In fact, go ahead and start playing this song as you read through the rest of this post...
This is what I heard blasting from a car in a parking lot this weekend. It was not unlike when MJ died and people were singing all his songs loudly in their cars wherever they drove. I loved it!
I know that a lot of different people liked MJ for different reasons and during different eras.
I also know that looks can be deceiving.
I truly know that you can't judge a book by its cover and can't tell what a person is like based on your first impressions.
Even still, I was in shock when I walked through a parking lot this weekend and heard a car blaring Jackson's "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" super loud through the car speakers.
I was shocked because I was in Mid-Missouri and the eating locale just didn't seem like the place where MJs fans would be hanging out.
I was shocked because the super-loud music was coming from a black Lincoln Towncar with blacked out windows. Yes, the type of car that is seen as luxury and is used as a limo for the rich in major cities, like NYC.
I was even more shocked when the car parked just to my left and out came a 70+ year old white man dressed in a salmon colored polo shirt and some khaki pants.
Since the theme of this month’s NaBloPoMo is “relative” I will take a few posts this month to talk about some of my relations.
My brother is older than me by three years. When I was younger, I absolutely adored him; I wanted to do everything he did and be around him as much as possible. I wanted to wear his Michael Jackson jacket and gloves, but they were completely off limits to me. I loved my bro anyway and admired his jacket each time he wore it.
I remember when I started elementary school, I was so upset that we would be going to separate schools. I was going to be going to the local school that was a pilot program for incorporating computers into every classroom’s regular learning. He was going to the regular school.
I so wanted to be able to wait for the bus with him, and to be able to see him in the halls or at recess and be able to tell my friends that he was my big bro.
Despite our close ages, we never attended the same school at the same time. For some reason, sometimes this makes me think we are further apart in age than we actually are. He started school early as I did, but because schools became more strict with kindergarten age cut offs, I had to repeat that year.
Once I entered junior high, the teachers always knew of my brother and his greatness. High school was even more so. Every teacher who had had him or had seen him commented on his seeming perfection and I had to try to keep up their perception that our family was full of genius. It was hard, but I think it motivated me more to try and do well in school.
Bro and I were never really best friends, but I always have found him to be a good person and a person who will laugh at some of my jokes and stories. He also teaches me about technology.
This past Thanksgiving was the first in a while where all my siblings and parents were in the same place at the same time.
Afterward, Bro called me up and we talked. Really talked about various things in our lives.
Honestly, it was the first time I have really opened up about some of those things with any of my siblings. I guess, I feel like I don’t want them to see the real me, just the idea of me, not the broken pieces of me.
That talk was really great. I felt a weight lifted off of me.
He apologized for not talking with me (and the other siblings) more like that, for not being more of a big brother.
I almost cried.
He has been an excellent big bro - loves all of his sisters even though with each of the four births, I know he hoped for a little brother.
At the same time, it was nice to turn to him that night, and since, for life advice and to just let him know more of what was going on in my life.
I adored him as a young person, and still adore and admire him and all he has accomplished as an adult. He really goes after what he wants and is a great leader who really cares about people. And it is also really cool that he has been voluntarily car-less for years and utilizes public transportation and bike and car rentals in DC.
I still don’t talk with him daily, even weekly. Sometimes it can be a month between our talks.
But each time, it is like no time has passed. We fall into story telling, joke telling, money woes, relationship information, and just good times.
He is my big bro, and I always have and always will have nothing but love for him.
Since January 10th, I have been participating in the Six Items or Less experiment. Here is some information on it:
What do our clothes say about us? ...
The scope of the Six Items project expanded rapidly around the world, exposing individuals and even entire families to explore a life with less...
The experiment is simple: each participant gets to choose six (and only six) items of clothing and pledge to wear only these six items of clothing for a month...
Logistically, there are exceptions that don’t count towards the six: undergarments, swim wear, work-out clothes, work uniforms, outer wear (rain slicker, outdoor jacket), shoes and accessories. You can get multiples of the same item for laundry purposes, but different colors count as separate items.
For my six, I chose
Black dress
White button-up blouse
Jeans
Black cardigan
Black long-sleeved t-shirt
Gray sweater
These were really good choices for me. I counted about 17 outfit options/combinations I could create with these six pieces (I only ended up wearing 7, but in different ways). I was able to go to work and hang out and even attend the Lauryn Hill concert all with ease and without looking out of place. The dress was something I have had for at least 8 years and have only probably worn about 5 times.
Initially I was worried about how hard this would be. But, it turns out that it was way easier than I thought. A couple years ago, I started getting rid of clothes that I didn't like. Last year I got rid of some more. When I decided to do SIOL in December, I got rid of even more. I by no means am living super simple with clothes, but I have definitely pared down. I also was worried about looking the same day in and day out.
