Trendy.

Trends are funny things. I’ve never been a trend follower, not ever. I have been wearing mismatched socks since highschool and in the past few years it’s become a trend. You can now buy mismatched socks. I feel annoyed at this. I actually have long considered myself “anti-trendy” and when I went to type that in as the title of this post I was accidentally on the Google Search page, and discovered, to my horror, that it is now trendy to be anti-trendy! What the everlovin’ F is that about? Jayyyzus. Frowny Face. Huge sigh.

So do I have to be “anti-anti-trendy”? Is that like a double-negative and thus makes me trendy? Or would it be “anti-trendy-trendy”? If one doesnt follow a trend, and then if everyone doesn’t follow that trend, then doesn’t that then make it a trend? Or, alternatively, if no one follow a trend, then it isn’t a trend at all and doesn’t even exist. Like the tree falling in the forest.....if no one does it, then is it even a thing? And now the word “trend” just looks funny and weird. 

It’s like when teenagers all look alike and wear unusual clothes and get odd piercings and strange hair styles to show their individuality, but that just makes them all alike. It’s really hard to be a unique individual, and no matter how hard we pretend, everyone wants to be included in some way, so we follow the styles of those we admire. I was at an elementary school today, and there were about 15 or so moms there, picking up their kids (or “kiddos” if you want the trendy version 🤣) and everyone looked alike...same clothing style, same hairstyle, same giant eyelashes that are “the thing” right now, and those abrupt micro-bladed eyebrows. It was like The Stepford Mothers. Along with their Stepford Kiddos. Except one woman....a massive head of dreadlocks, some gigantic balloon type pants (remember those?) and a crocheted shirt. She stood out. She was also not in the “mom group” and the other moms did some eye-ball rolling and whispering. Yet these are the same moms that tell their kids to “you be you” and let them wear tutus and costumes to school to explore their individuality. Which is fine, nothing wrong with that, but why do the rules change when you become an adult? Why do I hear grown women say “OMG....shoot me if I ever go out like that?” If you want to follow the crowd and look like everyone else...fine, do so and be happy, but then you don’t get to crucify others who don’t follow along. My husband gets so impatient with me when I stop to tell someone how much I love they way they look....the weirder the better. And he knows how much I love anyone who bucks the trend. I wish I was a little more daring, but the older I get the less I care, and to call me weird is a great compliment. As they say “Let your weird light glow...it attracts the other weirdos.” Smiley Face! 😁😄😁

50 years.

“50 years ago this year”. That seems like such a long time ago, “50 years ago” is like something out of a history book. It’s like an ancient anniversary. Who remembers FIFTY years ago? Even for those of us who do remember things that happened 50 years ago, we don’t actually believe it was that long ago. 

Me: What? Yeah, I remember that, it wasn’t that long ago.

Other People: Umm, well, it was 50 years ago.

Me: Uh, no, I don’t think so (counting rapidly on fingers...twice...)

Also Me: Whatever....I must have read about it then.

Things in my memory from 50 years ago:

I remember as plain as yesterday watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. WALK ON THE MOON! I was with my Dad, we were living in Penhold, Alberta and we watched (my dad much more spellbound than I was) on a small black & white TV 📺. I could not wrap my mind round the fact that when I went outside to look at the moon, that there a human being walking on it at that moment. I still look at the moon with amazement. It was a great achievement.

I remember the Manson Murders. It was terrifying, it was one of the first serial killings that was so public. For younger kids who don’t know, that’s where the term “pigs” for police came from, written by Charlie’s followers, in blood on the walls. Maybe that’s why a lot of people my age find that term offensive...it came from such a place of horror. It’s not because we’re old fogies who get offended by nasty terms, it’s because it was written in glee, as an innocent, pregnant woman was slaughtered along with her unborn baby (as well as the others). I was relieved when Charles Manson died. He was true evil.

I remember the Stonewall riots. Gay people finally decided they had had enough. Enough of the law that stated same-sex couples dancing with each other was illegal. Enough of having to be wearing at least three pieces of gender appropriate clothing or risk being arrested. Three people in the Stonewall Inn decided that the police needed to just stop. These people said “enough”. The resulting 2 day riot turned into the Gay Rights Movement. It’s still not enough though, even after 50 years, there is still so much to be done, but it was a defining moment.

I remember the beginning of Sesame Street. Imagine that! Sesame Street has been around for 50 years. It must be one of the longest running TV shows ever. I need to Google that. 

The first ATM was presented to the public as “the ugly teller” 50 years ago. At the time, the big fear was that it would put people out of work and human tellers would “be no more”. Yeah, so much for that. Just like self-serve check-outs today, they are a convenience and are not going to destroy jobs any more than the infamous ugly teller did. (Also, you could never have a commercial today that talked about “ugly tellers”)

And let us not forget that also 50 years ago, in the summer of ‘69, Brian Adams got his first real 6-string.😉

I find it hard to believe that I am over 50 years old myself. How did that happen? It’s probably not even true. (Counts rapidly on fingers....twice....”Dammit”)