Thursday, February 08, 2007

Nostalgia


I don't know why, but for some reason, I've been feeling a little nostalgic and have been getting snippets and flashbacks of cherished moments.

Do you remember...

Drive-in theaters: I remember being taken to drive-ins by my parents for a treat. They'd pack my brother and my cousins in the car (we'd all smush in the backseat). It was so much fun...and dirt cheap! They'd always play a double feature and we kids would never be able to stay awake for the second movie! My cousins would spend most of the time going to the concession stand. I remember seeing Cave Man, The Man with One Red Shoe, Superman, Tootsie, ET, and The Neverending Story. There's just something so nostalgic about the drive-in movie theaters.




McDonald's birthday parties: As a kid, we'd always have our birthday parties at McD's. The balloons, the party favours, the playground, the loot bags and that horribly sweet and artificial tasting birthday cake....

Since I'm not a fan of McD's, I don't think I'd ever take my kids and their friends to McD's for their b-day, but it was definitely part of my childhood memories.
Vinyls: The first record I ever bought was Cyndi Lauper's "She's so Unusual". I kept my record player and vinyls, but don't know where they are now. I think the last record I ever bought was Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet". Soon after, cassette tapes became popular...then CDs, then MP3s...now iPods...

TV shows: M.A.S.H, Silver Spoons, The Facts of Life, Webster, Growing Pains, Three's Company, Punky Brewster, The Cosby Show, Saved By The Bell, Fat Albert, Knight Rider, the Transformers, She-Ra Princess of Power, G.I. Joe, Jem, Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Smurfs, Alf, Mr. Belvedere, WWF (Wrestling...Gosh, I was in love with Hulk Hogan! OMG! LOL!)...

When I talk about these things with my youngest brother, who is now 21, he has noooooooo idea what I'm talking about when I mean the good 'ol days. Kids were kids and we played outside until dark. We didn't spend most of our time in front of the computer or playing video games. In some ways, I think my little brother is lucky because he knows so much more about technology and he's matured quite quickly and has all the tools for a wonderful future. At the same time, I think he's missed out on a carefree, innocent childhood...when kids were kids...*sigh*


What do YOU remember about YOUR childhood?

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Christine! You were in love with Hulk Hogan?! Oh, icky! Do you remember the cartoon on Saturday mornings? The characters actually looked like the wrestlers!

I liked He-Man better than She-Ra and the Misfits better than Jem and her annoyingly goody goody band members. Thanks for that walk down memory lane! That was nice!

caninecologne said...

1st 45 records as a kid:
Hot Line - The Sylvers, Silly Love Songs - Paul McCartney, (inexplicably) The Things We Do for Love - 10cc (WTF????) and Rich Girl - Hall & Oates

1st LP given to me as a gift:
Off the Wall - (the then normal) Michael Jackson

1st LPs I bought with my own $$: The Game - Queen & Zenyatta Mondatta - The Police,

1st records bought that I really really wanted:
Blizzard of Ozz - Ozzy Osbourne, Piece of Mind - Iron Maiden, British Steel - Judas Priest

1st cassette tapes given to me (by my dad!!!): Boston - Boston, Led Zeppelin III - Led Zeppelin, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - Black Sabbath, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - AC/DC & one by Motorhead (forgot which) that I HATED! Thanks Dad!

1st cassette tapes I bought with my own $$:
Back in Black (&) Highway to Hell - AC/DC, High 'n Dry - Def Leppard, Fair Warning - Van Halen

Last LPs bought (waaay back in 1991):
the limited edition picture disc versions of Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 - Guns 'n Roses

RIP Vinyl records...Long live the LP.

TV Shows: the mighty ABC triumvirate of Tuesday night TV - Happy Days/LaVerne & Shirley/Threes Company!!!, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, the Donnie and Marie Show (I wore purple socks because of Donnie), Good Times, The Jeffersons, Sanford & Son, What's Happening (gosh, I liked a lot of African American shows!), Zoom, The Electric Company, The Muppet Show, Mork and Mindy, The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk and so on.

re: McDonald's b-day parties - remember the watery orange soda?

my childhood was carefree. my siblings& I would play outside for hours without supervision. nobody worried about us being snatched back then. i don't even let my daughter play outside alone.

sure we watched tv, but we had to entertain ourselves for the most part. our parents were not wealthy and didn't spoil us with toys. i personally hate electronic toys and video games.

