Junior High Jitters

Sorry I keep screwing around with the 'skin' of my blog. That's blog speak, I guess. For all two of you that read this, I just want to make a good impression.

Tomorrow, my daughter will enroll in junior high, even though she's a 6th grader. What do I tell her? Do I tell her how crappy junior high is? That nothing fits together, that taking showers in front of other girls is the pits, (was for me, I had the figure of a pencil and I compared that to Marilyn Monroe types); that that first crush is a 'crush' because it hurts, when Caroln Koca danced with Kurt McCann and I got stuck with some guy named Todd.... that the lunches were awful, that there were good teachers and bad teachers, and sometimes your friends loved you, sometimes they didn't.

What I can say about junior high, is that I began to come into my own. I discovered how much I loved to write, and how much I loved to read. I discovered music, drama, politics.... and the school was big enough to find others that had similar interests. That was nice and that was a relief. I remember writing an editorial in the school newspaper about decriminalizing marijuana .... I was in 8th grade and boy, I got in trouble. The principal didn't want it published. I yelled 'censorship!' What I really wanted was to impress the editor, a very cool guy named Dana, who was so cool. I didn't know a fig about pot except what my oldest sister Ann had told me. But, I felt passionate about it. And then there was the big uproar over the James at 15 episode. James at 15 was a television show about a guy named, you guessed it, James, who was, you guessed right again, 15. The episode in question involved James losing his virginity. This was groundbreaking television and it didn't hurt that Lance Kerwin the actor was a hottie. I'm sure he's done time by now. Anyway, the local television station in Topeka, the NBC affilate chose NOT to air it. Too controversial. Man, I was hot about that. Little nerd that I was, that lit a fire under me.

And so, a surprise to myself as much as everyone else, I staged a petition drive.... I got the signatures of at least 200 junior high students, I went into the principal's office (remember, a principal is a 'pal') and told Randy Walker, the principal, that I wanted to present the petition to the television station. And, he said, 'no'. No? Huh? No? It WAS censorship! Like 15 year olds in Topeka didn't screw. I sure didn't, not yet anyway, but like us watching it, we'd all become pervs and attack one another, rampant sex, everywhere.... but, the guy really put pressure on me NOT to go with it. That was a defining moment, that I had to stick up for myself.

So, for about 30 seconds, I was pretty cool. The spooky girl with glasses that played a mean flute, was ok. And, I gained a bit of credibility. I guess that is what life is all about, gaining even a sliver of credibility. And, we take what we can get. But, do I tell her this? Probably not.

Junior High was a very weird time. But, I don't know that I'm all that different now. I'm certainly still a nerd to some extent, I don't enjoy undressing in front of more shapely women.... and I would still protest an episode not being aired on my behalf.

I found a letter I had written to myself back in 9th grade, one of those exercises where you write to yourself, and you are to read it in, like 10 years, whatever. I thought that 'living in New York, and being a writer and being in love with a jew' would be cool. Huh? A jew? What does that mean? I sure got a kick over that.

My best friend then, is still my best friend now. Lori. Lori was conned into walking to school with me, because her mom felt sorry for me, thinking I was some poor girl.... pathetic. Anyway, she had a bit of a reputation. I had her in P.E. and she was a real smart ass. I would just cringe at some of her smart ass things she'd say, but, I liked her, too. And, amazingly, she became my friend. And, we have been best buds ever since. My god, I've known her for..... 30 years Good lord. She still annoys some people, but, she is the smartest woman I know and a person who Knows Rose. She knows me, warts and all. She can put me in my place in a second. And, I can do the same to her, too. We would wonder, was she Rhoda and was I Mary? Was she Lucy, to my Ethel? Would she be married to Lindsey Buckingham, or would I? But, I know one thing: she wanted to marry a Jew and live in New York, too. Maybe I won't tell my daughter about junior high. Good lord, her best friend now is...... god help us all.