Today I strapped on new book bags on my children and placed them with their new teachers and had to walk away and say goodbye. Time passes and it doesn't get any easier. The school year is filled with lots of homework, waking up early, and ironing uniforms. Its bittersweet because every time you drop them off another year has passed.

The fun parts of a new school year are the newness of all the clothes and school supplies, the crispy breeze through your hair, the brown crunchy leaves at your feet, and the ability to finally wear your cardigans.

I went to Catholic school my whole life and my children attend Catholic school so uniforms and plaid go hand in hand when the school year begins. It got me to thinking about what kids wore years before and what my research showed me was the kids have been rocking peter pan collars, cardigans, and plaid for decades. Frankly, I love it. I think you will too.

Do you like school girl fashions? If so, what is it that you like about it? If not, what don't you like about it?

While other kids grew up with cable television I was lucky to grow up with PBS, which stands for Public Broadcasting System. It was free and it came with standard channels. In Manhattan where I was born and spent my childhood, that channel was channel 13. There I experienced television shows like Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact, Doctor Who, The Voyage of the Mimi, and another show called Degrassi Junior High.

Degrassi is known today by its revival with the series of the Next Generation but it all began in 1979. A production company called Playing With Time Inc. decided to create a show that would follow the lives of kids and address challenging topics such as death, drug abuse, and teen pregnancy.

The first show was The Kids of Degrassi Street (1979) and although many of the actors that were on this series turned up in Degrassi Junior High (1987-1989) and Degrassi High (1989-1991) they were not the same characters so it is not considered a precursor to the later shows.

What blew me away as preteen and teenager was for the first time being exposed to teen pregnancy. Most of us who watched Degrassi back in the 80's will never forget Spike and the moment she found out she was pregnant. I think Spike's character became pregnant at only 13 years old (by 14 she had Emma) so it was shocking.  But the way they handled her story line you couldn't help but learn a thing or two. It was powerful.

There were other story lines that can easily be applied to today which makes Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High so timeless. They address issues on sexual confusion, parental abuse and alcoholism, the effects of taking drugs, cancer, suicide, molestation, cheating, lying, young love, insecurities, and all sorts of peer pressures.

I learned so darn much from those episodes as a kid that I decided to take a look back and refresh my memory on them. I can tell you that it felt like I was walking through memory lane. There was a rawness and simplicity about the 70's and 80's that was gone once the 90's came and I miss often.

Degrassi is something special. I watching a few episodes of the latest two reincarnations (Next Generation and New Class) of the show and although it is too much like a soap opera for my taste I appreciate that the writers and producers are still addressing real problems among teens today.

I own all the cds to Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High (including their movie School's Out) and I will definitely  let my children view them when they are older. I think the best part of the show (aside from The Zit Remedy) is that watching it can open up a dialogue with your child. And frankly I think that is just incredibly awesome.

I am a sucker for cheese and not just the kind that comes from cows. I love the uber cheesiness of the 80's and Degrassi delivers. Better still it will teach you a little something about others and give you the appreciation in knowing that the teen angst years are far, far behind you.

A Vintage Nerd Supplementary Reading:

Which Degrassi Junior High Character Are You?

Degrassi Junior High Reviewed

Degrassi Junior High: What They Look Like Now

67 Truly Iconic Degrassi Moments (old and current)

Four Decades of Degrassi-Interview with Stefan Brogren

Degrassi star Neil Hope, "Wheels"

The Zit Remedy Lyrics

I thought since this summer marked my 5th anniversary as a blogger that I would share with you some of my favorites posts. You will notice that I started out on Bunny's Victory which is still available to look through but that here at A Vintage Nerd is where I found my footing as a blogger.

Looking back at old posts made me feel so good and proud to see how far I have come in my writing, my content, my photography, and just being a blogger/vintage girl in general. I can see where I made mistakes which led to seeing where I could make things better and I can't help but feel excited about the prospect of becoming an even better blogger. Not only do I want to bring higher quality content but I want to keep progressing and evolving.

