One hundred and eleven. That’s what the thermometer on my dashboard read when I pulled out of the parking garage yesterday afternoon. And then my face melted off.
When we were kids, summer time was magical. I mean, except for the part where we had to get up at 7:30 to pull rocks and weeds out of the family garden. But mostly it was bare feet, running through the sprinklers and laying on the concrete driveway until you were warm and dry. Jelly shoes and bike rides. People, I don’t know much about the melting point of jelly shoes, but I’m pretty sure that if I’d been wearing a pair yesterday, they’d be a gooey mess on the sidewalk outside my apartment. And if my tastes in rubbery footwear is anything like it was back then, they’d be a sparkly turquoise gooey mess. Man, I loved those shoes.
(This is where one of those transitions I’m not bothering with would come in handy…)
You know what else I love? The Olympics. I mention this for my friend Margaret who is as obsessed with certain events as I am (gymnastics! diving!), and I’m afraid our friendship will suffer if I don’t publicly acknowledge it. So, let me say this loud and proud: When Mary Lou Retton graced the front of the Wheaties box in 1984, I lamented that we were a Cheerios family. At some point, I even had the Mary Lou Retton haircut. There’s a whole lot of lamenting that goes with that, too… but it was the 80′s. Mistakes were made. I have seen Stick It no less than three times. The quality of that film alone makes this shameful. Shamefully awesome!
I’m getting a little bit giddy just thinking about this weekend’s upcoming Olympic offerings. You know, maybe it’s because I lack the grace necessary to manage something as simple as a handspring on a trampoline, but nothing fascinates me quite like a kick-ass floor exercise. Well, not nothing, but this is summer, not winter, and we’re not talking about figure skating. Because if we were, I’d have to admit to having seen Ice Princess and both sequels to The Cutting Edge.
Straight to DVD, it happens for a reason.
I can’t believe someone besides me has seen all those movies – original Cutting Edge obviously awesome. How disappointed were you to find out in the third one that the couple from the second had gotten divorced?? They definitely could have made up a better excuse for him not being in the movie… gave me serious doubts about the endings of every other romantic comedy I love.
Right? She was so freaking bitter in the third movie, too. Ruiners.
Toe pick.
I had the turquoise sparkly Jellies too – LOVED THEM! And I tear up at every Olympics Opening Ceremony. The athlete’s hard work, the family’s sacrifices, national pride – it gives me hope.
Ugh, it was equally as hot here in Nashville, my sunglasses fogged up when I got into my car yesterday after work! I wish we were still young enough for jelly shoes. My friend’s daughter has a pair and I wanted to slip my foot into it just for nostalgia.
Ha! I just laughed out loud when I read “Toe pick”. I think that’s the one line us girls seem to quote from this movie. It’s the first thing I thought about while reading the post above.
) Oh…and jelly shoes… :::sigh:::
WOW…1984!!! I graduated high school that year and I remember those jelly shoes!! I don’t know what the *&%$k we were thinking as far as fashion was concerned back then but, I remember…. the shoes, the hair, the Games! Great year
Thanks, Fish for a brief trip down memory lane.
Go Team USA!!!
Uhhh, the Texas heat? I SO UNDERSTAND YOU NOW!!! I’m back in California now, but I’m certain I left a portion of my nose in just outside the Dallas Northpark Mall. Just melted right off…just like your face!
Since you mention having had a family garden, your love of summer (the magical childhood kind, not the omigosh-it’s-so-f’ing-hot-and-if-we-don’t-get-some-rain-soon-we’re-all-going-to-wither-away-to-nothing kind of summers we “adults” have now) and your love for the Olympics, I have to ask…. do you have the same fondness and necessity to snap green beans while watching the summer Olympics?
No matter where I am, if I watch the Olympics–especially Summer Olympics– a little piece of my childhood floats back and gives me warm fuzzies. BUT an even larger pieces floats back if I’m snapping green beans while I watch them. That’s how my childhood went down. It didn’t seem magical at the time, but it definitely was.
Totally with you on the summertime…both the picking out rocks and weeds oh so early in the morning (How I lamented that we had the largest garden in the neighborhood) and the sprinklers and laying on cement.
PLUS! So totally excited for the olympics! I love the gymnastics, plus also the track. Yay track! Totaly clear cut winners, able to say “neener neener neener, I ran faster than you!” Except they don’t, because they’re more mature than I am.
The Cutting edge was mandatory viewing in my group of girls. And as for Stick It, I may have actually paid to rent it On Demand. More than once.
