You in Junior High years......??

[Jade]

I have heard that people go through "fazes" during those junior high years and 99.9% of the population, outgrows them, and looks back (and hopefully laughs).
I do voluneteer work with this particular age group and they never cease to amaze me.... their personalities, in my opinion seem so clearly defined and just "underdeveloped."

Then, I remember how I was and try to figure out whether or not I am the same in any way at all from my Junior High self...


Ah the memories (to name a few)..... me, a junior high student.... I thought I was such a rebel....hair sprayed my bangs, listened to "heavy metal," toiled papered a house (yes, guilty as charged {holding up right hand in confessional position}), wrote stupid love poems about guys that would never look my way, got ridiculously excited when a cute boy picked me up in the pool and threw me, told deep secrets for the first time to my best friend, had to wear a stinking uniform the first two years (private school), started my period, thought vanilla ice had the sexiest arm muscles in the world (remember when he would do those push ups across the stage?), tried to go on a diet, said a couple of things I wish I hadn't to a friend who looked up to me (really want to take that back), wanted to be older, and desperately wanted someone to kiss me.


(BTW: Anybody here .... "from the 80's"?? (metal/rock fans unite)I am going to go see Poison, Slaughter, and Dokken in concert Sunday.
Just had to share. )


So.....


***What were YOU like around the ages of 11-13?
***Are you the same now?

 

[Expertise]

I was an arrogant f@#%ing jock. Hard to believe that there is ANY reason to be that way, at that age. When I look back on it I was a tool. Fortunately I grew out of it.

I see a lot of me in some of the players I coach, and make a concerted effort to show them the error of their ways... my success is somewhat limited unfortunately.


Now instead of being arrogant I am omniscient and omnipotent and i'm feeling much better about myself

 

[Jade]

I was an arrogant f@#%ing jock. Hard to believe that there is ANY reason to be that way, at that age. When I look back on it I was a tool. Fortunately I grew out of it.

I see a lot of me in some of the players I coach, and make a concerted effort to show them the error of their ways... my success is somewhat limited unfortunately.


Now instead of being arrogant I am omniscient and omnipotent and i'm feeling much better about myself

Wow, someone actually confessing to that. I for one am impressed! That takes a lot of maturity to admit something like that. (The "cool" things and the positive things are way easier... as are the neutral things: like being shy).

Oh, and I just love coaches! Do you coach at that age level?

I feel better about you too Expertise. (hee hee... expert...tease)

 

[Expertise]

Didn't take any great amount of guts to admit that... I was a dick, fortunately I grew up.

Actually I coached Bantam hockey this year (14-15year olds). I love it, but the testosterone poisoning that occurs when you put 17 guys that age together can wear you out by the end of the season. Overall though it is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done and I wouldn't give it up for the world.

 

[Xander]

Age 11-13. I was a fuck up. Completely.
I was the one who was too small and too thin. Always the one getting picked on. Always had to fight off the stupid arogant jocks (no offence Expertise).
Excluded myself from the world in that period, and concentrated on my guitar instead.
Went much worse from age 14 to 20-21. But that's another story.

No I'm not like that anymore. Tho' I still have a wild side. And I still love to listen to heavy metal. yes Jade, also the 80's stuff. Though I have to go with early Metallica, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, suicidel tendencies and the such.
Now it's more Limb Bizkit, Guano Apes, Clawfinger and that kind.
But as for the wild side.....Anyone want's to go base jumping with me??

 

[Guest]

Jr. high in the late 80s...

Okay, to name a few memories....

~Aquanet hairspray
~2 to 3" bangs curled and sprayed "up"
~Keeping make-up in my gym locker since my mom wouldn't let me wear any
~New Kids On The Block (ducking and hiding!)
~Madonna
~Cyndi Lauper
~8th grade class pic (with the WHOLE grade in it)
~Bon Jovi concert
~First "real" kiss (french)

 

[Expertise]

Jesus Xander! Limp Bizket! Say it ain't so Xman, say it ain't so!

