Lidian - I can so relate! Maybe we're long lost twins! LOL


The only thing is that I have never smoked a cigarette ever in my life. For some reason......?


Soozie - hope you feel better soon !


Mauvais - one cool chiquita


Terri

Hey Mauvais!! I have some of those hats too!! And a glove collection. Salmon leather gloves, various dress gloves (to mid forearm and elbow length) Stuff my Mom used to wear. And a carved bone cigarette holder that i used to use!!! I still wear a lot of black. I'm trying to get off it a bit as a matter of fact!!

Mauvais, I remember those Turkish cigarettes but I saw them in all different colours, not just black. I had one once and liked it. But usually I stuck to Jakartas and Kreteks (those had cool tins!). Your vintage stuff sounds cool - I love vintage anything. I wish I still had my dress up box from when I was a kid, it was filled with my mom's high-fashion clothes from the 40s and 50s. Still have some of her long chiffon scarves though, and a few New Look suits with impossibly tiny waists...

Den, I love the sound of that cigarette holder! I had a little Japanese one that looked like a tiny pipe, I THINK it was a cigarette holder, but I don't know where it is. I do have my mom's leather ciggie case from Italy circa 1953 but have never used it.

I love black clothes. Love them! My mother used to say I looked all sad and droopy (she used to love the word droopy to describe my bohemian look!) and say stuff like "Are you going out looking like that?" -- what IS one supposed to say? Well, yes, actually! I am! But I think black is very good. I just bought some black capris that are excellent. But I still feel like my mother is there perched on my shoulder in the store going "How about something beige? Beige is nice. And get your hair out of your face! Are you really going out looking like that?"

But Ma, I'm already out!

And that's that...

Lidian

And Terri...having a twin would be cool!

I used to have a pair of houndstooth blue and white elephant bells that I wore with a blue and white tie dyed t-shirt, I also had a great pair of denim bells that had roses embroidered down the legs, and I wore a cool t shirt with those too. I was a hippie wannabe. I would watch the hippies when they would walk down the street and my ultra conservative father (think Hitler only more conservative) would complain about them, calling them names, and me sitting there wishing I was old enough to dress like that. I also had a pair of baby hot pants in pink with a halter top that was pink and white, with a pair of white go-go boots. My mother wouldn't allow me to wear the outfit saying I was too young (I was too young, only 5) so my father kept it at his house. I think one of his very young girlfriends bought me the outfit. I was born in 1968 so I remember the day of the hippie fairly well. I remember being one of the first people in my area to be over bell bottoms, and I always made my parents buy me the punk peg legs, and the shirts in the punk, and new wave styles. My mom would always shake her head and say what happened to the bells you used to love? I would always try to explain to her the way you do to parents, and the feeble minded that they were over, and punk was in. LOL! I was waaaaay to liberal, and arty for my family, but my Mom being the black sheep of the family always encouraged me to be different, and be proud of my uniqueness.

I had a mad crush on Peter Tork from The Monkees (funny, he is the only true hippy from the group, and one of the only two real musicians)when I was little, and I adored The Monkees, I never thought about whether they were a real rock group til I was older, but they did sing, and did manage to convince their producers to let them play their own instruments after the second album. I liked The Partridge Family but I knew they weren't a real rock group. I was about five years old when I bought my first real rock single from the bargain bin at K-Mart, and it was Love The One You're With By Stephen Stills, and he actually looks a lot like Peter Tork too. Hmmmm. Anyway I went on to love The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Who, David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, The Ramones, The Clash (RIP Joe Strummer), Elvis Costello, And then when I was a teenager I loved all of the New Wave stuff. Duran Duran, The Thompson Twins, The Eurythmics, Culture Club, and oh... too many to list. I also loved the consience rock of the 80s being from a depressed town I could relate to songs by people like Springsteen, and Melloncamp, and I loved Billy Joel's song Allentown.

