if you weren't a child in the 80's, i'm sorry. it was awesome.

John and I have been talking about great TV shows from our childhood and I want to share some awesomeness. First, we have the Sesame Street crayon factory. Possibly my favorite Sesame Street segment. The visuals are awesome. The fact that it's an actual Crayola factory is awesome. But the music is just spectacular.



Awesome, yes? Okay, next, there's the nines song from "Square One." My favorite thing about "Square One" was Mathnet, but the nine song is the thing that I think was the most useful to me. It's like it's describing some sort of weird mathematical magic. To this day, when I multiply something by nine (not that it happens often, but still), I picture this cowboy.



Next on my list of 80's children's programming is the opening to "3-2-1 Contact." I remember that I loved this show, but I remember very little about the show itself. This theme song is so cool though! It has the upbeat, inspirational tone of the old EPCOT music I love so much. (If you don't remember me talking about this before, check out this post from February, when I was praying Obama would get the nomination, in which I compare his speeches to lyrics of songs from EPCOT.)



I would love to have found something from "Jellybean Junction," but I couldn't. In fact, the internets are telling me that that isn't even the show I watched, based on timeframes and stuff, but that is the show John and I both specifically remember.

Last, in a departure from the public television theme I have going here so far, is a commercial for Astronaut Barbie. Amy had this doll. And she was really one of the coolest Barbies ever. Listen close to these lyrics.



"We girls can do anything, like Barbie." Classic! Rather than shattering the glass ceiling, Sarah Palin seems to have made it so that our political discourse is now roughly on par with 80's advertising aimed at children. Bravo! I'd just like to point out that the Barbie commercial is the only thing here that I didn't remember. Hopefully, in 20 years (or less), no one will remember Palin either.

she was already an orphan, hasn't she suffered enough?

Yesterday, I got a very depressing email from American Girl. Apparently, they're not going to make Samantha dolls anymore. I'm heartbroken. It's ridiculous how upset this makes me, actually.

The way they're wording it is, "After more than 20 years as a beloved historical character, this American Girl original will soon say farewell. At that time, Samantha’s collection—including Nellie and her accessories—will be placed into the American Girl Archives so that we may preserve her place in history."

The American Girl Archives? Seriously? That sounds waaay too much like the Disney Vault. (And what's with the Disney Vault, by the way? Rerelease "Beauty and the Beast" already, come on. How do they keep selling toys of characters from movies you can't currently buy? How does this new crop of kids see these movies? How does this make any sense?)

I didn't have a lot of friends as a kid. I loved dolls and reading and the idea of those two things mixing together was like heaven. I could read by myself. I could play with my fancy-pants doll by myself, too, since I'd never be willing to share her. Plus, I got Samantha at around the time my sister was growing too old to play with me. Being "into" things like American Girls dolls and my Playmobil dollhouse and wrapping string around stuff / making weird crafts was really what I perceived as being my identity, although I'm sure I didn't realize it then.

And so now, when I'm already shaken up by this economic crisis and how it's beating the crap out of my little business and others like mine, now is not the time for bad news. The books aren't going out of print, but it's just not the same. I never even wanted my car as badly as I wanted that doll. I've still never wanted anything as much as I wanted Samantha. In the months leading up to that Christmas, I think I even slept with the catalog. I know it's not like they're going to come and take mine away, but, she's an antique now. She's vintage. And I'm old.

look what john made for me!

Obama's gonna ride his hope stallion all the way to the White House, you betcha, yup, yup! And also, too, doggone it, he'll be AWESOME! (That's Palin-speak for GOBAMA!)

So, yeah, John loves me and indulges my girlie whims. He rocks.

i want a frickin camera phone.

You can keep your Straight Talk Express, my man obviously travels on these:

The blue pony clearly says Hope, but the purple one next to it that you can't really see says Dreams. I very nearly bought this. I still may. There were, like, 10 ponies in there and they each had some huge ideal tattooed on the side...I mean, the awesomeness...is just out of the park.

And I'm throwing in two more pictures that came off John's phone. Just 'cause.



From the McEwen Dairy Queen. I love it. Love. It.



This mask was only $2.97. I didn't get it, but I can't for the life of me say why. The eyebrows alone are worth $5. By the way, does anyone else notice how much Christian Bale pouts as Batman? The new James Bond is a pouter too. What's up with the pouty heroes?

happy earth day!

