SHE SAID: The 1990s

The 90’s.  I entered them wearing scrunchies and pinch rolling my jeans and left them partying in a remote cabin in Northwestern Mass since we were all paranoid about celebrating New Years in a populated place and being decimated. The years 12 to 21 are pretty defining in a young lass’s life, and I had the fortune to spend mine cruising through the 90’s.

1990: My parents switched me to a new school, a private school, and dressed me for my first day in a floor length animal print jumper and a white turtle neck (my mother insisted on outfitting me in animal prints way past when it was socially acceptable to be wearing them) I attempted to salvage the outfit by pairing it with teal blue Converse high tops.  It took me months and months to rebound from that faux pas.

1991: I buy my first cd.  Unfortunately it’s Paula Abdul’s “Forever Your Girl”.  I go shopping in the summer and see that the GAP is no longer pinch rolling their manikin’s jeans and have an internal celebration.

1992: Behind the 8-ball on this one, I purchase Nirvana’s Nevermind and Pearl Jam’s Ten.  I now own three cd’s and consider throwing out Paula, but then my collection would be a third smaller.  I keep Paula.  Later that summer my friend Jill and I spend a month with my family in Nantucket.  Jill, being a gorgeous blond, has guys flocking around her and tolerating her awkward brunette friend (that’s me) and one of them scales the side of our house after curfew to try to get a few extra moments with Jill.  My father catches him and my curfew is set at 9:30pm.

1993: My nieces are collecting Beanie Babies and refuse to take the tags off because it will diminish their value.  I have my first kiss.

1994: Buffalo Bills lose their forth Superbowl in a row.  My boyfriend is playing Doom non-stop and has a CompuServe email address that is a series of numbers strung together ie: 3582745654t23244513259773@compuserve.com.  We all think it is incredibly cool.  Sherryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do” plays on the radio non-freaking stop and all I wanna do is make it stop.  My brother and his friend go as Tanya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan for Halloween.

1995: I attend my first Dead show in Highgate, VT only because my older brother convinces my mom and dad that the Dead are anti-drugs.  That August, Jerry Garcia dies and I shave my head, but those are unrelated events.

1996: I attend a Dave Matthews Band concert and am beyond mildly obsessed with Oasis and their front-man and resident bad boy, Liam Gallagher.  My younger brother and I go to see the Bevis and Butthead movie in a theater while visiting my father in London.  We giggle the entire movie and I don’t recall hearing a Brit laugh throughout the entirety.

1997: Over Liam Gallagher, I unintentionally insult Ben Folds while waiting in line at a deli and he graciously offers me backstage tickets to the show he’s playing that night.  I become a fan.  Underclassmen are still allowed to drink on campus where I attend school.

1998: The last Seinfeld episode is aired and I feel robbed.  Lou Merloni plays for the Red Sox and my mother, mishearing the fans calling his name, is confused as to why the fans are boo-ing him.  Saturday Night Live relishes in the Monica Lewinsky scandal and briefly stops sucking.

1999: Underclassmen are no longer allowed to drink at parties at my college and binge drinking skyrockets.  Prince’s song is finally applicable.  I get my first cell phone, a Nokia.  The Sopranos and Jon Stewart initiate the salvaging of television.  I finish the year, as I mentioned before, partying in a cabin in Northwestern Mass.  Right before the dropping of the ball, someone puked and accusations flew.