That's a very snappy outfit

My mom, sister and I all live in different parts of the state.  Yesterday, we all met up for a day of shopping. When I arrived, I was shocked to discover that my mom and I were wearing the exact same sweater. Don't get me wrong, my mom is hip and all, but it's just a little embarrassing to be walking around dressed in matching mommy/daughter outfits. (I believe we did actually have matching sailor dresses in the 80s). 


This reminded me of an episode of Full House called "Back to School Blues". DJ is starting middle school - that time in life when what you wear and who you hang out with is as important as breathing. The day does not go well. DJ is harassed by a clique of "cool" girls and is horrified to see that she is wearing the same outfit as a teacher. Then she eats lunch in a phone booth. Poor DJ! You would have thought that someone in the house or even Kimmy Gibbler would have warned her against those pleated pants and the floral vest! Not that I should talk, I think I wore a similar outfit in middle school, plus I had huge glasses and braces, and would have done anything to have big bangs like DJ. 

"That's a very snappy outfit!"

Here is a clip of DJ's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad first day of school.


Lucky for me, gone are the days of being embarrassed of my parents, so I got over being twins with my mom pretty quickly. Next time, I will just have to call ahead to make sure we don't show up matchy-matchy.


Friends Forever,


AC Slater


*Murder Mystery Party Update! Make sure to check out the original post for an update on the party.

Tis the Season

Check out Zack Attack, reunited for this special Christmas song!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Murder Mystery

As the sole member of the planning committee at my day job, it is my responsibility to plan our annual office Christmas party. Rather than our usual party (dinner and idle chit chat), I thought we should shake things up a bit, so I hired a murder mystery company to come and perform. During the course of the evening there will be a murder. Appetizing, right? It will be our job as the audience to decipher the clues to solve the mystery. I was of course inspired by the Saved by the Bell episode when the cast goes away on a Murder Mystery Weekend.

"Lucky Lisa" wins the murder mystery weekend through a radio contest. (Apparently radio contests were popular - remember the Hawaii contest?) Upon arriving, the gang is informed that the first person to solve the mystery will win the oh so coveted $500 prize. During the course of the weekend, classic comedy and suspense abounds. Screech dresses up like Sherlock Holmes, Zack and Slater hit on the french maid, and lightening strikes at all the appropriate times. Things get a little out of hand when spooky and unsuspected things start happening. Mr. Jameson, the British sounding gentleman in charge of it all, calls off the game for fear of everyone's safety. In the end, it is of course Zack who figures out that "the game never stopped" and wins the prize money. And wouldn't you know it, Lisa was in on it the whole time! We all know she doesn't need the money anyway.

I will be at a great advantage over my co-workers in having seen this episode many, many times. Here's how:


-I will watch to make sure no one steals my necklace when the lights go out
-I will check for secret passageways by pulling on candlesticks on the wall
-I will know that the "game never stops"
-I be sure not to wear lipstick so that I don't leave it on the glass of my mango tonic with a kiwi twist.


Let's hope that the actors have accents and are super dramatic. Maybe Zack will even make an appearance??


I'm a little scared because it just dawned on me that I am now perhaps starting to purposely trying to make my life like SBTB...


I'll let you know how it turns out.


**Update! The party was amazing and so much fun! Unfortunately, even with all my advantages, I still did not figure out the mystery. Maybe I drank too many mango tonics? Or maybe it's because I was too paranoid about someone stealing my necklace.


Friends Forever,


AC Slater

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Unfortunately I don't have anything new to post right now, so I will leave you with last year's Thanksgiving post to tide you over. Check it out here.

Here is a quick list of what I think the SBTB gang would be thankful for:

Zack: his mobile phone - great for fitting snuggly in your back pocket
Slater: his dimples
Screech: Lisa, obviously
Kelly: her great bangs that always seem to stay in place
Jessie: women's rights
Lisa: Black Friday sales

Happy Thanksgiving!

Friends Forever,

AC Slater

Buddy Bands International

It's been a while. I've been away. In Spain to be exact. And guess what I found there? Buddy Bands! Here is a picture of me in Barcelona posing with an array of beautiful buddy bands.

Stay tuned for more posts to come soon!

Friends Forever,

AC Slater

Happy Wrong Number By the Sea!

Today marks the first birthday of Buddy Bands!

It's been one whole year of examples of how some of your favorite shows relate to real life. To recap, here are a few of my favorite posts:

Anyone can find love

The serious stuff

Coasters

So, "Happy Wrong Number by the Sea" to Buddy Bands! Thank you so much to all of the readers!

