Tiffany's Tuesday Tunes: N is for Nineties

My senior picture, oh the hair.

I miss the 90s.  There, I said it.  Do not get me wrong, I would not want to go through high school or puberty ever again, that ish was hellacious.  But everything else about that time was, in my opinion, amazing.  I was relishing my teenage years, I could eat whatever the heck I wanted with pretty much no consequences.  The bigger my hair was, the better my day was going to be. When I finally started straightening my hair, you know it was adorned with little barrettes. We had only recently gotten cable, and I loved watching 90210 and Melrose.  I was reading VC Andrews, Stephen King and Danielle Steel.  I was wearing flannel, overalls, and showing my belly button in a discrete, classy way.  I wanted to date Jordan Catalano.  I knew that Rose had plenty of room on that piece of wood for Jack.  The time was, in a word, iconic.

By far, the most iconic thing about this time was the music.  I know everyone has songs that mentally transport them to their youth, but I feel the 90s was extra rich, musically.  You saw the surge of grunge, the birth of indie rock, the mainstream acceptance of rap and hip hop.  There were so many amazing musical moments in this decade, that a tiny little playlist can hardly do it justice.  I have boiled it down to my very favorites, ones that shuttle me back to specific moments in my youth.  So put on your doc martins and baby doll dresses, grab that jean jacket and have a listen.  See if this doesn't make you want to watch Reality Bites.

Musings on the Nutcracker

I have been in super Christmas mode lately.  I have wanted to focus on all things Christmas; music, gift buying and wrapping, movies.  Last night I fell asleep while watching White Christmas; today I am starting my day watching the Nutcracker as I do housework.  Thank goodness for Netflix.

This particular version of the Nutcracker, my personal favorite version, was filmed in 1986.  I can remember, back in the days before cable had made its way to our rural area, this would be aired on our grainy PBS channel, and I would sit in rapt attention watching it.  I have adored it ever since.  However, now that I am an adult, and can watch it on a tv with a crystal clear picture and sound, I am noticing things I never realized before.  First off the costume and production designer was Maurice Sendak.  No wonder I was so fascinated with it.  His artwork papered my childhood.  As I watch it now, I see familiarity in the lines and curves.  And it adore it all the more.  Secondly, the adult Clara narrating the beginning of the story is the voice of Julie Harris.  A prolific stage and screen actress, Harris just passed away this summer.

I am impressed with how well the production has held up; nearly 30 years later it still looks fresh and crisp.  Sure, some of that is probably due to digital remastering, but a lot of it is due to the timeless way it was staged.  In no way does this look like it is from the 80's.  It really is timeless.

Photo courtesy of  Judy van der Velden

Several years ago, I fulfilled a lifelong wish and saw a live production of The Nutcracker in Pittsburgh.  We sprung for first row seats (totally worth it), and I admit, I got a little teary eyed.  While I was never the kind of girl who dreamed of being a ballerina, I was the kind of girl who fell in love with the music of The Nutcracker, and watching it come alive was something I will never forget.  For me, as with most people, the Nutcracker is a holiday staple.

Wesołych Świąt Bożego Narodzenia!

Tell us about your favorite meal, either to eat or to prepare. Does it just taste great, or does it have other associations?

It feels a little early to be thinking about Christmas, but in all reality, it is not that far away.  With Thanksgiving being so late this year, Christmas is going to really sneak up on us.  Which makes me very happy, because Christmas Eve dinner is my absolute favorite meal of the entire year.

My family is primarily Polish, and ever since my dad was a small child, it has been family tradition to celebrate the traditional Polish Christmas Eve meal, wigilia.  The meal is a meatless menu, consisting of fish, shrimp, baked macaroni and cheese, sauerkraut with mushrooms and peas, potato salad, pickled herring, stewed prunes, and buckwheat.  Before dinner, we do a tradition where we all break pieces off of Holy Bread, called oplatek, wishing each other good things in the new year, followed by a toast with homemade wine.

While the food at this meal is wonderful, it is the ritual that I so dearly love.  The red and green plaid tablecloth.  The gold silverware.  The crisp December air as another family member comes in the door, arms laden with packages, to cry out "Merry Christmas".  Sometimes, during the day, we will watch a holiday movie, or even play a game.  Other times, we just spend time catching up with each other.  We eat dinner, do a little bit of clean up, and then it is time for more fun.  We sing Christmas carols, then it is time for presents.

