Hey, isn't that...
Click the link below to find out more!
Lately I have been posting these topics at the last possible moment of the week. I just get so caught up with what I am going to write! I have no clue. This week I thought about what I could write about, and it was tough! I wanted to do a funny little piece involving people spotting She-Ra in public settings and being like, "Hey, isn't that Golden Girl?" Or "Hey, isn't that He-Man's sister from another planet?" Something where no one could remember her name and then She-Ra would respond, "I am She-Ra!!" However it all sounded a little lame, so I decided to just share some stories about meeting celebrities. Or something like that.
My family has had a long tradition of coming across celebrities and what-not. At my uncle's wedding reception in the seventies (my dad's brother) a young Michael Jackson walked into the room. My family loves a good party so they had a lavish reception at a hotel for my uncle and his then wife. I need to ask my parents how this occurred, because I think Michael Jackson had been performing with the Jackson Five and they were staying in the hotel. Either way my dad was completely surprised and couldn't believe what he was seeing, so he approached Michael Jackson and the singer asked my dad, "What is this?" And my dad smiled, "This is an Italian wedding." My dad always says that M.J. was just gazing at everything with eyes wide open. This was such a big deal for my dad because he was a huge Jackson Five and eventual solo Michael Jackson fan.
There have been other similar "Hey, isn't that..." type stories throughout the years. My brother went to college at CalArts which is located north of Los Angeles so he went to school with a lot of kids whose parents were actors and singers. Going to his graduation was a very surreal experience.
My own wedding rehearsal dinner was a surreal experience. My ex-husband and I had a rehearsal dinner at a restaurant in New Orleans, and one of our family friends who was celebrating with us got a call from a friend that just happened to be dining in the same restaurant. So she invited her friend to stop by and all of a sudden I look up and there is G.W. Bailey at my rehearsal dinner. For those who do not know who I am talking about, G.W. Bailey was in Police Academy, Mannequin, and MASH to name just a few of his works. I had to do a total double take. It was one of the most surreal and craziest things I have ever experienced in my life. I grew up watching him in movies and shows, so to meet him was a pretty interesting thing, certainly something I never expected to do in a million years.
He stuck around for a little while talking to people and he wished my husband and I well for our upcoming wedding. Which was really nice considering how... Yeah. We all know how that turned out, but I'm not a bitter Betty. I can look back and say that the rehearsal dinner and wedding were both extremely fun and memorable.
I could go on with even more stories regarding a "Hey... isn't that?" type thing but I thought I would instead share one last story that is quintessentially me: Tacky with a dash of dorky every time.
So this story happened when I was like 22 or 23. I was in college and a group of friends had invited me to join them for a charity event for the school. I was super excited. So many thoughts were running through my mind about what a fancy schmancy charity gala would be like. I imagined that dashing gentlemen in suits would be fumbling over themselves to ask me for a dance. I'd spin around the dance floor while everyone would be whispering, "Who is that girl? Why, she could be an It Girl!" I had to prepare accordingly.
Being a broke college student, I had no access to any couture. This was my Cinderella moment and I needed a nice dress! I never went to prom or any other school dances, so this was the perfect time to show up and be the belle of the ball. So I went to Ross with my best friend Glo and we dug through the disheveled racks looking for the perfect evening gown.
So for 12 dollars, I found this confection of a dress in the clearance rack and after changing in the dressing room, Glo and I were both like, "This is the dress!" Oh to be young. The dress was a shade of magenta, but not the good shade. It was low cut in the front with thin halter style straps that cris-crossed over the back. The material was form fitted over my breast area down to about my mid thigh, and then it just became this flowy mass of fabric that draped and flowed with two layers of material. At the time I really thought it was stunning. Looking back now it appears as if I was ready to frolic in the woods with Perfuma or some sea weed at the beach with Mermista.
Anyways, the night of the charity event arrived and I felt like a princess. My hair was wavy from hot rollers. I had a subtle cat eye with full lips lacquered with a matching magenta shade. I was ready to walk through those doors like they do in a Disney movie. So I arrived to the charity event looking like I had intended to go to a prom, and instead, ended up at a business casual dressed event.
No one was wearing evening gowns. No one. I realized in that moment that a dashing gentleman would not be asking me to dance. At all.
While everyone was expressing their surprise with how dressed up I was, I was simply trying to formulate an excuse to leave early. Like, maybe, "Sorry, I have to leave. My car will be turned into a pumpkin and towed away after midnight." It felt like everyone was looking at me. "Poor little girl, just look at her in that cheap looking prom dress." At least that's what I was thinking to myself.
Feeling my face grow hot, I looked around for a restroom to hide in. While searching I saw a woman that made me do a double take. It was She-Ra!
Just kidding. No, it was a lady that wrote the horoscopes in a publication that I regularly read. I completely flipped out. I totally forgot all about being overdressed, all I could think was, "It's you! You write the horoscopes!" I couldn't remember her name, but I knew her face from the paper! I felt like I was with royalty; I read her words every week!