 

[~justin]

me in junior high... i still have some of the idiotic characteristics i had when i was in junior high. be warned, if you read too much further you may just lose any respect you may ever have had for me...

fortunately, i did manage to lose some of the idiotic ones, but, unfortunately, i also lost all of the good ones while i was doing it...

in junior high, i was really, really introverted. aside from a small group of friends in my school, and the couple of friends i had who didn't go to my school, it was me alone with my thoughts for three years. i was pretty sure that the world revolved around me and everyone else just didn't see it because they were too busy drinking and dating and doing other stuff that i had no particular desire to do...

so, what did i do with my time? read. read LOTS. also wrote a fair bit, but practically all of it was highly derivative of whatever i was reading at the time (in point of fact, i've only ever managed to produce two half-decent pieces of writing). and badminton. quite a bit of badminton. there was some drive and motivation there; there was one guy who used to be a friend of mine who was about as good as i was, and we had some rivalry issues... but i beat him a couple of times when it counted and that made me feel pretty good. i also joined the town swim team, and didn't make a total fool of myself (well, until grade nine with this girl on the team, but that's something else entirely. i meant that i can swim. )

through all that, of course, there was the piano.

it's kind of interesting, though. i didn't have any particular interest in much of anything besides my sci-fi and fantasy novels until the summer before grade nine. i knew a lot of people either didn't like me or didn't care about me, but, oddly enough, i couldn't find it in me to give a rat's ass... in fact, that's still true to a certain extent.

and man, was i ever mean to this one girl... i must've practically ripped her heart out her ass, and stomped on it some... but that didn't make me feel anything either, which, on reflection, is really, really weird and resulted in a fair amount of guilt once i actually developed emotions... well, i had emotions... they were just kinda stunted and not really all that well-developed. i mean, i thought i had it all figured out...

okay, so i'm ranting/venting a bit. sue me.

it's not like jr. high was this terrible thing. i didn't realize how horrible it was until i got out of it and went to high school. now that was something.

where was i?

...oh, right.

i had friends, and we had good times and all, but i don't think i really had any close, close friends until high school...

yeah, high school was the life. almost. of course, university (where i am now), is better in some ways, and worse in others, but on the whole i love it.

oops, this was supposed to be about junior high. well... this is already disjointed enough.

*poof*

 

[Expertise]

To quote the great Canadian group The Bare Naked Ladies

....I got a red and blue Adidas bag and a humungous binder,
I try my best not to look like a "minor niner"
Went out for the football team to prove that i'm a man
Guess I shouldn't tell 'em that I like Duran Duran...
This is me in grade nine baby yeah, this is me in grade nine...

 

[Xander]

Yeah, I'm sorry to disappoint you Expertise, but I dig Limp Bizkit. I think they're kinda good.

Give me a Dodge Viper, Manuel gear (It's a crime to drive a car like that without a manuel gear. A crime I tell you!) and an open moutain road. A Limp Bizkit cd on the stereo and I'll show you the full potential of hard music and hard driving. hehehehehehe

[Edited by Xander on 07-28-2000 at 02:31 PM]

 

[~justin]

i'm not a huge Offspring fan, but their music is the ULTIMATE for driving with.

 

[Patryn]

Oh god....

Like I haven't horked up enough horrible childhood memories this week.

I was the ugly kid. Acne runs in my family, so of course, I got it. A side note...it seems totally acceptable to have a face like a loaded pizza if you're a guy, but when you're a girl, it's, well, not. Anyway, I had it BAD. Anyone know what cystic acne is? We were too poor, my mom too drunk to take me to the Dr., so it just had to clear up on it's own. I heard "Wash your face, ugly" so many times I thought my name WAS Ugly for a while. And I did wash my face...constantly. It wasn't a fashion statement, but obviously they didn't see it that way. It's mostly gone now, and I don't have too many scars...guess I got lucky.

I did the big, foofy, crusty bangs thing too...but I think most Jr. High girls did. I never had the "in" clothes, so I, like Xander, was the one everyone picked on.

I had crushes on boys much too old for me, but that still didn't stop me from having crushes on them. What an annoying little twerp I must have been.

Am I like that now? HELL NO! I dress in what I like, listen to the music I like, and to hell with what anyone else thinks. I took it soooo hard back then if I got picked on for something, probably because it happened all the time, but now, I stand my ground on my right to think, feel and do what I want. I'm not heartless, but I do know I can be me and that's OK.

 

[Beebeeblue]

Oh my lord...

I spent those years in a christian school. I was the most dorky looking person then. My mom used to cut my hair for me, and she had given me one of those real tight curly perms like days before school pics. I slash every pic I come across from 7th grade. My father was the principal, so I could always get out of gym by complaining I had cramps. I had the BIGGEST crush on one of my brothers friends. He was so damn cute!!!!
I was innocent to what was going on in the world around me. Had a crush on the band Duran Duran. (YES, the whole band) Thot George Michael was too sexy. Wore the neon clothes. (remember the gummy shoes, bracelets etc???)

Ok, Ill stop here.

