The Ballad of a Subcultural Mother

2.17.2012

Miss World Blog Tour!

Kurt Cobain

I grew up in Seattle. In 1994, the year that Kurt Cobain died, I was twelve years old. I really started getting into grunge and rock music about a year before, when my older sister started listening to it.

I went to a private Catholic school, and while I had to wear a uniform like all the other girls; made up of an ugly brown plaid skirt, white blouse, and red cardigan, I would be the only one in my class sporting 13 eye Doc Martens with it.

Yes, in the height of the great Seattle grunge years, which we grew up in the middle of, I felt all alone in my love for the music. Only my sister seemed to share my enthusiasm for the music. Kids at school didn't "get it". It's funny because last time I was home visiting family, I opened up my seventh grade yearbook, and the majority of comments from my classmates were "Have a great summer, stay a rocker!", truthfully I don't know if anyone really knew me beyond the love of music that everyone else was afraid to like. Nowadays I see these same people talking about the bands I use to listen to on Facebook, and I wonder if they ever think about how they made me feel like such an outsider for being a part of the scene back then.

I remember loving Seattle during the grunge times, when bands would play at A Pain in the Grass free concert series every week at the Seattle Center. And going to record release parties at the Tower Records downtown. Or waiting in hellishly long lines for concert tickets that always seemed to sell out right before you got to the ticket booth. The thing was, I wasn't really allowed to go to the concerts until I was 13 years old, unless they were outside. So the Pain in the Grass concert series, and the Bumbershoot festival were the place to be, for me anyways. But I was always allowed to attend record release parties, and ticket purchasing with my older sister. When she was able to get tickets, I would beg my parents, annoying the hell out of them, until just maybe they would give in and let me go. They never did though, and so I would listen to my sister's account of the concert and covet the merch that she brought home.

I can't say that I remember the exact day that Kurt Cobain died, but I remember the days, weeks, and months afterward.

I think my peers expected me to react like what was being portrayed on tv.
People laid flowers in front of Kurt and Courtney's house, and in the fountain at the Seattle Center, sobbing for the loss of someone they had probably never met before.
I did neither.
I felt a sense of loss that you can't really explain. Kurt lived on through my memories.
I can still picture the first time I saw the music video for Smells Like Teen Spirit on MTV. Staying up late at night to watch it again.
And the VMAs where Nirvana played the first few chords of Rape Me before continuing on with a more PC song. Of course I don't remember the song they ended up playing, just that it was so cool that they freaked out the censors for those few chords.
To this day whenever I drive through Aberdeen, I think of how Kurt made this small community a well known place.

This experience shaped me into who I am now. I was different than my classmates then, and now look at me. I wouldn't be The Subcultural Mother, or Handcuff Betty without those experiences. It taught me that living my life how I do is okay, and it is alright to live life outside of the norm. Who else could live in a rural town in the middle of Mormon Utah , and walk around with their head held high, while covered in tattoos?

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2-01-12 Paranormal Wastelands -Miss World Review – Blog Kick off

2-02-12 Amanda@Letters Inside Out - Miss World Playlist

2-03-12 Missy@Missy Reads Reviews – How Randi's love of music inspired Miss World

2-04-12 Jennifer@Can’t Put it Down - Review of Miss World

2-08-12 Tee@A Diary of a Book Addict – Character Interview –Joey

02-09-12 Sizzling Reads@Sizzling Reads – Author Interview –Randi Black

02-10-12 Maja@The Nocturnal Library – Kurt Cobain’s suicide (How it affected you, or where you were when you found out)

02-11-12 Tee@Dreaming Dreams – Interview – How music affects Randi’s writing

02-15-12 Katrina@Page Flippers - Character Interview – Kim

02-16-12 Giselle@Xpresso Reads – Author Interview – Randi Black

02-17-12 Handcuff Betty@One Girl’s Little Odd Dream – KurtCobain’s Suicide (How it affected you, or where you were when you found out)

02-18-12 Kathy Ann@Kat Reads – Top 10 Songs on Your Ipod

02-22-12 Valentina@Cara Bosses Library – Review of Miss World

02-23-12 Katie@Novel Society – Author Guest Post – What’s nextfor Miss World

02-24-12 Cassandra@bmDimension – Author Post – Randi’s Top 5Nirvana videos

02-25-12 The Haunted Rose@The Haunted Rose – Author Guest Post – Randi blogs about sexual health and education online

2.15.2012

Baby Goats

Bella had her babies on the thirteenth! She had twins. They are adorable. The one with the brown head is a girl, the one with the black head is a boy. No names yet. They are both doing well, and starting to play. They are nursing well, and Bella seems to have enough milk for both of them. They are extremely adorable ;)

Currently Reading

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Book Seven.

2.12.2012

Currently Reading

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Thank goodness Order of the Phoenix is done, what a long, boring book. After all the nightmares I have been having about Voldemort getting me, I am kind of glad I am on book six of seven.

2.08.2012

Build a Greenhouse on a Budget

Definitely a work in progress. We probably have about three days worth of work into it right now.

We first built the planter boxes, two long ones, and one smaller one in the middle of the two so it makes a "U" shape.

Then we filled the bottom of the planter boxes with one ton of pebble rock.

Next we built the door frame wall.

Then hammered in some stakes to hold the PVC pipe into place.

We built a PVC frame and bent it into shape.

We still need to build the other wall, lay the thick plastic sheeting over it, and figure out what we are going to do about a door.

Day Nine

All rows have at least a few sprouts now. Tomato rows are sprouting well. The cucumbers and squash are probably the last ones to have any sprouts. I am surprised the basil hadn't popped up sooner.

Currently Reading

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

2.07.2012

Loving on my Chairs

So my dining room chairs were absolutely disgusting. They were stained, and no amount of cleaning seemed to do the job. Not that we have many visitors, but they were quite embarrassing.
I should have maybe taken a before picture, but eh. I would rather not have to look at those ugly, stained chairs ever again.
The process was actually super easy. I had never reupholstered anything before in my life. I feel as if I am the master at it now!
The picture was taken in my garage. That is why you get random background boxes as well :)