This is a tradition that my grandparents started years ago, and all three of their children continued it with their children, and grandchildren.  This is what Christmas is for us.  There is something special about the feeling of that day, something that has nothing to do with commercialism, or religious difference, dietary constraints, or weather forecasts.  That feeling is tradition.  That feeling is family.

We have been fortunate for the last few years that we have been all able to get together on this special day.  It gets a little more complicated each year, with work schedules and such.  But this really is a very special gift that our grandparents gave us all, and I love so much that we have, and will continue to carry it on.

Geesh, not I am even more excited for Christmas.  Perhaps tomorrow I will put up one of our trees, and start practicing how to say Wesołych Świąt Bożego Narodzenia.  (That is Merry Christmas in Polish.).


Życzenia zdrowia, szczęscia i radości w Nowym Roku!

Tiffany's Tuesday Tunes: F is for Fifteen

Last night the Pittsburgh Pirates secured their spot in the playoffs for the first time in over 20 years.  This season has been a dream for the Pirates, breaking a losing season streak, and making the city of Pittsburgh tremendously proud.

When the Pirates began their journey to this moment, dealing with 20 years of losing seasons,  I was just 15 years old.  Fifteen seems like it was a lifetime ago. Some things about me were so drastically different from how I am now (like the fact that I still had my natural hair color).  And some things about me were uncannily the same (even then I always had a book in my hands).  But one thing that has remained a constant over those years is Bucco baseball.  My entire life has been filled with Pirates games, many of them losses.  Because I have 3 cousins who have played major league baseball, the game is in my blood.  And because Pittsburgh was the closest city to where I grew up, the Pirates were the hometown favorite.  

I have incredibly fond memories of games with my childhood friend and her family, my college and grad school friends, and of course my own family.  I remember taking my nephew to his first game.  I remember the first game Hubby and I went to when we were dating.  I remember the highs, the lows, the strikes, the homers, the cotton candy, the hot dogs, the bobbleheads, the 7th inning stretches, the fireworks, and most of all the tremendous excitement I felt watching a major league team play.  It never really bothered me when the Bucs lost.  Sure I preferred a win, but I loved them just the same.  They were my team, and have remained my team.

In honor of the tremendous journey this team has taken over the last 20 years, today I compiled a playlist of some of the top songs from 1993, when I was just 15, and the Pirates began their journey to where they are now.

Raise the Jolly Roger.

Tiffany's Tuesday Tunes: D is for Desks, Dorms, Division, and Detention

It should come as no surprise that I was an odd child.  My nerd roots are deep, going back to toddlerhood really.  While I cried hard on my first day of kindergarten, asking my mom not to leave me there, after that, there was no looking back.  I was in love with school, and learning.  From the age of 5 to 24, each fall I prepared for another year of educational adventures, and I LOVED it.  I went directly from high school to college, took an extra year of college classes, and then directly from college to graduate school.  Nerd much?

I was so in love with learning that at the end of each school year, the teachers would send me home with extra copies of worksheets we had done all year.  I would do these all summer long, along with workbooks my parents purchased.  Before the first week of summer vacation was over, I had already checked out half a dozen books from the library.  And I counted down the days to the open house, when I would learn who my new teacher would be.

The first fall that I did not prepare to return to classes, I felt an aching sensation.  I felt lost; nearly 20 years of my existence revolved around the newness of fall classes starting.  I still feel a little sad when school starts.  I wish I was in school again.  Oh, I do not miss the drama or the mean girls, the homecoming queens or the quarterbacks.  Nor do I miss the blue books or the high cost of textbooks.  But I do miss the order and structure that comes with being in school.  I often think of returning to college or graduate school, in a variety of subjects, just because I love structured education so much.  For now, I will settle for reading 200 books a year, but who knows what the future may hold.

Whether you loved school, or hated it, whether it was elementary, high school, or college, whether a student or a teacher, school was, and still is, an inevitable force in all our lives.  So here is a playlist to help you ease the transition back to school.

