Sandy Supposes....

Dope Cat's Pyjamas

PROMPT May 11th

What was cool when you were young but isn’t cool now? Is there anything that has become cool in recent years that wasn’t cool in your youth?

         Hmmm, if I answer this I will be revealing my age by way of clues. Not that it's a big secret. Oh, and does anyone actually say 'cool' anymore? Many different words have been substituted for 'cool' over the years.

         I've only ever heard this in a movie soundtrack, but at one time long before the 'in' people of today were born the 'cool' crowd advertised their coolness by proclaiming things to be the "cat's pyjamas." I suppose anyone who was crazy enough to dress an animal with claws earned that title. Or did this convey that a person was special / unique in the same way a garbed cat would be? I wonder if feline-patterned p.j.s are considered cool?

         Let's not forget the other cat phrases, "the cat's whiskers' and "the cat's meow." Real trend-setters those cats.

         In a long ago era, 'cool' translated to "the bee's knees." Excuse me, but do bees have knees? I suppose if they did have a functioning mid-leg joint that could be seen as cool. Now my mind has wandered into uncharted territory. If bees did indeed possess knees could they in the realm of all things are possible wear knee socks?

                   Huh, thanks to good ol' Google, I've learned that fantastic experiences were once described as " the flea's eyebrows", or "the canary's tusk." Now, I'm thinking Google should be known as Boggle. Who thought of these? Wow, people once spoke these combined words and comprehended them. Nonsensical and offbeat... This is fodder for cartoonists.

         Another strange term for cool is "cool beans." We all are aware that the after product of consuming beans is not in the least cool. Why beans? Could this not as easily been cool carrots?

         There have been so many words used to express cool. "Funky", "swell," "awesome," "dope," "fab," "rad," "wicked,' "dynamite," "hip," "sick," "trendy," and 'groovy", all have been synonymous with cool. Obviously, cool has always maintained an important presence.

         Okay, okay, I've procrastinated long enough. When I was younger, physically 'cause age is as we all know a state of mind and nothing more, cool folk frolicked in denim jeans worn low on the hips and accentuated with flares which we called bell-bottoms. If I stood with my legs together, I resembled a ship's sail. Don't ask me which one, I'm not a sailor. Some, of my jeans featured embroidery and nobody dared appear in public in torn jeans. The number one brand was Levi's. Stonewash tried to be a trend, but I preferred my dark blue denim to fade naturally via wear.

         Bedazzling had not yet reared its tacky head and true denim did not have a hint of stretchable material in it. Leotards, or leggings were not worn in public and they were considered workout gear for dancers. To casually stroll about in a denim jacket was construed as cool.

         I never was a slave to most trends. I've always garbed myself in jeans and t-shirts. I ignored the platform shoe fad that so many had to follow. Picture the band Kiss, or Herman Munster. They wore platform footwear. Of course, they did not simply stroll, they clomped.

         Despite the iconic hairstyles of my youth, I kept my mane long, straight and free-flowing. I never spent hours in front of a mirror with a fresh can of hairspray like my sister Laurie did to copy the Farrah Fawcett look. Some of my friends imitated the figure skater Dorothy Hamill's signature short-bob haircut with bangs. Now, some people choose to shave one side of their head, or add 'fake' hair braids. Any colour of the rainbow brightens hair today. A few sport the entire colour spectrum in what's known as 'mermaid hair.'

         What's cool now, but didn't exist before? Video games. In my youth, people frequented establishments that provided pinball machines that operated on an influx of coins. Nowadays video games are everywhere and accessed via computer, cellphone, and tablet. I'm not a fan. I find the repetitive music blaring on a loop to be annoying. Fuddy duddy me.

         Cellphones are a marvel that did not exist when I claimed to be a kid. A gadget that slips into one of my pockets is the swiss army knife of communication. What can't it do? In my hand, I hold a mini computer, a phone, a phone book of listings, a texting device, a camera, a calculator, a photo album, a notebook, a flashlight and and... did I miss anything? This is the bee's knees! Wait, I bet I could snap a great pic of a bee and then I'd know if a bee does indeed have knees.