Photo credit

PS. "Happy Wrong Number by the Sea" was written on one of Zack's birthday cakes. Sometimes I like to say this to friends on their birthdays. My favorite friends understand this without needing an explanation.


PPS. I am trying out a new look for the blog for the new year. Hope you like it!

Friends Forever,

AC Slater

These are my confessions...

Erika from the awesome blog, SBTB: Now! recently asked readers to send in their "SBTB Confessions". We were asked to answer the following questions:

1. What is your fondest memory of the show growing up?
2. If you could change one element of the show, what would it be?
3. Who is your inner character and why?
4.  Have you ever experienced a moment in life that you could relate to SBTB?

Photo Credit: SBTB Now!

I am so honored to be the first fan featured on the blog.  You can check it out my confessions here.


If you want to be featured also, please send your answers to the questions above to Erika at sbtbnow@aol.com. It would be fun to have some "Buddy Band-ers" submit something! If you do, please let me know!


Enjoy!



Friends Forever,


AC Slater

Real Live Buddy Bands!

Man, am I glad I joined Twitter! Otherwise, I wouldn't have seen this: another SBTB fan out there is considering making Buddy Bands for purchase. Who wouldn't want one of these?  I found this on the SBTB: NOW! Blog. This is a fun site to see the latest news on what the actors are up to now and some fun behind the scenes photos. Be sure to check it out!

Buddy Bands: Hey, they work!

Also, for the story behind Buddy Bands and the naming of this blog, check out this post.


Stay tuned for more on how you can get your hands on your very own buddy band!


Friends Forever,
AC Slater

SBTB: The Game

I had the pleasure of spending last weekend at a friend's cottage near the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan (Pure Michigan, anyone?). Much to my delight, stumbled across this little gem:

Saved by the Bell: The Game. Hours of entertainment

After dusting off the cover, instead of playing the actual game, we collected all the trivia questions and my friends quizzed me, rapid fire style. Either they were impressed or thought I was a complete loser, because I was able to answer almost every question without thinking. I did, however, find a few questions where the answers on the card were incorrect! I am half tempted to write the company and let them know of their errors, but something tells me it's too late. For example, one such question read, "What was Zack's S.A.T. score?" The card told us the answer was 1500, when everyone knows that in reality Zack scored a 1502. I mean, come on!

The game also included dreamy photos of all the characters, fun facts about the actors, and even love notes from Zack and Slater. Why was this my first time playing this game?

Friends Forever,

AC Slater

Stop the drilling! Stop the oil!

This post is waaay overdue. This BP oil spill business is out of control. And yesterday another oil spill very close to home.  And now Eric's secretary is in a coma. What's with this? Nevertheless, this sensitive topic of course makes me think of SBTB. We all remember the Oil Spill episode. The gang "adopts" pets from the school's pond and care for them in their science class. Zack becomes particularly attached to a duck he names Becky. (Coincidentally Becky is also Mr. Belding's wife's name..hmmm?). One beautiful afternoon, Slater saunters into the locker room covered in oil. What happened? They were doing some work on the football field and they struck oil!  At first, the gang is thrilled, imagining a "Better Bayside" where money is no object and the teachers wait on the students. Jessie and Kelly are the only ones against it, chaining themselves to a giant oil derrick (where did they get that?) and chanting, "Stop the drilling! Stop the oil!".  A nerd named Franklin also joins in with his own original cheer, "Stop the shouting, give me a kiss!".  But do they listen to the ever-protesting, tree-hugger Jessie? Noooo.

Zack, Mr. B and Becky the Duck pre-oil spill

Inevitably during the drilling, an "accident" happens covering all the precious animals in oil. Now the gang can see the real danger in all this oil business. Not only is the wildlife in danger, but the school campus will be littered with unsightly oil derricks. Zack comes through and saves the day with a dramatic presentation for the school board, complete with squirting oil on the shirt of the oil company representative. Lo and behold, he saves Bayside once again!  The episode ends with everyone participating in the group high five that was later featuring in the opening credits.

"She's where the oil can't hurt her now"

The moral of the story is that we need to get Jessie Spano down to the Gulf Coast to rally the troops in a  rousing cheer of "Stop the drilling! Stop the oil!". That should solve everything.

Friends Forever,

AC Slater

P.S. Buddy Bands is now on Twitter! Follow @buddybands

I missed him...