Tiffany's Tuesday Tunes: A is for America

As a kid, July 4th was one of my favorite holidays.  We used to build a huge bonfire at my grandmother's house, and the whole family would come for a "weenie roast".  You had all your typical picnic foods- hot dogs, macaroni salad, baked beans, etc., and of course, marshmallows to roast.  Then when it got dark, we would be able to see the fireworks from some of the surrounding areas, thanks to living up on a giant hill.  It was always a day full of good food, family, and celebration.  The pinnacle of the summer, it seemed like everything was downhill from there until the beginning of school.

Of course, the weather did not always cooperate, and some years it rained.  So, when it would rain, the only fireworks we would get to see would be from the concerts aired on PBS, things like "A Capitol Fourth".  And of course, those fireworks were paired with some of the most gorgeous patriotic music in the world.  American anthems celebrating our great nation.

This year, for the first time in many years, we chose to not watch July 4th fireworks.  A combination of gross weather and nervous dogs kept us inside.  So, I was inspired to make a playlist of the patriotic music I remember from my childhood 4th of July celebrations.  I dare you to listen and not feel at least some sense of pride for America.

 

The Genius at the End of the Tweet

Whomever is in charge of the social media accounts for Sesame Street exhibited a stroke of sheer genius this afternoon.  While I was browsing on facebook, I was alerted, thanks to a post by Wil Wheaton, that the Sesame Street Twitter account was in the midst of a truly awesome undertaking.

Are you familiar with the book "The Monster at the End of this Book"? It was a childhood favorite of mine, my dad read it to me all the time.  I still own a copy of this book.  It features none other than Grover, the cute blue monster with the Sesame Street address.  Well, today, the Sesame Street twitter guru recreated this book with live tweets, as a Twitter conversation.  It quickly got dubbed with the hashtag #MonsterAtTheEndOfThisTweet.  And it was.....awesome.

(Read from the bottom up)

From a "social media as marketing" standpoint, this was a really brilliant move.  In less than 10 minutes, the Sesame Street account got A TON of positive PR.  Countless retweets, follows, and favorites occurred during this little endeavor.  What a way to bounce back from some negative PR after the whole Mitt Romney vs. Big Bird battle, and the Elmo puppeteer sex scandal embarrassment.

For a few moments on this rainy Wednesday afternoon, thousands of grown ups sat in rapt attention, staring at their smart phones and computer screens, as the mystery of the monster at the end of the twitter conversation unfolded.  Each retweet brought us closer to the end of the conversation and solving the mystery.  Grover begged us not to RT, so that we would not have to contend with the scary monster.  Anyone who knows the books knows how this is going to end up.  And yet we all still followed along. (**SPOILER ALERT** The monster at the end of the conversation is none other than lovable old Grover). Wil Wheaton was particularly excited and even got a shout out from Grover personally.  It was so cute, and incredibly fun to watch it all unfold.  For a complete view of the tweet timeline, in order, check out this article  over at GeekDad.

I read along with every single tweet.  For a few moments today, I was 5 years old again.  Thanks for that, Sesame Street.

Thankful for... being a nerd

I was never, ever, what one would call a cool kid.  In high school, I was called a "goody good kid", because I got good grades, didn't smoke or drink or do drugs or have sex, and generally followed all the rules.  I liked being in band, and I read during the summers.  In short, I was a nerd.

I am still a nerd.  I read books like it is my job (I wish), I am obsessed with social media (phone in hands at all waking times), and I am plugged into a nerdy subset of pop culture that includes John Hodgman, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Coulton, and of course my beloved John Roderick, among many nerdy others.  Through these nerdy interests of mine, I have met some truly incredible people, learned amazing things, and experienced life changing things.  In the course of one day, my friends and I will discuss philosophy and politics, read groundbreaking literature, volunteer for local nonprofits, compare healthy recipes, and play Angry Birds.

Nerds are the new normal.  We have influence, we change the game.  We invent technologies that change the way people interact.  Nerd is no longer a bad word.  The label of nerd is now a badge of honor, and I wear mine proudly and thankfully.

Thankful for... Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown is sort of a holiday staple in our house.  Most people make a tradition of watching the Great Pumpkin special at Halloween, and the Charlie Brown Christmas special.  But one of my favorite's of the Charlie Brown trove is Thanksgiving.

