How WalMart Has Cheapened My Memories of Summer '83

So, yeah, it's been almost 18 months since I blogged anything and I probably have a lot to say. However, in a fit of insomnia last night I read my junior high journals, bringing back some fun memories. Today I was flipping through the June issue of Real Simple and I ran across a WalMart ad that scarred me almost as much as seeing that squirrel get hit by a truck and die yesterday. But I digress.

Let's skip down memory lane to June 28, 1983 when I had a friend I will call X and a crush on a guy we will call Y. So, what happened on that fateful night, you ask? Here's an excerpt from my journal entry.

"X was on her way to my house when she saw Y at 7-11. He had on a light blue OP shirt and dutch blue OP shorts, no socks and Vans. I bet he looked great."

My first thought was how not wearing socks was a apparently a point of interest in 1983. I also remembered how I labored in my mom's store to earn the money to go to the nice department store in the mall to buy OP shirts, which were considered tres chic and were pretty pricey for a t-shirt by early 1980's standards.

Which brings me to the ad on page 139 of the June Real Simple. Yes, WalMart is now your official supplier of OP clothing (and I think I saw a tote bag in there). Just as they took over brands like Vassarette and Bobbie Brooks, which were once staples of better ladies' clothing stores, they have taken over a cultural icon and turned it into a cheap item they can sell to the masses. *sigh* If they start selling Vans, I'm boycotting!