I had in mind a somber post, but when I went to the NPR site to check out the story I heard on "Morning Edition" today concerning the rising price of crude oil, it led me to this instead: Environmentally Friendly Barbie Accessories made from scraps of Barbie clothes that would otherwise be thrown away. Like I needed another reason to go to Toys R Us, which is the only place to get the new B-Cause line of purses, diaries and whatnots. Unfortunately, I was given this knowledge in part through a story about poor Barbie sales and Mattel's loss of $45 million dollars last year. (Those recalls didn't do them any favors.)

Back to the subject of Earth Day, if I still lived in SoCal, I'd try to get one of these: Honda Clarity. I can't wait for them to be available everywhere.

an open letter to jason lee.

Dear Jason Lee,

I've just gotten home from seeing Transformers. It was no where near as bad as I expected. It was a long, silly live-action cartoon of pretty ladies and big robots. Not exactly my cup of tea, but you have to understand that in the 1980's, as now, I was a girl. Until about five minutes before the previews started tonight, I thought Optimus Prime was a bad guy. Needless to say, I didn't watch the Transformers cartoon, and this is a little embarassing.

Changing the subject for a moment, Mr. Lee, do you remember that you ate at the Baja Fresh at Sunset and Vine during the opening weekend of Episode III? Well, I was there, too. My husband and I were there with our friends (Chris, Jennifer, and Greg), having a quick bite to eat before mingling with the Boba Fett and Chewy in the lobby of Arclight. You were there in your trendy clothes and weird Earl facial hair. And I was so excited to see you. Do you remember? Of course, I know you don't remember me, but do you at least remember owning a cool plaid shirt?

Mr. Lee, I first saw you in Dogma, because I didn't see Kevin Smith's movies in order. In college, I came to know you as Banky and Brodie, both of whom I found (and try to still find) adorable. I must tell you now, with love, that Brodie would be ashamed of you now.

Now, I'm not saying this to be hateful, I'm saying this as a sort of warning. You see, next month, a live-action movie of Underdog will be coming to theaters. And you are the voice of Underdog. Mr. Lee, surely you see that this was in bad form. I'm willing to cut you some slack, because you're much older than me and, in fact, new episodes of the original cartoon were still being made when you were a child. I'm sure you grew up on it. I'm sure it could've even been exciting for you to be his voice, in whatever dumb format Disney felt compelled (by what ridiculous force, only you and your ridiculous movie folk know) to create. But, I'm afraid I can only give you so much slack.

Before going into the theater this evening, my husband and I saw a huge, cardboard version of the movie poster for Alvin and the Chipmunks. Have you lost your mind?! How much money did they give you? Your face was over 3 feet tall, towering over the ugliest CG rodents I could've ever imagined!

Breckin Meyer, once known in my mind as the cute skater boy from Clueless, is dead to me now because of his offences against the cartoons of my youth. As is Matthew Broderick, for the same reason. I don't want you to be on that list! You're teetering on the edge! You're Brodie! Brodie would agree with me! You're destroying your reputation!

I swear to you, if I find out that you are somehow involved in a live-action My Little Pony movie, I'll track you down and beat you with a Rainbow Brite doll.

My final plea, Mr. Lee:

Stop ruining the cartoons of my childhood!

Thank you.

P.S. Stay away from the Care Bears, too.

and also because i think ipods are stupid.

Partly because Nintendo is silly and didn't understand how inherently cool the Wii is (apparently), and every store in all of Burbank and Greater Los Angeles is out of them and this is very sad to us sad souls who didn't pre-order... And partly because we've been talking about getting them for at least a year anyway...

John and I, a month before Christmas, bought a DS Lite for each of us. John's is black. Mine is girly pink and looks like a ballerina will dance inside it to the tune of "Waltz of the Flowers" when it's opened. It doesn't. Though, you can buy a "game" that's basically a puppy.

Yeah, I know this purchase is a little ridiculous. Especially now. But moving stinks. And my job is stressing me out. And I just need...well...I need a gadget that makes me not think about anything else for a while.

It doesn't hurt that it's pink, either.

changes for laura.

I got an American Girl catalog in the mail today. Even now, all these years later, seeing it in my mailbox gave me that butterflies-in-my-chest-in-a-good-way feeling. I came inside the apartment and immediately looked at it, page by page. It's full of pictures of young girls in red and navy L.L. Bean-type sweaters holding their immaculate, factory-done-hair dolls. It makes me want to go out and rake leaves.