Trash Bash: Celebrating (and Berating) Stinky

 

In the spirit of revisiting the nostalgia and wisdom of TV shows from my childhood, I finally took a gander at The Pursuit of Grouchiness: Oscar the Grouch's Guide to Life, which is a gift book I got last Christmas.  Now, there are only three other famous Oscars that I can think of: Oscar from The Office, Oscar Mayer, and that gold statue that everyone in Hollywood covets come award season.  Needless to say, this book isn't about any of them, but the not-so-loveable character who lives on the seamier side of Sesame Street.  Everyone knows that Oscar the Grouch is a misanthrope in Muppet's clothing, a naysayer of the first order who's probably been kicked by life even more than his trash can.  

This would probably be a good time to reveal that I've spent most of my life as a pessimist -- in other words, a better-smelling Oscar, but an Oscar all the same.  These last few years, though, I've turned a corner into optimist territory, and I'll be the first to admit that it's a much brighter, more beautiful, and all around easier place to live.  Nevertheless, the snarky ghost of Tracy past couldn't help cracking a smile at some of Oscar's less-than-sunny-sentiments.  Here are some of my (her?) favorite parts.  Even if one is the about the author page.  

"We're grouches, we can only be happy when it rains."

Whoa.  A garbage can dweller who's only happy when it rains?!  Is it me, or was Garbage front woman Shirley Manson inspired to name her band and first hit single after the original Dumpster diver?   

"Morning people annoy me.  So do all other people."

I think this one speaks for itself.

"Oscar the Grouch doesn't need to explain himself to you.  

He lives in a trash can on Sesame Street."

I like this one because I still struggle to not explain myself.  

And finally, here's the incongruously upbeat bookmark I used to mark the aforementioned Oscar and friends (enemies? frenemies?) page.  Tricked out with the neon peace sign, yin yang, and happy face that were the poster child trio of '60s-turned-'90s pop culture, it stands for pretty much everything that Oscar doesn't. 

That said, the, ahem, Oscar (Emmy?  No, just go with the bit) goes to . . .

. . . Oscar the Grouch for his portrayal of a curmudgeon on Sesame Street! 

 Because anyone who expends that much enthusiasm for being miserable is, deep down, loving life.  

New Etsy Buys and a Little Surprise

When it was time to scope out Valentine's Day gifts for my family, I returned to Etsy's Ivy Lane Designs, where I'd found the wonderful Andy Williams notebook for my sister the Christmas before last. This time I discovered a notebook featuring another campy crooner, this time for my mom.

When I was a kid, my mom played her Michael Bolton tapes in the car so often that "Soul Provider," "How Can We Be Lovers (If We Can't Be Friends)?," "Said I Loved You But I Lied," and "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?" became the soundtrack of my childhood. (Well, that and Hall and Oates.) She looked a little shocked when she saw Michael's face peering at her from beneath the wrapping paper. (As would anyone.) But I think she was amused.

Here are some of the other goodies I picked up:

I didn't find Uncle Oinker's Gummy Bacon candy on Etsy. A friend of my mom's stumbled upon it at Jack's Country Store and thought it might be a fun gag gift for the bf, because he's such a fan of bacon. I liked the idea so much that I ran with the theme, throwing in the Oscar Mayer notebook pictured above and a card featuring a heart made of -- what else -- bacon. He seemed to get a kick out of it.