The Bootheel's weather woes continue, though I'm happy to report that there's no uncertainty like there was last Sunday. Last week we weren't sure whether it would be cold rain, FREEZING rain, ot sleet, but tonight and tomorrow we get snow, period. Last Friday the forecast was calling for one to two inches, and then by Monday it was up to two to four inches. I'd rather have snow than ice, but driving in snow still sucks. Fortunately for us the worst of it is going south of us, but it could be bad for some of y'all.
Now to today's topic. Years ago (I'm talking "I was in college" years ago, so the timeframe between 2006 and 2011), I was a fan of a blog called A Feminist's Guide to Barbie. I hold a dim view of most modern-day feminists due to their obsession with their genitals and with sex in general, but this lady was...well, she actually had her head on straight. She acted like she genuinely wanted to make the world better for women, and without all the man-bashing (she was married to a hunk, LOL). She had a cute little girl, they played Barbie together, and the mom had a term for the doll one used to represent oneself. This was your "Bavatarbie," a portmanteau of "avatar" and "Barbie." This Bavatarbie could look like you, or it could...well, NOT look like you. For example, I'm heavyset with shaggy brown hair, pale blue eyes, and a steadily worsening limp, but my Bavatarbie would likely be a redhead and able-bodied (any eye color goes). Kinda like...
...California Midge (very subtle difference from California Dream Midge). Red-haired, green-eyed, freckle-faced, and semi-standing on her own two feet. Here's what the box looked like, because I'm like that.
As I've said before I've always preferred Midge to Barbie, because Midge was less perfect and more personal, but she was capable of being just as glamorous as Barbie was if she wanted to be. Now for the record, I do own a rebodied California Dream Midge and I love her, but I wanted one of these dolls intact. And I got her! I got her MIB with her full outfit, her skates, her paper inserts, and pale spots on her legs. Indeed, Midge's spots have developed into full-tilt patches. Her legs are also very sticky, and a rubdown with a wet wipe didn't help much.
Bopsy can relate. I don't know what it is about Barbie dolls from the late eighties, but a lot of 'em develop these round faded marks on their legs. Bopsy dates from 1987 and thus has the spots.
After unboxing Midge I left her sitting on the arm of the couch, and she looked so cute that I turned her head and snapped a picture.
When I was just beginning to blog about dolls I'd sit typing up the words, and I'd usually have a doll sitting or standing nearby. More often than not they'd look cute sitting or standing close to me, and I'd snap a picture. I wish I had some of those now, but they're locked up in my old computer...which hasn't been used in ten years. I can start the habit up again, but I still wish I had some of those old images, those that had a lot of extraneous junk in the background, or were kinda weird, or were just...well, candids of my Barbie dolls. Maybe they'd be a little scruffy or not looking directly at the camera, but I was pleased anyway.
Now, as usual, I'm gonna keep an eye out for ice halos and batten down the hatches for snow! So far I haven't seen any halos, but I did see some beautiful hoarfrost on the windows and mirrors of our car (plus my reflection, LOL). I love hoarfrost; it inspired my favorite Faberge egg.
We got put under a winter storm warning yesterday afternoon, but thank God, the weather folks aren't predicting any ice for us. Snow is a pain in the posterior to drive in, but it's tolerable.
RagingMoon1987
Stickiness on vinyl that doesn't rub off could be a sign that the plasticizer is separating as the vinyl ages. This seems to happen when dolls are stored in places that experience extreme seasonal shifts in temperature from heat to cold, like in attics and basements. Supposedly, using a paint brush or a makeup brush to apply a light dusting of talcum powder to the affected areas helps wick away excess stickiness.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the pale patches, one theory I read suggested that they're caused by the vinyl not being thoroughly mixed at the factory, or by batches of old vinyl being mixed in with new vinyl.
I actually had a pair of licensed Barbie roller skates as a child, but like you I never learned to skate. I never learned to ride a bike either, not after seeing a segment on Sesame Street where a girl had to get a cast put on her arm after breaking it by falling off her bicycle. The audience wasn't shown the fall, and it was only mentioned in passing since the focus of the segment was on the process of applying, and later removing, the cast. But it made an impression on me, especially since one can't really learn to ride a bike without falling off a few times. The sensation of falling triggers my anxiety anyway.
I also had one of those 'razor' style scooters back in the day. But the first time I tried to ride it I ended up crashing into a parked car.
Signed, Treesa
I broke my arm trying to catch tadpoles, LOL. I was eleven and I was down by this pond, and when one of my friends called me I turned too fast and slipped. I only greensticked the arm, but it still hurt. Wearing a cast was...interesting. And oh nelly, I don't like to fall either; if I do I don't get back up.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Midge, the bit about her splotchy legs makes sense, and it's also interesting how some dolls get that effect and some don't. Bopsy and Midge are a little more tan than my other Barbies, so maybe that had something to do with it too. As to the stickiness, that ALSO makes sense, and I have baby powder so I'll try that.
Did I ever tell you or anyone here on the blog what happened to my sister's scooter??? It broke and she had a nasty fall. She didn't break anything, but she was covered in road rash and my dad was madder than a poked hornet. He took the broken scooter back to Wal-Mart and demanded a replacement, but they were out of scooters so they offered my sister the aforementioned bicycle. She LOVED that.
I looked up the plasticizer leaching issue thanks to my Xmas gift to myself and read that a scrub with some oxy clean helps. It definitely did in my case (shoes, but still), so you may as well give it a try?
ReplyDeleteI learned to roller skate early on as an 80s kid and have always loved it. Skating, not BLADING. I have a pair of old fashioned 4x4 skates I've been hauling across state lines for a decade now. Hville has a skating rink but nobody wants to go with me :(
Go alone, man! I'd skate alone if I could, or with someone, either way. I like those four-by-four skates better, believe it or not. They look more stable.
DeleteI'll try Oxy-Clean on my kids and see if it helps. Nothing to lose, right? Thanks for the suggestion.