I was only 3 years old when All In The Family started but I loved it, even if I didn't understand all of the jokes. I remember being about 5 years old and I would fight my Mom to watch it, and I also loved Maude, and The Mary Tyler Moore show, and The Bob Newhart Show. When I was 7 this really cool comedy show came on Saturday nights after the news, and when I was at my Dad's house I could watch it because he went to bed at 11:30, and when I was at my Grandma's or she was at our house I got to watch it then too, because my Grandma would make my Mom let me watch it. Can anyone say spoiled rotten? LOL! But I always liked the shows that were smart, and funny, not just the candy assed shows like The Brady Bunch.

I also love movies that celebrate difference. When I was about 10 my Mom made me watch this movie about a lady who takes her nephew in after his father dies, and I loved it, because I had no idea people like her existed before the 60s, and I thought Mame was sooo cool! If you watch closely at the party scene at the beginning of the movie you see all sorts of interesting people, and I'm the one who had to point the lesbians out to my Mom. LOL! You all know my favorite movies from my intro post so I won't bore you, but I love anything that is new or different.

I still love the weird, subversive shows, and I still like to dress in cool hippy/goth/bohemian/punk stuff when I can find it in my size. I love to wear black, and yeah I get asked if I'm depressed a lot. I also love to wear aubergine colored clothes, and crimson. So anyway sorry this is so long but the way the thread was going I was just compelled to tell you my piece.

Velvet, I had the greatest crush on Peter Tork too...in fact he became my standard for what I found attractive in guys (I usually ended up going for guys who looked just like him!) He is ageing very well too don't you think? I also quite liked Mike Nesmith but he would be a difficult sort...I never saw the appeal of Davy Jones!

I loved all those TV shows too! Watched them all.

And aside from black (and navy) my fave color is all shades of purple and lavender.

Steven Stills and Peter T. were/are great friends apparently. Did you ever see the special on the Monkees (not the Behind the Music one, an earlier one done in 1996) and PT said he and SS were in a group together in the early 60s. (I taped this show and the Monkees episode they did in '96, to the horror of my family! )

Hope you are having a good weekend and talk to you soon,

Lidian

Ah yeah, Lidian, when The Monkees had their 20th Anniversery Reunion tour in 1986 I was in the worst part of my depression, and the only thing that made me feel better, and kept the thoughts of wanting to die away was watching the episodes of The Monkees on MTV. I still had the crush on Peter (still do actually, love that dimple!), and so I became the fan I couldn't be in the early 70s when I was 4 and my Grandma would turn them on for me much to the chagrin of my Mother who never wanted to watch them. I have since read a lot about The Monkees, and Peter says Stephen tried out first but the producers said he was going bald, and his teeth were crooked, and asked if he knew of anyone with the same look, but with better teeth, and hair. I guess they had been mistaken for each other a lot because they looked so much alike. Stephen and Peter had been friends in New York when they were folk singers, and Stephen let him know about the audition. Yes Mike is a genius, and I love his music, but he has major issues about The Monkees, and fame in general, and can be quite a ****. He just dropped out of the 1996 tour with no explaination after the UK portion of the tour. I have met Davy and he is quite cute, but I'll tell you that guy is loaded with charm, and charisma. He is so funny and tells the best stories. But as far as crushes go I prefer Peter. Micky is just a big weird funny looking guy with a flat profile who does bad Jimmy Cagney impressions, but I like him.

Anyway, my depression became more manageble when I got involved in The Monkees fandom, and I met a really great friend who I still have 15 years later. I no longer belong to the fan club because she shut it down (Maggie please come back!) but I had fun, and have even cocidered going to Cali so I can see Tork in concert there. He is always playing somewhere wih his band The Shoe Suede Blues band. I am glad to know a fellow fan thanks for the response Lidian. BTW, have you ever seen their movie Head? It's great, I love it. If you haven't seen it I highly reccomend it.

Yes I have seen Head - some bits I like a lot but I find it hard to watch all the way through. Haven't seen it in some time though...

I remember watching TM on Saturday mornings in the late 60s. That was the only time I was allowed to watch TV then!

Lidian

Velvet and Lidian, are you all alone out here in cyberspace?