As a kid, Thanksgiving was never a terribly exciting holiday.  The parade always seemed to early, and it seemed to annoy the grown ups who were busy cooking.  Then there was the meal, which was admittedly tasty, but not exactly what a kid would chose.  And then there were endless football games.  Not a whole lot of kid friendly excitement.  There were a few Thanksgiving related kids specials, but the cream of the crop was certainly the Charlie Brown Christmas.

The Charlie Brown holiday specials are still dear to me, and several years ago Hubby bought me the box set.  So, each year, at the appropriate times, we watch the holiday specials.  Since our Light Up Night plans were cancelled last night, we used the opportunity to watch the Thanksgiving special.  I suggested to Hubby that we recreate the Peanuts kids' Thanksgiving feast of toast, pretzels, popcorn, jellybeans, and ice cream sundaes.

Today, we took that silly suggestion and made it a reality.  While I lacked the variety of toasters that Charlie Brown possessed, we made toast in our toaster over.  I did however remain a purist and pop the popcorn in a pan on the stove.  And the ice cream sundaes in the cartoon are pink, which would suggest strawberry ice cream, but I opted for pink peppermint ice cream (which was DELICIOUS)!  We had a minor tragedy when the cat spilled half of the jelly beans all over the floor during the set up phase, but once we got it all on the table, I was pretty proud of our efforts to recreate my favorite Thanksgiving special.

So, today, I am thankful for the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special, and the fact that it inspired us to do something so silly and fun.  Everyone needs to be a kids at heart now and then, and I am so happy that Hubby is willing to be my partner in crime.  (see the rest of my Charlie Brown Thanksgiving photos here)

 

Thankful for... birthdays

Courtesy of Will Clayton

I have been pretty fortunate in terms of birthdays.  I have had an opportunity to celebrate 34 birthdays of my own, as well as countless birthdays for those I love.  Whether the celebrations were large or small, whether they included cake, cupcakes, presents, balloons, or games, each and every birthday has always been about celebrating.  Birthdays are meant to be celebrated.  You celebrate the life of the person being honored, and all the wonderful contributions that he or she has made to the world.  Because we all contribute, and we all are worth celebrating.

Unfortunately, there are tons of kids out there who do not get to celebrate birthdays.  These are kids living in poverty, or shelters.  Can you imagine, for one moment, being a child who never had a birthday cake, or never got a birthday present?  For some families, these things are luxuries.  When you have no home, or no idea what you will be eating that week, baking a birthday cake is simply not on your radar.  So, for one moment, think back to your least happy birthday.  The year that you wanted a big party and had a sleep over instead.  The year you got an iPod nano instead of an iPhone.  The year you were on a diet and had to skip your own birthday cake.  Now consider how much joy your least happy birthday would have brought to a homeless or at risk child.

There is a wonderful organization in the Pittsburgh area called Beverly's Birthdays, which partners with local emergency shelters to provide monthly birthday parties for the children residing in the shelters.  What an incredible act of love this is.  Imagine the smile on a child's face when he or she tastes their very own birthday cake, or opens a birthday present, perhaps for the first time ever.

For my local readers, you have wonderful opportunities to get involved with this organization.  They are always in need of volunteers and donations, and their website has information on both.  Founder Megan Yunn also has lots of great fundraisers throughout the year at the Beverly's Birthdays Blog.

For my non-local readers, if this is something that touches your heart, see if there is a similar organization in your area.  If there is not, why not start one?

Today, I am thankful for the birthday celebrations I have had, and have attended for the people I love.  And I am thankful that I have a chance to bring that joy to a child in need.

For the Love of Books and Children

Most people who know me know that I am a voracious reader, and always have been.  Reading was something I learned to value as a child.  When school was out for the summer, the first thing I did was head to the public library with my parents.  And when school was in session, I often relied on the school library and bookmobile to provide free books.  Any extra money or allowance I got as a kid was often spent on books, but it was never enough, so libraries have always been near and dear to my heart.  I am still a big fan of local libraries, and this summer alone, I read 7 library books.  Last year, in my quest to read and review 200 books, I relied on quite a few library books and librarian recommendations.  I attend library books sales to help support the libraries.  And, when I have books I no longer need or want, I often donate them to our local library.

