Saturday, February 16, 2008

Of Melungeons, Second Life and Polyester Pants


Okay ya'll, I'm late, but at least it's with a meme and not like... the kind of late that inspires you to knit booties.

I'm a little past that stage in my life.. although I hate to admit it.

Bobbi over at Almost There tagged me with this one and I'm embarrassingly late, so let's jump right in, kay?

The Rules:

Link to the person who tagged you.
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
3. Tag six random people at the end of your post, by linking to their blogs.
4. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
5. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

Here's my six:

1. As I child, I was forced to take lucky enough to have bowling lessons. That's right... bowling, of the duck pin variety. This was years before the banjo lessons.


See? That I'm such a hopeless geektard is not purely by accident.


2. My mama dressed me funny for my entire childhood. I wore polyester pants (with the seam up the front) with sweat socks and sneakers. The pants were never quite long enough. Yes.. I was that child. The Amazon says my slacks are still too short, but at least no one throws rocks anymore.


3. Ma also liked to give me home perms, lots of them. Oh and those damned Frost and Tip kits. They seldom turned out as they were intended. Once, while in the hospital for surgery, I was left sitting in the hallway, waiting for a test or something. A nurse told me she thought she'd misplaced me, that from the back I didn't look like a 12 year old, she thought I was an old woman, because of my hair.


Thanks Ma.


4. I grew up thinking I was basically of Irish/German decent with a little Cherokee tossed in. My dad was a terrible racist. It tickles the chit out of me that I've since learned that I'm more Melungeon (a dark skinned racial mix of southern hillfolk) than anything else and that it's mostly on dear old Daddy Bigot's side. Someday I'm going to get up the nerve to laugh in his multi-racial, prejudiced face.


5. I really am an honest to goodness inbred hillbilly. My Mamaw's mother and my Papaw's mother (on Dad's side) both had the same maiden name and were from the same isolated mountain community. I am allowed to make jokes about it but I get a little touchy if others do.


6. Although I've downgraded my account, sold all my land and shut down my virtual business, I still log on to Second Life a couple of times a week. It's a nice escape and I have friends I love spending time with. Living in a remote area like Frog Pond Holler, it's kinda cool to be able to log on to a virutal environment, hang out at the beach, go dancing or just loiter with friends. I'm Mahala Roviana on the SL grid, look me up :)
And there you have it. My six random quirky things. I'm going to break the rules a little and not tag anyone. If you want to grab it, go for it and let me know in the comments. I'll give ya a little linky love.
My intention is to come back later and tell ya'll all about my trip last night to Scary Hillbilly Town, but I'm not making any promises. I don't want Bah to worry over my salvation if life gets in the way again (see previous post comments.)
Ya'll enjoy your Saturday.
Later Taters!
PS: Just in case you were wondering, that's my Mamaw on the left in that picture, with her sisters and brother. There were more youngins after the baby you see there.

13 comments:

Mahala said...

I had the same young life it seems. I once asked for blue jeans and my mom bought me polyester pants that were made to look like blue jeans. She took me for a perm just before seventh grade and I came out with a bouffant. I ended up making her cut it all off making it so short I looked like I belonged in the special school.I was so misunderstood!

bobbie said...

I love your listed quirks, Mahala. And I don't give a hoot if you tag anyone else.

I have to admit, my oldest always says that I dressed her funny and cut her hair funny. I don't think I did, and the others never complained, but there you go.

I do love your blog. It's one I look for every day.

Me said...

I love old photos!!!

As for dressing funny... well, thank God I went to Catholic school and had to wear a uniform because my Mom hated shopping and we lived in a tiny little town with no retail. Once a year (August) she would order my brothers pants and shirts from the Sears catalog for school and I'd get a new white blouse. I wore the same darn uniform skirt from 2nd thru 5th grade and by then it was basically a cheerleading skirt. (SHORT). 7th and 8th grade we didn't wear uniforms so I was wearing the same ONE PAIR of jeans that I owned and they were high water (What cha waitin' for? A FLOOD? Bah ha).

Ugh.

Thanks for the horrible memories. LOL.

Me said...

PS: I also got the home perms. They ONLY looked good when my hair was wet. Once it dried it gained about 11 inches of frizz all the way around.

I never got the frost and glow... I would have considered you lucky. I had use the $3.00 Sun-In that turned your hair orange.

OMGosh that stuff was gross.

Mahala said...

LOL Crafty! I got one of those really short "special school" hair cuts once. I've not worn my hair short since lol.

Bobbie: The Amazon swears I did the same to her. I think it's just a mother/daughter thing :)

Meritt: Private school was the reason I always ended up in polyester. Luckily it wasn't Catholic school, but we weren't allowed to wear jeans. I was in private schools through the 8th grade.

KG said...

1. My mom permed my hair a ton of times, too. Each time, the result was that my hair would be dead straight the next day. She would repeat the perm attempt. I consider it a miracle I'm not bald.

2. I remember my mom dressing me in this button outfit. It was a jumper kind of thing with huge multi-colored buttons all over it. Sadly, photos have survived of the incident and they scare me to this day.

kenju said...

I've had home perms that would make you want to shave your head. I darn nearly did several times.

I love old pix and yours is neat!

poopie said...

I remember those hideous polyester pants all too well.

Rebecca said...

Geez, George. It was just a joke.

Mahala said...

Hot Mama: I always had my school pictures taken in those jumper things.. eck.

Thanks Kenju: I've got some more I may use later. I love old black and whites.

poopie: I think everything was polyester for a few years back then.

And yes Bah, I know. The Amazon nearly rolled out of her chair when I read it to her lol.

Jeni said...

Because my Mom insisted I had a "natural wave" in my hair, perms were never an issue when I was growing up. My hair styles generally consisted of either braids (pigtails) or those "rag curls" -the big long loops that hung down ya know. The schools I attended did not allow girls to wear blue jeans to school AT ALL and in cold weather, you could wear jeans or slacks under your dress or skirt, but they had to be removed as soon as you got to school. Yeah, this was back in the "dark ages" as my kids like to tell me.

Dianne said...

oh mahala - I'm having a back in time moment while reading here. and the comments are feeding the memories.

I had the polyester pants with the line up the front and they were made to look like blue jeans - double whammy!! and the line never fell straight cause my chubby knees would make it bunch up

and the home perms - my aunt would perm it til it turned to straw and then my Mom would get it cut so I looked like some sort of ghastly scarecrow with a freakishly large head.

please do post some more pics - Ethel and the kids is a beautiful shot.

Happy Sunday to all

newduck said...

My mom permed my hair ONCE. It was 1985. I'm still not speaking to her.

Also, her maiden name is Gonzales and she's from right near the Mexican border, but according to her father, we're "Spanish." As in, from Spain. Yeah, right.