I ended up taking a mini break from this little blog here these past few days...mostly because I had to get a kid ready for a big adventure. Lately I have been really inspired by Tracee’s story telling and thought I would share a few of my own.
So you see that lovely picture? Well, that’s me. Yes, I was a poster child for “Future Geeks of America” and I mean geek in a good way here so don’t get upset. Anyway, when I was maybe 10 my mom signed me up for science camp. One day I was innocently sitting on the steps outside the camp building when the camp photographer asked if I would pose for some pictures. Being 10, I jumped right on that opportunity and this is one of the pictures they took. The very next year this picture came out in the camp promo materials...it was about 2” x 2”. I of course was thrilled, because I was a little kid.
Now let’s fast forward a few years to my freshmen year of high school...which was one of those incredibly painful awkward years that most of us have when we are in the midst of puberty etc etc etc. This year was made even worse by the fact that I was in the midst of my very first crush. You get the idea, right?
Well, it turns out that THIS is the year that the science camp decided to REALLY expand their program and guess which picture became THE picture for a Los Angeles wide advertising campaign. Yep, you guessed it, mine. I mean it was everywhere! Every library, every school, every doctors office. My orthodontist had a huge poster of it in his waiting room. It was mortifying. My parents, of course, thought it was great and had several of these posters framed for gifts to relatives. The worst part was, that boy I had a crush on, he worked in the school library. He was putting the poster up when I walked in and he completely noticed that it was me. I thought I was going to die, since this was the first time I had seen it.
Ah well, 30+ years later this is funny...finally. Oh and by the way, I have always hated chemistry. I don't know if it's because of this picture or not but I really really hate it. I was always more of a physics and math girl...until I got into quilting that is.
So, I went to Saturday morning science lectures when I was in high school. I ended up with a degree in engineering. Didn't like chemistry much either. . . Physics and math girl too. Now, totally into quilting. . . Kindred spirits!
Posted by: Amy Rochelle | 06/19/2013 at 10:49 PM
I'll bet most of us have a few pictures like this floating around somewhere at home! I don't know if we have as great a story to go with it! I can so totally understand your young distress. But honestly, you may have been not on his radar before the picture, after he dis-covered you right there in the library, he should have seen a cute girl, who photographs well. If we only had the judgement of today, back then, we would all be telling different stories.
Posted by: Barbara Hill | 06/20/2013 at 02:37 AM
Wow! You've been famous since your youth. It's very possible that once Mr. Crush recognized you in the library he was too shy to talk to you. The picture is great. My middle child will be starting college in the fall majoring in chemistry.
Posted by: Wanda | 06/20/2013 at 06:41 AM
I'm impressed that the photographer and the marketing people back then chose a girl doing a chemistry experiment! I don't remember seeing anything like this when I was growing up (but I suspect I may be 20 years ahead of you). Not that it would have changed my life, but it might have nudged me to think in a different direction or to at least considered a different career.
Posted by: Sherry | 06/20/2013 at 06:49 AM
That's a great story. I don't like to have my picture taken to this day. When I was in about 8th-9th grade in school the school photographer told me I shouldn't smile in my picture because I looked better when I didn't. I only let someone take my picture now as a last resort lol and am still paranoid with my pictures and don't like to smile in them.
Posted by: Lisa Mikel | 06/20/2013 at 10:16 AM
Cool! Which kid and what adventure?!
Posted by: Debbie J | 06/21/2013 at 07:54 AM
I completely understand, being a math geek myself. If it makes you feel any better, I had a big ugly cold sore across my nose on picture day in junior high. Yep, it's the photo used in the school yearbook.
Posted by: NancyinSTL | 06/21/2013 at 12:21 PM
what an absolutely fun story and fantastic picture!! And you lived through the mortification!! LOL Wonderful story: thanks for sharing it with us!!
Posted by: Helen Lebrett | 06/23/2013 at 06:06 AM
I'm with you on the hating chemistry thing! Just not compatible with quilting!
Posted by: Tina Bussard | 06/23/2013 at 04:03 PM
I think your picture is great! I hope there were lots of girls who saw it and realized that they could try science too. I only passed Chemistry in high school because my lab partner (also a girl) was a major brainiac and one of my best friends. She managed to drag me along for the ride. I am definitely a math fan.
Posted by: Kris S | 06/27/2013 at 11:47 AM
I thought you were going to end by saying that you married your HS crush sigh!
Posted by: gladtidings | 07/09/2013 at 10:01 PM
Btw I hated math like algebra and geometry it just didn't make sense to me so I took business math bookkeeping and accounting and I'm glad I did! Not that I'm an accountant ended up being a nurse instead but at least my checkbook always balances!!
Posted by: gladtidings | 07/09/2013 at 10:05 PM