I'll be posting a few older entries from my locked diary this week. This one is especially for the friends I grew up with in New York that are reading this right now. It will provide a little trip down memory lane. It was originally written in Germany on June 14th, 2005
__________________________________________________________
I'm getting old.
The party we went to last friday was a mixture of a college frat party and my senior prom. There were drunk jocks running around screaming by the end of the night, a huge keg and a dance floor with flashing lights. The biggest birthday party I've seen thrown for someone in a long time. I was expecting a house party with about 30 people..not over 300 in a huge old German barn transformed into a disco. It was so strange..but a fun experience.
Last night we went out again with a few friends..I know I've been going out partying a lot more than usual lately. I think there's a number of reasons for this. I realized that we only have about 7 months left here in Germany. Then we'll be saying goodbye to our friends and our life here. I have this desire to make the most of every remaining moment..because once we reach New York things are going to change drastically in our life. We'll have more responsibilities, we'll start planning to have our first child and putting money aside for a house. This feels like the last months of my some-what "carefree youthful years as Newly wed artists". We'll be starting over in a sense. It's going to be a difficult adjustment for me at first...We have a large circle of friends here. I've grown to care and love the people I've met in Germany. I didn't realize how much until now.
Also when I'm out partying with my friends, for a short time I can forget the deeper problems in my life and just let go for a few hours. It's something I really need right now.
I met a number of new people last night and really bonded with Rose. (the new girlfriend of one of Eric's friends)
At one point, I was chatting with the 16 year old sister of one of my friends. The age difference wasn't an issue. We found a common ground and we were cracking up.
I asked her "So what kind of music are you into?"
"Oh..I like a lot of the oldies..you know"
"Oldies? Like what?" (Now I expected her to say.."The Doors", or Jimi Hendrix, Maybe..I don't know, Elvis)
"Really Old stuff, like.... Nirvana"
NIRVANA????? That's already considered an OLDIE?! I nearly fell over backwards. I remember listening to that in highschool.. am I really that old?
This was disturbing.
****
I'm almost finished my birthday card project for my bestfriend. It was strange going through the nineties all over again. Each year documenting the events that unfolded, putting together mixed CD's of the greatest hits and re-reading all the news of that decade. There was so much research involved.
Today, I was thinking back to the nineties. Since I already did an entry called: Back to The Eighties and went through all my memories from that decade. I thought it was time to take a trip back to the nineties. It's already the year 2005.. I might find this interesting to look back on in 20 or 30 years.
The Eighties are filled with childhood memories of saturday morning cartoons and various toys. But the nineties feel like they were just yesterday. It was the decade of so much growth for me. I went from being a child to a teenager and then an adult.
The nineties didn't start wonderfully for me..I was an awkward pre-teen. Plus the early 90's still had a strong eighties feeling to it. There were still stonewashed pants, and bright pink colors. But by 1992, things began to change.....
90's Style
In the beginning of the 90's everyone was wearing white Keds ..
When I think back to the shoes I wore most often, I think of my Converse. I had a pair in every color.. Blue, Green, red, faded brown and Black. They're apparently coming back into style these days..I see them in town and have to resist the urge to buy a pair.
Adidas.. Yes, I'm still wearing these. They're timeless...
My beloved Doc Martins.. I remember I saved up for months to buy a pair. They cost about 120 dollars, I wore mine into the ground..I had rainbow laces on them. I loved those shoes. I actually miss them.
Mary Janes..I had a pair of these, as did everyone. I also had a vintage pair of saddle shoes.
Birkenstocks.. They became really popular in the late 90's. I still have a pair. It's all I ever wore in Florida. I don't have a chance to wear them much here in Germany since it's cold about 10 out of the 12 months of the year.
Clothing:
The first thing that comes to mind when I think back to the 90's is flannel..everyone had a flannel shirt. It was the big thing, grungy flannel shirts, faded band T-shirts, ripped jeans, and thermals..Also plaid skirts with knee-high socks were huge. Everyone remembers that Aerosmith video with Alicia Silverstone. Also, Gas station shirts with name tags on them.
And Baby doll dresses, Thanks to Courtney love
There was a point when everyone was walking around looking like they just emerged from a "Three's Company" episode. Everything vintage from the 70's, big collared shirts, bell-bottom jeans. The thrift shops were being raided as everyone searched for that perfect vintage top. I had found an olive green long collared form fitting top..I must have worn it once a week.
And don't forget Cargo pants. pastel Baby doll clips in the hair.
The hair of the 90's:
Everyone was bleaching their hair and pulling out a bottle of manic panic in some insane color. Blue, Red and Bleached with the roots showing were pretty big.
In highschool, my hair was shoulder-length, but once I graduated..I chopped it all off and went with the pixie-cut for the next 5 years.
And all the clique titles..Hippie-chicks, Grunge, Goth, Punk, Skaters, Burnouts, Brains..
ah..the nineties.
***
Music:
In the nineties I remember listening to entire albums in my bedroom, just listening to music for the sake of listening to it. I had my walkman and that kept me sane. I was able to tune all the chaos out and just get absorbed into the music. I listened to alot of older music during that time, such as the Doors, Hendrix, The Clash and Janis Joplin. I was big into Vinyl records. But these are the best albums of the 1990's in my opinion..or at least the ones that stick out in my memory as my favorites...
