Why is time going so slow?! Two minutes left before lunch… (Bell rings). Finally!
I throw my books into my light blue Jansport backpack and head out into the hallway. I had to meet up with Holly before lunch so we could do our trade.
“Hey.” Holly was unpacking one of her books and switching it out with one from her locker.
“Hey Holl. Did you bring it?” She promised me a week ago she would have it today.
“Yup! Do you have the butterfly hair clips? The black and pink glitter ones we agreed on?” She held out her hand.
I placed the hair clips into her hand and she gave me the shirt. A deep forest green, plaid button down. I had been asking her for it since the first time I saw her wearing it. Holly had the best sense of style. She wasn’t too grunge but wasn’t over the top girly either. You wouldn’t catch her with a Nirvana t-shirt on or one of the flowery babydoll dresses all the popular girls were wearing either. And she truly didn’t care what anyone thought of her. I wanted to have that kind of attitude to. This shirt was my first step to becoming more “chill.” And I would wear it open with a black tank underneath. 7th grade was going to be my year. I shoved the shirt in my backpack and we headed to the cafeteria.
That was my dream last night. I woke up this morning with an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. The dream was as vivid as the day Holly and I made that trade so many years ago. The 90’s were just awesome. And I can only laugh at how I thought a simple plaid shirt guaranteed my free-spirited 7th grade year. I spent most of my train ride in this morning reminiscing on all things I miss from the 90’s. Here are just a few:
- Overalls. It was totally acceptable to wear overalls to school. It wasn’t considered a “down on the farm” fashion choice either. It was a staple in many 90’s kids closets including my own. I still remember my faded blue jean overalls. They were so damn comfortable. And obviously you left one of the buckles unclasped. Pair it with a crisp white tee and some white Keds and you were good to go.
- My Tamagotchi. This was the iPhone of the early 90’s. Sure, you could only keep digital pets alive with it, but it was the best damn pocket toy to have. I have always been an overachiever. So my pet only died like three times. I still dream about that daunting skull that popped up when I failed at keeping my pup alive.
- Clueless. “Rollin’ with the homies.”
- My inflatable purple chair. Ok, let’s be real. There was nothing comfortable about those plastic bubbles. But they looked so awesome! And having one automatically bumped your cool meter up a few notches. Who cares that it rubbed your skin raw from the moment you sat down??
- My Discman. I know it is completely irrational that I would miss something that only allowed you to play one CD at a time and skipped every time you moved it. What can I say? I loved the simplicity of it.
- YM and Tiger Beat. Going to the grocery store with my mom was something I looked forward to because it meant I got to check out the latest issues of these iconic magazines. Occasionally, I would get lucky and mom would let me add one to the grocery pile. Jonathan Taylor Thomas’s face grazed one of those beloved copies I got to own. And how else was I going to read about all the teen heart throbs and teen celeb drama?!
- Crayola Mini Stampers markers. Literally the best addition to my Composition Notebooks.
- Dial Up Internet. Ok, maybe I don’t miss dial up. Lol. But there is something to be said about fighting for your turn at the desktop computer, clicking on the dial up button, listening to the dial tone of a phone number followed by the ear piercing beep/static noise, and having to wait a full four minutes before you actually reach the internet. After all of that, it took each page five minutes to load and images loaded in segments. You finally get to what you want to see and someone knocks you off the internet because they have to make a call. #Nostalgia
- The Velcro Ball Game. I could literally entertain myself for hours with that toy.
- The Goosebumps book series. Duh.
- Using the word Siiikkkkkeeeeeee!!!
- 90’s music. Mainly 90’s R&B. I listen to that shit daily still. I refuse to leave it behind. TLC, Missy Elliot, Montell Jordan, Ice Cube, Marcy Playground, Biggie, Tupac, Will Smith, L.L. Cool J, Naughty By Nature, Sugar Ray, Matchbox Twenty, Hootie & The Blowfish, The Fugees, Green Day, Blackstreet… I mean, I could literally keep going for days.
- Dunkaroos. Damn, that was my shit.
- Awesome TV. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (Heyyyy boo), Boy Meets World, Saved by the Bell, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Full House, All That, Clarissa Explains It All, Dinosaurs, Kenan and Kel, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Charmed, 90210, The Secret World of Alex Mack, Sister Sister, Step By Step… Again, this list could go on for days.
- A few other things: Balancing birds, folding notes to pass in class, Parachute Day, the school Book-fair, and Blockbuster.
- The overall simplicity of being a 90’s kid in a world without todays Internet.
Kids today will never know what it’s like to just be present in the moment they are in. I know that makes me sound old and bitter. That’s not what I am aiming for. But it saddens me that kids today will never know how magical things were before cell phones, laptops, and instant access to anything they want at their fingertips. Everything today is about instant gratification, the perfect selfie angle, and how they can achieve looking anything but their age. There isn’t a whole lot of innocence left.
I am so thankful I grew up during a time where it was ok that I didn’t look 25 at 14, or have to worry about the entire world being able to see every second of my day via social media. I’m happy I got to wear butterfly hair clips, Tweety Bird high-top Keds, and leggings with the feet straps. I love that I got to grow up in a time where if I wanted my favorite song recorded, I had to put a cassette tape in my Boombox and listen to the live radio and wait for my song to come on so I could hit record.
I guess I’m just missing the 90’s.
Xoxo Rebecca
The Slightly Spiked Latte 