Then I remembered that every summer I basically wear the same thing each day when I am not out coaching. When Kid Sis #3 found out I was doing this, she asked, "Isn't that what you always do anyway?" When I am not working, I am basically in similar clothes each day.
I was concerned that my students would notice my outfits and realize before anyone else what was going on. I am in front of them and in the halls with them each and every day for long periods of time.
All of my fears were for nothing.
I loved the clothes I chose. That dress that had seen so little wear in the past years has now become a favorite.
Scarves have become my favorite. I have tried out so many different ways of wearing them around my neck and around my body that it is truly amazing.
I got so many compliments on so many days on my outfits. Some one I don't normally see at work (outside of my coaching clothes) even asked me if I was going on interviews after school since I looked so nice. The kids even complimented me on my outfits. One girl compared another student to me as the after portion of "What Not To Wear" and the kid as the before. The minimal items and the desire not to look the same each day made me really focus on looking put together each day. It also made me use accessories, tights, and shoes to make my look different each time I wore something. In these pictures you can see two examples of how I mixed up the dress. In the first, I wore the black T on top with the scarf to break it up and make it look more like a skirt. I wore ballet shoes that day. In this picture I rocked my boots and just had the cardigan on top (the dress is short-sleeve, so I always had something on top. I wore the dress with the white shirt on top, with the gray sweater on top, tucked in to the jeans to look like a shirt, and different colored tights and shoes and a lot of different jewelry.
I was really impressed by my creativity throughout this. I have not seen myself as being really good with fashion, but perhaps with time and practice, that may be a calling of mine somehow.
I only told three people that I was doing SIOL, and no one else noticed (or at least said anything to my face about it).
I have always gotten my clothes ready for the week on Sunday nights, but with SIOL, it made it even easier to do so.
Today is the last day.
Next, I am going to up it to 15 items (no experiment, just doing it on my own) and continue to the end of February. When I picked my 15 pieces, I started trying to figure out how many ways I could mix them and had to stop counting, because I was becoming overwhelmed with all the choices.
Through this experiment, I have come even closer to figuring out a few things:
What type of clothes I really like and what I need to focus one when I go shopping for clothes - I know that quality is way better than cheap items that will only be ruined after a season of washing and wearing. Each of my items were good quality and made it through a lot of washing and (most of them) three times a week wear.
I know that I can live off of very little - Again, no one noticed. That is a credit to my creativity, but as many on the SIOL site have said, no one really cares what you wear. It is really about wearing clothes that suit your body and lifestyle, and not looking out of place. I have donated or sold even more clothes.
I have started trying to travel with just a carry on - After this, I know that this will be even easier.
I love this six - With exception to the white shirt, and I don't totally love that because I feel like the arms aren't as long as I would like them to be. They are by no means the MJ of sleeves, but I have long arms for a woman and like my sleeves to come to a certain point on my hands. When I picked my 15 pieces, it was almost hard to get to 15 because I wanted to make sure that the pieces fit my style and that they would all look good together and be a decent quality.
I am not easily bored with clothes - Not until this past Sunday did I get antsy about wearing something different. That was when I was getting my clothes ready for the week and was getting excited/anxious about all the options for Thursday. I stuck with my 6, and Thursday will wear something totally different. Though, I did consider wearing the dress again since I like it so much.
During the experiment I even tried things out with my ever growing TWA. I had my sister braid some of it and tried out some of those comb-thingies that you can slide into your hair. It may be time for me to invest in some of PeaceImages hair combs - I have been looking forward to the day my hair is long enough to mess around with since I became natural (finally stopping the cutting has really helped out - who would have thought, right?)
So SIOL no more.
It is still rather likely that I will keep wearing some of the same outfits in the next few weeks.
The community on the website was really great - it was cool to read about their journeys, trials, and tribulations as well as to see some of the options they chose. I may do one of these experiments some of them suggested next. Each of which will be a breeze after limiting myself to 6 items for 31 days.
Or maybe something completely different that comes up or that I create - for now it will be 15IOL for the next 19 days. Perhaps after that, I will be able to pare my wardrobe down even more.
I am still in shock a bit over MJ's death. Here is an old post I wrote about him that kind of sums up the awe I have had for Michael Jackson and his art (7 reasons "Smooth Criminal" video and Michael Jackson's gang/gangster activities are awesome, as well as my anger at my brother for hording the red zippered MJ-like jacket).
Thriller was the first real album I owned (if you don't count the Mickey Mouse/Donald Duck one and the ones that you played on the system that also showed pictures on the bottom as you read through the book with the record) and I still love it. I have been rocking out each time I drive as radio stations are still paying tribute. When I go outside and hear a car drive by blasting one of his songs, I smile and almost break out in the moon walk.
Hopefully he will rest in peace, as his life here seemed so full of turmoil.