Anonymous said...

i cannot relate. This must be a very American thing.

Anonymous said...

(LOL) Canine, you had some really great tunes! I remember when Michael Jackson was 'normal-ish'. He was my idol! I even wore one glittery glove just like him. I learned how to moonwalk even!

Pete, I suppose this is sort of a North American thing, but I'm sure your childhood must have been an interesting one in England! With all the Brit pop bands!

Ahappilymarried! Huzzzza! I had a crush on Ricky the Dragon Steamboat!

Unknown said...

AHMM: Yes, my cousins and I used to watch the wrestling cartoon! LOL! Rowdy Roddy Piper (sp?) was hilarious!

Canine: Love it!!! Your choice in music is superb!!! Use Your Illusions I&II I had on cassette tape. I can't remember if I liked I or II better.

Oh, and yes! I remember that watery orange soda at all the McDonald's kids b-day parties! Gross! LOL! It does bring back memories though!

Pete: I liked that song "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley...the one hit wonder that he was! All the girls in my school had a crush on him. Not I though! He looked kind of dorky to me :) I really, really liked those bad boy guys from Slaughter, GNR, Warrant, Skid Row, Mr. Big....ahhhhhh!

T: Ohhh mahhhh lorrrrrrrd! YOU knew how to moonwalk!?!? *giggles* No offense, but that was kind of...LOL...funny! :) Oh, and Ricky the Dragon Steamboat??? I guess that's better than having a crush on Hulk Hogan. Did he always have a receding hairline? I don't care. He was cool! :)

Denial Renae said...

I remember those days fondly! I was jem one year for halloween! Those were they days that it was worth it to watch cartoons on Saturday morning! Trapper Keepers ruled!

Sweet and Salty said...

I never actually went to a drive in movie, though I always wanted to since I was a big fan of Happy Days and thought the Fonz was very cool!

We all group up listening to Michael Jackson's "Don't stop till you get enough" and watching Grease and wanting to be John Travolta.

LOVE your blog, btw!

Unknown said...

Pavel! Thanks for the kind words :) Do you have a drive-in theater near you guys? I know they are few and far between these days. I've been looking for one so hubby and I can go to sometime. He's never been and I miss those summers at the drive-ins :)

Awww! Happy Days...the Fonz...Grease...John Travolta...*memories* LOL!

Ms. Mamma said...

1st 8Track: Kiss 'Rock & Roll Over'

1st LP: Captain & Tenille's Greatest Hits

caninecologne said...

ms. mamma - alright! 8-track! kiss no less! even better!

t- yes, michael jackson WAS normal way back then. who would've predicted he'd up up the way he did. sad...

chrissy - you are a brave soul for admitting that you liked rick astley's 'never gonna give you up'! we used to crack up at the video. he had this deep sounding black voice but in reality was a scrawny, geeky looking fellow.

never really liked the hair bands in their heyday, preferring instead to cap on groups like trixter and britney fox. those guys wore more makeup that i ever did in my entire life! but alot of the bands you mention are fun to listen to now, years later.

btw - wasn't the fonz a bit of a man whore? with all those chicks he brought up to his apartment above the cunningham's garage!

about drive-ins - sad to say that my first drive in movie was 'wayne's world 2' and we had to leave and get our $ back because we couldn't get good reception. in san diego, there used to be so many drive ins. now there are only 2 or 3. the parking lots are used for swap meets/flea markets on the weekends.

Unknown said...

Canine! I thought Rick Astley's song was okay, but too "poppy" for me. He was dorky looking! LOL!

We used to have an 8 track in our house and one in our car. I remember long drives to Philly, NY, and Boston in the back of my uncle's station wagon...all scrunched up together (isn't that illegal??? How on earth were parents able to do that before? LOL). Anyway, all my cousins would be in the back and the 8 tracks would be playing.

