speghetti arms

that was the summer of 1987. when everyone called me nelle and it didn't occur to me to mind. that was the year president reagan had prostate surgery, before nirvana, when i couldn't wait to become a doctor, and i thought i'd never find a guy as great as my dad. that was the summer i watched dirty dancing.

actually, by the time it was released on vhs (which i had to wait for because bishop slavens wouldn't bring it to the theatre...scandalous) school had already been in session for a few months, so maybe technically it was fall. i was in the 8th grade when it was released. my dear, sweet mother checked me out of school early and i rushed home to watch it. i watched it 4 times that day. it was even better than i had imagined. i knew that if i watched it over and over i, too, would become the awkward girl-turned dancer. i still don't know why that didn't work.

i really loved patrick swayze. i had one full wall in my bedroom dedicated entirely to his photos, which i searched for in my teen beat and 16 magazines. i loved him. i was a full-fledged, official member of his fan club. i had seen the outsiders and red dawn far too many times to count, and don't even get me started on the north and south mini series. i'm getting a little teary eyed just thinking about that. i knew that i would just die...die.die.die. if i ever really got the chance to meet him. i never did get to meet him in person, that will have to be a joy reserved for heaven.

of course my favorite moment was when he and chris farley performed the chippendales dance off on snl. i laughed so hard i cried. i can't believe he's gone...like the wind through the trees. i loved you patrick!

***i think i need to add something....i realized after a couple of years that patrick swayze was not the ideal idol. i always had a fond recollection of my insane time as his fan, but once point break was released, i had moved on to bigger and better celebrity crushes.***