I got there at 5:50 and there was already a massive line. (Fortunately the parents were there and when I called them they told me they were right close to the door, so I asked the people around me if they would be offended if I moved up. They said no, so I moved and got to be the 21st one to vote.) As I pulled in a song came on the radio -- Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson. I don't know if it was the song, the tiredness, the cold (since I forgot the coat and for some reason was thinking it was already going to be close to 70 degrees), the relief that I don't have to see political ads any more, the sheer joy of seeing so many people coming out to vote, or the fear that all the people (considering where they live) might all be voting for McCain, but a tear came to my eye.
This whole process has been powerful.
So many people are buying into the process, and it is great.
Hopefully the outcome will be good.
If not... I'm going to be getting a tv, a PS3, a toaster oven, some laundry detergent, and a dehumidifier when the riots start.
Big Bro used to have this red leather jacket with a ton of zippers, buckles, and sparkliness.
Yes -- the Michael Jackson "Beat It" jacket. We even had some white gloves we would don and try to practice some dance moves. For some reason, the cheap stores, like Venture, never had glittery gloves. And for whatever reason, I guess his seniority (and maybe because he felt more deserving since he had balls like Michael Jackson and the only balls I had were actually ovaries), my brother always got to wear the right glove and I was stuck being a left-handed Michael reject -- most of the time with an imaginary jacket since he usually got to wear it. I felt so deprived.
And yes, Mr. Jackson was as cute as could be. Look at him -- that smile, that weird t-shirt he is wearing with the mythological beasts, the blush, the superman-like curl coming down his forehead. When I describe him, it sounds really cheesy, which he was, but he was still too cute. The only thing I really couldn't get down with was the flooding pants. At first I thought that maybe he just didn't have enough money to buy pants that fit him. That he was wearing the hand-me-downs of his older brothers (and even sisters) and that his parents were waiting for the older ones to grow out of theirs so that Michael would finally get a pair of pants to wear that would finally fit his body. I also initially found it disturbing that he would wear white socks with his black pants and black shoes. Though, later I realized that it probably was his technique to make people focus on the amazing dance moves he was doing.
Which bring me to my main points:
1. This man is beyond amazing! His videos used to be premiered in prime-time, on regular network television stations. And they were stories -- like mini-movies.
2. Every one loves "Thriller". But people seem to sleep on "Smooth Criminal".
3. This video is full of not just lousy acting by little kids, but also almost decent acting by the grown ups, crisp movements by Michael, the amazing quarter toss into the jukebox, crime, passion, Michael's superhuman ability to crush a cue ball with his bare hands, many unintelligible words sung by Michael himself, and some absolutely AMAZING dancing. Dancing that to this day influences musicians from all sorts of genres.
I remember first seeing the part where he and his male comrades are dancing and suddenly lean to the front/side hellaz. You cannot imagine the rug burns and the wrist aches I incurred from trying to do that move. I soon discovered that the move was rigged and that they had some special contraptions that helped them be able to do the move. Contraptions that I would be unable to afford.
4. I started realizing that Michael Jackson had the gang thing down to a science. A science that would leave followers of his gangs unscathed. Seriously, in all his major videos there is some gang-type action, but no one ever gets hurt -- "Beat It," "I'm Bad," "Thriller," that one video I always forget the title to with the hot chick Michael never really let touch him and the car and the whole video is dark and shadow-like (this one isn't really gang related, but he does look hard, well, as hard as Michael Jackson can look). I just had to figure out a way to get a group of people who would follow me. People who looked like they could beat your ass but, more importantly, could break into dance at the drop of a dime -- coordinated, choreographed dance. And I would have to find a nemesis who was like-minded. A group of enemies that could get all angry, but instead of going for the Gat would pull out a head band to hold back their hair as we battled on cardboard break dancing.
5. Besides the dancing and the pseudo-gang activity, the song also influenced me and at least one of my sisters in another way.
We, at one point, wanted to name our daughters Annie. Whenever Annie fell or otherwise incurred an injury, we would be able to ask her "Annie are you ok? Are you ok, Annie? Say, Annie are you ok? Are you ok? Are you ok, Annie?"
6. Yes, we were, and still are super corny, super silly, and super loving some "Smooth Criminal". I'm not at the point of the girl in the (I think) Pepsi commercial who says "MichaelweLOVEyou!!!" and then proceeds to start crying and look like she is about to experience either a seizure, an orgasm, a heart attack, or sudden death because she came close to almost being close enough to almost feel the sweat of a person who might be able to catch a whiff of the gherri curl juice Michael whipped over to stage right as he turned to perform his signature Moonwalk.
7. I like him with out all the insanity.
If you forgot what it's all about, please, watch the video. It's about 10 minutes, but is totally worth it.
UPDATE: By the way... I just read one of my favorite hystarical blogs and he also was writing about videos. I guess great minds think alike. Though his is freaking hilarious. Check it out. He writes about the modern videos and their lack of creativity.