Changing the subject (slightly, heh heh), I am in the process of changing around my entire house. Despite being desperately ill and completely disoriented with a congested chest, I decided yesterday that it was time to get that (poor, dead) fat tree outta my house!
I single handedly defrocked it, and dragged it screaming out onto the verandah.
Then it was time to put my dining room back in the living room and vice versa.
Not content with putting things back as they were, I decided to change the whole damn look of the two rooms, and I am now up to my eyebrows in some sort of "Changing Rooms" episode.

I don't know if I've told you, but I've decided to dispense with the guest room (which is directly behind the kitchen) and convert it into some sort of grand, walk-in pantry. (my kitchen is a galley, and has virtually NO storage space!)

So the hoosier cabinet from the living room will be going in there. And I've moved my favourite little couch (I HATE having couches in the living room, but this one is a single seater, and the ends go down to make a chaise longue or a little "bed") into the living room from the TV room. And my sister's cool green sofa/bed that she gave me is going into the TV room. It's not particularly comfortable as a bed, which means that any guests who sleep over will NOT be staying for long!

Of course, the kitchen is partially torn apart waiting to be renovated (hopefully this year), and I'm anxious to build the fake fireplace with built-in bookshelves in the living room.

Oh, and also I'll be reupholstering my favourite couch, plus my four living room chairs.

Looks to be a busy year.

Ellis, those all sound like fabulous changes to make! I love pantries and yours sounds like it will be brilliant! And I love built-in bookshelves....how are you reupholstering? Are you sewing or buying?

I have just committed myself to learning how to make plush octopuses. My youngest loves them but big ones are very expensive & hard to find. I bought some large aqua velveteen pants and am going to try with them...I mean, an octopus - a head and eight legs, a fairly simple shape. I hope! Well, I will try anyhow. Octopus are very cute I think - we have all the Ty beanie ones and they are adorable...

I would love to make slipcovers for our revolting couches and armchair but am just learning to sew a little and I am possibly out of my depth already with the toy thing, see above...Even my mom, who made my clothes and hers, did not slipcover on her own...

I am full of toast and diet vanilla Coke. Am off to clean up the rubble. Ellis, I wish we could get OUR tree out of here - it takes up half the downstairs!

Hi Velvet, how're you doing? And hi everyone else!

Lidian

HI ALL!!!

Ellis-Seems like we are thinking along the same lines again!!! I have all KINDS of plans for rearranging the house.....Only problem is that SOME of the plans are mutually exclusive!!!!! Just got through shredding some paperwork from a bank account that hasn't even EXISTED for 2 years!!! Flylady is great, but it is ALSO making me face up to how bad I have been at all this stuff!!! One cool thing, I just made DS #2 go in his room and throw away 27 items. He didn't mind that so much, and we are slightly closer to getting his new presents in there!! (Next step....getting him to give up some of his OLD toys!!)

Hey darlings...
Den... figures we're doing the same thing. It would be a real snap if we only had some money, honey.
Listen, I'm really losin' it. I'm actually painting... RIGHT NOW... a wall in the living room! A couple of months ago I painted a dining room wall dark red because the new prints that I'd bought didn't show up well enough on the green. So I'm extending the red into the living room, because now that I've moved my hoosier cabinet out of the corner, it looks like heck in there.
I do love my red and green.

Lidian, I'm reupholstering myself. It's not that difficult. If I can do it, anyone can. I've done two couches... this'll be my third. I think I may have to slip-cover this one. Which involves a lot of sewing, damnit. My second couch was a French Provincial style (long gone... not my style anymore), and it mostly required the use of a staple gun.
The octopus sounds so cute!!!

Den, I just deleted about 40 flylady messages. I'll start again tomorrow...
Hey... good one getting DS to get rid of stuff!!
This is OUR YEAR!!

Sojo- We definitely would have hung out together in high school
I als had a crazy rockabilly type hairdo that would have made the Stray Cats jealous that combined with black mini skirts and pointy toe buckle boots -scary!