 

[RonG]

I was always one of those kids who was a lot more mature emotionally than the other kids so I was kind of an outlier. What I remember from age 13:

1) Driving my dad's Chrysler Newport around since he was too loaded to drive himself.
2) Music was Genesis (The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway).
3) Always being captain of whatever sport team I was on since I probably intimidated everyone else (I have a bit of a Type A personality, so I tend to end up taking charge to this day).
4) Spending a lot of time watching old movies on the late night shows.

In a lot of ways, I haven't changed. I have an aversion to alcohol due to seeing its abuse up close and personal. I still end up in charge a lot at work and I coach kids in sports. And I love old movies to this day. Give me Bogart over Tom Cruise anyday!

 

[Thumper]

YESSSSSS!

Have fun at the show Jade...it was great 'cept I was one of the few guys that still had the "hair". Took my daughter to the show(she is so cool) and some people asked if she was my "girlfriend"....that rocked.

Xander...did you get to catch Maiden on their European tour this spring? Hopefully I will get to see them in Cleveland next month...*praying real hard to the eye of Horus*

 

[Isabella Thorne]

I'm a Tarty Rocker 'n Roller!

Originally posted by Expertise I was an arrogant f@#%ing jock.

Mr. Prime Minister .. Sir i must insist on running any bio info by our PR department in the future before any more public statements are issued ... you have an image to uphold now sir ...

oh and bout the PM residence .. i was wondering if mick jagger left anything behind from when he was "dating" the young tarty maggie trudeau LMAO

... ooooo Timmy luv .. you say maiden are going to ROCK Cleveland ... interesting, eh???!!! i am so confused now ..

this is me in grade 9 baby .. this is me in grade 9 ...

BNL rock my world! ... and the ramones too timmy .. and springsteen .. and metallica .. and tom petty .. and alanis morrissette ... and the stones ... jimi hendrix ... marcy playground ... i know .. i know .. i am so fucking tarty when it comes to rock .. everybody says so LMAO

 

[Nexxus]

11-13 huh? Um, very plain. I did the whole "stage crew" thing (Guys and Dolls) and had a core group of three close friends. Stayed tight (till this day) with those three and they know all my skeletons (shudder!), but talk to me anyway.
I loved music and would hang out at the Sam Goody in the mall after my paper route (back when KIDS had paper routes).13 was the last year before I found the nerve to "date" and never looked back. That time period was a staging area for high school in many ways and I kind of miss the innocence anbd ignorance of it all.

Nex

 

[Skibum]

I was even more of a geek than I am now, which is pretty bad. I went through a phase where I thought Hubert Humpfrey was the next George Washington. Now I am a dyed in the wool conservative.

 

[Blues]

Wow Jr high.....Stage crew, baseball cards, Mets games (and they REALLY sucked), 1st girl friend, 1st beer, chess club, famous murderer (Ronnie Zamora...1st televised murder trial), really started to get into music (Floyd, Yes....learning the begining of Roundabout on guitar, favorite "new" artist Springsteen....Born to Run album, Led Zep, Beatles, ELP). Started keeping my hair long, and getting socially concious since Nam only ended 2-3 years before. Did lots of reading, frisbee golf, and exploring the world around me. Lots of good friends (at the time), some of my best years.

Oh yeah, and at least I thought I was cool (not sure what the rest of the world thought).

BLUES

People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin
When I say that I'm OK they look at me kind of strange...

J Lennon

 

[Rosebud]

Let's see...Jr.High.

I was a shy cheerleader. I got my first french kiss. I don't think that i am too shy anymore

 

[Merelan]

Why do I read these... and feel old?

 

[Jade]

I drove all niiiiiight..... (c. lauper)

Thanks to everyone who responded!!

To address everyone personally as they deserve.....



EXPERTISE:

Trust me, that took guts... there are still TONS of people around who aren't willing to admit that they treated other people like crap and might have affected their lives in a negative way (then again, perhaps you aren't admitting that much and I am reading too much into it all but alas... you admitted you were a jerk and that is good enough in my book!)

Funny you should mention your job again b/c the volunteer work I do is mostly pre-adolescent GIRLS!! Try hanging out with THOSE raging hormones in a small room all day!!! (nerves of still okay trust me on this one... my single bragging right! lol) But, they are the greatest.

XANDER:
So glad you had an outlet.. if you don't mind my saying... you sounded like a candidate for major depression, which can lead to suicidal feelings. I am SO SO glad that you had that guitar and you are soooo fabulous now!
And Yes about those later years, I DO very much remember the post you made about that and all I can say for now is (((Xander))) and at your wedding I will hug you in person too okay?

ONe final thing though .... about LIMP BIZKIT
I am certain I posted this on another thread but... they are total assholes. LOve their music all you want but trust me don't love them! My sister was a waitress at a hotel they stayed in last time they played in town and they didn't tip anyone and made HUGE messes and treated everyone like underlings.... like I said... HORRIBLE.. she used to like them and was so excited but now... haha no way!