The horoscope writer could only stand there with a kindness in her eyes. She looked me up and down and smiled, "What a nice dress." I'm not sure if she was being sincere or snarky, but either way we talked for a few moments and after I calmed down from freaking out, we really had a nice conversation. I learned that she wrote all kinds of things besides the horoscope, but that astrology was her biggest passion. It was just so cool. Just like that the conversation ended and for some reason I didn't care that I was overly dressed anymore. I had met the lady that wrote the weekly horoscopes! Nothing was going to get me down. Unable to hit Earth from my high, I left the event with my magenta lips intact and took myself to Whataburger for a number one with cheese and a Dr. Pepper. I toasted the night and hoped that my horoscope would be decent for the week ahead.
Check out the other stories from League members!
Geeky Vixen
Erik the Illustrator
Las Vegas Yankee
Femme of Fandom
Retro Robot Review
Cool and Collected
Primordial Badger
The Nerd Nook
AEIOUWhy
Stunt Zombie
Please head over to these other fabulous bloggers. They all put a lot of hard work into each post and have wonderful stuff for your reading pleasure! Also, check out Cool and Collected to learn more about becoming a member of the League of Extraordinary Bloggers! You'll be glad you did.
That's it for now dear readers. Stick around though, because there is a lot of great stuff in the works. I have some stuff to share from a fellow She-Ra fan. I've also got Trolls! And there are more fun stories with toy Miss M that will feature a charity event you won't want to miss. (And no, it won't involve magenta lips)
Your brother went to CalArts? The school were Disney and Pixar do their recruiting? What did he study there? Also: Envy....
ReplyDeleteI never went to prom either, although as the resident artist I did make the posters to advertise it. There was so much time at the time about what kind of dancing was considered expectable with words like bumping, grinding and other things that make me afraid to go on Urban Dictionary. So just to be contrarian I drew a couple dressed in turn of the century ball gowns and turned it in at the last possible moment so no one could change it. In hindsight I was ahead of the curve on this whole "Downton Abbey" trend.
I did however get a giddy prom like feeling when Gracie and I were invited to a fancy party in college. I got all dressed up in a corduroy suit and for once actually felt like a grown up. Then Gracie came wearing a dress that left so little to the imagination that I actually felt ashamed looking at her. Also I could tell she was embarrassed by me looking like such an overdressed dweeb. Things didn't get much better when we arrived and my agoraphobia kicked in (fear of being in a crowd). Sounds like you fared better than I did.
As soon as I saw this week's topic I thought for sure you were going to share the GW Bailey story. Thanks for proving me not-wrong!
Yep, he did go to CalArts where Disney and Pixar are a big deal. He went to school for acting and costume design. It was a dream of his and I am so glad he went. It was a wonderful experience for him and I get to live vicariously through his stories and jobs he works on. lol
DeleteThe night of my prom, a friend who had graduated the year before went out with me for some tex-mex, the bookstore, and then we went to see American Beauty at the movies. It was a pretty nice prom night for not going to prom. lol But still, I love the idea of going to a dance and dancing the night away.
I love the poster you did for your prom! That sounds like it was awesome! I'm sorry you had a bad experience at the fancy party in college. And I know I have some short dresses and what-not, but I don't think that I have ever worn something that left little to the imagination. It actually took me forever to feel comfortable wearing dresses and skirts as I thought showing my legs was leaving me way to exposed. But I don't mind it so much now. It just all depends on the proportions of the outfit.
And after mentioning the GW Bailey story on the podcast, I knew I would have to share it at some point. lol
Costume Design huh? While I'm sure that means he tailors suits and dresses. My first thought was that he made flashy fantasy costumes like these numbers for "Julius Caesar": http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/effect/caesar/
ReplyDeleteAs a teen I was a real angry, moody type who probably would have hung out at Hot Topic all the time, if it had existed back then, in order to be "outside the system". There was no way I was going to spend money to hang out with people I couldn't stand to be around on any other day.
Ah, American Beauty, or as every kid called it back then, The Belly Button Movie. While I have a few stills from the film in my inspiration files, I'm not sure if I'd be able to get anything out a movie about a mid life crisis, no matter how gorgeous it was shot.
The party experience was all the more shocking since Gracie was not a very showy person. She had been in an accident as a kid, and told me that her legs were completely covered in scar tissue. So she would either wear ankle length dresses over top long underwear or else roll her pant cuffs into knee socks so that there was no chance at seeing anything. Even when we went swimming, she wore a full body wetsuit, making me feel a little exposed and awkward.
This dress was incredibly tight and showed quite a bit of chest. I just didn't know what I was supposed to make of it. I spent most of the night panicking in my mind "Is this an invitation for sex? It can't be, its way too soon! But what else could it mean? How can I even think that? She's my friend first and girlfriend second. If she's putting it out, she must want you to at least drink up the view. No, I can't, I need to show that I respect her by respecting her body, and how I don't have any right to it." Its the kind of yes-no debate that would give Gollum whiplash.
This was not helped at all by the mild stammer I had at the time that made it difficult to communicate how I felt about this whole situation. So at the end of the night when she asked "So what did you think?" I said "I think you have the cutest little button nose." I meant that sincerely, but I could tell that wasn't what she was looking to hear.