In short:

libraries = books = awesome.

Which is why it totally broke my heart to hear that Manchester School in Pittsburgh had less than 40 fiction books for the entire school to use.  40 total for grades pre-K to grade 8.  40.  I have easily read that many library books in a year, even as an elementary student.  This really needs to change; this is an urban school, serving urban kids, most of whom are minorities, many of whom are in need.  While other schools have state of the art technology labs, this school is struggling to even have a library at all.  This needs to change.  These kids deserve for it to change.  These kids deserve to know that they are worth the very best, that they can become the very best.  It is not just about books, it is about empowering these children with knowledge and self worth.

Since the story first got out, several people have written about it, the details have been shared by an award winning author (I love you Neil Gaiman), and  the response has been overwhelming.  But we cannot let interest wane.

Today, millions of people payed mega dollars for the newest iPhone, some skipping work to obtain it.  For millions, money is not an issue.  But for these kids it is, which is why I am asking for your help.  For 2% of the cost of the new iPhone, you could buy a book for this school, maybe even two.  And it could help make the difference in the lives of countless children.  Can you please help?

If you are interested in helping Pittsburgh Manchester school, there are a couple of ways you can help.  You can send donations directly to the school at the following address:

Pittsburgh Manchester PreK-8 (label packages for the Library)
1612 Manhattan Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15233

or, you can actually order directly from the school's Amazon wish list, and have it sent to the school.

I just had a book sent to the school.  Will you?

Tiffany' Soapbox: Parents in Public

It has been quite some time since I had a reason to get on my soap box.  Not because things did not get my ire up, but mostly because I have been to busy doing fun, happy stuff to dwell on any unpleasantness.  But I saw something on Saturday that really broke my heart, and has been weighing on me ever since.  So, I decided to sound off about it.


On Saturday, I was working with a friend who was an exhibitor at a mall.  You know, those little tables/booths you sometimes see selling specialty items?  Yeah, that was us.  So, we spent the entire day watching people at the mall.  Mostly benign, until I saw the following unfold.

A woman was walking along with her daughter (or so I presumed, turns out I was correct).  They were both fashionably dressed, carrying shopping bags full of stuff.  The woman stopped walking near a storefront, Yankee Candle, because she was talking on her iPhone.  It was clearly an unpleasant conversation, one that was getting progressively louder.  As the conversation went on, it became clear that she was fighting.  With the father of her children.  About money.  Not only was she doing this in public, she was doing it in front of her child.

The little girl was clearly humiliated.  She was hiding behind her mother, and pulling her hair to cover her face.  The mother was complaining about how much money she had to spend to get the kids prepared for the start of school.  She emphasized several times that she spent $40 on  a backpack for the little girl.  She was also chastising the dad for not being the one to spend the money.  Then she began complaining about the  weekends he was supposed to have visitation, and blew the kids off for his friends.

At this point, the girl silently slunk away from her mom, into a different store a couple of storefronts down from where her mom was.  But mom was too busy fighting with dad about the fact that she was a superior parent to even notice (how is that for irony).  She finally, loudly, ended the conversation by saying that the dad should continue spending his money on himself, and when his son fails in school because he cannot see the board due to not getting eyeglasses, he would be to blame.  The mom then stormed into Yankee Candle, oblivious to the fact that her daughter was gone.  It took her a full 5 minutes to notice.  And when she did notice, the first thing she said when she found the girl was "How could you do that to me?".  Once again, she was the victim.

I find so much wrong with this situation.  I am quite sure that this mother was frustrated, and perhaps had a valid and legitimate reason to have the above described discussion with the father of these kids.  But not in public.  In general, I find it in bad taste and highly uncomfortable when couples fight in a public setting.  Is it really that hard to say "We need to talk about this, but this is not the time or place.  We will discuss this in private."?

