I’ve been "spicy" for as long as I remember. My tongue is an untamed BEAST at times, no wonder I say to (and pray for) my children daily "THINK before you SPEAK". Like most kids, I always thought I knew more than I actually did. I never fully understood how thinking I knew more than I did, when combined with my spice, might horrify those in my presence.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
V.D. For some reason, thinking about the initials of today’s holiday sent me reeling to the past–my Y Camp days–and oh! were those the days! Summer days, when the sun rose early and stayed up late, and the scent of sweat and pine was a collective perfume nothing bottled can match. When I close my eyes and linger, I can still smell 1975 and I smile and remember
t h e d a y s. A dining hall chock full of estrogen, with hearts young and younger scream- singing at the tops of our lungs "Violent Love" and "Just Plant a Little Watermelon on my Grave" and "Flea" and "An Austrian Went Climbing", and we never suspected there was anything really violent about the love because that didn’t exist in the 70s.
For entertainment, every night of camp had an activity where campers and/or counselors performed SOMETHING–Talent Night, Cabin Song Night, Imitate a Counselor Night, you get the idea. No televisions, telephones, mp3 players or gaming systems, and certainly no computers! It was roughing it but with the added luxuries of hot water, indoor plumbing and electricity.
This particular memory has to do "Commercial Night". Campers were to create a commercial for a product or service, real or imagined, and many girls simply parodied something already on the air. This was the choice Kimberly and I made, and thinking about it right now makes my hiney cringe (HT Ree). For those of you who have no idea what that means, it ain’t good.
Apparently, sexually transmitted diseases must’ve been a health concern in our area, there were a series of PSA radio spots that aired for some period of time. This must’ve been the year after 7th grade, the year we learned about syphilis and gonorrhea in our public school "health class"; remember this is the 70s, pre-AIDS, heck, even pre-herpes. A curable venereal disease was as bad as it got….
I was living in Athens, GA and Vince Dooley, coach of the UGA Bulldogs was iconic..a rock star…a god of mythic proportion. People worshiped football from cradle to grave and Dooley was the object of many an adoring fan.
I’m cringing again thinking about where I’m headed next…to this day, I STILL can’t believe we did this. And were PROUD of it…we thought we might WIN "Commercial Night".
Kimberly and I lifted the venereal disease PSA, changed a few words, added some choreography, and performed our entry for the night’s entertainment. In our minds, our little jingle rivaled anything Barry Manilow could do for Coke or bologna actually having O-S-C-A-R for a first name. It went something like this:
"V.D. is for everybodeeeey,
Not just for the feeeeeeeewwwwwww.
If you should get V.D.
Don’t call a doctor,
‘Cause Vince Dooley is for
Me and YOOOOOOUUUUUUU!"
…and then we did this little kick-jump thing and shouted in unison, "VeeeeeDeeeeeee!"
Needless to say, we didn’t win, place or show. At least we didn’t get kicked out of camp.
Ha, ha, ha, now I wonder why you didn’t win?
Tell us Robin what was good enough to beat your performance?
Maybe you should have done your little kick-jump thing without knickers on!! Sorry – I lowered the tone somewhat there! Aaahh!! The 70s!! Brilliant times!
LOL!
I’m from Athens, GA and we still *heart* Vince Dooley and everything DAWG in my household. My boys go to the YMCA as well but never to camp so I hope to never read about them doing this little “VD” number 😉
Eastside or Westside??
Beccy, I have NO idea! But I’m rather certain it had nothing to do with STD!!!
ERIK???? WHAT???!!! Good googlie-mooglie! We might’ve “caught” something if we went that route, and oh, yeah, I’m SURE we would’ve been sent packin’!
Suz…..CCHS!!!!
Why am I not surprised?
Happy Valentine’s Day! (Jer. 31:3)
My best friend’s initials, after marriage, are VD – she seriously thought about not changing her last name because of that!!! hee hee
Happy VD, Robin!!!!
You haven’t changed much.
LOL!!!!!
We HEART you, too, Robin!!!
Happy VD!! (*snicker*)
Heehee. VD. you said VD.
Oh,. my. garsh. I laughing so hard right now. great story! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Ah, innocence!!!
Heather, I dunno, why?;)
Thanks, emom :).
Pamela, is that a good thing or a bad thing?
I don’t blame her, Karmyn.
Susan, thanks…I needed that (really…needed).
Thanks, MaryMert, your comment made me h a p p y:).
Claudia, it really was…truly.
I was very amused by this LOL
ACK – boo CCHS 😉 GO CSHS!
Regardless, it’s a small world, isn’t it?
Glad to have found your blog – fun!
Bwahahahaha!
Chris, good! Although I cringe when I think about it, it makes me smile, too.
Ha, Suz! How’d you find me?
Jenny, man, I love your laugh :).
That’s awesome. The 70s must have been the decade of VD – I wrote about an article about VD in Sioux Falls in the 70s last fall. Aparently many girls were unknowingly spreading gonorrhea. I think your commercial was genius.
oh Robin, you make me so glad I went back to read the stuff I’ve missed
THAT IS AWESOME(and something I would have done when I was a kid-maybe someday I’ll tell you about the Pocahontas song….)!!! Thanks for linking back here to give me direction to a great post!