Jul 8, 2005

Banana clips and blue hair

Scott and I went to the Astros game last night. Our tickets were in a suite, with free food, and free drinks. It should have been a fun night, but it wasn't. The people in the suite were all boring, and there was a woman there, about my age, with long, bleach-blonde hair, and obviously fake boobies. All made up, with the makeup and the hair, and the tight jeans, and the heels. Was I jealous? NO. But I always want to walk up to those girls and ask, "Why? WHY?! You're at a BASEBALL GAME, for Pete's sake!!" I'm just a firm believer in never having to dress up--especially at a baseball game. How are you supposed to scream and jump and yell and drink beer and eat peanuts if you're wearing tight jeans and high-heels? EXACTLY. You can't. Have some FUN, for God's sake. Moving on....

I did see something fun though, that made me have a fond memory--a banana clip. Can you believe? I saw a woman wearing a banana clip. Well, you have to take in my surroundings. I forgot to mention that although I was in a suite, it was a suite filled with oil & drilling company people and their wives. I think the median age of oil-field persons is 50. Regardless, there was an older woman wearing a banana clip. The banana clip--what an ingenious invention--much like the "Topsy-tail." Seeing this woman's banana clip made me think of 5th grade, when banana clips were actually cool. Let's see....that would have to be around 1985-ish.

I was a good kid. No, for real. I was REALLY good. Straight As, teacher's pet, friendly to everyone, and totally innocent by 5th-grade standards--I had just recently found out what "French" kissing was, and was appalled. **News flash: Even when I was 13 and had my first french kiss, it was still appalling. I want to Listerine my mouth every time I think about it. Ew.** Okay, back to 5th grade...There was a lady who lived on our street, who owned a salon. I thought she was pretty cool for an old lady, but come to think about it, she was probably in her mid-20s. When you're 10, everybody's old. It was the era of the reign of Cyndi Lauper and Madonna (when she was "Like a Virgin"); which led to black bracelets up your arms ala Madonna, and brightly-colored hair ala Cyndi Lauper. The 80s were so fun. Jane, the salon lady, had short, spiky, PURPLE hair. To me, she was the epitome of cool. I was hanging at her house one day, and she was re-dying her hair. I SO wanted purple hair. I told Jane. She said she was out of purple dye. But she had blue. I ran down the street to ask my mom if Jane could dye my hair blue. During the 5-house run, I thought about lying and just telling Jane that my mom said 'yes.' I didn't. I went home and actually asked (told you I was good), and my mom said 'YES.' She wouldn't let me dye my entire head blue, but I could dye a 1"-wide strand on each side, behind my ear, so when we went to church the priest wouldn't pass out. She said she let me do this because I was a good kid.

Let me tell you--the next day at school, I was the shit. I had my hair pulled back in a ponytail, and on each side, had an electric-blue stripe of hair going up into the elastic and then erupting in waves in the ponytail. I felt so cool--not just because of my totally kick-ass, 5th-grade, blue hair, but because everyone was going on about how awesome my mom was.

So really, mom, thanks. That was one of the best days of my entire life. I loved my blue hair*. You ARE awesome.

*I went through blue, purple, and aqua after that.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, what a lucky dog!! Yeah, the 80's were cool that way, huh?

Anonymous said...

Oh yea, you would've been the bomb at my school, too. I would have been so jealous--crap, who am I kidding? I am still jealous.

Anonymous said...

i'm jealous!!
When I was younger and wanted to dye my hair my mom said I could. I was excited until she said I had to reach the age she had been when she first colored her hair - 25!

Kiley said...

WOW...a little trendsetter indeed with the festive hair coloring! :-) I used to play with that on occassion when I started college.

As for banana clips: you REALLY dredged up some old ghosts for me with THAT topic!

Anonymous said...

Okay, am I the only guy who is going to fess up to doing the whole "Vanilla Ice lines" and temporary hair color thing? Anyone? By the way, my mom was a "Beauty School Dropout" and I was her canvas...

The Fly Eater

Radin said...

I just loved your post about love! A comment on your previous post, well I am behind. But I like to ask you to write more about it. I would like to have your views and comments on this subject. You seam so involved in it emotionally your comments are valuable.

Anonymous said...

Hahaha! I still have a banana clip somewhere... I just never got rid of it. It came in handy for a play I costumed a couple of years ago hehe. And those monstorous velvet bows on the metal clips? Those were the bomb too, on one side of the head.

I think if Anna and Jules want funky colored hair, I'm gonna tell them to go for it. You're only young once. Heck I've been tempted, now that I am not in the workforce, to get a couple of stripes of fun hair. I've ha blue, green, orange, yellow, raggedy anne red, purple... you name it, and my hair's been it.

Talk about takin me back. Thanks Steph :)