It was one of the hottest and rainiest summers on record, but members of the degree cohort at ORW still found ways to enjoy the season. Mel had an especially memorable day - keep reading for her recap!
Michael and Me
- written by Mel
It has been an incredibly hot and humid summer to say the least. The mugginess has been relentless. It has weighed heavily on me, and my hair, like a warm, wet blanket and I have been downright miserable. Going outside and spending time with friends has not been an option. And remaining indoors during the heat without air conditioning has not been an ideal alternative. However, I did manage to carve out for myself this summer a day of fun and entertainment by simply watching a much-anticipated movie.
It just so happened that on this particular Saturday I was scheduled to pick up a pizza that I had ordered from Fresh Favorites. This was not just any pizza, but a large supreme pizza with real onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms, yum! A real reason to celebrate behind bars. To say that I was super excited is an understatement. In anticipation of my pizza, I had tucked away a bottle of root beer which I had been holding onto for several weeks, and I was just lucky enough to have secured a pitcher of ice to chill my pop with which was almost as rare as my supreme pizza. After I picked up the pizza, I pulled out the pop and that's when it dawned on me that the new Michael Jackson movie was available for purchase on my tablet. The idea that I was going to be able to enjoy pizza, ice cold pop, and the opportunity to watch a newly released movie about one of my all-time favorite artists was almost enough to bring me to tears. But I was still too hot to cry.
Watching the movie took me back in time. Each song evoked a new and more exciting memory. The clothes, the hair styles, and most of all the music, transported me back to happier times. To a time when my family and I would gather in the living room on Saturday afternoons to watch the Jackson Five on Soul Train. Or when I would save up all of my money, mostly change, so I could go to the record store and purchase Michael’s newest album or poster. Posters that I would hang all over my teenage bedroom walls alongside posters of Prince, Vanity, and the Time. The movie also brought back memories of the times when my friends and I would try to imitate Michael’s smooth dance moves like the moon walk or the haunting steps from the “Thriller” video. This was what delighted me the most. My ability to recall exactly where I was, and what I was doing when I first heard most, if not all, of Michael’ greatest hits. Hits such as “Human Nature”, “Billy Jean”, and "Thriller” just to name a few.
As I sat on my bunk, in front of my fan, I sang along to every song as if it were yesterday, and I was young and at home again. For the duration of the movie, I was on vacation swimming around in my glorious teenage memories. Escaping the heat and humidity, and the confines of prison while eating pizza and drinking pop with the “King of Pop.”