I am getting close to the end of the rewrite of what might be called LOOMING DANGER. There are always surprises as I fill out the characters. It feels like they somehow exist on their own by now and have their own thoughts. One of the characters, Doris came to the yarn retreat to get a change from watching her retired husband watch TV all day and ask what was for dinner while he had breakfast. She is glad to be out and about and get dressed up for the Saturday night dinner at Vista Del Mar. She says that her husband whose attire is either sweatpants or baggy shorts with a ragged T-shirt doesn't get that he's her scenery.
Okay, I admit that while Doris said it, it is something I think about. It's why I like graphic T-shirts with fun images. Also why I get dressed first thing in the morning. It makes me feel together, but also gives off a cheerful impression to everyone here that I am looking forward to my day.
I am fascinated by looking at how people dress and what it tells me about them. We were stopped at a Starbucks on the way to Disneyland. It was late afternoon and the local high school had let out and the kids were walking through the parking lot and some came into the Starbucks. I was curious about their clothes and what the style was. If it reflected how they feel, then they were a joyless bunch. The two boys who were came into the coffee place were dressed in baggy dark clothes. Their hair was long on top and sort of fluffy. They had drab backpacks and a slouchy demeanor. I watched the other kids going through the parking lot and they all looked about the same. Even the girls wore baggy clothes the color of storm clouds.
On the opposite end of things, seeing little girls in princess costumes at Disneyland always makes me smile and think about how I imagine they feel dressed as Belle or Cinderella.
9 comments:
Happy Friday, Betty! I can't wait for your new books to come out. I think teen fashion are fads sometimes and not necessarily a reflection of how they feel. Remember the colorful days of the 80's with the neon clothes and accessories? The good old days! However, as another view, the world can feel pretty heavy right now and lots of people are struggling, so maybe it is a reflection of how those teens are feeling. For myself, I prefer watching older sitcom shows from when the world felt lighter and all problems were solved within the 30 minutes of the episode. For my clothes, when I'm not working and don't need to wear office clothes, it's all about comfort! Usually leggings and soft colored front buttoned shirts over a brightly colored tank top. Have a great weekend!
Good morning -- People-watching is great fun. The way some dress to be out and about amazes me -- oh, for the days when going to The City, which was San Francisco, meant getting dressed up -- even wearing jeans wasn't allowed. My grandson is 16 -- the clothes he and his friends wear are usually on the baggy side and they all seem to prefer gray, brown, black. Thank goodness it doesn't seem to affect their mood as they are a fun-loving bunch. The skimpy clothes the girls wear to school seem very inappropriate to me but no one seems to mind.
I continue with my crocheting -- about two-thirds done with a cross stitch pattern blanket. I have a lot of patterns but tend to make about eight of them over and over -- with different color combinations, they always look different.
Your comment about Doris saying her husband wants to know what's for supper as he eats breakfast reminds me of my own darling Dan. He liked to have a menu for the week posted in the kitchen -- said he liked to get his taste buds ready for the day!! He retired five years before I did but he was busy every day -- he was the sort of person who could do most anything, and if he couldn't do it, he knew someone who could. Everyone in our little Texas town loved him. He's been gone almost 27 years.
Lawn guys are starting their noise -- I'm glad when they start early so they are, hopefully, done by my afternoon nap time!!
Enjoy your day and your weekend.
It's always fun when characters start to develop personalities on their own and tell us how to write about them, Betty! And I definitely do wonder why various people choose what they decide to wear--not that I'd ever ask them.
Sharon, I hope you are right about the clothes not reflecting how those kids felt. But being a teenager has always been difficult and maybe worse now thanks to social media.
The 80's were fun and had lots of color. You sound like you dress like me. Leggings are the best! I always watch a few minutes of Fraiser before I go to bed so I fall asleep with a smile.
Patty, I chuckle to myself about the old days when I wore white gloves to when I went downtown in Chicago. There were more rules of fashion in those days and people followed them. I'm glad your grandson's color choice doesn't reflect how he feels. I don't like what the girl's are wearing now. And the stuff women are wearing to award shows--beyond trashy. I prefer elegance to skimpy.
It's great that Dan did so many things when he was retired. Good for you that you could come up with a week's menu. It's all serendipity around here.
Enjoy your nap!
Linda, I wouldn't ask them either. But I have a good time conjecturing.
As an elementary school teacher I always wore skirts or dresses to work. When I started that was the unofficial dress code. Towards the end of my career pants and jeans were more acceptable and I opted for the comfort of jeans because I was always on the yard with my kids and I also got down on the rug with them in the classroom. It was just easier and more comfortable. Now that I am retired my outfit is a pair of jeans and a tee shirt from my vast collection of tee shirts from my life. It's like wearing my life story.
Miriam, I so agree about the T-shirts being a life story. I wore one the other day that I got at Hotel Coronado in the early 90s. I started thinking about different times I have worn that shirt and moments of my life the shirt witnessed. Other shirts inspire memories from where I got them and what was going on at the time.
I'm always amazed when I see teens here in Florida dressed in hoodies and sweatpants when its 90 degrees outside. How do they not fall over from heat exhaustion?
Is your next book available to pre-order on Kindle?
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