Michael Jackson

Ok...I'll admit it. For the past 15 years or so, I haven't been much of a fan. But from Thriller to BAD...I was.

Obsessed fan is more like it. In 1984, I was 12. And I also sorta looked like a boy...braces, mullet...yeah, you get the picture. Rough years. But I was in LOVE with Michael Jackson. I had the signature glove, the trading cards, the albums, the sparkly socks, the posters..OH the posters!!! But nothing marks my adoration for the man like the one piece of memorabilia I still hold close to my heart.

My youth-sized Michael Jackson jacket. (See picture below)


This is a very special jacket to me. Let me put it this way. Any memories I have from my childhood are in one antique trunk in my storage unit. It contains scrapbooks, trophies, my letterman jacket, a crusty prom corsage and...my Michael Jackson jacket. I threw out my PROM DRESSES to make room in the trunk. But I could NEVER get rid of that jacket.

How I got the jacket is partly the reason why. (Pause for you to get tissue) 1984 is also the year my parents divorced. I was living in Michigan at the time, but my mother decided to move to Florida and I decided to go with her. This was a crushing blow to my father...we were the best of buddies my entire life. I think even at that age I was excited for change, and probably, more than anything, going to Disney World. So, that's why I went with mom. Well, the day came for me and my mom to leave for Florida. Dad drove us to the airport in Duluth, Minnesota, which was about 2 hours away. We arrived early and decided to walk around the Target near the airport. It was at this Target that I saw THE jacket. I pleaded and pleaded to have it...but, I had to bid the red pleather adieu.

Dad drove me and my mom to the airport. To this day, it is still the single most saddest and most difficult minutes of my life. Saying good-bye to my father was beyond difficult...I was leaving behind everything I knew. Finally, my father let go and I watched him fade away in the parking lot.

Mom and I went to our gate and had about an hour to kill. About 10 minutes before we boarded, I saw my dad appear through the doors with a bag in his hand. He fought back tears and said..."I really want you to have this." I opened the bag and it was my jacket.

That is why the jacket will always have a home in my memory trunk.

Sharon

P.S. Two months later I moved back home 'cause I missed my dog...and dad too. :)
P.P.S. My mom called me on Thursday and said.."Are you O.K.?" Gives you an idea of how many hours I spent in front of the TV mastering the moves.

A Day At The Office...I mean, Starbucks.

12:07 pm: Just watched trainee make a drink wrong, hand it over, and customer grimace. Interesting to sit so close and watch the chain of events when a drink goes wrong. Yes, I know how it works now...I live here you know.

12:50 pm: Yes lady, your breasts are visible to us all...thanks for making that unmistakably obvious.

1:11 pm: Rudest man on earth comes in. "I want (blah blah blah blah pretentious drink order) and if you have Pikes Peak brewing throw it out and make me this, I don't want that crap." Oh, hey, did you notice the line forming over here for our NICE customers?

1:23 pm: Megan IM's me about going to see the body exhibit thing at the Tampa museum. But it's like $30. Hmm...$30 to see dead people? Isn't the morgue free?

1:30 pm: Noticing that the Brits are very cheery folk. Polite and courteous. I'm a fan.

2:38 pm: Cliche adolescent boys enter. Do they have faces? I wouldn't know. Hair so long and so face framing, you'd think they were in some teenage witness protection program. Pretty sure one used a flat iron.

2:39 pm: One of the boys turned the corner. Skinny jeans are not flattering for the young boys who's little guys haven't dropped yet. Just sayin. In fact, skinny jeans are not flattering for the older ones either. No one wants to see that. Stop it. Rule of thumb: WWBPD. What Would Brad Pitt Do? Cause most ladies like. Just sayin.

2:50 pm: I love it when the Internet drops and you are typing a long IM to someone and they never get it and you don't know that. It's awesome, really. Thank you AT&T WIFI!

3:10 pm: Man stands unusually close to my table with his backside to me. He's chatting with two other folks and it's hard to NOT notice that every time he starts to speak he forcefully clenches his butt cheeks. Why? And why do I have to see this?

3:15 pm: Waiting for the hot-doesn't-know-I-know-he's-married-guy to come in and hit on me again. Can't wait to say to him..."Hey, Ring Tan, think your wife would like you canoodling over coffee?"

3:22 pm: Why do people shop at D.O.T.S.? #1 It's clear you do. #2 You can get more fashionable stuff for the same price at Old Navy. #3 And the size 4 does not fit your size 9 chest..fix that.

3:33 pm: Hades has landed. The nearly 100 degree heat wafts in every time the door opens. Can't wait to lick the sweat off my upper lip as I walk 4 feet to my car.

3:36 pm: Megan tells me that JWT needs a copywriter for their Nestle account. Chocolate and writing? Sweet. Attach resume and send!