About Me: An Autobiography in Decades

I was born in 1975. This means several things. First, it means I am 34. Yes, I know, 2010- 1975= 35. I haven't had a birthday yet. Lay off. Second, being born in 1975 means that my life is divided quite neatly into decades:

The 70's
Ah, the 1970's. OK, truth be told I don't remember much of the 70's. But unlike many others from this time, my hazy memories can not be attributed to my Disco Party Lifestyle. It's because I was a baby. But I rocked it out from 1975-1979 as much as any toddler could. I wore teeny tiny bell-bottoms. I watched my older sister feather the sides of her hair. I belted Queen at the top of my lungs. "Bomp bomp bomp- you never wanna bite the doct-ah!!'" (Fortunately my older brother in all of his 70's Afro awesomeness corrected these lyrics for me before I really embarrassed myself.) And I watched the original cast of SNL do their thing. Why was I up so late, anyway? The 1970's. I may have been little, but I was there, man.

The 80's
In the 1980's, I was a kid. I was a Simon Kenton Elementary Colt, and a Roosevelt Middle School Teddy. (OK, Teddy Roosevelt, I get it, but no one thought that was a bad idea? Really?) I saw ET in the theatre. I watched the Smurfs on Saturday mornings and I wore rainbow colors to the skating rink. I owned the original Thriller LP- the one that folds out. With the tiger. (oh... to still have that...) I saw New Kids on the Block in concert and I danced with a boy to "Lady in Red." And then, in 1989 I graduated from middle school. Rockin' in Time with the Class of '89.

Why do I remember these things? And what information is being pushed out of the way by the theme to my 8th grade graduation? I
suppose I'm lucky to have such vivid memories of the '80's. But the hair. The hair I would like to forget.

The 90's
In the 1990's, I became a young adult. I went to Springfield North High School where I cheered for the Panthers, and Ohio University where I cheered for the Bobcats. I tight-rolled my jeans. (not for the whole decade. Just for those first three or four years when we did those things.) I graduated with Zach and Kelly and Screech. I also graduated with Donna Martin and Kelly and Dilan. I had my first love, and I found my forever love. I studied Mozart and Chopin and listened to Aerosmith and Garth Brooks. (don't judge) I turned 21 and I wore jeans and work boots to bars. And in 1999 I left Athens, Ohio ready to start my life.

The First Decade of the Millenium
OK first of all, do we know what we're calling it yet? Because "The First Decade of the Millenium" is really obnoxiously long. For our purposes here, it will be TFDotM. But whatever we end up calling it, in TFDotM, I- well, I'm not really sure. That's the funny thing about hindsight. It gets clearer as one moves further away. But here are some things I do know. In the past 10 years, I got married, started my teaching career, became more interested in theatre, became obsessed with the Internet, moved to New York, studied music theatre at NYU, started a theatre company, and- right at the very end of the decade- became a Mommy. So what does TFDotM mean to me in the grand scheme of things. I suppose I'll let you know in another ten years.

And what does this decade have in store for me? Let's find out together.