In 2002, I started yet another box for
keeping things in. I was 14, I liked a boy named Chris, possibly a girl named
Sally and dated a boy named Morgan. I was secretly embracing my nerdiness – I
was in the choir and obsessed with Lord of the Rings, but was also pretty keen
to be cool and fashionable. This is a study of my life in the year 2002.
Item – Red Pencil Case with writing – 2002
My grade 9 pencil case has writing on it
from my friends at the time. In particular prominence is a quote from the Emperor’s New Groove – the best film of
all time. This and some other things were written by my friend Chris. I believe
I “archived” the case in the box after I fell in like with him, acted like a
crazy person and then stopped being friends with him.
 |
| It says, "For the last time, we did not order a giant trampoline" |
Items – World Vision Cards – 2002
A picture of two children cleaning
grasshoppers to eat. And another of a little girl with the caption “They Laugh
at Her”.
Item – Broken photo frame shaped like a cow
– 2002
Hot damn I loved cows.
Items – Lord
of the Rings: The Two Towers Collector Cards – 2002
Nerdtastic! I’ve got two of the “Orcs” card
if anyone wants to trade? I’m missing Merry and Gandalf.
 |
| A diversion! |
Item – Dead Stick – 2002
This is awesome. I had forgotten about
this. At high school, this amazing teacher had this amazing idea for
fundraising. Instead of spending money on sausages or chocolates to sell for
charity, he and his class held “Dead Stick Day”. They painted up a bunch of
sticks, somehow implied they were cool and got us all to fork out cash for
sticks which was then given to charity. There were a good few weeks where
everyone was adorned in twigs.
 |
| Hey look! Lord of the Rings poster in the background. Times, they have not changed. |
Item – Poster for Choir performance – 2002
Chorale. A massive part of my formative
years. 2002 was the first year I was in the Chorale and I nearly quit. It was a
very good thing I didn’t. According to the poster we sung works by Handel,
Faure and Gershwin, to name a few.
Item – 40 Hour Famine Certificate of
Appreciation – 2002
Thanking me for raising the hefty sum of
$55.65 in the 2001 40 hour famine.
Items – Payslips – 2002
My first job was a paper route. I earnt $20
a week.
Item – Scribbled Note – 2002
Holy shit. I remember this. I used to have
these religious moments, where I would shut my eyes and write down stuff that
god was telling me to write. This is almost impossible to read because I have
written over stuff way too many times but there’s a lot of stuff about a
shepherd trying to save a little lamb caught in the branches, but the little
lamb doesn’t want to come. That shit is POETIC.
Letter – from Becki – 2002
Becki is at Ironbark, a thing I will write
a lot about soon I should think. It’s a camp that everyone at school has to go
on, a 5 week adventure on a farm that is, for the most part, the best thing
ever. Most of us went in grade 10, so I suspect there’s a lot of stuff in the
next box, but Bec went in grade 9. Her letter tells of looking for a mother dog
who was giving birth to puppies in the bush, morning runs, and the training
hike coming up.
Item – Student Card – 2002
Baby!!
Item – Diary – 2001-2
This diary is really interesting. Well
actually, it’s quite boring – we did this, then we did that etc. But there’s a
few things it has made me think about:
1.
I’d forgotten how much I
freaking loved kids. I mean I am still quite fond of the little humans, but at
this stage of my life I had a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old brother and my whole
life was dominated (particularly on the holidays) by kids and kids events,
parties, kindy stuff etc. And I freaking LOVED it.
2.
The diary really hardly ever
discusses my feelings. It is an account of things that happened, with
occasional “this was annoying” or “mum was mad at me” moments, but no real
secrets or emotions. For example, “went
to Anthea’s house 4 a BBQ. Stayed the night & Sally did 2” – this says
absolutely NOTHING about the fact that Sally (who was Anthea’s friend from high
school) was this beautifully stunning girl, who I was infatuated with. Like… I
actually spent years wondering if I was gay because of the 2 or 3 times I hung out
with Sally.
3.
I was so easily swayed by
others. The first bit of the diary is from holidays, I am spending time
predominantly with my family and the writing is civil, well-spelled and
generally benign. As it goes on, and I’ve been in grade 9 for a while, I write
like an idiot – all 2s and 4s instead of actual words. I actually say “NEthing”
instead of “anything” and I’m obsessed with getting a boyfriend.
Item – Movie ticket stub – 2002
Good News! I got a boyfriend. The back of
the stub says “ First date with Morgan! (21/10/02)” This is the only evidence
of him in this box, but I have faith he will feature predominantly in the next
one. We saw The Bourne Identity and I
distinctly remember that actually we saw almost nothing of The Bourne Identity and a whole lot of each other’s faces. Kissy kissy.
And that’s it. That’s the whole of the 2002
box. Next week, 2003! Grade 10! Ironbark, my first proper relationship, and my
first proper break up. Who knows what wonders we have in store for us as we
continue “Lizzy King, Human – A Study.
