My So-Called Life

When I saw My So-Called life was available on Netflix instant que, I immediately saved it.  I remember liking it when I was in seventh or eighth grade or whenever it aired. I related to the main character, Angela Chase.  She was socially awkward, had ridiculous parents, and just wanted to fit in somewhere in high school and get the boy of her dreams' attention.  They might as well named her Danyelle.  Plus there was Jordan Catalano and his beautiful, dreamy eyes you could just stare into.  Soon I settled in to watch and relive all of it.

Somethings it is better to just remember.  I spent the entire time watching and wishing Jordan would get a haircut or at minimum, keep the hair out of his eyes.  Why did Angela like him anyway?  He was a jerk to her, didn't go to class and didn't seem to care whether he had a future.  He pressured her to have sex then broke up with her when she didn't, if you can even call it breaking up if they never went on a date.  And Angela, oh my gosh!  She was obnoxious to her parents and sulked around.  She was so lost in her own thoughts most the time that she seemed high.  But at least she was still easy to relate to since she was vulnerable and awkward.  The grown up me kinda wants to shake her and tell her that the life she was living isn't so bad and "so-called" and to just make better decisions.  

I also wonder how she turned out.   Did she ever get over Catalano and stand up to Rayanne? Did she ever realize that even though her parents might seem lame, they still had her best interests at heart?  What about Krakow?  Did she ever stop trying so hard to be different and just be herself?  Has she grown out of her socially awkward phase or is she still working on it like I am?  

So many questions and I could go on.  But really, going on about fictional characters from a show from over 15 years ago?  I'd rather tend to things in my own life and embrace it, not act like it is something lame and refer to it as "so-called".  This is my life, the mundane and the exciting and sometimes, as the mom, I have to find ways to make the mundane interesting and exciting.

(Now I'm totally singing Bon Jovi's It's My Life.  That just takes you to the lyrics, in case you don't want to watch the video. If you don't know the song, you should click over because the lyrics are quite applicable here too.)

I want to be here and present for my life and for my girls to remember growing up fondly, not just "hey, we did this and Mom was there too."   I also want them to be able to look back at pictures and actually see me there.  It isn't going to really matter 20 or 40 years from now if my hair needed to be colored or cut or my eyebrows were in serious need of being waxed or if I appear to have a double chin or big butt.  It is going to matter and help to see me there, smiling, participating and being me with my family and friends.  So I am linking up with Emily Anderson and Embrace the camera and posting a picture of the girls and me participating in our every day life, playing outside, and apparently not getting pictures of all of Maggie's face.  (In my defense, look at her eyes, she clearly wasn't wanting her picture taken either.)

Also linking up with Rachel Anne and the Company Girls.