The bigger problem, I think, was her having this discussion in front of one of her children.  Perhaps this guy is a total crap father, but does her daughter really need to hear all that?  I am sure the girl has enough issues if the dad is as absent as the mother claims; listening to her mother complain about having to spend money on the kids is sure to create a feeling of guilt and it was creating obvious shame.  Perhaps this is the therapist in me talking, but people wonder why kids have self esteem issues, and become bullies.  This is a part of the problem.  If this woman was willing to have this conversation in public, my guess is she has the same one in front of her kids at home pretty frequently.  And I am not saying she does not have the right to feel frustrated or voice those frustrations.  I just think she should not do it in front of her kid.  The woman was too wrapped up in being the "better" parent to actually be a good parent.

I know plenty of parents who have these situations.  Absent parents, absent partners, both male and female. And the vast majority of the ones I know handle the situations with class and grace.  It is bad enough seeing your kid disappointed by their dad or mom and feeling helpless about it.  I am sure it creates fury.  And rightly so.  But sound off to your friends, or adult family members, not your kids.  The kids are hurting enough.

The unintentional message in this situation was "Daddy does not love you enough to buy your backpack, so Mommy has to do that.  And now I am mad because I have $40 less to spend on overpriced candles".  No wonder the girl slunk away.  I have a feeling she will be slinking all the way to a therapists office in a few years.

Do you remember...Hills?

Photo Source

When I was a kid, back before the new strip mall or Walmart was built in our area, the best discount department store to be found was Hills.  I love love loved Hills.  I still remember going school shopping there, and I can even recall the layout of the store.  Hills was probably most well known for their toy section for Christmas and their layaway program.  I will never forget their creepy commercial with the Santa mini me elf proclaiming "Hills is where the toys are!"

One of the best things about Hills, beside their lobby full of arcade games, popcorn, and hot dogs, was the fact that they hosted special events.  They had fireworks on the 4th of July, which we could often see from our house.  They had Easter Egg Hunts.  And they had another event which sparked a very vivid memory for me this morning.

Each October, Hills sponsored a Pumpkin Hunt.  Bales of fresh, sweet hay were brought in, stacked up, and strewn about.  Little plastic pumpkins were hidden, each containing a little prize.  Some contained candy, some contained dollar bills, and some contained coupons for free icees, popcorn, or hot dogs from the lobby concession stand.  It was the most fun event ever.  And the reason this memory jolted me this morning was the smell of the hay.  This morning, I used a hair gel that had the same clean, sweet, fresh smell of that hay, and the memory came flooding back to me as sure as if I was 6 years old again, looking for plastic pumpkins.

When I was a teenager, Hills was bought out by Ames, but it was never the same.  Eventually Ames closed their doors.  As far as I know, the building is still there, but I am unsure if anything is being doing with it.  I will forever miss Hills.

She totally "gets" it

For Christmas, my niece Abbie got a cell phone.  She and I have been carrying on text conversations every day since she got the phone.  She is really good about asking if I am busy or if it is a bad time to talk, so I always try to take time to talk to her.  Last night she was a little disappointed that a project she was working on did not turn out, and I was trying to cheer her up.  Here was what she said in reply:

This is the part where I tell you she is 11 years old.  At 11, she "gets" it better than a lot of adults I know.  I am so proud of this girl!  

Over Christmas, my brother and Hubby and I all remarked how much she is maturing, and you can see glimpses of the young lady she is becoming.  It makes me so proud to see what a beautiful girl she is, inside and out.  My sister and brother in law have done such a great job raising their kids.  

We always joke that Abbie is so much like me, and I tell everyone I have taught her well.  But this just goes to show, there are things that Abbie can teach us all.

Tiffany Trivia: When I Grow Up

As you may have figured out, I was not your typical child.  My mom could tell so many stories that confirm that statement.  I was always very vocal about my plans and goals for my life, what I wanted and did not want, but there was one thing I kept to myself -what I wanted to be when I grew up.

You see, while other kids were dreaming of being marine biologists (a popular career among my female classmates when we were 7), teachers, doctors, or stay at home mommies to kids with names like Laken and Trent, I had my eyes set on the Great White Way.

Yes, indeed.  I wanted to be a singer and dancer on Broadway.  At the age of 7, I could sing every word on the cast recording of Les Miz.  By 9, Phantom was added to that list.  By high school, also Miss Saigon, West Side Story, The King and I, Grease, Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls, and Jesus Christ Superstar.  

