Three Word Wednesday #9

Each week, I will post three (or more) random words. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write something using all of those words. It can be a few lines, a story, a poem, anything. Don’t spend too much time on it. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The idea is to let your mind wander and write what it will. I’ll also write something using the same three words.

Be sure to leave a comment if you participate.

This week’s words are:
sky
slit
echoed

Continuing with 80’s week here on IYROOBTY…

I was in ninth grade, taking my first year of Spanish. At my school, each year the Spanish Club went on an optional field trip to the Spanish Club Convention in Tuscaloosa.

For some reason, they were never able to procure buses for this annual pilgrimage. Maybe it was because of the small number of kids who went. Maybe it was because we stayed overnight and needed to be able to get around town easily. Whatever it was, we traveled by car. And that meant chaperones.

As the bell echoed from the halls that Friday morning, signaling the start to another school day for everyone else, we were gathered in the parking lot. Preparing to leave, getting last minute instructions from the Spanish teacher, Ms. Quinn. And most importantly, deciding who would ride with whom.

That year, we had one student chaperone, Jenny Goss. She was a junior, or senior, and I don’t even think she was taking Spanish. I’m not even sure why she was chaperoning.

But as the other chaperones were teachers or parents, everyone wanted to ride with Jenny. Well, the guys did anyway. So it wound up being four guys, myself included, piling into Jenny’s sky blue Cutlass, for the two-hour drive. And I somehow ended up in the front seat.

As she was two or three years ahead of me, I’d never really talked to Jenny. But I knew who she was. It was common knowledge that she dated Ronnie Byars, and had been seemingly forever.

Ronnie could best be described as a biker without a bike. A smoking in the boys room type. Although I never saw him smoke, it just seemed like he probably did. He was tall, with long hair. And I remember him wearing a black leather jacket a lot.

Still, boyfriend or no, you got the idea Jenny might be up for anything. Although I doubted I was her type. The street toughness of my acid-washed, tight-rolled Levis and untied high-top British Knights was betrayed by the cute little alligator on my rather conservative Izod. Still, there was something mysterious about her. Or maybe just naughty.

She looked like she belonged in a Whitesnake video. And I could totally rock some air guitar. I imagined she had camped out for Motley Crue or Cinderella tickets at least three times in her life. And that hair. So permed. So sprayed. So perfectly pouffy.

I sat back and tried to relax as I caught a glance of her legs so sveltely working the gas and brake pedals. I wasn’t sure what to expect on this trip. And I definitely wasn’t sure a student chaperone was supposed to be wearing a skirt that short or slit that high.

But I’ll never forget that weekend. After all, that was the weekend I bought my Milli Vanilli cassette.

“Where’s the mini-skirt made of snakeskin? And who’s the other guy that’s singing in Van Halen…”

I love the 80’s!

The past week of my life, not unlike the past twenty-six years, has had a decidedly eighties feel. I spent several evenings last week glued to the television, enjoying VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 80’s countdown. And while I agree with most of the songs in the top twenty, there is no way “Livin’ On A Prayer” is the greatest song of the 1980’s.

I should know. After all, that was my decade. My slogan during the eighties? “This is the eighties and Bone is down with the ladies.” OK, so I didn’t really have a slogan. And no one called me Bone then. But that could have been my slogan.

Therefore, inspired by VH-1 and Lass’ Thursday Thirteen, I decided to come up with my ten favorite songs of the eighties. Except I couldn’t narrow it down to ten, so there’s a tie. Now, without further delay, I proudly present Bone’s Top Ten Songs of the 80s:

10. Rumors – Timex Social Club
(tie) Word Up – Cameo
9. Take On Me – Aha
8. Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield
7. Karma Chameleon – Culture Club
6. When Doves Cry – Prince
5. Centerfold – J. Geils Band
4. Jack & Diane – John Mellencamp
3. Every Rose Has Its Thorn – Poison
2. Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N Roses
1. Glory Days – Bruce Springsteen

The interesting, and often scary, part of the VH-1 Countdown was seeing some of the singers and finding out what they’re doing now. For example, I did not need to know that Jane Wiedlin is a dominatrix. For various reasons.

And did you know Wham is doing a one-time reunion concert this year? In England, I think. I’m hoping it will lead to a reunion tour. All this has almost inspired me to do a Where Are They Now: New Kids On The Block post. Any support for that?

Hello?

Continuing with our eighties theme, I played Trival Pursuit: Totally 80’s Edition for the first time over the weekend. It’s not often in life you’re asked to recall your knowledge of Gary Hart, Martina Navratilova, Wham!, Geraldine Ferraro, and Magnum P.I. It’s good to dust off those brain files once in awhile.

I think I might make this 80s week on IYROOBTY.

Later this week: The time I almost met John Stamos.

“Hold on to sixteen as long as you can. Changes come around real soon, make us women and men…”

Three Word Wednesday #8

Each week, I will post three (or more) random words. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write something using all of those words. It can be a few lines, a story, a poem, anything. Don’t spend too much time on it. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The idea is to let your mind wander and write what it will. I’ll also write something using the same three words.

Be sure to leave a comment if you participate.

This week’s words are:
paint
glow
floating

She was like a fresh coat of paint. Shiny and new. A curiosity. But dangerous if inhaled too deeply or for too long. Still, I breathed in. And breathed. And breathed. Hypnotized by her glow. Not caring about the consequences.

There were times I was so high, it felt as if I were floating. But paint dries. It fades. Cracks begin to show. It starts to peel. Revealing layers and holes. I covered them at first. But then there were too many. The intoxicating aroma lost its effect on me. And one night, I came crashing down. Gasping for fresh air.

Funny thing about paint. It’s been around seemingly since the beginning of time. And yet, when it’s new, we find it almost impossible not to inhale.

“All of my friends, they tried to tell me, what and what not to do. It took a while for them to sell me, but finally they got thru…”