Ninteen…

I’ll take the high end… she’ll take the low end… and if ever the two shall meet at pizza corner I’m not buying… but I’ll share a cab ride home!

I’d love to tell you I remember my 19th birthday but fact is… I don’t.  And not because I was drinking like a fool… I just don’t remember!  Downtown was exciting at 19… but really… it only meant we were actually “legal” to be in the bars and all those bouncers who for years knew me as “Diana” suddenly had to get to know me by a new name!

Getting your Liquor ID was hugely exciting (and I’m sad they don’t do it anymore!)  I can recall getting all “dolled up” then heading to a shady liquor store on Strawberry Hill to stand in front of a red curtain and have my picture taken… the words “Nova Soctia” printed through the bottom of the image… and yes… it was spelled wrong!  It was the 80’s and technology didn’t allow for easy conterfeiting but if you carefully peeled apart the lamination you could stick in a new polaroid picture and heat the plastic edging with a flat iron to reseal the card.  Not that I ever did it!

I was Diana from the time I was 17 until I got my official ID at ninteen.  I recall her birthdate was March 10th… it was the only thing they ever questioned me about forgetting the fact that she had curly hair and mine was stick straight or that our eyes were different colors!  Those were the days of Cabbage Town and Angies… me far too young to be going to either but with a pair of high heeled Frye’s and a confident attitude anything was possible… and oh how we danced!

By the time I hit ninteen The Atrium, Lawrences, Alexander Keith’s, The Seahorse, My Apartment, JJ Rossey’s and Rosas’s Cantina were in full swing… finishing the night at the Misty Moon.  Thursday and Saturday night’s were the nights to go… and it was one weekend of fun right into the next.  The friendship, the fun, the laughter was infectious and I have fabulous memories of wonderful times.

So… while I don’t remember the actualy day… the actual birthday… I do remember all of the laughs… the cute boys… the live music and friendships made through the years.  The excitement of growing up… enjoying the adventure… dancing and singing the night away with a group of unforgettable friends.

I wish my daughter well. Take care of yourself. Don’t drink too much and NEVER accept a drink you didn’t see poured no matter how nice the guy seems. Don’t ditch your friends. Check your heels before you leave the washroom to make sure you’re not trailing toilet paper behind you. Always have a twenty in your pocket for a cab ride home. Phone me at any time should you need to be “rescued”… no questions asked.  Be safe, be smart and have fun.

But for goodness sake… stay on your own end of Argyle Street!