Spin Doctors - Pocket full of kryptonite
I was 13 when I bought this album. I must have listened to "2 Princes" a million times. I can't really listen to it now and enjoy it. But at the time, I thought it was great. (I was such a little dork)
The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magic
This Chili Peppers album just blew me away.
Weezer - Blue
I can't remember how many times I listened to the Weezer Blue album. I loved every single song on this album..I carried it with me..everywhere
Nine Inch Nails - Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails, During my darkest hours at age 16..Trent Reznor was my solace.
No Doubt - Tragic kingdom
I bought this album my last year of highschool..still love it as much as I did back then.
Nirvana - Nevermind
Of course.
Some of best songs of the nineties (In my book)
"Under the bridge" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Glycerine" - Bush
"Today" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Closer" - Nine Inch Nails
"Fade into me" - Mazzy Star
"The Sweater Song" - Weezer
I think the "coolness" of the 90's officially ended with the arrival of Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys and N-sync. It just all went down hill from there......
Movies of the nineties:
When I think back to the 90's, these 4 movies stick out. Only because they were always playing at every party. Everytime we got together and someone suggested watching a film. It was one of these..
Pulp Fiction
Dazed and Confused
Reality Bites
Empire Records.
There were so many other films worth mentioning, but those hold the strongest memories of good times with my friends.
Food and Candy of the nineties:
Jellybelly jellybeans, Gushers, fruitopia, snapple, Red bull, starbucks, warheads, Ringpops, blowpops,
Do you remember McDonalds arch deluxe - "the adult burger", (?). I never could figure out what was so "adult" about it.
Television of the nineties:
I didn't watch much television, In the very Early 90's it was "Beverly Hills 90210" (But I never could get into "Melrose Place" - I hated that show) "My So-Called Life" sticks out in my mind as the most influential show for me at age 15. I also remember "Party of Five" and everyone was watching "Felicity" in the college dorm rooms. Oh and "The Simpsons"
I know "Friends" emerged in the 90's, but I didn't watch that show until I started buying the boxsets in 2003. I was too young to appreciate it when it first came out. Also "Sex in the City" came out in the late 90's, I saw it for the first time though in 2002.
Some of the commercial stick out in my memory strongly..Such as those stupid 1-800-C-O-L-L-E-C-T, that budlight commercial ("I LOVE YOU MAN!" - "You're not getting my Budlight, Johnny") and the Budweiser frogs "Bud-weis-er", the Volkswagon Jetta commercials "Da-Da-Da-Da..", The TacoBell dog, The "Got Milk" commercials, Litte Caesers "Pizza! Pizza!", Grey Poupon ("pardon me..do you have any Grey Poupon?") and of course the Calvin Klein Ads.
It's sick how COMMERCIALS stay in your memory, isn't it?
Slang
But talking about the 90's wouldn't be complete without remembering all the slang that came out during those years. The good and the stupid. Here's a list of the ones I remember..
"what's up?"
"don't go there"
"All that" (i.e. she was all that and a bag of chips)
"Beeotch"
"cool" (a classic)
"the bomb"
"chick flick" (this phrase emerged in the nineties with Meg Ryan romantic comedies)
"dude."
"hooch"
"It's all good"
"Mad" - that was Mad good
"My bad" (I couldn't stand that one..It was never said with sincerity, and made me want to slap the person)
"Not" "Yeah..that's real cool..NOT" ( I hated that one)
"Oh my god" or simply "oh god"..
"Phat" (for the record: I never used this one)
"Rolling"
"sweet" (a favorite..)
"too much information"
"talk to the hand"
"Whatever"
"You go" - this phrase was made popular by "The Jerry Springer show" - as in "Oh my god..no he di'nt..You go, girl"
"Like" (in the nineties, like, everyone was using this, like, all the time..like you wouldn't believe)
And for my teenage buddies..you might remember Pogs..skip it and tamgotchis, furby's, beanie babies from your childhood years in the 90's.
Now that decade is over, It's strange..It doesn't feel like a long time ago. I can remember those years so clearly. Some of it I miss..some of it I don't.
There's also a lot I've forgotten and left out..I'm curious to know what sticks out in your mind from the 90's.
Nineties Survey
What was your favorite movie, show, song, slang, fashion fad or memory from the 1990's?
Now we have to ask.."What the hell happened to all of that?"
I wonder how people are going to view this decade, the one we're living right now.
Unfortunately, things are not going so well.
So far this decade will be defined by 911, the Iraq War and George W. Bush...
Our current president has removed more freedoms and civil liberties then any other president in U.S. history. The country is the most divided It's ever been... possibly since the Civil War.
He set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest him (15 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind.
Watching the news is Disheartening, Tsunami was the biggest tragedy I've ever witnessed. The death toll in Iraq is horrifying.
Despite this the biggest thing on the news is how Michael Jackson was found "Not Guilty" of molesting little boys.
So on that front things aren't looking so good and people will be shaking their heads when they look back at this time.
All we can do is make our own unique memories, live in the moment and make the best of a bad situation. Because life goes deeper than all of that. I know things will get better.
I don't want to look back at this decade and only remember crying while I watched the news.
