Mr. Miyagi is super cool

Last night, Justin and I watched the Karate Kid. I think it just came out on DVD not too long ago. Anyway, I think that Ralph Macchio was better as the dying Johnny Cade. However, something about the 1984 flick brought me right back to my childhood - a time when my sisters were both at home and our hairbrush concerts to Madonna and Rick Springfield were a daily event. It was a time when I felt totally safe and my sisters were my world... Well, them and my Cabbage Patch doll, Brandon. (Santa gave me a Cabbage Patch Doll for Christmas in 1983, but because demand was so high, I got a boy.)

Do you ever see something from your past and it almost transports you back to that time and the memories flood your every thought? Sure, I had a weird childhood where I was taught to do laundry at the age of 6 and my parents weren't really ever home, but I really had a lot of fun. My sister Jacqui was acting-mom for a large portion of my childhood, because our parents worked a lot, but she was great at it. I mean, no one can whip-out a Tater-Tot casserole like Jacqui - four nights a week. There is a reason I don't eat Tater-Tots anymore!

But anyway, I remember wishing that I had a Mr. Miyagi to teach me karate and how to properly use chopsticks. I actually used to clean using the "Wax on, wax off" and "Sand the floor" techniques. I actually thought every high school must have it's clan of Cobra Kai's running the joint. As an adult, Mr. Miyagi signifies so much more when you watch the movie. He's silly and says stupid things, and the whole persona is a completely made-up character, but the lesson behind his karate lessons are all about being a stronger person - from within. As a 7-year-old I didn't really get it, but I wish I did.

One thing that I thought then and I still think now is that Daniel-san was just way too scrawny for Ali. When they kiss in front of the waterslides at Golf N'Stuff, I always thought, "Man, she's gonna snap him in half!" Thanks to watching the featurette, I found out that the directors did that on purpose. They said Elizabeth Shue was like Strawberry Shortcake and Ralph Macchio was like Canoli. I get the underdog thing, but it still looks funny. But then again, how many scrawny guys did I see hooking-up in high school? At least a few - Rich Lashua in particular! Ok, I didn't mean to turn the movie into a Blog, but here you go!

All of this nostalgia and seeing a young Elizabeth Shue makes me pine for Adventures in Babysitting... Maybe I'll add that to our Netflix queue.