I’m out of town this weekend and actually Tivo’ing the opening ceremonies. Because I am an uber-dork from dorktown. And I need to see all the tragic inspiring stories about each and every athlete. Who knew that was the answer to getting me to tune into a sporting event?
I, too, have a ridiculous obsession with the olympics. Also, you should watch Nadia.
Jelly shoes rocked…in the 80s! Mine were pale blue and sparkly. Jealous of your turquoise! I have no such affinity with this decade’s version – and paying money for them?…kinda a ‘croc’. I’m glad it’s not just me who watches those movies. Yay, Olympics time
It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. Riiight, the humidity is what’s going to make my car say 110 when I get to it this evening, and I don’t even live in Texas.
And I still like Stick It. I’m amazed at myself that I haven’t bought it yet. Glad to see I’m not the only one.
I bought a new pair of snazzy red jelly shoes this year! More for nostalgia than anything, especially after one wear when I remembered the “breaking in blisters”. Ouch.
Re: the Olympics…did you catch any of Trampoline 4 years ago?? It looks SO fun. Worth DVRing.
“She got her GED when she was 15.”
“What does drunk driving have to do with school?”
Just saw it the other night.
I have seen all those movies!! They are awesome and horrible. And that makes them even more awesome. I am so glad I’m not alone!!!
Please tell me you’ve seen American Anthem, starring Mitch Gaylord. It’s the best gymnastics movie ever.
Yeah, you can’t really follow-up one D.B. Sweeny.
Hm. The Olympics? Seriously? Okaaayyyyyy. Not my cuppa tea, but …..since I did not know there were any sequels to “The Cutting Edge,” maybe I can watch them instead of the Olympic games (which to me seems like just one more endless reality show we don’t need), in addition to “Stick It,” which I wanted to see but didn’t.
As for Texas summers, all I can say is “air conditioning.” That was how I made it through junior and senior year in high school (not to mention my first year and a half at college). We were still of the “Candies” era, so jellies were a little later….. And I was always bummed because I had big feet, and they didn’t make Candies in my size!
A girl after my own heart! The Cutting Edge? One of my faves! And I’ve seen all the cheezy sequels too.
I love the fact that your comments page is like a support group for those of us who have watched both CE sequels. I also saw Stick It in the theater. I love having girlfriends who love the same cheesy movies I do!
LOVE the Olympics, so amazing to see what the athletes can do. Though, as a man, I have to admit a certain fondness for women’s beach volleyball. I don’t just watch for the “uniforms” though, I read the articles too.
How about American Anthem? Cheesy gymnastics fun starring an actual Olympian.
Yes, I love the olympics especially if I get to see an obscure sport. And my face and ass have melted multiple times so far this month and it just started! This is the hottest I’ve ever experienced in Dallas.
Ahhhh, jelly shoes! I loved ‘em! Had a pink sparkly pair, a clear pair, and a very pale blue sparkly pair.
It took at least an hour for the lattice work on mine to wear off of my feet!
I realize that this post was more about the Olympics than the jellies — but your mention of those shoes brought back memories of those crazy 80s and the fabulously horrible fasions — with jellies probably topping the list.
How crazy is it that those fashion trends are re-surfacing? I just saw an internet store ad that featured real, honest-to-God stirrup pants, the ones with the strip of material that goes around the bottom of your foot!
If only I had the body and courage I did 20 years ago! LOL!
duh. jelly shoes, feathered hair, the “madonna glove,” and my yellow banana seat bicycle rocked. back off.
There are TWO SEQUELS to “The Cutting Edge”?!
‘spose I know what my weekend plans are.
The segue is clear. Summer… summer games… Olympics. No?
I had never seen Stick It until it came on late one Friday night a couple of weeks ago. My boyfriend and I couldn’t turn it off. As much as our college educated, documentary watching, NPR partial brains told us to flip the channel on that abortion, our hearts were in it till the end.
I love the Olympics! And wanna know a secret? I cry at them. I cry during Opening Ceremonies because I’m so moved. I cry when they do those promos and intros about the background of the athletes. I cry when they win medals. I cry when they don’t win medals. I cry at Closing Ceremonies because its over.
Ahh… I love it.
My favorite Dallas weather ever: Winter storm warning when it’s 92 degrees.
I too am a devout Olympics fan… I love Gymnastics & Swimming (of course!), but always I find myself getting into random sports.. suddenly I become a huge archery, or BMX fan. Fun!
