Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Doppelgangers

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else? I have been, a LOT.

Throughout my life I've consistently been confused for other people. Perhaps it's because there's a plethora of other tall brassy-haired freckled nordic women out there that are almost indistinguishable from one another, who knows?

There was the guy in college who swore I was the St. Pauli Girl, and confessed to certain self-pleasuring sessions imagining me in a bavarian peasant girl outfit.

There was the woman in the WalMart 15 years ago who asked me if I was Kim Basinger.

There was the girl who thought I was her best friend from third grade - when we were both in our early 20's. Some good memory on that gal, I tell ya.

There was the cute young teller at the credit union who looked at me one recent day, and said - "You know what? I just figured out something. You look just like my Mom."

(That one hurt.)

It's bothered me throughout my life that I don't have a particular "look" that I can call my own. It's like I don't have the "Tiff" look, I look LIKE too many other people to have my own "thang." I remind people of their neightbor, or teacher, or old friend, or some actress, or a cartoon beer wench.

A former manager called me "as Swedish as they come," which is completely WRONG because I'm not swedish at all, but perhaps the combination of my heritages has melded into the archtypical "swede-ette," which makes me think I should convert religions to something more Lutheran, but that would be getting off the point, so let's not go there.

Maybe, to break free of the ongoing doppelgangerism I should color my hair something different - dark brown or red or stark blond. Maybe I should get a really obvious piercing, or shave my head, or wear opaque white makeup that covers the "hale and hearty" look I got goin' on. Go Goth, maybe.

It's just that, it would be NICE to have something identifiably MINE, that doesn't instantly put people to thinking of someone else when they first see me.

Just as long as I can still look like the St. Pauli Girl from time to time. I think the beer wench costumes are pretty cute.

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Remember that work thing I talked about yesterday?

I actually did some! I know! Color me shocked!!! Amazing!

You know what sucks? I have to do more today.

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Two neat sites to leave you with today.

As an FYI - I have a thing for old places, the older the better. When I went to Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London a couple of years ago I thought I was in heaven. The worn stone steps, the old tombs, the 500-year-old trees (from which people were hung!), the whole history-soaked aura got me giddy.

I like buildings that have old advertising painted on their sides. I like when you can see where windows or doors have been bricked over. I love trying to figure out which way roads USED to go 100 years ago before the 4-lane highways took over. I like old books with rough pages and cracked spines. I like old postcards and letters, spotted with age and crease-worn. There's a certain smell of history to me, if I can put it that way, that I think is immesely enjoyable.

Which is why these 2 sites are so awesome. The first is about Forgotten New York, the city where my Mom and Dad were born and raised, and the second is all about exploring decrepit places and taking gorgeous photos of what remains of what used to be. Ghosts seem to wander through these images. I imagine these places with people and laughter (or tears) and sunshine (or thunder) and scents and plans and dreams (or nightmares), creating a virtual reality that is perhaps close to the way they might once have been in fact. The artifacts left behind afford a glimpse into yesterday's realities and are made curious and beautiful and melancholy in their ruin.

(Plus, they're GREAT time-wasters.)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gee, thanks...I need me some time-wasters. Not.

Suzanne said...

I love pictures of old decrepit stuff too. Besides what I see in the mirror each day, that is. Fascinating.

I posted about a site that catalogs old asylums and hospitals awhile back, it's an extremely cool site and a great time waster. Spooky shit.

The other week I was checking out another site that documents old amusement parks. Which reminds me, I haven't looked at much past what's left of Heritage USA, that religious theme park built by Jim Bakker and good old Tammy Faye. Maybe you'd enjoy wasting some time there too. :)

Old Theme Parks

Suzanne

rennratt said...

Mmm. I loved walking through Savannah, GA. I could waste some serious time there. I am also itching to go to Easter Island, Tahiti (where I shall move one day, dang it), and for no particular reason, Romania, Estonia - pretty much that whole Soviet Bloc area (did I get that right? I slept a lot in high school history).

I was told at age twelve that I looked like Meryl Streep. I fought it for years, only to have EVERY move I made copied by her in movies! Now I am confident that the resemblance is gone. You know, unless Ms. Streep wakes up one day, 20 years younger, 5 inches shorter, sturdy...and promptly gives up hope.

tiff said...

WN - you're welcome.

Suzanne - I think you're the one who turned me on to the numerous sites that feature pics of old stuff. I wandered through that site for hours, and now don't have the link anymore. Sad. The new link = very cool!

Ren - Estonia, I have heard, is chock full of people who look like Meryl Streep. You should feel right at home there. :> (you do resemble her a little!)

rennratt said...

Tiff- this resemblance should end as of Saturday...

tiff said...

Ren - why? This news intrigiues me.

Suzanne said...

Okay dang it. This post got me all curious about that first site I mentioned, so I combed my archives to find it. Then I wasted several hours reminding myself just how incredibly cool it is.

Opacity

Suzanne

rennratt said...

See my blog for update...