Fall Down, Blow Up

Welcome to fall in Wisconsin... actually, technically, we can still claim to be within "summer", since the official fall solstice hasn't kicked in. One morning we'll wake up, however, and all the leaves will have evacuated the trees. In the meantime, we enjoy the sites and smells and temperatures of late summer/early fall in Wisconinsin...

One of the sights that I've been enjoying lately is the "student body" at UW-Stout. Once again, it's that crazy time of year when...

• all the parking lots fill up and you have to arrive by 7:30 am to get a spot
• the student parking attendants return and there are no more reprieves for forgetting to plug the meters
• students are moving assorted hand-me-down furniture and all their worldly belongings into their dorm rooms -- most of them have no concept of what 10x10x8' means, and bring enough "stuff" to fill a large lodge, then realize that they have to share this box-sized space with another student
• students break out their "best" school clothes, which is a totally different story for college students than it is for the elementary students! For example, here's what I've seen this week that stands out in my memory:
• Totally tattered jeans (purchased, no doubt, at Hollister for about $100) with high-heeled, maxi-pointed brocade slide shoes, accessorized with a beaded/sequined pink purse, and topped by three-color hair
• A complete outfit of camouflage, each piece made for a different part of the world (e.g., pants for the jungle and shirt for the desert!!); however, instead of boots, the outfit was adorned by sequined thong sandals (flip flops in some circles, depending on which era you wore them!!), and lots of other bling (which included several bangle bracelets and strategically placed piercings)
• Blue denim capris (or clamdiggers or pedal pushers, depending again in which era you wore them!!) accessorized by pink fuzzy slide in slippers. Yes, I did say slippers. I never did get a look at what the young woman had on for a shirt or other adornments, because I was mesmerized by the pink slippers. Apparently, sleepwear is making a come back, but I'm not sure when I'm supposed to wear it.
• And I saw a woman wearing shredded jeans with a nylon lacy top which looked suspiciously like a lingerie chemise I once had. Apparently lingerie is also coming back, but again, I'm not sure when or how I am supposed to wear it.
• So far, I have onlyseen one person wearing a gray suit, bow tie and hat. That's the most unusual outfit I've seen on campus! He's either a new instructor, or someone just passing through on the way to the business district.

Every fall, I marvel at the new "exotic-wear" of the students. I'm so happy that they are still motivated enough to come up with new combinations, and afterall, it is what this country is all about -- freedom of expression. The only thing that frightens me this year is seeing the rebirth of the 70's fashions--if you can call these "fashions"! I lived through them so I feel I have the right and duty to criticize them!! It may just be my angst at having disposed of all those clothes that are now back in style.

I've been seeing these god-awful polyester slacks everywhere and the other day in the store I saw a stretchy-knit, multi-colored, zig-zag, loose-knit clingy top with belled sleeves. I believe I actually screamed and may have passed out had my daughter not grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the store!!

If I see a powder-blue men's leisure suit with brown top-stitching on a rack in a store, I may be driven to vandalism! But I'll keep blogging from the prison psych ward if they'll let me have web access...