TIGGS:


~Aquanet hairspray .... Yea baby!!!

~2 to 3" bangs curled and sprayed "up" HELL YEA!!

~Madonna YEP
~Cyndi Lauper VERY YEP... I loved especially "all through the night," "time after time," and "girls just wanna have fun..."

~Bon Jovi concert OH HOW I wanted to do that... I saw NELSON though!

~First "real" kiss (french) I would have really loved that! Lucky you!! WAs he any good? My first french kiss was when I was 17 and that guy nearly melted me right there on the street ahhhhhh just thinking about it!! AHHH!!


JUSTIN:


You sound like someone I would have hung out with at that time. I wanted to be on the swim team so badly but we didnt' have one!

Badminton is so cool... but boy do I suck at that stuff!
Good thing I play sports just for the fun of it!
(well, I tend to take running a little seriously but really I pretty much suck at that too lol).
ANyway no more Jade bashing for now! AHH...
So what happened with you and the girl on the swim team?
And what kind of stuff do you play on the piano?

Ever read Rob Jordan's stuff?



PATRYN:

OH wow, that sounds so aweful!!
Kids can be SUCH horrible assholes and a lot of it ( I hate to say it but it is true) when they are THAT mean is for two reasons:
1) their parents did a cruddy job at teaching them how to care for other people's feelings
2) they have to put YOU on the defensive end b/c at that age EVERYONE was worried about getting shit on and they sure as hell didn't want it to be them! So it was sweetheart people like you (and me) that took the brunt of their adolescent fury and fear.
Okay so yes I realize you are obviously over it all now and apparently an incredibly strong and beautiful woman but I just had to put in my two cents (as usual.. what is new right?)

YOu know what always was interesting to me though? It was like they always knew just that ONE thing... that ONE spot ... that horrific way to put together a few words into something that would hurt me so badly. They always knew somehow what was in me that could cause pain. HOw DID they do that I wonder?

I remember being like 10 pounds overweight and so some boys would say I was fat and make mooing sounds when I was around. Then, as a freshman in HS I lost about 20 pounds and they said I was anorexic.... and others STILL said I was fat! Then I realized.. I just can't please these people!



BEEBEEBLUE:

HAHA my mother tried to cut my bangs yet and did such a bad job I refused to go anywhere with my friends for over a week!! LOL
Yep, I TOTALLY remember the bracelets (had tons of 'em) and my mom wouldn't let me wear the gummy shoes b/c she said they would be bad for me feet and I was so crushed b/c I thought they were the coolest!
(pouting)



RONG:

1) Driving my dad's Chrysler Newport around since he was too loaded to drive himself.
OH geez that is really tough for someone that age to go through!
2) Music was Genesis (The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway).
Still love them!
3) Always being captain of whatever sport team I was on since I probably intimidated everyone else (I have a bit of a Type A personality, so I tend to end up taking charge to this day).
THat is a turn on (yes really)....cheesy sorry but ... anyway....
4) Spending a lot of time watching old movies on the late night shows. JAWS!!


AH another coach!


THUMPER:

HAHA that was so cool! I was WAY into long hair oh man I had a thing for sebastion (of skid row) and brett michaels of course!!



NEXXUS:

LOVE theater people... especially the guys!
I know what you mean about missing it sort of but really I just wish I could go back for a day knowing what I know now! AH, what I would do ... oooo spooky!



SKIBUM:

I don't think you are a geek at all!!
I was hoping you would have the patience to get my ass onto the bunny hill slope though......

BLUES:

Another thespian!

Fellow disc golf players unite!!!!!
Glad you thought you were cool! haha



ROSEBUD:

Girlie you are about to be a GURU my friend!


Man I am jealous... I wanted to be a cheerleader so bad!
(ashamed that I just admitted that! ... hiding in corner now...)

MERELAN:

Honey you are NOT old!
You are a little hottie just like the rest of us!

 

[CreamyLady]

Well, gee. I went from being an A student to an F student; seemed to keep my mother terminally pissed off; was blamed for her drinking; was offered to my father for whatever physical punishment he felt like inflicting on anyone; and disappeared into myself, all in one fun-filled year.

I don't know what I was like; I only know what I was going through. Sorry.

 

[Skibum]

Jade, anytime you want a lesson, I'll be around. Just keep your feet apart, toes pointed in, and your weight on the inside edges!

Anyone else want lessons?

 

[SimplySouthern]

Depends on what you are giving lessons in........