The Perks of Being a Homemaker

When I think of the things that I appreciate about being the maker of all things home, I appreciate the "free" time I have from 7:10 until 2:50 each day the most.  Of course, free time usually means I am volunteering at school, working out at the gym, grocery shopping, errand running, laundry-doing, cleaning and generally running.  Every once in a great while, I take a nap.  And one Friday a month, I try to go see a matinee. (this frequency is increased during Oscar season.)  It's my two-hour escape from emptying the dishwasher for the 9000th time.

This week's movie was on the EW "Must List" and also coincided nicely with when I could be out in time to get the kids off of the bus.  I wanted to see Hermione in another role...I like it when Brits play Americans (see Robert Pattinson and the two dudes from True Blood).  Almost as much as I like it when Americans play Brits. (Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones and Madonna as Guy Richey's wife.)

The cutie main character, Charlie, is starting high school after a troubled year and some psychological problems.  He has no friends.  Not one person to sit with at lunch.  Nobody to hang with at the football game.  The cool English teacher, played by Paul Rudd, reaches out to him but no Freshman wants their only friend to be a teacher.  And then he meets the senior, Patrick, from shop class and gets welcomed into their gang- the island of misfit toys (a phrase I have used often.)

Charlie's new friend is gay, and his step-sister Sam (Emma Watson) is cool and smart and troubled.  These two smart and sympathetic teens are the perfect friends for Charlie...their crowd is artsy, outside, non-conformist.  They become the influence that rescues Charlie from his deep insecurity and depression.  Charlie easily falls for Sam but this story is not just a "Will he get the girl?" story.  It's really more about if Charlie will start to feel better in his own skin, and get past some of the things that seem to be haunting him from his past.

It didn't take long for me to to feel like I was back in high school again while watching the film.  In fact, it could have been my high school...the movie was filmed in Pittsburgh with some great scenes of going through the Fort Pitt tunnel into the city that I love.  It takes place in the early 90's (I was there in the late 80's) but the Smiths and David Bowie songs they played were still the soundtrack of my youth. 

I was transported back to that time when being alone was the worst thing in the world and making just one friend was the measure of a good day.  Moving from Pittsburgh to North Augusta for the start of my junior year was like moving to another world.  Except once I looked past the accents and the clothes, my new school was actually much like the old one.  People are people as the wise Depeche Mode told us.

The group of people that I befriended (or should I say befriended me?) were not the popular kids...no cheerleaders or football players in the bunch.  They were different...liked alternative music, were smart, artistic.  I will forever be grateful to Laurel and Erika, who took pity on the new girl or must have liked my John Hughes influenced wardrobe, and became my best high school friends.  I loved our little island of misfit toys.  There was one character in the movie, Mary Elizabeth, with the side of her head shaved and claimed to be a "Buddist Punk."  She could have been our friend Stacy, who used to give us all Flock of Seagulls haircuts (see below.)  Charlie told Mary Elizabeth in the movie, "You're going to regret that haircut when you look back at your senior picture."  He was right.  My favorite memory of Stacy occurred one day in the cafeteria, while wearing our way cool edgy clothes, we were asked in a very heavy southern drawl if we were punks.  Stacy replied, "I'm Punk, she's New Wave!" Brilliant!

So this quirky, heartfelt, funny, sad, exhilarating movie made me cry several times.  I want to make my teenage nieces and nephews watch it, and remind them that high school is just a short time in your life, and it does get better.  And that the different/artistic kids are so often the most interesting.  And be nice to people.  Always.  And when you have that amazing feeling of elation and invincibility, remember it. It's part of the magic of youth.