"I'm a Barbie Girl"!

 "Wrapped in plastic, it's fantastic"!

Speaking of old Friends...  Yeah, when you last left me, I was talking about Melissa.  She and I have been Friends for about 9 years now.  But Mark B.C.(remember, before children) had other Friends.  These are the Friends that have true dirt on me.  So I totally make sure that I don't piss off any of them.  They probably even have photos too!  That would be scary.  Hot!  But still, they could totally wreck my marriage!

Anyway, a million years ago, I lived in RiverView Manor.  It has recently been redone and looks great.  But a long time ago, it was owned and managed by the Builder's daughter who was about 500 years old.  She only cared about her precious money and little else.  And although it was falling apart, it was still a beautiful building.

My Friend, Douglas

The owner did very little to keep the place nice and if you wanted anything done on your own apartment, you mostly did it yourself.  She would pay for the supplies but that was about it.  Still, the place was completely rented.  Back in the early 90s, it was half gay men and the other half were old women who had lived there a billion years.   We all took care of each other and life was perfect.  Well, except every time you turned around, someone was dying.  Sadly, it wasn't just of old age...

Claire and Doug.

I met Doug at Riverview and we've been friendly ever since.  We're not the closest of Friends but thanks to Facebook, we've stay connected.  And when we get together, he totally makes me laugh.  And, as you may have figured out, that's important to me.  Funny people are so interesting.  We all have our problems.  But funny people seem to find the humor in everything and I'm always impressed by that.  People who can't take a joke bore me.  That's why I only hang out with you funny freaks!

Claire choosing her favorites. 

Please forgive me because I don't know when I snapped these photos.  I know it was a Saturday because Claire and I hit the Farmers Market right after this.  But because Girl Scout Cookies have totally consumed my life, I only know that this happened in February.  I know, pretty sad, right!

This one caught her eye! 

Doug purchased some cookies from me/Claire and we went to his house to deliver them.  About a few minutes in, he asked Claire if she wanted to see his Barbie Room.  Now, if Doug were a straight guy, that would sound totally perverted.  But since he's "Family", that's perfectly normal.  Plus, I was dying to see this room myself, of course!  It wasn't the first time that a guy asked me to a back room so I went on instinct!

Never leave the house without first applying your lipstick! 

The room was FABULOUS!  It was floor to ceiling built in bookcases housing hundreds of Barbies.  Both Claire and I fell in love.  Sometimes I can't help myself.

What a Bitch!  I wanna be just like her when I grow up!

Claire has Barbies that my Mom buys for her at Christmas.  However, they are all still in their boxes and she likes them that way.  She is not a "doll kinda girl"  Still, she can appreciate the joy of having a room dedicated to Barbie.

 "What a smashing, positively dashing, Spectacle: the Ascot op'ning day"

Like a true Project Runway fan, I was absolutely in awe of the dresses for these dolls.  They were gorgeous and Douglas made them work!

Minus the belt, this is what I looked like in 91! 

You know what, I've bored you enough with stories.  How 'bout you just take a gander at some of the other dolls in Doug's collection.

"Hey Goldie, does the high cost of living bother you"?

"No, I live on the ground-floor". 

She looks clueless.

I totally dig black chicks!

Store-bought Princess! 

Total Class! 

Who's the actress that looks like this? 

"Have a Coke and a smile"

Looking for Mr. Goodbar. 

Douglas is a flight attendant.  His oldest doll is also his most meaningful.  It's a 50+ year old American Airlines Barbie.

 How cool is that!

At the entrance of his Barbie Room, you see this pull up bar at the door.  Leave it up to the Gays to to have their home gym next to their Barbie Room.

"Let's get physical"!

 Doug, thank you for letting us inside.  Your room is incredible and we all are jealous.

Between you and me, although I love this Barbie Room, I want to do the same thing but with Tonka trucks.  From now on, I will only ask for vintage Tonka trucks for my birthday.  It totally goes against my gay and hoarding tendecies, but still, I love them.  I was hooked the first time that my parents bought me my Winnobeago in 1973.

I hope that you enjoyed a tour though Douglas' room.  So now sit back and enjoy this classic.  I know, it's old and you've probably seen it before.  But still, enjoy it again!

He's my kind of Ken doll!

Douglas' Friend, m.
p.s.  My comment system is going nuts again.  I might have to approve your comment.  Sorry about that.  m.