Star Struck

When I was in fourth grade, New Kids On The Block hit the music charts big. Their voices and their fresh faces made girls everywhere swoon. It seemed all of my friends had 'dibs' on Jordan or Joe. But I was different. Because I really wasn't that into the individuals themselves, (I admit, I did like their music and sang and danced along to the tape while doing my daily dishes chore) at sleepovers when we'd gab into the night about these unattainable older boys I had claim to Danny. Yes, I had decided that I liked Danny, the tall, awkward looking one with the bass voice. I think I chose him because like I said, I wasn't that into the band members as much as the band but in order to fit into the giggle fest I had to choose one of them to dream about out loud. As quickly as they hit the scene, their popularity fizzled. The pins, posters, and tapes were thrown away or sold at garage sales soon after. It wasn't until I was a senior in high school that I noticed this same sort of behavior from my friends. This time it was the boyish good looks of Leonardo Dicaprio and the steamy Titanic flick that made their hearts race. Many of my friends went to the theater 6 or 7 times to see him. It almost became bragging rights, the number of times you saw the movie. My sister (sorry Danette!) even jumped on the band wagon. I thought it was ridiculous and prided myself on staying grounded in reality. Why gush over someone you will absolutely never see in your whole life?


So much for staying grounded! When Milo Ventimiglia became a regular as Jess Mariano on Gilmore Girls, that's when my feet left the cement. For some reason the way he played his character--the mysterious bad boy of Stars Hollow who was 'too cool for school' but happened to be really smart--left me giddy after each Tuesday night episode. Even when it became quite obvious that he was not right for Rory, I still routed for their relationship to work out. His picture became my screen saver on my desk top when I was teaching. When he left the show, but signed on for guest appearances, I always knew ahead of time which dates those episodes would air. It just took a little research, and I was willing to do that just to see him and get those silly butterflies in my stomach. Crazy? Yes I admit it. But everyday Carter and I sit down to watch the reruns and lucky me, they started playing the Jess episodes last week. You know what I'm doing every afternoon at 3:00!