For someone who likes Stick It (yes, I have seen it too!), you would love my favorite childhood movie… Nadia! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087774/
http://www.faniq.com/blog/Video-Beijing-Olympics-Perfect-10-In-Gymnastics-Isnt-Exactly-Perfect-Blog-10787
I so *heart* American Anthem & Mitch Gaylord. So much so that I was tempted to buy his new infomercial product. Don’t even remember what it was, but it was Mitch Freakin’ Gaylord – need I say more.
I’m with MTina. I was glued to the tv for the 1984 men’s gymnastics. I too loved Mitch Gaylord. I actually had a magazine adverstisement of him. I hung it in my school locker. His picture with the words: “A hard man is good to find.” Yeah, nuff’ said there…
Jellies were icky…maybe it was just me, but my feet would get sweaty and then the sweat combined with the dirt on my feet from wearing shoes with holes all over them would form a dirt/paste substance. Not very cute. And on the Olympics, I am like Katie… I cry the whole damn time. Oh man, I tear up just thinking about opening ceremonies, especially watching the smaller/poorer countries’ athletes and seeing how proud they are, and imagining just what a struggle it prob. was for them to get there… oh geez, I’m tearin’ up already
I love gymnastics too!!!! I had the Mary Lou haircut too.
HEY! I loved “Stick It”….and I too, am a gymnastics addict. Except for me, it wasn’t Mary Lou Retton, but Dominique Moceanu.
But that stick it man…quality. ha.
we should be boycotting these game…
I am proud to say I never succumbed to the jelly shoes. Big hair, giant hoop earrings, and gallons of aqua net, perhaps, but never the jellies.
As for the Olympics, I’m all about gymnastics and volleyball.
Toe pick! Toe pick!
LOL I can’t believe you’ve seen BOTH sequels! I loved The Cutting Edge, so gave the second one a chance – it was painful! They didn’t even have the original pair to play the parents!!! Awful!
Speaking of Texas heat, I live in Uptown and recently got a job downtown. To avoid paying for parking, I’ve decided to walk to work. It’s not so bad in the morning (except for the risk of turning into roadkill – have to cross Woodall Rodgers!), but I’m a puddle of sweat when I get home in the afternoon!
Toe pick!
I haven’t figured out why yet but I hate sad movies, so I like to have a good cry over sporting events.
There was a time I wanted to be an Olympic diver (never mind those OTHER competitions!). And I couldn’t even dip my foot in the deep end. Ahhh the glory of televised sports! I also tear up during the Olympics opening, closing, and medal ceremonies. Don’t even get me started on the national anthems! *sniff*
P.S. Jelly shoes rock!
This year’s opening ceremonies have got to be the best ever. I mean … daaaaamn!
I, too, watch lame moves over and over again. I think the ever optimistic 5 year old in me (that also wears and loves the jelly shoes) hopes that if I watch it enough times all the sudden it will become an amazing, Oscar-worthy production that I don’t have to hide behind all my other DVD’s. I’ve watched Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights at least 5 times and sadly the acting nor the story line have gotten any better.
Oh dear! You really should edit your post!? Your statement appears to suggest Cutting Edge 2 and 3 are worth anything more than providing something to throw against the wall after you’ve stubbed your toe. And that’s coming from a guy that will allow Cutting Edge to be listed among my favorites of all time. Seriously. Do you think I don’t take a bit of s**t for admitting that?? (There, I’ve filled my quota of superfluous punctuation.)
The Opening Ceremonies were unbelievable as long as you didn’t put undo pressure on your cranium by actually listening to Costas et.al. Drinking every time you hear ‘courage’ or ‘pride’ makes it even better, but the best had to be those country running Texans (I use that term loosely and don’t hold it against Texans tooo much) both checking their watches at the same time. ‘Why didn’t anyone tell me there were this many countries? I’m the damn president.’
My parents also enlisted my sisters and me to pull weeds. HATE IT!!
After leaving Dallas last year to move to NYC, I am so not missing that killer heat. NYC definitely has more humidity than Dallas, but it doesn’t come close to that unbearable, almost unbreathable heat. I try to explain to my new friends up here how you don’t even go outside, but it’s hard for them to comprehend.
Also, I am loving the Olympics, too!
yay!!!!! i also loooooove watching figure skating, gymnastics, and diving in the olympics. everything else is kind of….all right, but not as fun. i think it’s because those three are the closest to art out of all the olympic sports. the athletes who do these sports are more like dancers to me. i love watching those routines!!