NOTE: If you want to enter Diana Fox's agent pitch contest, enter here - the contest is open until midnight on Wed night. (If you include your entry on this post, it might get lost and not count.)
In Like Mandarin, 14-year-old Grace Carpenter would give anything to be like 17-year-old Mandarin Ramey -- the bold,
carefree wild girl of their small Wyoming town.
I love this book.
How many times growing up did you wish and wish you could be someone else?
When I was growing up, I always wanted to be like my mom.
I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true. Though, I'd never suck up my pride and tell her.
- She was tall and thin and petite. I was short with an athletic build.
- She had boobs. I didn't.
- She could play tennis. I could only play if it counts when the ball bounces off your head because you forget to swing. Though my dad made me keep trying.
- She went disco dancing with my dad every friday night. I could not dance if my life depended on it. Seriously, even Elane on Seinfeld dances better than me.
- I loved her hands - so soft and petite. My hands - scarred from being dragged by a dog.
- Her hair was blonde. Mine was mousy brown.
- She never tooted, burbed, or made any noises that were less than ladylike. Me - not so polite.
- She won 1st runner up in Ms. Palm Springs. I never won anything, especially not a pagent.
- She had thin arms and long legs. I had stubby legs that made a hydrant laugh and muscular arms that I was self conscious about until ---- 5 minutes ago. Ok so they still bother me.
- She looked great in tank tops. I did not (still don't)
- She got to see Elvis. I saw Kenny Rogers and Dolly Pardon in the Islands in the Stream tour. (uh - not the same thing)
- She is a summer color. Me a fall. Not easy to find in Florida because it is summer all year long.
- She used to sing in a local theatre. I was in the audience.
My mom was everything I wasn't.
And to add insult to injury, people used to always tell me I looked like my dad ------ um gee thanks.
When I was in high school - it was Appolonia from in Purple Rain. (Specifically, I mimicked her cool striped eye makeup.)
When I was in college, it was my best friend, Beth (also a petite blonde).
When my ex-fiance called off our wedding, I wanted to be ANYONE but me.
Now, I want to be (okay, write) like Kirsten. (because I could never look this cool in grass Yes that is her adorable author picture. It's so good, it makes you sick right? Oh yeah, and she's funny too.)
So don't let me embarrass myself alone and own my pitiful, let's hear it in the comments. Who's your Mandarin?
12 comments:
Awesome! Love your Mandarins. I had several - still do - people who always seem to have it all! :)
I totally snorted through out this entire post. I feel your pain. My Mandarin was my best friend. She had everything I didn't growing up and lived in a huge house. We're still friends and thankfully, with age and husbands, the playing field has leveled out for us.
My Mandarin has always been my older sister (www.thereignofellen.blogspot.com). She was artistic and funny and seemingly fearless. The funny thing is, I was probably her Mandarin in a lot of ways. I rocked at math. She had to have a tutor. She was always flying off the handle. I had an even keel.
Love this post! My mom was my first Mandarin. I was so jealous of her high heeled shoes and her boobs, and her hair, long and straight and dark, like Cher.
Thanks, Shelli!
That's awesome and unusual that you'd wish to be your mom as a teenager. I could not say the same. Casey and I posted ours on our blog yesterday.
Okay, where you living my life in secret? Because so many of yours fit mine to a "T"--I too had a beautiful mother who was tall, long-legged and elegant. Why, oh why, I used to wonder, did I end up with the short, stocky peasant-build? And don't get me started on the boobs...
Really, I'm kinda spooked. Thanks for a fascinating post!
Awesome! Isn't it great how we can see the best in others and want to be like them? I sometimes wish we could see those things in US, too.
You show we don't always leave that angst behind with out teens.
I had a good friend whose mother looked like a supermodel. And she had some of her mother, but was built like her dad. Your post reminded me of this. But we all have beauty because it's our souls that brighten our faces if we let it.
I wrote a Mandarin post too:
http://theresamilstein.blogspot.com/2011/03/effort-to-seem-effortless.html
I adore you. In fact, I'd like to be like YOU. You're kind and funny and relateable and you figured out Appolonia's eye makeup. I TRIED. I ended up looking like a raccoon. A purple one.
I love that you chose your mom! I think that's sweet. I was very high schoolish in high school (go figure right) and chose the homecoming queen.
Wanna know what's crazy? Yesterday I did my Like Mandarin post and she read it. Not only did she read it she emailed me to tell me that she was flattered and always thought I was sweet as well!! Crazy how that works isn't it?!
That was so lovely. I hope your mother reads your blog. My mom's my Mandarin now, but in high school I wanted to be like the pretty blonde girls that got all the attention. And Veronica Mars.
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