She is the modern-day equivalent of Mama Rose from “Gypsy”.

Oh gawd, now I’m going to have that ‘57 Chevy jingle in my head for days. It was one of those tunes that embedded itself into my 9-year-old brain every commercial break during Saturday Morning Cartoons & the Disney Afternoon, and has yet to vacate that bit of gray matter...

I was not a Barbie gal, but I was absolutely dressed up in the official Dream Glow Barbie Halloween costume when I was 4. Why? BECAUSE GLOW-IN-THE-DARK STARS!!! (I left the stupid blonde smiley mask with the tiny breathing hole that everyone couldn’t help but put/scrape their tongue in at home. I was quite happy with…

The Rules of Attraction was on tv the other day & it reminded me that I wholeheartedly agree.

That set of pics is glorious. In almost every one I saw something I also got for Christmas or my birthday (including some of those pajamas). I’m also glad I’m not the only one who fell victim to Mom’s Curling Iron Applied To Very Straight Bangs. And I’m totally jealous of the one girl getting Christopher Pike novels…

I wasn't allowed Lego as a child. I'm making up for that now as a 34-year-old with a tiny bit of disposable income & a fierce Marvel/DC/Star Wars fandom.

Banana-seat bikes & dad-whistles at dusk? Are you me??

My Butterbear doll from The Wuzzles was my favorite stuffed animal when I was 4. I loved her EVEN MORE THAN RAINBOW BRITE (which was a *huge* deal to me). My little sis managed to get into the bathroom next to my bedroom one day & tried to flush her down the toilet, so my mom had to toss it. I was so terribly…

Let’s see, I only remember a few...

Damn skippy. I’m from & live in Texas (though I’m liberal as hell & worship Our Lady of Badassdom Saint Ann Richards, despite being raised by conservative Southern Baptists), and I preach that same message. Look, I know that the state as a whole will likely not vote the way I do, that even my congressional district is…

Elmo has never had a moment that has made me get misty or shed tears. However, things like this were common in the pre-Elmo-dominated era (and still cause tears to well up):

Some of my favorite early-childhood memories involve my grandpa reading this to me. He’d vocally act it out & act like he was physically struggling to turn the page until I helped him move each one. Grover & Big Bird were neck-and-neck for my favorites back then, and other than that book, this skit is what I think of…

Did you even read the article? He praised most every other SS Muppet.

While I loathe the Pats, I do agree with you.

Possibly controversial take: I love holiday turkey, but without gravy. No brown gravy touches my bird meat. What does is the (homemade, not that canned jelly) cranberry sauce. And lord almighty, that combo of sweet & salty is just the best. So, so good.

That whistle was my dad's way of letting us know it was time to come home when we were playing in our neighborhood as kids. It was able to be heard loud & clear from 10 suburban streets away.

That kind of zoning sounds a lot like Houston to me.

Confession time: I seek out & actively enjoy the musical stylings of Andrew Bird. If you’re familiar with his music, there is a shit-ton of whistling.

Well, for College Station, that's a pretty huge amount. (Source: half my family lives there & I had to spend the final years of high school out there too.)

Not too nasty, but my mom did freak out when I told her I was growing out the bangs I’d had my whole life back in my freshman year of high school. She specifically said that without them I’d have “a horse face”. She didn't mean to be awful about it, because looks were her thing when she was in school, but it made me…