I found out tonight that Mark-Paul aka Zack Morris was at a local watering hole last night...I cannot believe I missed it and even worse that he didn't call me! I mean, didn't he read this post where I specifically said "call me!"??  Apparently I need to be on Twitter to find out about these things so I am signing up immediately. I will just call it blog research.


Tweet you later!


Friends Forever,
AC Slater

Which Saved by the Bell Chick are you? Fourth of July Edition

In honor of our county's independence, here is a little holiday weekend quiz for you:

Answer the following:

What does the Fourth of July mean to you?:

A.  A day we celebrate our country, well, technically not our country, we stole it from the Indians....

B.  Life, liberty and 50% off at all major department stores

C.  Family, fun and fireworks, that's the Fourth

D.  A day when we remember how our fore-fathers fought for something so precious: Freedom

Scroll down to see which character you are!

(Fireworks for Zack and Stacy's first kiss)

If you answered A: You are Jessie Spano! You are tend to dress as Lady Liberty on Independence day, you love woman's rights, and you are slightly neurotic.

If you answered B: You are Lisa Turtle! Always the fashion maven, you spend your summers watching your friends work while relaxing and charging things to your parent's tab. 

If you answered C: You are Stacy Carosi! You are living in Malibu with a New York accent, you have a hard outer shell, but a soft spot for "surfer dudes".

If you answered D: You are Kelly Kapowski! The all-American girl,  you are a hard worker, but know how to have fun too, especially on the volleyball court.

So, which SBTB chick are you? Leave a comment and let me know!

I hope you enjoyed this holiday quiz.  Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Friends Forever,

AC Slater

Spawn of Saved

Congratulations are in order for another special delivery that arrived yesterday. Like I told you back in November, Tiffani-Amber Theissen, aka Kelly Kapowski was expecting. Her baby girl arrived yesterday! Here is what Kelly will be able to teach her new baby, Harper:

• awesome cheerleading moves
• how to look good in rolled up jean shorts
• how to cheat on her boyfriend with her boss, yet somehow turn it around so that everyone feels bad for you instead of the poor, innocent ex-bf
• lifeguarding skills
• hot dance moves (need we forget the spandex twins?)
• and maybe when she's out of high school, how to manage a night club (hello, Peach Pit After Dark)

In other news, I was thrilled to hear that John Stamos will be joining the cast of Glee next season! We all know he is qualified, after all, he did make a music video of his hit song, Forever. (you might remember this song from Jesse and Rebecca's wedding)



Check out that hot, shirtless action! (and look for the Beach Boys cameo)


I cannot wait to see what the musical genius that is John Stamos brings to the Glee table!


Friends Forever,
AC Slater

Special Delivery

A few weekends ago I logged on to Facebook to see my dear friend, Melissa, had announced the birth of her daughter. Her post also stated that her baby girl was delivered by her husband and mother-in-law on the bathroom floor of her home! (this was not on purpose). Oh mylanta! Thankfully, everyone is doing great, and I did get permission from Melissa to talk about this on the blog.

After my initial shock from the news, I could only think about Mrs. Belding's surprise delivery in the elevator at Bayside High. You see, Bayside principal Richard "Dick" Belding and wife Becky are expecting their first child. The gang graciously throws them a baby shower at school where they shower them with practical gifts like a Bayside football jersey and soap on a rope. After said shower, Zack and Tori (yes, Tori - more on her here) take Mrs. B on the elevator. Surprise! Just at that moment and earthquake occurs and the elevator gets stuck. And what would you know, Mrs. B goes into labor right then and there! Zack remains calm while Tori panics due to her earthquake phobia. With Tori being worthless, Zack has no choice but to deliver the spawn of Belding. Just as soon as the baby arrives the power returns and the elevator doors open to the awaiting crowd. Thank goodness they had the football jersey to wrap up the baby. And why was the elevator completely spotless afterward? Mysterious. So Mr. Belding's child would be about 21 years old now. Wonder what he's up to.

So anyhow, this is yet another example of how life relates to Saved by the Bell. I gotta tell ya, I never thought that I would be able to relate to this episode, but here it is. And the kicker of it all, Melissa's husband who delivered her baby....his name is Zack!!! I kid you not. Read about Zack and Melissa's amazing story here.

Friends Forever,

AC Slater

Breaking News

Mark-Paul Gosselaar and his wife are getting d-i-v-o-r-c-e-d! Though I hate to ever see anyone's marriage fail, I have to admit the first thing I thought was, "oooh, now's my chance!"  My next thought was that now I won't have another chance to see him walking around my town (the last time I saw him it was because his wife is originally from here, so they were back visiting). I guess it's all about me, huh?