I started out on July 12th, 2011 and here I am still today. For those of who find themselves struggling to do the things they love or find the journey harder than it seems for others, I am here to tell you that the slow route may be tougher but the rewards are so much sweeter.

Enjoy peeking through some oldies but goodies and let me know which of them you enjoyed looking back on.

2016

Kate Spade: 25 Years in the Waiting

Remembering Patty Duke

Ode to Twin Peaks

Truths About Pinups of Color

A 40th Birthday to Remember

2015

Pop Culture Tuesdays: Pretty in Pink: Team Duckie

10th Annual Jazz Age Lawn Party with Unique Vintage 

Lana Lobell Fashions of the 1950's-1960's

6 Things You Can Learn From Watching Audrey Hepburn Films

2014

The Flambards Cast: Where Are They Now?

Old Hollywood: Grandchildren of Classic Film Stars

How To Set Your Hair in Rollers

Special Cinema Spotlight: Documentary: Bound by Flesh

Old Hollywood: Romances Most People Don't Know About

2013

Guess What? I'm in Vintage Life Magazine! (my very first time!)

S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders and A Childhood Dream Come True

Love Child: Old Hollywood's Best Kept Secret

I'm a Queen of Vintage!

Doctor Who Wednesday: Love & Monsters/Doctor #10

2012

Epic Classic Hollywood Love Stories: Part I

Epic Classic Hollywood Love Stories: Part II

Katherine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen Exhibit

Aging Grace-fully

The Truth About the 1950's

2011

A Wonderful Life Experience

Snood Hairstyles: On the Job & On the Town

Celeste Giuilano Photo Shoot

Becoming a Pinup Part I

Sssssh! It's a Secret!

I try and find inspiration everywhere. As a kid I watched a lot of t.v. I can say honestly 60% were shows created before I was born and the rest were a part of my generation. One of these shows was The Twilight Zone. Rod Serling was the creator and mad genius behind most of the stories that were turned into this episodic magic on that was on boob tube.

I recently watched the episode Trouble with Templeton again and found myself inspired. I wanted to share that inspiration with you.

Have you had moments where you find yourself over analyzing your life? Looking into your past and wondering about the what-ifs? Remembering days gone by and wishing you could relive them?

A man by the name of Booth Templeton who happened to be aging and unhappily married to a younger to a wife, finds himself constantly thinking about his past. He thinks about his younger years and his time being in love with his first wife Laura.

With heavy feet he drags himself to the theater to prepare himself for his next role but finds himself insecure and unsure about what he is doing. When he abruptly leaves the theater he finds that is not in 1960 anymore but rather its 1927. He was a big star then and he finds his wife Laura and his best friend Barney are alive and waiting for him at a local speakeasy. Booth is bewildered by everything but even more so at how flippant both Laura and Barney seem to him because it is so out of character to the way they he remembered them. They both take turns dismissing Booth and overwhelmed by all of this he runs out of the club only to find he was holding a script that he took from Laura.

In the script was every word that was spoken to him in the speakeasy along with the title, "What To Do When Booth Comes Back". Booth realizes that Laura and Barney wanted Booth to ride out the rest of his life with joy and energy and passion. They wanted him to live.

Going through the journey with Booth you watch a man feeling defeated by the present and living in the past only to understand that those who loved us before and are no longer with his would never want us to dwell on what was but to find peace and joy in what is.

When we are in a slump, when we feel defeated, when we feel to tired to keep it going--we can remember Booth Templeton. If all we do is dwell on what ifs, we will never find pleasure and happiness in our present moments.

I think we could all use that reminder from time to time. Thank you Mr. Serling or rather Mr. Booth Templeton.

A Vintage Nerd Supplementary Reading:

17 Twilight Zone Episodes For Beginners

8 Bizarre Facts: Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone

Little Known Facts About The Twilight Zone

20 Things You Didn't Know About The Twilight Zone