Pictures for Pam, Day 79: Phoebe's Rave Beads

(+9 insets!) (view large please!)

When Steve and I went down to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit my younger brother and his wife, we were really happy to learn that Nathalie's daughter, Phoebe, would also be home from college! It would be so nice to see her and catch up with what's going on in her world. Being 54, it's fascinating to talk to someone who's just starting college.

At 19 years old, Phoebe's college experience compared to mine totally floors me. It's just gob smacking. For instance, when I went to San Francisco State University, gym classes were varied with dozens of courses available. But today they have only dance classes. No gym. No badminton. No aerobics. No soccer. And of course, not my favorite--trampoline (which I took for two semesters!). All creative art classes…GONE. Etc. It's horrifying. This is the world that Phoebe lives in. Yes, she can go to a local gym for classes but they aren't on campus. Art classes would be the same situation I'm sure. Anyway, talking to her about school leaves me feeling totally staggered and I feel sad that there are so few opportunities for Phoebe's generation to explore creatively within the confines of school.

When I first met Phoebe a couple of years ago, she gave me a tour of her bedroom, which was such an honor. It was so much fun to see how she decorated her room and to tell her how I had decorated mine. She had some art on the walls but nothing too outlandish. As I grew up, my walls and ceiling became 100% covered with animal and horse pictures without any surface showing. When I turned 17 or so, I began collecting swim suits and pinned them up to my walls in tropical displays with beach posters behind them, using fake palm fronds as accents. I had a spot on one wall for pictures of cute celebrities too. Phoebe's décor was wonderful but sedate in comparison to my flamboyant display and I really enjoyed the peek into how she showed herself off in her room.

While I looked around, I was immediately drawn to a large glass bowl in the corner. It was nearly half-full of some kind of beads. Peering inside I saw…RAVE BEAD BRACELETS!! Dozens of them, in fact! HOW COOL IS THAT?!

Rave beads…what the heck are rave beads?! They are bracelets known as "Kandi," worn at dance clubs and parties, created by individuals as gifts to people they meet there. Originally started by drug dealers to stand out as a source for party drugs like ecstasy and coke, these showy bracelets soon turned into a popular fad for anyone who loves the dance scene. Bracelets are shared in a special way--essentially the two people hold hands and the gift bracelet is slid from one wrist onto the other's wrist. Specifically it goes like this:

1. Two people make peace signs (Peace)
2. They form their hands into hearts (Love)
3. They join their hearts (Unity)
4. They slide their bracelets from hand to hand (Respect)
4.a. Hug someone. (From)
(For more info & pictures about the Kandi craze, click this phrase!)

The whole rave beads-Kandy craze started many years after Steve and I were over our club days, so we never got to see any of this in action. It's a shame because I would surely have had an enormous collection myself! However, seeing Phoebe's collection filled me with excitement because I was sure they were very special to her. She confirmed this by immediately telling me all about her experiences. Every bracelet has a story, instantly coming to mind when Phoebe holds it in her hand. I loved hearing her tales and at the time I thought to myself that I'd just have to get pictures the next time I had a chance.

Visiting San Anselmo this time aligned all of the stars and Phoebe gave me permission to take pictures of her collection! My eyes twinkled as I pulled out a bracelet and asked for details. She instantly told me where she got it and who gave it to her. I took out another one. "Oh! That one I got in the bathroom when I met a girl in there!" I pulled out another one and out came another story. Such fun. Thank you Phoebe, for allowing me to share part of you with the world!

I spent quite a while photographing her bracelets and my main image shows the whole collection as a glorious pile of dance party memories. I am also including 9 insets for you to enjoy as well.

Pam, did you ever have a party phase in your life? I loved dancing but I didn't get many chances to go "clubbing." My dates rarely had the interest and I didn't have friends that liked that sort of thing. But when I met Steve, we went out dancing on a regular basis for the first couple of years when we lived in San Francisco. What fun! I hope you're having a nice day today my dear!

Explored on 1/27/19, highest placement, #5.