Cabaret.  Wicked.  Mary Poppins. Rent. Chicago. Sweeney Todd.  Jekyll and Hyde.  The Lion King.  They are more than shows to me, they are old and trusted friends.  I know them and love them all.

Unfortunately, I suffer from terrible, horrible stage fright.  Paralyzing.  I did sing a bit in high school, and college.  Several times I took private lessons.  And you know what became of it?  I sing show tunes, halfway decently, in the bathtub.  But only if I am home alone.  After 5 years, I rarely even sing in front of my husband, the fear is so great.

So, I have never been in a musical.  Never even auditioned.  It is my one great regret in life, that I never tried a little harder.  Sure, I would never have made it to Broadway, but maybe something much smaller scale could have happened for me.  Now, I am relegated to a life in the audience.  But that is ok, the view is still pretty amazing, even from the cheap seats.

Do you remember ... life without cable tv?

Photo Source

When I was growing up, we lived in a semi rural area,  on a county road.  Houses were spaced pretty far apart, and you rarely saw much of your neighbors.  This was the 80's, and cable was not available where we lived (we did not get it until I was in high school).  We would get 3 channels most days, on really good days we would pick up PBS and FOX out of Pittsburgh, but usually it was CBS, NBC, and a very fuzzy ABC, which was also out of Pittsburgh.

Because of our limited channel selection, and the sparse offerings of kid friendly programming in those days, I grew up watching a lot of PBS, which is where I first really learned anything about Pittsburgh.  To me, as a kid, Pittsburgh was a gritty and exotic town.  I can remember a few of the commercials we would see on WTAE, the Pittsburgh affiliate of ABC.  The one that sticks the most in my mind was for Century III Chevrolet.  Anyone who grew up near Pittsburgh and ever watched a Pittsburgh based channel knows the ridiculously catchy jingle:

I remember the first time I actually drove past this dealership as an adult.  I was so disappointed, it was not nearly as exotic as I pictured it in childhood.

I remember other Pittsburgh commercials, or even the Pittsburgh news.  This was the closest "big city" for us growing up.  School field trips included the Pittsburgh Zoo and Kennywood Park.  But the best impression I got of this city I would later call home was from tv.  I am glad we did not have cable when I was a kid, and I instead got bitten by the Burgh Bug courtesy of WTAE.  I think it was this early exposure to the Steel City that steered me toward moving to Pennsylvania.  And although I no longer live in the actual city of Pittsburgh, I will forever be a Pittsburgher at heart.

Did you have cable as a kid?  What do you remember from tv during your childhood, and what impact do you think it had on you?

Tiffany Trivia: Odd Hobby

There are most certainly some odd things about me.  I am clumsier than any one person should be.  I have no clue what my natural hair color is.  And yes, I dip my Wendy's french fries into a chocolate frosty.  But one of the oddest things about me is a hobby I had as a child.  I used to love to make confetti.

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As a kid I would sit for hours, yes, hours, cutting up confetti.  I had large garbage bags full of confetti stashed in my bedroom.  No paper object was safe.  Every Wish Book, grocery ad, wallpaper sample, and spare piece of construction paper would be sacrificed to my ever growing stash.  And while I admittedly did find cutting confetti rather soothing (though I did not enjoy the blisters the scissors caused on my thumb), I was doing this for a far more important reason.

It was going to make me rich.

You see, at our high school football games, every time we scored a touchdown, everyone threw confetti.  So, as a kid I came up with the million dollar idea that I would sell bags of confetti for a quarter at the football games and make a killing.

Except, I never followed through.  I just kept cutting and cutting to make more and more and more confetti, until eventually my mom threw it away.  I would say that all that time had been wasted, but at least it was a few hours that I was not getting hurt being clumsy.

So did you, or do you, have any hobbies that might be considered odd?

Do you remember.... "the talk"?

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Every child, at some point, has to learn the facts of life, the birds and the bees, sex education, whatever you want to call it. And at some point, every parent has to have "the talk" with their child. Well, usually, that is. I kind of beat my parents to the punch.

