Actually, nothing says pop culture since 1998 like Britney Spears. It’s actually really sad how many memories of my life have to do with this woman. A little sampling:
1. When I was stressfully studying for finals freshman year I took a break at 3 every day to watch TRL; by the end of the week I’d memorized the “Oops!…I Did It Again” dance as well as the *NSYNC “Bye Bye Bye.”
2. When I studied abroad the next year and discovered karaoke I won a $30 bar card my first go for my rendition of “Lucky.”
3. The next two years of school, I lived with some Britney-crazy girls. My first Halloween there, they somehow convinced me that we should all dress up like the “Baby One More Time” video. Then there was the fact that one of them owned Crossroads. Seriously one of the worst movies ever made. But one that we watched endlessly. Oh, and another had a poster of Brit in her closet as motivation to get kick-arse abs.
4. After that, Brit memories admittedly died off. Until I traveled again. Asians seriously love her.

Down in Atlanta, my sis and I had an 80s/90s flashback and went to the New Kids on the Block, er, NKOTB concert here. Yes. It was the first time I’d seen them in concert. Back in 3rd grade I was invited to see them…my mom wouldn’t let me go because she was afraid my sister would be too jealous. So, as my friends heard Joey beg, “Please don’t go girl…” I sat at home.

I thought it was only fitting, then, that my sister and I went together…so she wouldn’t be jealous.

And, yeah…I’m still a Joey fan. Even though he can’t quite hit those high notes any more.

a short video for a little flashback for you, too

OK. So admittedly the NYPL card wasn’t the highlight of my weekend. I know…what could be better?

Well, how about a free Bon Jovi concert in Central Park? Yep…I got to see one of the hair-bangers from my childhood perform on the Great Lawn Saturday night.

Now…I’m a huge Bon Jovi fan. I dished out way more money than nothing to see the guys perform at the Staples Center in LA. Oddly enough, two of my fellow concert companions weren’t quite as big of fans of good 90s bands as I was (one admitted to wikipedia-ing the group before the concert).

Still…we all had our own BJ memories from childhood (and college…and adulthood). I mean, who doesn’t? Even an Eastern European dude I dated a few years ago used to rock out to them.

And who hasn’t windmilled a tennis racket or air guitar to “Blaze of Glory”?

And when one of the group’s ballads pumped across the sea of 60,000 concert-goers, I’m sure many other US-raised peeps my age were smacked with memories similar to mine — at the first middle school dance, doing the stiff two-armed sway as both kids quietly sing the song under their breath because they’re so nervous about being thisclose to someone of the opposite sex.

Yep…pretty crazy how a few songs can take you back so quickly.

But just out of curiosity…

I don’t know why I find it so humorous that when I meet people, they always assume I’m from a coast. East or west…but never the Midwest. And never from a small town. Even people who’ve known me for a while are still pretty stunned at how country I grew up. I mean, I think I’m pretty country through and through (um, hello…I drove a pick-up truck!). Apparently, though, it doesn’t always show.

My apparent lack of countri-ness cracks me up even more when my St. Louis friends make their two-hour way down to my neck of the woods and see for themselves all that is my hometown. But, it’s true. I grew up in a small town (as did JCM).

A couple of weekends ago I even went back to go with my pops to the local Country Days festival. It’s the summer festival for the “big city” of Farmington (pop. 13,924), about 20 miles from my hometown. I loved going there as a teen, and I have to say, some parts of it never get old. Especially the funnel cakes. Um. Um. Funnel cakes.

*PS: Ten points to the first person who can name the artist who performed at Country Days (as seen in the above video). I have to admit it’s a bit harder than say, Usher, but if you’re country at all, you’ll know him…

Then, last week while driving home I realized that our state-to-state differences aren’t necessarily more subtle. They’re just more developed (as in signs of a developed society). We may not weave our own cloths, but skirt length? That’s definitely a cultural norm that has acceptability varying from state to state as Ms. Kyla Ebberts so clearly displayed that what’s acceptable in Southern Cali definitely won’t fly elsewhere (yes, pun intended).

And what caused this little observance? While driving back into a middle-class, mostly white neighborhood here in St. Louis I changed lanes. Being the Missouri-raised girl I was, I checked both mirrors, put on my blinker, and switched lanes. Still, the 20-something white dude in that lane decided I was clearly a muck of a driver and rode up on my tail and flipped me off. I was appalled. I had not been flipped off while driving in five years. And you can bet your boots that when I was in LA on the 405 last month I definitely cut across four lanes of traffic…with no honking or middle fingers to show for it. Yes. In Cali, drivers don’t flip each other off (partly caused due to the highway shootings). In Missouri, you’ll get the finger for no good reason (to which you can always respond as I did…slowing and pumping my brakes in front of the guy…then speeding up…then braking).

But that is just one of our state-to-state differences…some others I’ve noticed?
Bars:
In Cali or New York, bars aren’t just about getting smashed or hooking up. It’s as much about making new (career) connections or a little conversation as it is getting digits. In Missouri, screw the digits…everyone just wants a lay with the hottest guy/girl they can find.

