Memory Lane

As I was putting all the books back into my bookshelves yesterday--I started looking through one of my favorite collections--a nearly complete set of vintage Sweet Valley High paperbacks.

Yes, they're absolute crap, but when I was fourteen, they were the coolest series. I devoured them like I did my food--I had to know what Jessica Wakefield would be up to next, and if Todd and Elizabeth would stay together forever...you know, really dumb stuff like that.
Well, I started looking through them (and cracked more than a few smiles at how simplistic they are) and I realized that these books might be considered really lame, compared to the edginess of today's YA fiction. I mean, these teenagers said stuff like "gosh" and "gee whiz" and spoke in grammatically correct sentences, with absolutely no fillers such as "Like" and "You Know."

It's amazing. Did kids really talk like this in the eighties? Hmmm, I think I've blocked most of Middle and High School from my memory, so maybe we did. It's kind of sad how our language has degenerated into mostly filler. But now I'm talking like an old Fogey, so I'd better stop. :-)

I dropped Thing Three off for his playdate at 10 yesterday, and stayed to chat with the mother, and we had a blast, talking about this and that, and then we looked up at the clock and realized it was 1:00. We had been talking for three hours. It was just too much fun talking with her. She's really anal like my hubby, and her hubby is really mellow like me, and so we had lots to laugh about. I think I'll have to do more stuff with her. It's nice when you "click" with people.

Well, must dash. Kids need to get to school and then I have to go buy decorations for a big birthday dinner I'm putting on for our church. Party City, here I come...