marginalia

As promised, here is a window into my 12-14-year-old brain via the stuff I scrawled all over my notebook. I really wish I had a scanner, because I can't reproduce the doodles.

BOOK I:

-A drawing of a mosquito drinking out of a juicebox that says "BLOOD"

-The word "MORADS" with a list from 1-10. [?]

-A list of 27 Jay and the Americans songs with rating next to it. I also had a helpful number line that explained that 1 was "bad," 5 was "eh," and 10 was "good." I'll let you know that the weak "Yellow Forest" only got a 2, whereas the slammin' "Cara Mia" registered a full 10.

-This poem about oldies. I wrote it in honor of my friend Julia's 12th bday - she also liked oldies - in a card shaped like a boom box. It's to be sung to the tune of Little Caeser and the Romans' "Those Oldies but Goodies."

Those oldies but goodies
Are better than rap
The songs of the 90's
Make me want to nap
Michael Bolton can't sing at all
and Mariah Carey sounds like a duck call
Boyz 2 Men just aren't hot
But at least Madonna's good - NOT
z100 plays nothing but trash
I'd rather listen to CBS in a flash
MC Hammer is a bunch of noise
How about the Platters or the Beach Boys?
So listen to oldies for all of these reasons
Long live The Supremes and the 4 Seasons!


BOOK II

-The lyrics of "Bridge over Troubled Water" only with the subheading "the ballad of Marty and Anjel." I guess this was before I decided that he should have the flu in every chapter.

-A "script" I had to read on the radio. I was a devoted listener of CBS FM, the oldies station in NYC. I called in all the time. I won all kinds of stuff in the contests - everything from concert tickets to a trip to Romania. I even ... wow, I can't believe I'm admitting this ... used to dedicate songs to wrestlers on their birthdays. Yikes. Ok. Anyway. One time I got to be one of the listeners announcing a song on some countdown. I was so flustered that I wrote this down so I wouldn't forget what to say: "Hi Cousin Brucie! This is FuzzyOctopus. I am 12 and a big fan of oldies! Here is number 144, Burning Love by Elvis."

-The names of all the characters on M*A*S*H. I have to be the only sixth grader who would stay up late to watch reruns of M*A*S*H and write wrestling fanfiction.

-The words "Civic Del Sol from Honda." No clue.

BOOK III

The inside cover is labeled "graffitti page." The following things are scrawled in there:

BOBBY LEE (as in, Bobby Lee Eaton) Guiding Light RULES

Enough OJ! Owen Hart RULES! Shawn Micheals!

I <3 FRANKIE VALLI FOREVER! (along with the titles of varoius 4 Seasons songs)

Flea markets are cool! BACHIGALOOOOOO! J-E-T-S, JETS JETS JETS!

Cabin Boy opens Jan 7. [still never seen it]


- I apparantly decided that it was a good idea to start making a list of topics making news in 1994. It's an interesting blend of things that were truly newsworthy, like the WTC bombing in March, things that happened in NYC, like Clinton visiting Brooklyn, things that I had to report about in eigth grade social studies class, like the prime minister of Japan (Moriniro Hosakowa) resigning, and things that could only possibly have been newsworthy to me, like FRANKIE VALLI CONCERT in September.

- A list of famous people I've talked to. They range in famousness from Hacksaw Jim Duggan's father to George Harrison. Most of them are either wrestlers or CBS FM DJs. I also have a sublist of "Famous People who have acknowledged my presence." These are all wrestlers. Here is a sample entry: "MACHO MAN (he looked at my sign that said "Elizabeth <3 Ric Flair" and shook his head"

- A poem about my eighth grade earth science teacher, Mrs. Lafferty. If I thought for a second any of you would get any of it, I'd post it.

BOOK IV

- According to the notes in this book, 1994 is when I finally started listening to modern music, because the effusive praise for Frankie Valli and Jay and the Americans has been replaced by The Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer. Alas. There are also some names of bands I can't even remember listening to, like Ruth Ruth and Bracket. And ok, I'm not going to lie ... there is still quite a bit of Frankie Valli RULES scrawled in there.

-A list of dates that corresponded to important events in various relationships I had throughout the course of my fanfic writing career. I would like to add that I recently felt the need to add the date of my wedding. For posterity, I suppose.


Wow.

Ok.

Well then. COMING UP NEXT ... it's back to the thrilling life of Angel 'n Friends. Will Chris finally ask Angel out? Will Angel say yes? Will there be an egregious declaration of love? Find out next time in ... Chapter 12 Part II: Bobby's New Partner (continued)