Looks:
OK…I have to relate this to a day back in SoCal when the roomies and I were talking about Nick Lachey. Great-looking guy, no? Well, we all agreed, but then I added that he’s cute…but you know people just think he’s so hot because he’s famous. “I mean he looks like a guy I could have gone to high school with,” I say. My Michigan roommate responds with, “I’ve seen your pictures…and yeah maybe a guy YOU could’ve gone to school with, but…” So what am I saying? In general, Missouri guys are pretty darn hot to the rest of the states. Missourians, in particular I think are just more attractive peeps. Seriously, in my four years of school, I traveled to many other Big 12 universities, and I have to say that both the guys and girls at MU are far more attractive than any other college I’ve been to. This is both good and bad. Great for eye candy. But terrible for a girls’ self-esteem. None of my out-of-state friends know as many girls from college that had eating disorders as I do. Nobody else had to listen to girls retching their 12-course diner dinner in the dorm toilet or had their sorority meetings address girls puking in the shower (again).

Recycling:
OK. It happens in MO…but recycling containers here are like 1/4 of the size they are in Cali. Clearly it’s not happening like it should be.

Food:
T-Rav. ‘Nuff said.

Yeah…the more I think about things, the easier it is to come up with ways in which Missouri is unique or at least different from the other states here in our little ol’ country. We may not have our own Missouri religion, but yeah, each state is different from the next.

The season is in the middle of all the drama and is now down to the last 9. The favorite is Matt Corby, judging by the screams and signs for him. (But I have to say, I’m not impressed…but you can check him out a little in the above video…he’s the dude in the hat)

Next week, American Idol’s first winner, Kelly Clarkson, will be performing on the show. After seeing a free American Idol Christmas concert in the US I’m a pretty big Kelly Clarkson fan. It seems Australians might be too…word on the street is that they get American Idol down here too. Yeah, Chris Daughtry’s band is playing a live gig down here today as well…

“You planned your trip perfectly!” one of my Aussie friends told me as soon as he heard when I’d landed in Sydney. And no, it wasn’t just because I’d get to watch all of the excitement of the footy finals; I’d also missed the “drama” that was the Leaders’ Week meeting of APEC on Sept. 8 and 9 (my flight landed on the morning of the 11th).

Most news stories I read flying into Sydney and on my first few days here, said it seemed Sydney-iders (is that what they’re called here?) weren’t too pleased with the lockdown of the city. And they all blamed, of course, attendee George W. Bush saying he’s the reason the local government went over the top in its security (including declaring Friday the 7th a public holiday to prepare for the street closures).

OK, I have to admit reading about some of the measures, even I thought they were a bit extreme. Still, though, I wasn’t baffled by them. I mean, I’ve been living in LA for the last four years. My roommates and I all taught in schools that at some point over our two-year time were on complete lock down — with students inside of them — for hours (and as classrooms have no toilets, I’ll let you think of how pleasant that is for the students and teachers). This past year I’d had my commute nicely lengthened when I’d been diverted on an hour-long detour around the airport so another action movie could be shot nearby. And for the past few years I’d been prohibited from driving near Hollywood and Highland for every week (yes, the entire week) leading up to the Academy Awards. And these are all just measures taken for run-of-the-mill people and the Hollywood crowd.

So was I surprised Sydney went a little crazy having many of the world’s leaders all in one place? No. But as I recently watched a small private aircraft fly freely right over the Aussie Prime Minister’s Sydney home recently, I realized that even though Sydney looks and acts a lot like SoCal, “I’m not in L.A. anymore.” So, yeah, it seems APEC gave the Aussies just one more thing to dislike about G-Dub.

West Coast Eagles ruckman Dean Cox (who’ll be trying to lead his team to the Australian Football League final tomorrow night) was Q and A’d for The Sun-Herald’s September 9 K-Zone section. So much of what he said revolved around our little ol’ country:

“What music are you pumping?
Everything at the minute. I love my iPod.”

“Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever met?
Probably Jamie Foxx when I was in America last year.”

“If you could trade places with anyone for a day who would you choose and why?
Michael Jordan because I have admired him ever since he started playing basketball. Also, a dream of mine was to play in the NBA.”

Yeah…the kid must really love all things American. I mean, who doesn’t?

While waiting for a friend, I caught part of the free “movie screening” at my Hoi An hotel one night. It was the Britney Spears video DVD, the same one my college roommate brought back when she visited Vietnam five years ago. It’s probably been that long since I saw a Britney Spears video, too.

I’d seen a few pictures of Brit around Vietnam, well, old school Britney (pre-K-Fed), and I have to say it was weird…I mean, she’s been pretty washed up in the States for a while now, and she’s really only known for being a mom who doesn’t wear undies. But it seems in Vietnam, they just live in Brit’s past.

But for me, seeing the videos and how much better she looked back in the day, it was confirmed. She’ll never be that hot again. And well, we all know that was what made her so Lucky. Try as she may, her nude magazine covers won’t help…she’s over. And I think she’s the Last to Know.