Here is the article with more.


Mark-Paul, I am sorry you are going through this.


P.S. - Call me!


Friends Forever,
AC Slater

Coasters

Last weekend was "girls weekend", spent at the cottage of my friend "Tori's" in-laws. It was so generous of them to let us relax there for the weekend and we had a great time. While we gathered around the table for meals and games, Tori kept kindly reminding us to use a coaster under our cool beverages. Apparently, mother in law is not too keen on water rings on her table and is very quick to notice when new ones appear. I can't blame her, I have been known to be anal about lesser things. It kind of became a game of who could catch someone else not using a coaster and bust them. I was loving it, because I knew I could finally write about one of my all time favorite Danny Tanner moments. 


One of the best Full House episodes ever is Jesse and Rebecca's wedding. Growing up we had this two-parter on VHS (taped off of TV) and watched it all the time. Who can resist when Jesse sings "Forever" to Rebecca, the montage of them growing up, and the choir joining in? I could cry just thinking about it! Then Rebecca joins in at the end...ahhh it's just so magical.  Also, can Rebecca's veil be any bigger?





The reception is held in the Tanner living room. Danny stands up on the staircase to make his toast. In classic Danny style, he says,


"You know, as I look at all you happy, smiling people with your glasses raised, I can't help but think there are so many of you and so few coasters to go around...."


Oh Danny! So hilarious. So know you see how excited I was to hear about Tori's MIL loving the coaster usage. I hope she's reading this! :)


Friends Forever,
AC Slater

My credentials

I was digging through some old boxes in my basement this weekend. I came across the paper plate award I received from the field hockey team in High School (circa 1999?). I guess this is kind of like my resume for the blog.

"Sweeper" was my position (the last line of defense between before the goalie). That basically means that I was too slow/lazy to play anything else, so I would just hang out by the goal kicking up dirt and dreaming about Zack. Also notice the drawing on the plate. That's a bell, in case you couldn't tell.

Receiving this award was one of my prouder moments. Never mind awards like Most Valuable Player or Most Improved Player, the "Most likely to know every last detail about Saved by the Bell" award is the highest honor.

Friends Forever,

AC Slater

Just Like Old Times

I was channel surfing tonight and paused on Dancing with the Stars just as they were introducing the musical guest. Much to my delight, the guest performer was The Beach Boys featuring their longtime friend, John Stamos, aka Uncle Jesse! Holla!

If you don't remember, The Beach Boys made a few cameos in Full House, due to their close, personal relationship with Mr. Stamos.

The Beach Boys pay a visit to the Tanners.

It felt just like old times seeing them perform together again. It's just heart-warming really.

So, thank you, DWTS. I still won't watch the show, but at least I know you have good taste in musical guests.

Friends Forever,

AC Slater

The American Teenager

It's been a long time since I have posted something. I realize this. It does not mean that I don't think of Buddy Bands/Life connections daily, if not hourly. I have just been too lazy to write about them, or maybe too selfish to share them. Either way, here we go again.

Have you ever noticed the wide breadth of activities that the Saved by the Bell gang participated in (and also happened to excel)? I saw the "Zack Attack" episode the other day (the episode that taught me that when you are in a recording studio, it is necessary to put your hand over one ear when you sing) and started making a mental list of their combined extracurricular categories.

Singing:

• The Five Aces - This was a 50s style a Capella group, complete with poodle skirts (Tori era)
• Zack Attack - Garage band turned famous (in Zack's dream). Jessie is mysteriously missing in this episode.
• Zack and Kelly's breakup - Jessie and Slater sing a face to face version of "How am I Supposed to Live Without You" by the ever talented Michael Bolton while Kelly and Zack break up outside. Tear.
• Glee Club: Three words: Violet, bum, bum.
• Hot Sundae: The girl group of Kelly, Jessie and Kelly that puts together the hottest music video ever (see below). Side note: in elementary school three girls did a reenactment of this video for the school talent show. I was so jealous I didn't think of doing it.

Dancing:

• Hot Sundae: See "singing"
• Swan Pond: The gang's ballet that they guys join so that Zack can get enough credit to graduate. Quiz: Pete let Zack have his spot because he had extra credits from another class. What class was that?
• Dance off at The Max: "The Sprain" anyone? And how about those Spandex Twins?

