5.06.2005

Girl of 100 Lists

Ghetto blasters, phony jewels,
Cathedrals, castles, making up rules
Trashy novels and leather gloves
This is a list of things that I love
-- The Go-Go's

In 1982, The Go-Go's put out an album called, "Vacation." I'm sure you've heard the title song at some point in your life. In the middle of side A (on the record...you know, what people listened to before CDs), there is a gem of a song called "Girl of 100 Lists."

A dear old friend once made me a mixtape (on a cassette, another early form of listening device for music) and included this song. In the same vein as "Vacation," the song, "100 Lists" has that early 80's beach pop vibe that smells like Tropicana spirit. I believe my friend included this song on that mixtape because she knew about my love of making lists. Things I Love and Hate. People I have kissed. Places I Hope to See Before I Die. It's amusing to look back at old lists and see how I have changed and how I have not.

For example, this is a list I made in 1994, at the tender age of 19.

THINGS I HATE
skinny belts
poofy hair
sweet pickles
football
grape candy
salt on pretzels
the smell of hamsters
Christian Fundamentalists
ugly feet
"Balloons" sneakers
acid washed jeans
clothes from The Limited
people who wear baby's breath in their hair
cold toilets seats
lavender
split ends
weakness

This was a point in my life when I was rebelling against anything that reminded me of high school and people from my hometown. I was defining myself outside of my old life without any real idea of what I wanted for the future. On the next page in my journal was . . .

THINGS I LOVE
coffee
marijuana
red
brown
amusement parks
X-Men cartoons
latin music
sunflowers
candles
black platform shoes
lipstick
mustard
cottage cheese
fluorescent toys
garlic
pink flamingoes
the words "pseduostratified columnar epithelium"
black pens
polaroids
pistachios
LSD

And, really...who doesn't love marijuana and pistachios?


"ricky and danny and terry and jim
dean lasted six months - don't forget him
perhaps someday this list will end
till then i tally my gentlemen friends"
-- The Go-Go's