Hello All,
Today, I want to talk about something a bit more serious. I’ve been trying to reach out of the blogger ghetto recently, and taking dead aim at the stars. I’ve decided to write a serious article about a serious topic. Seriously, guys.
The Bygone Days of Celebrating Bygone Days
Our current decade is defined by a single early incident. Many split the decade into pre-event, and post-event worlds. This is the story that changed the lives of numerous Americans forever. The date was January 13, 2000, the night the first 90’s party was held.
Mark Heralds woke up that morning knowing his life would change forever. In the days before facebook and myspace, a successful party required careful maintenance. Mark made a lot of calls during that chill January Friday afternoon. Since he had not purchased a cell phone, he would buy one in early March, a non-cellular phone, or “telephone” as they were called, was his tool of choice. He started by calling Rhonda Jones, his then girlfriend. They had recently argued over Mark’s inability to stabilize his life. Also, Mark farted in bed, which angered Rhonda, yet amused Mark. But they still loved each other. Though the term was not invented yet, psychologists retrospectively concur, “It [Was] Complicated.”
Rhonda recalls the conversation fondly, “I remember being upset at Mark for whatever reason, but he called and sincerely apologized.”
Rhonda and Mark had maintained a relationship throughout the late 90’s, while attending New York University. “The party theme was like getting back to an earlier time, of innocence and love. It was sweet,” Rhonda remembers, “Foolishly sweet.”
Mark had first moved into his Brooklyn apartment a scant four months prior, and his first party, a non-themed affair, was heralded a success. Thom, Mark’s friend, left a message on Mark’s analog answering machine the following morning. Although the mini-cassette survived intact, time has been less kind to the technology required to play the recording, but Thom remembers the message well.
“I think I said something like, ‘Let’s do it again! That was a deck party, dude.’ Ha ha! ‘Deck’ was something hipsters used to say ironically, you know. I guess we thought it was cool,” Thom states, “It didn’t age well as this ‘Ithaca is Gorges’ shirt I’m wearing will, that’s for damn sure.”
Mark wanted his new party to surpass all expectations. That morning he decided, the time was nigh for a 90’s themed event.
He explains in an email to Wall of Shame, “A few weeks prior, I went to this 80’s party. You know, leggings, old school hip hop, faux punk rock jackets. It was like everything that ever happened ever in the 80’s was condensed to one amazing night. Now, everyone throws 80’s parties and thinks they are being real original and ironic. There’s one every week. But back then, it was a revelation. I decided I wanted to take it one step further.”
When asked over AIM if he faced any resistance, Mark answered, “yes lol”
That fateful afternoon, Mark ate a late 3:00 PM breakfast and ventured into the outside world. He looked up, seeing the glorious New York skyline, the Twin Towers standing tall, as if peering into the distance, into the past, into the century that birthed them, and into their last decade of life. Mark remembers feeling a surge of emotion. He knew his life would change forever, but did he had no idea how his party would soon transform his beloved city, and by extension, all existence ever forever and ever.
To Be Continued…