My brother does a bit of everything. He has worked on costumes for usual every day type outfits and he has also created a vast array of spectacular costumes. He directed a play and performed it at a festival of sorts a couple years ago and it was based off the Narcissus story from Greek Mythology and it was just epic. What he was able to do on his own, it was wonderful. The music was made for the play by a friend of his and everything was just really good. I will need to see if he has any clips or videos of it. My mom, aunt, and I went for both nights and it was just really really good.
DeleteI personally was not a Hot Topic girl, but I certainly had friends in high school that would have fit the bill. But yeah, I don't think we really had any near me either back then. Most of us would go to this head shop called Bizaar Bizare (I can't recall the spelling) and that's where everyone would go for their wild hair dye or clothes. lol to be young. lol
Your recount of the party with Gracie sounds like something that happens for a lot of guys and girls. I know it is a difficult situation for sure. It isn't easy in the society we live in. I know I have certainly been in those situations where I wanted to show off my body but I also found myself questioning the reasons why. Or even what sort of message would it be sending. I know with my previous relationships, I've wanted to wear "sexy" clothes because I wanted my partner to think of me as sex goddess or something. As I've gotten older my ideas have shifted. I do like to wear attractive clothing, nothing overtly stimulating, but tastefully sexy. Growing up I was either "in your face" with my look or I was very reserved because i didn't think I was pretty enough or my breasts weren't big enough or my whatever wasn't looking a certain way. Now I really embrace my body and branch out depending on the situation. Though I still sometimes feel insecure when I wear shorts or skirts that hit above the knee. But that's just me.
I can only imagine the debate going on in your head. Isn't that the thing though? I think men and women have so many debates in their heads. I wish there was a way for all of that to go away and not have all the stress that comes with dating and relationships. It can be so... bothersome. lol Of course, is there any wonder I couldn't make my marriage work? lol Ba-da-bum. That's just divorcee humor! lol
If I ever give too much information in a reply, please let me know, because I think I may have gotten a bit close to the edge with this one.
ReplyDeleteAt least I feel better knowing its not just me. Though it probably didn't help matters that I'm not an especially "touchy-feely" kind of person and was always questioning whats too much or too soon.
Like you said, I've often found myself wishing that I could just turn that part of my brain off, or else go out on a date were the two of us leave our body parts at the door and we'll be just heads in a bowl like in "The Brain that wouldn't die" or "Futurama". The more I think about it, this sounds like the pitch for some sort of sci-fi rom com were the fancy restaurant has a room for bodies the same way you'd check your coat. Hm... I'll get back to you on that!
Erik, you could never give too much information. But I also understand where you are coming from. This is the comments section after all and not an actual diary. lol
DeleteI like your idea for a body coat check. lol That's funny. All that dating stuff is such a headache and so draining. it is nice though to make friends have people to talk to without any stress. I am sort of a touch-feely person, but it's a little more complicated than that. But, I am not going to go into all that detail here. lol I hope all is well and I will talk to you later!
Well with the name "Diary of a Dorkette" you never know.
DeleteYou like that Body Check idea huh? Well I did start doodling some ideas on how to visualize it this afternoon. Maybe that could be my next project.
Yeah, I don't know if I could even consider dating again until I had a steady job. (Hence theres a worry in the back of my head that I'll never get married) I do have to wonder if not being more physically affectionate is what caused my relationships to dissolve. I took that "Five Love Languages" test online and determined that I'm much more responsive towards words of affirmation than anything else. Thats people why I enjoy these online correspondence of ours so much.
lol Yeah it can be tricky with the title of this joint being Diary of a Dorkette. My rule of thumb has usually been to share what you feel comfortable sharing. It's always a process with me, sometimes I want to share far more than I need, and that is usually when things get really edited.
DeleteI know about the dating thing. I feel along the same lines. I have a lot of jobs which brings in steady money, but I don't know how I could really date someone right now with my life being in such upheaval. Plus I just don't think I'm ready. I like words of affirmation but I also like affection too. I tend to be very playful. But, I really do the correspondence on here. It is nice to talk to you and get to know so many really nice people. It is a total perk to having this blog.
Even if I were in a position were I felt I could sort of "stretch my legs" and get back into that social circle, I'm not entirely sure what I'd do. Going to the movies and/or dinner together seems to be a popular choice, but given how passionate and/or nitpicky I can be about visual storytelling, even with good movies, I don't know if that would be an ideal choice for a first date.
DeleteIf I were looking to know someone and vice versa with me, I might be more willing to suggest something like a community service project along with some of my other peers so I could be seen as I truly am in a situation were I have to serve rather than be served like I would at a theater or restaurant.
Plus I'm just remembering the time when Gracie came over to my place with a huge bag of popcorn and a copy of Gene Kelly's "On the Town". So I had the whole afternoon between enough junk food to fed an army, a classic Old Hollywood song and dance picture and a curvaceous woman of Eastern European descent. Guess which one of these things I paid the least amount of attention towards.