessee for Thanksgiving weekend, which is my traditional Christmas decorating weekend, I need to make a point to make my little corner of the apartment look festive. This is usually my absolute favorite time of the year and I should start reveling in it, darn it.

I <3 the 80's

Talking with Jen in Berkeley Sunday night helped me feel better about things. I don't know if she just says the things I want to hear, or if she's saying the right things and those things are resonating in that little spot inside of me that lets out a little "Ding ding ding!" when the right things are said or felt.

Either way, I feel better.

Must. Learn. Not to. Obsess.

Except, word on the street is that Bar results may be coming this week! Scary! So I'll just focus all my angst on that.

And really, a Kelly with no angst just isn't Kelly at all.
(everybody feel sorry for the boy now)

*SUBJECT CHANGE*

So I've been Tivoing the "I Love the 80's in 3-D" episodes because I realized there's been a whole new VH1 80's series out there in the world for weeks now and I haven't seen any of it. Last night I watched 1980 and 1981. Overall I'd have to say that this 3rd installment of the 80's isn't as good as the first 2, but it did have its bright spots.

For instance, Fashion Plates. I forgot about Fashion Plates! Fashion Plates have various squares of hard plastic with pieces of clothing in relief. You pick a head, a top, and a bottom, put them in the little holder with a piece of paper on top and then do charcoal rubbings of the outfit, which you can then color. Fabulous! We were all little fashionistas in the making.

I can't believe I forgot Fashion Plates. VH1 helps me get in touch with my inner child. And then makes me wish I had her toys.