I was what you would call a precocious child, and (I am sure this will come as no surprise) an avid reader.   I would almost always spend whatever money I had on books.While I was not allowed to go to the mall alone, my parents would take me into the Waldenbooks and let me browse by myself.   So, when I needed a little information about where babies came from, what better way than to seek out a book and read it for myself.

Within minutes of entering the bookstore, I located a book, complete with anatomically correct cartoons, that explained the knitty gritty of getting busy.  I read as much as I could, as quickly as I could, to insure my parents did not see what I was doing.  I stored all that info away for later use.  And by later, I mean dinner that night, where I, in my 7 year old glory, informed my parents that babies were made by having sex, and having sex was like jumping rope, in that you could not do it all day because you would get too tired.  I had no shame.

That would change a few years later.  I was an early bloomer, and completely self conscious that I had to wear bras, real bras, not training bras, by 5th grade.  This was the grade in which the boys and girls were separated for 2 days, and educated on puberty.  I decided to tell the nurse in charge of the educational program that my mom did not allow me to participate, so, I got to go work on art projects while everyone went through day one of learning about their blossoming womanhood.  The school must have checked with my mom, though, because they found out my story was bogus, and the second day I was submitted to pure torture, which concluded by the nurse giving us all packs of tampons.

My poor parents, I must have had the scratching their heads over the years.  Do any of you have funny stories of either giving, or getting, "the talk"?

Do you remember.... the end of the school year?

Today is the last day of school for my niece and nephew.  It seems to early for school to be out, I think most schools around here do not let out for another two weeks.

I can remember the end of the school year so well.  When we were little it meant field trips to the zoo or to Kennywood.  It mean school picnics where we ate button candy and Fla Vor Ice pops (eating those still takes me back to childhood).  It meant cleaning out desks in elementary school, and lockers in middle and high school.  It meant 3 months of freedom, swimming, staying up late, and summer league sports.

When I was a kid, summer for me also meant not seeing my friends as often, and having to "catch up" when the new year started.  With social media and smart phones, kids these days are never out of touch, so the end of the school year is not as dramatic.  I was not the kind of kid to do a lot of socializing over the summer.  In high school, it would pretty much be me and my best friend or me and my boyfriend hanging out, and that was it.  I was the nerdy kid who read all summer, and did extra worksheets.  I was never one to be all that excited about the end of the year.

I wish that grown ups got summers off.  I wish that Hubby and I could take the entire summer off to be with our friends.  But unfortunately, life is not like that.  I wish these kids knew how lucky they were, to get a break from life for a bit.  What us old fogies would not give for 3 months of freedom.

Do you remember.... your first job?

My nephew is currently in the process of getting his first job.  I have to say, I am proud of the initiative he is showing in getting a job to help pay for his car expenses, as well as have spending money, since he turned 16 in January.  A lot of his friends also have jobs, and while I hope they are focusing on school still, it is nice to see work ethic instilled in our youth.

I got my first job in high school as well.  I was 17, and I did not drive, so I was pretty limited to the local mall, since my parents could drive me there in less than 10 minutes.  I ended up getting a job through a connection my sister had, from her working at the mall since she was in high school.  She knew the manager of a clothing store called "Rave", and got the manager to interview me.

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Let me explain what this store is like.  Think cheaply made, slightly slutty clothing for teenage girls built like prepubescent boys, knock off fragrances, and cheap plastic jewelry.  That was pretty much it in a nutshell.  But, I got the job.  Part of the deal was we got a discount, which was good because we had to wear their clothes to work.

Needless to say, I did not last too long there.  Even though I was very thin in high school, I never dressed in a way that was revealing, so wearing tiny little skirts while climbing a ladder to wash a wall of mirror did not really fit into my comfort zone as far as work went.  Luckily, the boy I dated knew the manager of the local Ponderosa, and he got me a job there.  In fact, he got most of our friends jobs there as well.  So it was super fun to work there.  I worked there my entire senior year of high school, and helped pay for my graduation expenses and senior pictures with the money I made. I still remember how I would smell after a day around all that food, and I quite distinctly remember how the dish room smelled when we would have to take our bus pans back.  Ick.

I think that working in high school was good for me.  It made me more mature, and responsible.  It also helped me understand the value of money a little bit better.  So, kudos to my nephew for wanting to work.

What was your first job?