Velvet-that movie that you watched with your mom is called Auntie Mame- I have it on VHS-it is one of my favorite movies-I watched it as a kid and thought Mame was the coolest woman ever! I loved her apartment and all the funky people at her cocktail party!

Lidian-we were new wave girls and would only smoke the black cigarettes or Gitanes what were we thinking

Den-your dress up trunk sounds cool! I used to go out to clubs in the 80's wearing a 1950's black sleeveless cocktail dress, elbow length black gloves, a pillbox hat with a veil, vintage evening bag and silver cigarette holder-tres Breakfast at Tiffany's! That is definitely one part of the 80's I miss, it was fun to dress up and go out and be see and be seen and go dancing people don't seem to do that anymore.

Ellis: your ideas sound great! I watched the Trading Spaces marathon for most of the day on Christmas day-now I want to redecorate

Hey girlie-girls,
Nice to see you! Did you all say that the Monkees did a tv special? A TV movie or something around the time of their reunion tour? Does somebody have that on tape. I would love to see it.

Velvet, where and when did you meet Davy? As a kid I thought that he was adorable. He had the classic feminine non-threatening to young girls boyish looks. Or I'm a lesbian...or both.

I thought Peter was cute too. Did you know that Mike's mom invented white-out?

Well girls. Gotta run. So much to do. Ellis, you go girl. I didn't even think of taking that big fat needle dropping monster out of my house yet. All those friggin ornaments to repack into that plastic bin in such a way that they won't break and so that the bin will seal and be air tight so I can put it in the shed and not worry about bugs infesting stuff. Ugh. My house is pretty tidy though. Cleaned up the kids toys yesterday. have to pack alot more up for giving away to others. My kid just has too much stuff!! Even she says so.

Lets all remember why we're here. I'm doing okay with my food. Haven't been to the gym. Hope to get there tomorrow. Did some exercising and walking this weekend. Still haven't made plans for New Year's Eve. Obviously we won't be going out unless Ruth and Harry want to come down and babysit. (and the pups of course) otherwise we'll be with the child. Last year the three of us went out to our favorite restaurant. Maybe we'll do the same thing.

Goodnight Chickies.
Love, Soozie

Hi Lidian I'm good,how are you?

Mauvais- I like the version of Mame with Rosalind Russell, I really dislike the one with Lucille Ball, I love Lucy, but that movie was terrible, and she was so miscast. I can never remember the title of the one with Rosalind, it's Auntie Mame (tries to commit this information to memory). All I ever remember is that she is Mame. Love that movie! It's my favorite along side Blade Runner. Love it!

Hey Soozie, wow, yeah there were a lot of Monkees specials on in and around 86, but Head was a theatrical release made in 1968, and it is a bizarre movie made up of a bunch of strange viniettes, and it was written by the producers of The Monkee's series, The Monkees themselves, and Jack Nicholson, yea that Jack Nicholson. It has Annette Funicello, Victor Mature, Sonny Liston, and Teri Garr in one of her first movie roles. It is about tearing down their manufactured image, and trying to be taken seriously as musicians. Funny one of the magazines that ripped The Monkees the most (and still does) was Rolling Stone, but the way they get on their knees for N Sync, and BSB is kind of funny, if not incredibly hypocritical. I did know that about Mike's mom. I just wish my Mom would have thought enough if me to invent something worth millions of dollars. LOL!

I met Davy in Chicago in 1987. He was signing his auto-biography at the Marshall Fields and a bunch of us went to get our copies signed. I remember standing in line and he was there looking oh so Davy, and I thought well, I may never get another chance so when it was my turn I asked him for a hug. I was so dissapointed when his very big body guard put his arm up and said no hugs! Davy just shot him a dirty look and reached over his arm and gave me this really big hug. So sweet, and he smelled really good. It was kind of spicy, I don't know what it was though. It was in December too so all of the departments stores had their windows dressed up for Christmas. It was a very nice experience. Then The next summer I went back to Chicago for a Monkees Convention. It was so much fun, and definately a cherished memory.