Athletics:

• Slater: Football, Wrestling, Track
• Zack: Basketball, Track
• The girls: Swim team, modeling (same episode), cheerleading
• Kelly: Volleyball
• Screech: Chess

Acting:

• Snow White and the Seven Dorks: aka the episode where Zack and Jessie have feelings for each other...scandalous!
• A Christmas Carol: Palisades Mall production sponsored by Moody's Store for Men
  

Other Misc. Activities:

• Yearbook
• Student Council
• Fashion Club - the Fashion Club produced the Buddy Bands!
• Radio Station DJ's
• Teen Counseling - "Teen Line, this is Nitro"
• Beauty Pageants - Miss Bayside and Miss Liberty
• Academic Quiz Bowl - this episode game in handy when at a recent party someone referenced the inventor of basketball, and I was able to nonchalantly add, "Oh, you mean James Naysmith?"
  

What have I forgotten??

As you can see, these were no ordinary teenagers. Their talents and achievements go far beyond what the average high schooler is capable of. And that is why, my friends, I revere them so highly. They are the American Dream.

Friends Forever,

AC Slater

I wish I had thought of this...

The picture below combines two things I really like to do: make graphs/spreadsheets and talking about Saved by the Bell. Can anyone think of a career that combines the two?

Graph Source

Friends Forever,

AC Slater

Still Alice

I just completed an excellent book for my book club. The book is called Still Alice by Lisa Genova and follows the journey of a woman who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. This book is incredibly moving and I would highly recommend reading it.

How does this relate to the Buddy Bands blog? Easy. Remember the Full House episode when DJ volunteers at the retirement home? The episode is aptly named "The Volunteer". DJ befriends a kind old man named Eddie, who has Alzheimer's disease. She invites him back to Chez Tanner where he gets confused and calls DJ "Gloria", which is his daughter's name. (Side note: I once had a roommate named Gloria and had to bite my tongue every time I saw her because all I wanted to do was bust out singing songs with her name in them. Especially this one:

I don't think she was the type of person who would appreciate that, so I refrained.) Anyway, Eddie's actions confuse and sadden DJ leading to a "music moment" when Danny explains Eddie's situation to DJ and encourages her to continue to be his friend. Another life lesson courtesy of Danny Tanner. When I have kids, my parenting method will be to sit the rug rats in front of the TV and continually play Full House seasons one through eight. Good idea??

You can watch a clip of the conclusion of this episode below. Listen for Eddie's Harry Carey-like voice...Hey! If you were a hot dog, would you eat yourself?

Stephanie also boasts a hot to trot outfit in this episode:

Please note that in no way am I making light of this serious disease. Especially after reading Still Alice, I can't image what it would be like to have a loved one go through this, let alone go through it yourself. To learn more about Alzheimer's Disease, visit the website for the Alzheimer's Association.

Friends Forever,

AC Slater

Anyone Can Find Love

I will admit that I get pretty into the NBC show Biggest Loser. Who doesn't love a good makeover story? We are also doing a "Biggest Loser" competition at my work, so weight is on my mind a lot these days. This, in turn, reminds me of a Saved by the Bell episode called The Date Auction.

Saved by the Bell was always so good at addressing teen stereotypes, wasn't it? In this episode, there is a date auction where guys and girls are auctioned off like cattle for a date to the dance. Wendy, an overweight classmate (probably the only overweight student I have ever seen at Bayside, and never to appear again), bids a whopping $100 for a good time with Zack Morris. I can't blame her for this. $100 is a small price to pay for that heartthrob.

Side note - I find it ironic that the date auction is held to raise money for the skimpy new cheer leading uniforms, which might be quite unflattering on someone like Wendy (see picture)

Zack is bummed because Wendy isn't exactly his type. He makes excuses to try to get out of going to the dance with her, but ole Wendy figures him out. She ditches him at the dance, claiming she would rather "hang out by the finger foods". In the end, Zack sees what a jerk he has been, apologizes and asks Wendy to dance. And then we never see Wendy again, I guess it didn't work out between them? I am not surprised, I mean, we all know that Zack and Kelly are two people destined for each other anyway, right?

The moral of the story is, don't judge a book by its cover. Which I guess doesn't exactly apply because Wendy didn't really show us that she was cool or funny or really anything at all, except for a portly adolescent with 100 extra dollars to spend.

This theme appears again in this episode when Lisa acts like a brainiac to impress a guy (who looks like he is straight from Boyz II Men) named Brian. It is in this episode where Lisa utters that famous brainteaser, "What is art? Are we art? Is art, art?" The world will never know.

So, I guess what we have learned here is this: be yourself. Another life lesson brought to you by Buddy Bands.

Friends Forever,

AC Slater