Strength

My dad called me this afternoon. Although we typically have our father/daughter chats on Saturday or Sunday, it wasn't totally abnormal for him to call me during the week. He tends to get a little bored at the fire station and in turn calls the fam; it's always been this way. Today his voice was different though and I waited patiently for him to tell me whatever it was he had on his mind. I'm his little girl and he has a tough time telling me things he knows will hurt me. This is out of both protectiveness and concern. I tend to worry far more than is necessary and he usually waits until things have calmed down slightly before alarming me.

Today he calmly sighed "Grandma's in the hospital". I held back the tears (I'm supposed to be a grown up now, so I try my best to refrain from the automatic response of crying), "What happened?" Turns out it really isn't the horrific scenario I imagined. She "fainted" several times Monday night and ended up in the emergency room. After all was said and done she ended up being fitted with a pacemaker. Not totally serious, but certainly not something you want to hear on a Thursday afternoon, especially not when you have my Grams.

Now, let me tell you a bit about my amazing Grandmother. My dad summed it up pretty well today when he said, "You know Grandma, she's a tough cookie". Most of the time I describe her as the toughest chick I know. When I called her at the hospital today I joked with her about 86 being an exciting year (her birthday was just 10 days ago). Her response? "The exciting thing is that I'm still alive", totally tongue in cheek. While others in my family are often put off by my inappropriately timed jokes my Grams laughs along with me. She's one of the few people I know who can find the humor in almost every situation. Hell, the woman was lying in a hospital bed days after having a pacemaker put in joking with her granddaughter about whether it's better to "hang on" or "hang in there". She's unbelievable. She's inspirational. She is the epitome of strength.

Kelly's List of Fashion Don'ts

Let me warn you straight away, I am making this entry at the risk of being a fashion snob. So be it. I am not here to say that I am the world's best dresser, this is not about what not to wear as far as style is concerned. Instead it is about what not to wear as far as simple human decency is concerned. With this in mind, let me introduce you to Kelly's list of fashion don'ts.

1. Don't wear pajamas in public. No one needs and or wants to see what you sleep in. This includes but is certainly not limited to pj pants, boxer shorts, ribbed tank tops without a bra, and athletic shorts (although I am willing to make exceptions for those). Pajamas are meant for wearing to bed, not for wearing in public. If they were meant to be seen by the general public they wouldn't have they own department.

2. Don't think you can give new life to an article of clothing by cutting it. I will make an exception for shanks merely because some of my dearest friends rock them, but I'm not exactly keen on them. However, I am most certainly not OK with cut off t-shirts. These are mostly worn my college ages males who constantly look like they are either coming from or going to the gym. You know, they cut off the sleeves to make them look like tank tops. Cut off jean shorts, also not OK. NO ONE should wear these. The 90s are over. T-shirts, jeans and all other articles of clothing have hems for a reason. Leave them alone.

3. Don't wear sweatpants - ever. I know sweatpants can also fit into the pj category but they are also a category of their own. I honestly can't think of an situation where sweatpants are a logical choice of clothing. They are not flattering. They are not fashionable. Really, they aren't even that practical. They're warm, so you sure as hell don't to wear them to work out. They're ugly so you don't want to wear them in public. Now, I know there are some of you in the MidWest saying, "Hey, it gets cold here and they keep me warm!" OK, you wear them in the comfort of your own home where no one else can see you and then you don't tell me about it.

4. Guys, don't wear v-neck t-shirts. I like men with chest hair, I'm just not into seeing it stick out of your t-shirt. Now, I live in Tempe with all sort of arty types who think this is a good fashion statement. I'm sorry boys, it isn't. Turn up your emo music and get over it. V-necks are for girls, sorry.

5. Guys, don't think you can rock tank tops either. If it is made by Hanes and comes in a three pack it is meant to be worn underneath something else. Unless you live in the south and are beating your wife while drinking a Bud and smoking a Marb red. Even then it still isn't expectable, it's more of a uniform. I'm sure you're thinking there are other kinds of tank tops. You're right, there are and they are all equally bad.

6. Don't wear sweatshirts without hoods. I hope I don't have to explain myself here.

I understand this isn't a very long list but it's a very important one. There are many more don'ts that come to mind, but most of these venture into the realm of style and I won't go there just yet. Beware that there will most likely be a sequel to this post, so stay tuned.

That Shit's Wack

Who didn't love 1994? Come on, it's the year that brought us Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction, and The Shawshank Redemption. Don't forget it's when we all became Friends, revisited Woodstock, watched intently as OJ got away with murder, and cried into our flannels over the loss of Kurt Cobain.

It is also the year the one of my favorite films of the year, The Wackness, is set in. You haven't heard of it? Unsurprising. It's an indie flick with lots of balls, plenty of old school humor, drug use and damn good music. Starring Ben Kingsley in one of the best rolls I've seen him in, it also features Josh Peck (apparently of Nickelodeon fame) and Olivia Thirlby (Juno's BFF). Mary-Kate Olsen puts in a pretty decent performance as a character I'd find hard to believe is very dissimilar from herself, aside from the dreadlocks. You'll also be pleasantly surprised to find Method Man as a Jamaican pot dealer.

The jist of the plot is that a high school graduate is struggling to make it through that last summer before college in NYC. To make ends meet he deals from an ice cream cart and trades pot for therapy. Naturally there's a romantic interest but the most important relationship is between Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck's characters. It's unpredictable, unconventional and funny as hell. One of my favorite lines from Kingsley, "Never trust someone who doesn't like dogs!"

I have to say though my favorite character in the movie: the music. How can you not love some early B.I.G.? Who doesn't crack a smile when they hear, "You, you got what I need, but you say I'm just a friend"? I certainly "don't see nothin wrong with a little bump and grind".

I'm not gonna lie though, I might have a slight bias towards this film. It made me incredibly nostalgic. It took me back to the days of my big brother Jake's discovery of rap music. He thought he was such a rebel and although I feigned disgust, I secretly loved all the cuss words. The summer of '94 was also the year my family road tripped to the east coast. Our trip included Philly, DC and NYC and I loved every minute of it. I remember the muddy kids coming from Woodstock and the energy of the city. It felt magical to me; like I was in a foreign country. I was an 11 year old girl from Wisconsin and the biggest city in America and it was the farthest I'd been from home, geographically and metaphorically.

So maybe my opinion is a bit skewed but how can you not love a film that reminds you of all of that?