Birth of a Parrothead
I'd known I wanted to be a teacher since the day I discovered office supplies. Well, initially I thought I wanted to be a receptionist at an office. Probably a doctor's office. This is due to the fact that my Uncle Jesse is a doctor, and my Aunt Normie (his wife, my mom's sister) ran his office. My sisters, cousins, and I used to play secretary in her office at their house and in the reception office at "The Office", which is what we referred to his medical practice as. While playing secretary was fun, who wouldn't love pretending to answer the phone, taking messages, and making copies?!?!, it left me wanting more.
Specifically, a big, white board to write on. This is when I decided that being a teacher was my true calling. My sisters and I had mini dry-erase boards hanging in our bedrooms, we had real "teacher" grade books that we filled with the names of students from school, and several plastic cups full of pens on top of our desks at home - among other office supplies that we tended to collect.
In third grade, that all changed. I grew up hearing Jimmy Buffett songs and knew the words to all the hits, but in 3rd grade I really heard "Cheeseburger In Paradise" for the first time. What was different now? This time I'd paid attention to the back-up singers. As far as I was concerned, the girls that sang, "Paradiiiiiiiiiiiiiise," had the most beautiful voices I'd ever heard. I also decided that they were probably the most beautiful women on the planet. I pictured them with their long, shiny hair blowing gently in the ocean breeze, a tropical flower tucked behind one ear, wearing brightly colored bikini tops and sarongs, living the LIFE down in Key West. I had to be one. I found my parents' cassette tape of "Songs You Know By Heart" and listened to "Cheeseburger In Paradise" over, and over, and over again until I was convinced that I could sing JUST LIKE the girls in The Coral Reefers.
I think that's what really launched my love-affair with Jimmy Buffett, Key West, being a Parrothead, and all things coastal. When I graduated from high school I went on a cruise with 5 of my best friends (Troop 820) and our moms. We left from Miami and ended up in Cozumel, but my favorite part of the trip was our day in Key West. When we got off the boat that morning, you'd have thought it was Christmas morning I was so excited! My friend Jessie shares my love of these things, and our junior year of college we took a roadtrip that went Wilmington > Athens, GA > New Orleans > Destin, FL > Savannah > Wilmington. During the drive from New Orleans to Destin, we started passing signs for Pascagoula, Mississippi. Needless to say, we both started screaming with excitement and decided it was only fitting to roll down the windows, open the sunroof, and BLAST "The Pascagoula Run" as loud as her Volvo would allow.
Obviously, my desire to be a Coral Reefer took a backseat when I realized that my music abilities just weren't up to par. Actually, I still just really loved the idea of teaching. And I'm not a musician. Either way, now I'm a Parrothead teacher who'd love to find a way to work a pirate-themed unit into her school year, would rather be at the beach than anywhere else (even in January - I love the beach in the winter), wishes she could paint the rooms of her house varying shades of pink, blue, yellow, orange, & green, and who thinks that time spent on a boat is the BEST way for time to be spent.
Specifically, a big, white board to write on. This is when I decided that being a teacher was my true calling. My sisters and I had mini dry-erase boards hanging in our bedrooms, we had real "teacher" grade books that we filled with the names of students from school, and several plastic cups full of pens on top of our desks at home - among other office supplies that we tended to collect.
In third grade, that all changed. I grew up hearing Jimmy Buffett songs and knew the words to all the hits, but in 3rd grade I really heard "Cheeseburger In Paradise" for the first time. What was different now? This time I'd paid attention to the back-up singers. As far as I was concerned, the girls that sang, "Paradiiiiiiiiiiiiiise," had the most beautiful voices I'd ever heard. I also decided that they were probably the most beautiful women on the planet. I pictured them with their long, shiny hair blowing gently in the ocean breeze, a tropical flower tucked behind one ear, wearing brightly colored bikini tops and sarongs, living the LIFE down in Key West. I had to be one. I found my parents' cassette tape of "Songs You Know By Heart" and listened to "Cheeseburger In Paradise" over, and over, and over again until I was convinced that I could sing JUST LIKE the girls in The Coral Reefers.
I think that's what really launched my love-affair with Jimmy Buffett, Key West, being a Parrothead, and all things coastal. When I graduated from high school I went on a cruise with 5 of my best friends (Troop 820) and our moms. We left from Miami and ended up in Cozumel, but my favorite part of the trip was our day in Key West. When we got off the boat that morning, you'd have thought it was Christmas morning I was so excited! My friend Jessie shares my love of these things, and our junior year of college we took a roadtrip that went Wilmington > Athens, GA > New Orleans > Destin, FL > Savannah > Wilmington. During the drive from New Orleans to Destin, we started passing signs for Pascagoula, Mississippi. Needless to say, we both started screaming with excitement and decided it was only fitting to roll down the windows, open the sunroof, and BLAST "The Pascagoula Run" as loud as her Volvo would allow.
Obviously, my desire to be a Coral Reefer took a backseat when I realized that my music abilities just weren't up to par. Actually, I still just really loved the idea of teaching. And I'm not a musician. Either way, now I'm a Parrothead teacher who'd love to find a way to work a pirate-themed unit into her school year, would rather be at the beach than anywhere else (even in January - I love the beach in the winter), wishes she could paint the rooms of her house varying shades of pink, blue, yellow, orange, & green, and who thinks that time spent on a boat is the BEST way for time to be spent.
"Cheeseburger in Paradise" is still one of my favorite songs, and while there are no back-up singing girls in this video, it's one of my favorite videos of the song being performed. Partly because of the lack of talking, stuffed-cheeseburger devouring Polynesian tribal heads on stage (Really, "Scenes You Know By Heart"? Really?), but mostly because I think there's something kinda sexy about the 1985 JB.
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