Who is deese?

In 1983, Patricia's parents moved her and her brother to a beautiful sleepy suburb in the "city that fun forgot." With its political feel, conservative downtown architecture, cookie cutter suburbanite homes and street names that were hard to pronounce – she was home.

Patricia’s first day of school was in November when the school year was already well underway -- relationships had formed, cubbies assigned and meet and greets come and gone. Patricia was a shy kid to begin with, but was excitedly looking forward to her new school. Thank goodness she spoke French already (merci Grande-Île dans le Québec!) and was ready for the next "chapitre".

The big yellow school bus came rumbling down her new street and stopped in front of her house. She was nervous about getting on, but her Mom gently encouraged her up the stairs with her little brother in tow. Patricia's Mom was also a teacher and knew all too well how to navigate a young mind full of five-year-old emotions.

Novembers are quite cold in eastern Canada - not like polar vortex or igloo cold - just bitter down to your bones cold. And Patricia was wearing her favourite red snowsuit with white faux-fur trim. She was also a chubby bunny with squinty husky blue eyes, so when her hood was up and tied tight to keep Jack Frost at bay, she looked a little bit like an Eskimo… or so she was told by a cute little five year old blonde with pigtails and bangs. This was Grace, and she invited Patricia to sit with her on the bus on that cold intimidating first day of school.

Grace & Patricia lived in the same neighbourhood and quickly became friends - mostly because they looked alike. #twinning

In Grade One, they were both cast in a stage production that used Dominos to help youngsters learn simple math. Being blonde, the same height, with bangs and pigtails (then Patricia grew out, and Grace grew up), they were the perfect pair to play matching fives.

They spoke in perfect unison that day, lyrically enunciating in their best French, "Cinq et cinq font..." cuing their classmate Mike to jump out from behind them and yell, "DIX!!!" (pronounced, d-eese like g-eese, get your minds out of the gutter!) This was quickly followed by Mike's finest jumping ninja moves to impress the sea of proud parents. (He succeeded, we still remember his moves to this day - yo, where is Mike now?) As Patricia and Grace held hands in that school play all the way back in 1983 (yes, you do the math), a lifelong friendship was forged and they have never looked back.

Until now...

Growing up without internet or social media they had to keep their escapades, adventures and experiences deep in plastic foam diaries with gold locks and hidden keys, memory boxes, scrapbooks and photo albums... and what better time than a pandemic to unlock the good old days and reminisce about "easier" times! (Although, at the time it didn't always feel so easy - if only 41-year-old you could tell 14-year-old you, "IMHO, that boy is NBD, so ghost his ass because YOLO!”)

So Grace and Patricia are opening up their time capsule and presenting to you, high school shenanigans from 1992-1997! The lessons, the loves and teenage lives from the BEST DECADE EVER, THE 1990's! (All play. No proof.) They want to share some "Good Vibrations" and tear down the "Wonderwall" because "You Oughta Know" although no one high school experience is the same, they hope it reminds you of good times, old friends and Grade 12 math problems there is no way in hell you could solve now... (unless you just graduated last year OR, made a career in math perhaps? Or maybe you're just really smart... or, it could be that it is just us who no longer know on what intervals is the function f(x)=3x3+2x2 concave upwards and downwards?)

Either way, welcome to the world of DEESE - our high school Dramas, Events, Experiences, Stories, Evolutions in the amazing country of Canada during a decade full of TLC!

Love,
Grace & Patricia

HOMEWORK: On what intervals is the function f(x)=3x3+2x2 concave upwards and downwards?

*Glossary:
IMHO: In My Humble Opinion
NBD: No Big Deal
YOLO: WTF?

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