Violet, You’re Wearing Violet, Violet
September 28th, 2010
This simply had to be the title of this posting – namely, because it’s something I so wished I had thought to say to Denise Nickerson during our encounter at the Saturday, September 25, 2010, Hollywood Celebrity Show in Chicago. Denise obviously played Violet Beauregarde, the gum-chewing young lady who turns into a blueberry, in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and became the second of the Wonka kids that I got the chance to meet this year. Just three to go. Read the rest of this entry »
It was an unassuming afternoon at the Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on Friday, September 17, 2010. Ashleigh and I had just finished roaming around Tom Sawyer’s Island and we were waiting for the next showing in the Hall of Presidents. I was excited to see the new updated show, now featuring Barack Obama. Sitting cross-legged on the floor and sending out texts to friends back home, I heard Ashleigh mutter something about some girl who ‘looks like Holly’. I had already noted this girl, who was with a friend. Both were wearing knee-high socks and were relatively attractive – but not so much that I had fixated on them while we were waiting. 
When I first planned out the Disney World trip that I took with Erin and her kids in July, I had wanted to start out in Atlanta before moving on to Plains, Georgia. However, after we added an additional day at Disney and realized we could get started until late morning on our first Saturday, we nixed the visit to Atlanta. Then I had hoped to take my fifth and final vacation in Charleston where Erin lived, and take a side excursion up to Atlanta. But when we broke up, that fell through. But I didn’t let the Atlanta dream die… 
…but it was a rather expensive one at that. Paper Moon, the 1973 comedy-drama film that is set in the black and white era of Prohibition ranks highly on my list of favorite films. Ever since I discovered this movie, I shared it with Ashleigh and Briana among others, and the consensus is that it is a timeless classic. It starred the father and son team of Ryan O’Neal and Tatum O’Neal, and it was in fact the then-10-year old Tatum who was awarded the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film. To date, she is the youngest recipient of a competitive Oscar. 
The summer ended and I trudged back to school, ready to enter my ninth grade and my last year at Ankeney Junior High. I had gotten a real exposure to girls via camp over the summer, and I had found out that I quite liked them. I had slimmed down and was beginning to get a little bit of length to my hair. Looking in the mirror I liked when the back section flared out so that I could see it. If I couldn’t, I’d go ahead and wet it down and pull it out. I began to carry a brush with me in my back pocket, one that could be filled with water or hairspray in the handle. I found out what Clearasil was all about – and preferred the flesh tone.