Saturday, July 28, 2007

Mean (Ova) Girls

Tonight, HRS (our live in youth worker) and I were preparing to watch the DVD of Mean Girls.

This is a film that has been repeatedly recommended to me by HRS (as well as other friends, including Mysterious George) following my recent, rather late, appreciation of the cheerleader epic Bring It On.

For weeks now, in the frosty environs of Country Town, I have been chanting happily to myself: “I say brrr it’s cold in here…”

HRS being the glorious age of 21 and hence a source of knowledge that I can only dream about is generally kind to me, answering my questions with great patience and minimal eye rolling.
Yes, I can set up facebook for you.
No, you can’t krump to Enya.

But tonight, the tables were turned.

As I turned on the tv the screen seemed to explode with action and mayhem. Strange pigmen in jumpsuits were running amok, David Tennant was popping his neck veins in an effort to hurry Everyone Out Now and several ominous silvery upside down funnel shapes with protruding metallic plungers and hysterically nasal robotic voices were in hot pursuit.

"Ooh goody," I said and sat down in front of the screen.

"What are…those?" The voice was HRS’s and the confusion was legion. I looked around and noted her wide eyed horror, her ‘does not compute’ stare.

"Those are Daleks," I said.

"What are... Daleks?"

I snorted. "How can you not know the Daleks? It’s Doctor Who!"

HRS was visibly shaken but she attempted to rise above it.

"Hello?" she said sniffily, employing the classic young person’s verbal riposte of the upward inflection. "I was born in 1985? Doctor Who started before my time?"

"Have you ever heard of World War Two?" I asked her. "That was also before your time."

"Wait," she said, "is there a character in it called Smith?"

I sighed heavily and gave her a withering look. "That’s Lost in Space," I said. "Dr Smith is nothing like Doctor Who."

"Well it’s like Twin Peaks," she protested. "I had never even heard of Twin Peaks before you told me about it last week. I never knew it existed."

I turned back to the tv, holding my hand up in her face as I did.

"Whatever," I said.

9 comments:

Em said...

I find myself having similar conversations with my students more and more often. It serves to remind me of which side of the generation gap my feet are planted.

LL said...

eeek... I feel OLD.........

Anonymous said...

I LOVED Mean Girls....
In my office, if one of the ladies(or men!!) wear pink, I will walk by and say "And on Wednesdays we wear PINK!" Or if my BFF in the office can't go to lunch with me, I say, "BOO! You whore!"

I like Bring It On also.
Can't think of any one-liners from that movie other than, "Oh, I'll BRING it!!"

Suz said...

My poor, clueless husband took one look at the Daleks and said what everyone says on first seeing a Dalek, "rule the world? how do they get down stairs."

But then I saw a clip of the next episode and they were flying. So cool.

Eggs Akimbo said...

I love Mean Girls. I taught a unit on it to Year 10s when I was teaching in London. I like it when Janis says 'Let's Rock this Bitch!'. Juvenile, I know but funny.

Anonymous said...

"No, you can’t krump to Enya."

I am, like, so totally stealing this phrase.

Anonymous said...

Look, HRS was telling me all about how the music has emotion and how (in one form of krumping ie Emotional krumping) you let out all your emotions...

I thought it was a fair question! you know...Enya can be very emotional.

(After this HRS attempted to krump while singing Sail Away Sail Away Sail Away....)

Cass said...

But the new Doctor Who is, well, new. So even if she wasn't alive then...

And, um, I had to go Google krumping, and even now I'm not really sure I get it. Ah, well. Does that really make me old?

Anonymous said...

Has she seen Torchwood? That's supposed to somehow be related to Dr Who isn't it? Actually, was Torchwood even released over there? They didn't start showing it in Australia until it had been canned in the UK (I think).

It's kind of like doctor who but without the insane costumes and shoddy props. So it's really not worth watching. :)

N.B. I'm 23 and I know Dr Who.