IT'S MEAN GIRLS APPRECIATION DAY
This occasion refers to the well-loved teen flick written by comedy genius Tina Fey, not those wretched girls you knew in high school who made fun of your clothes and now probably have an MLM "business." (No, Heather, I don't want to buy any essential oils. Stop messaging me on Facebook!)
I don't need a special day to appreciate that excellent movie, or to appreciate no longer having to deal with mean girls at school. Instead I get to deal with them on the internet; what a treat! Oh well, at least there's a block button. If only real life had that feature, especially when I was in high school.
Yes it is, Cady. That also means it's officially spooky season, huzzah!
(GIF via the Mean Girls movie, obvi)
(GIF via the Mean Girls movie, obvi)
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A few other things of note about October 3rds of yore:
• Born on this day: actress Neve Campbell, rapper A$AP Rocky, singer Chubby Checker, singer/songwriter Gwen Stefani, and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee
• It was on this day in 1992 that Sinead O'Connor famously ripped up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live. I miss the 1990s, when the scandals were positively quaint.
• On this day in 1955 ABC first aired The Mickey Mouse Club, a show that would go on to launch careers for actors and pop stars such as Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Keri Russell, JC Chasez, and Justin Timberlake.
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Alright! Scroll on down to learn a bit about fellow Boredwalk customer Mike! If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Monday email (and are a customer with some Boredwalk tees, tanks, hoodies, towels, bags, or books to show off), just reply to this and let us know, and we'll send you some fun questions to answer (along with our undying gratitude)!
We'll be back here in your inbox on Wednesday with some more random holidays to observe, historical tidbits to acknowledge, and fun links to entertaining content! Until next time...
Peace, love, and freedom from high school bullies,
Meredith
1. What's your actual day job and what's your dream day job?
I taught ninth-grade English for 30 years and retired just before the pandemic (whew!) but I was still too young to be retired (i.e., I needed an income), so now I work for a youth-serving nonprofit organization. Dream job? Yeah, I guess it's close. I get to set my own schedule, and I only go to the office twice a week. In my younger days, I dreamed of playing guitar in a heavy metal band, but I never learned to play the guitar.
2. What's your biggest pet peeve?
People who drive slow in the passing lane.
(Editor's note: you are singing my tune, my friend. Worse still is when you're trapped behind them and they are so oblivious to their surroundings that flashing your lights to give them a nudge is useless.)
3. What's a book you think the Boredwalk community should read?
Mine. It's called Dancing Through Graveyards with Ninth Graders, and it is about all the most absurd, infuriating, humorous, and ultimately hopeful experiences of my career. If you are a teacher (or parent or coach or anyone else who works with young people) but you have a dark side that scares your colleagues, you might like this book. (I always paraphrase Stephen King: "Although I look like an old man, I actually have the heart of a child...in a jar on my desk.") I also think The Constitution of Knowledge by Jonathan Rauch should be required reading for... well, everyone.
4. What's the most useful piece of advice you've ever received?
"Waste not want not." (My grandma, who lived through the Great Depression, used to say this all the time. As a kid, I inferred what it meant by the context in which she used it, but it has been true in so many other contexts throughout my life that it stands as the all-time most useful for me.)
5. If you could have any super power what would it be and why?
In superhero movies it's no big deal anymore, but it seems like the ability to fly (unaided) would be pretty cool.
6. You can curse your nemesis with a minor annoyance for eternity; what do you choose?
Being trapped behind themself in the passing lane.
(Hahaha, oh sweet irony!)
7. What is something you wish you could go back in time and say to your younger self?
It's harder to lose the weight than it is not to gain it in the first place.
8. Clear up a misconception (about your job, where you are from, some other topic you know a lot about).
Most current residents of Utah do not look like Mormon pioneers, nor do they have horns. Most.
(Not gonna lie; this is mildly disappointing news.)
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