The ParachutePants Award: Your recollection of the 1980s. 80s culture, 80s politics, 80s hair, how you had that big crush on John Taylor from Duran Duran (he's mine, bitches--Kismet)...it's up to you.

Oh yeah, I was a big dork in the 80�s. Not that I�ve ever not been a dork, actually, but back then it was really bad.

Here�s how nerdy and sheltered I was: In the 80�s, my cousin Tammy was a teenager and much like Kismet, was obsessed with Duran Duran. She had posters of them ALL over her walls. I�d never heard their music (my parents tend towards all oldies, all the time), but wasn�t too impressed with the madeup look I thought they had. I remember walking in there one time, looking around, and going "When I become a teenager, I hope I don�t get weird like that and start liking punk bands. Ewww."

Now I�m going to have to go into hiding because of all the people who will see this and want to kill me for that admission ... don�t worry, I�ve reformed since then. I still don�t care much about (actual) punk bands, though.

We were all about the crimped hair back then. I may still actually have the crimper, Mom�s been debating whether or not to throw it out for years. I also remember one girl at my school whose bangs were so hairsprayed and huge they stood straight up like a wall. I never did that one (fortunately), but I did seem to be awful fond of the "welded" look, where I kept pushing my bangs off to one side of my head. They looked plastered there. The pictures are hideous. As for my clothes, well, most of that�ll be the ICan'tBelieveYouWoreThosePants entry. It�s a shame I was too young to be able to get one of those tiered prom dresses, though. I still kinda want one, and was scoping some out at the thrift store the other week. Oh yeah, and I was the Queen of the Puffy Paint Sweatshirt. With fake stones glued to them, suede-inflatapaint that grew when you used a hair dryer on it, the works. The biggest messes you ever saw, especially when the stones started to fall off.

I was a little aerobics queen for awhile. I apparently took "Let�s Get Physical" way too seriously. This was also the start of the dance years, which began with me doing a little dance to "Raspberry Beret" and went on to ballet, modern and jazz. I even had a little raspberry beret, which I used to carry toys in (yes, I was young, get over it).

I was a budding Republican. Mainly because my mom was. I don�t really know the logic of this when my father is a Democrat... mainly, things didn�t seem so bad to my shallow little mind, and I liked being on the winning side when it came to politics. Eventually I had more thoughts about it beyond that, sure, but that�s where I started out.

Some things still remain, though. The music and the movies. I still adore 80�s music to this day, and used to have a bunch of similarly 80�s-obsessed friends who would compile enormous playlists of 80�s rock for parties. As for the movies, well, most of my favorites are 80�s too. Good old Say Anything, showing me the ideal man. When Harry Met Sally, which I related to because I had a crush on a (former, eventually) friend of mine. Ferris Bueller, you�re my hero.

As for how I�ve been . . . I did NOT get a call on Tuesday. At all. Unless she called me on the land line after about 4:15, which is possible (last time I was in this situation she called at 4:30), because Hill went online until after 5 then. She�d been dealing with insurance crap all day and was hopping off and on the phone. I don�t know if she was out sick or just couldn�t get through or what, but something had to have gone wrong, right? (On the other hand, she does have my cell phone number� and didn�t try to call me on it all day.) Who knows. Guess who�s stuck probably doing a nag call about it?

In the meantime, Hill and I gave ourselves henna tattoos and then went shopping. After waiting all damn day for the call, we needed OUT. We went to the fabric store, where I found one suitable stiff green upholstery fabric and one not-so-suitable-probably-but-I�ve-stopped-caring blue fabric.

Then we went to a JC Penney�s outlet so Hill could look at bridesmaids gowns (she�s a bridesmaid for her best friend�s wedding, but the other BM�s are all flaking on getting dresses). She found nothing suitable, but I did end up trying on wedding dresses. It was weird. They were all huge and voluminous on the bottom and very tight fitting on top, but I got into them at least. And I had to try on 3-inch heels so I could stand up in the dresses. But I looked damn good. And they were $60, so I was kinda tempted. It didn�t feel like I was trying on wedding dresses, though. More like, elaborate costuming or a formal for something else. Not like "I could get married in this." I�ve been planning on designing my own gown anyway (what else would people expect from me?).

I did get the heels, though. Very cheap, fit perfectly, are sandals, don�t hurt. They seem to be the same brand as my beloved black high heeled sandals, too. Unfortunately, have a few random pen marks on them, but I may just decorate the heels just for fun. (Hill suggested puff paint.) At any rate, these are the kind of shoes I want to get married in. Closed-toe shoes blister my feet in a half hour no matter what I do to them, and I want big shoes for dancing at some point.

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