Lizzy King, Human - A Study. Box 1 Part 3

Box 1 - 1999, 2000, 2001 - Part 3

When I was 11 years old I started a box. A box to put my letters in, a box for ticket stubs and photos, diaries and broken things worth keeping. It was 1999. This is an exploration of the first of many boxes I have kept every year since, a study of my life. The first part can be found here and the second, here.

Letter – from Anthea – 15^th January 2000

In this pretty heart breaking letter my friend Anthea tells me about how fucked up her life is. That’s verbatim. Things are pretty shit with her family at this stage, and according to the letter her brother continues to cause pain for her. In the letter she hopes that our friendship never becomes as fucked up as her life. Which is interesting, because while we have both changed a lot and don’t know each other that well anymore, we are still friends. I went to her wedding a few years ago and we interact on facebook and such. I suspect that her life is not fucked up at all anymore, and our friendship is benign (and certainly not fucked up). At some point, past Lizzy wrote on the letter, cynically stating that Anthea has never before said that she loved me, or didn’t want our friendship to be shit. We were twelve.

Photo – Mark Eating Cake – 2000

On the back it says “I had a real bad haircut”

This is a great photo and I’d share it if it weren’t of someone else I don’t know anymore. He is shoving that cake in like it’s going out of style. The haircut seems fine to me.

Item – Homework Diary – 2000

A diary I used in grade 7. Mostly filled with homework reminders, but occasional comments from friends include “she’s not a cow! Cow’s are pretty and she isn’t! She’s a bitch!” and “The winner is Sydney!”

Yeah, I have no idea, either.

Item – A poem from Tahnee – 2000

A poem by my friend Tahnee dedicated to me.

This box is full of love, and I spent grade 7 thinking everyone hated me.

Letter – From Mark – 2001

Holidays sucked, his school uniform is gay, but Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was pretty sweet.

Letter – from Megan – 2001

My friend Megan writes to say that a girl we were friends with doesn’t want to be her friend anymore. This is likely the start of a really awful time in my life. A time where I became a bully, specifically against this girl who doesn’t like Megan anymore. I am not proud of this time and there is no evidence of it in the box, suggesting I wasn’t particularly proud of it then, either.

Item – Set of Lord of the Rings Collector’s Cards – 2001

Hot Damn I was obsessed with the LOTR movie. I almost have a complete set here.

Item – Ripped Out Diary entry – 2000

Apparently I liked three boys at once. The entry explains my dilemma but ultimately lands upon Mark as the one I like the most.

Item – Ripped Out Diary entry – 2000

A journal entry detailing the time Mark asked me out and the subsequent school disco where we danced. I didn’t like him much till we danced, but after that it was like being “in a whole new world”. 

It was exactly like this.

Item – Drawing by Megan – 2001

We must have been studying Picasso in Art, because nothing else could explain the creepy eye amongst the coloured shapes here.

Note – to Self – 2000 (?)

“Life’s a BITCH (and I am too!)

Note – to Self – 2000 (?)

“This sux really badly”

“I heart Mark”

Hopefully these two ideas are not linked.

Note – From Christie - 2000

Someone is being a “sinjin fag” and not giving her a yes or no on something. I have no idea what “sinjin” is and I suspect at the time I had no idea what a “fag” was either.

Note – To Christie (spelt Krizti for no discernable reason) – 2000

A response to the above note, but mostly a heavily expletive laden missive about the weather.

Letter – from Mark – 2000

A letter given to me probably towards the very end of primary school with his address, asking for mine and a promise to ask me to the movies on the holidays. He implores me to write regularly.

Item – Grade 8 Student ID – 2001

I look about 7 years old. And very keen for school.

Letter – from Anthea – 2000

Anthea is staying with her extended family. Her brother annoys her and she hasn’t felt more like killing her sister in “about 20 years”. It’s a really sweet letter apart from that. Anthea and I were very good friends.

Item – Mark’s phone number on a scrap of paper – 2000

On the back it says, “written by Wayne” – wingman hero.

Item – Red Paper that says “I heart Harley” – 1999

I really did heart that guy. I pretended to be into pokemon for him and everything.

Item – Soap – 2000 (?)

Why did I keep a bar of soap in here? This explains why everything smells of soap I guess.

Note – to Self – 1999

Another note too good not to share.

I heart Harley, Matt & Alistair (in that order) (Reminder for tomorrow tell Anthea & Manda about H) Told Tahnee she does too! (H)

This explains why Tahnee was going to be mad at me.

Item – Movie Ticket Stub – 2001

Meet the Parents can’t have been that good. Oh wait yep on the back I’ve written “first date with Mark!”

Note book – Conversation between 3 teenage girls – 2001

We each choose a colour and write back and forth to each other. My colour is red. I “invent” the notion that writing in caps = shouting (take that internet forums) and am largely concerned that I am being left out of the conversation. We are quite enamoured with the words “cocksucker” “fuck” “asshole” and “sex”. One of the other girls compares our female science teacher to Elton John, which in retrospect, is quite unfair. She was rubbish at the piano.

Item – Green Paper that says “I heart M.T.” – 1999

This is with regards to Matt. Who I later decide “sucks” compared to Harley. I still remember to this day the poem I put in his tidy tray. It’s not in the box (I’m sure he’s kept it and treasured it) but it went like this:

Look    See      That    Me       And     Not      My      

Up       Will     I           Love    If         Me       Love    Forgot

And     You     Love    You     I           Love    For      Be

Down  And     You     If         Find    You     You     Will

…and it was.

Book – Friends and Bitches – 2000

The cover of the book actually says “forever” on it, but I clearly used this as a burn book ala Mean Girls even though Mean Girls didn’t exist yet. No, it’s not that bad. There’s a page per friend where I talk about how nice they are to me, or how mean I’ve been to them and then a page on some bitches I don’t like much. I have an impressive vocabulary.

Item – a very crushed up and gross cockroach – 200?

The box is filled with cockroach bits. Perhaps I should remove those. Naaaah.

Next week we move on to a new box! 2002 – I was 14 in 2002. This can only be good.