I can still hear "I'd like to be...under the sea...in an octopus's garden..." and "We all live in a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine..." LOL The good 'ol days.

I had a crush on the boys from Trixter, Slaughter, etc. Yeah, lots of the guys back then wore skin tight pants, no shirts and had more make-up than most girls...and that was sexy??? LOL!

Here's another confession for you, Canine...I had a crazy massive crush on Jordan Knight from New Kids on The Block (Ick...so sad). My cousin was in love with Joe McIntyre and we swore we'd have a double wedding and marry those guys. Soooo sad. Where are they now? I have no clue. It's amazing how they were so popular. What was the rage about? My male cousins still tease us to this day about our poor choice in musical groups. Good thing that phase only lasted a year or two!

Oh, and yeah...the Fonz was kinda man-whorish, eh? As a kid, I always thought it weird that he was able to have all those girls and in front of Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham, nonetheless!! ;p

curiositykiller said...

Chrissy... I can totally see you as a New Kids fan - with the posters, and squeals and everything, LOL!!

Looks like you had fun on my blog with all the sob stories, and confessions and all -- thanks for being such a good and nurturing participant -- it's quite intriguing... I'm posting my article about cuckolding and double standard real soon. I promise it'll be racy. ;P Chat with you there!

Anonymous said...

Oh no, please say it ain't so! You didn't say you were a NKOTB fan, did you? BAH! I couldn't stand those guys! Sure, they were eye candy, but could they really sing? Hmmm. They were just Maurice Starr's little puppets.

I like your blog. It's fun.

Anonymous said...

i never properly answered this.

First record as a kid: The Smurfs sing a long.

First record bought with own $: Judas Priest, just like Canine! I guess we're in the same age group?

First cassette bought with my own$: Aerosmith something or other, or Rolling Stones but can't remember.

TV shows: all the ones Canine listed. And the Love Boat, Dallas, Dynasty. I remember when we were hooked on soaps too. Days of Our Lives, Another World.

McD's birthday parties used to be so much fun. I was scared of Ronald though. He kinda creeped me out. I also remember that hideous watery orange soda but for some reason I liked it when I was a kid. I guess my taste buds weren't developed yet! HA!

I was too old to be into NKOTB when they came out. Which means that you are very young, Chrissy!

Drive-in movies, I haven't been in years. Only, I went with my parents and siblings. I wish I had lived in the '50s when drive-ins were make-out central! Now THAT's nostalgic! A nice little piece of Americana!

JetBaby said...

first record bought for me: when I was very young, 4 or 5, was The Wombles - I think I wore that thing out! Loved the Wombles!! In fact, I had two Wombles albums and 2 stuffed animals - Uncle Bulgaria and Wellington. I think I still have them somewhere...
When I was older I always wanted K-tel albums for birthday gifts. My favourite K-tel album was "Full Tilt" - it had Drugs In My Pocket by The Monks, Turning Japanese by The Vapors, Wasn't That A Party by The Rovers etc

first record I bought for myself: a 45 of The Safety Dance by Men Without Hats

first concert ( with parental supervision ): Duran Duran, when I was 12 or 13.

first concert on my own: Echo and The Bunnymen, with Billy Bragg - when I was 14.

favourite TV shows: Too many to name, but I was a Little House on the Prairie NUT when I was a kid. I wanted to marry Almanzo. I think my soft spot for farmers is directly related to an overdose of LHOTP at an impressionable age.

birthday parties: were always at Mother's Pizza. Loved Mother's!! The root beer floats, the silent films, the polaroid picture on your birthday ( polaroids were still a huge novelty back then )

Remember satin clothes?? I had a few pairs of satin shorts, I wanted a satin jacket sooooo badly but my mum would never buy one for me. And then when I was older Jordache jeans, and then Edwins ( I had green, black and hot pink Edwins - I wore my hot pink Edwins to the Duran Duran concert!! ) And then I discovered black clothing and never looked back.... ;-)


fun post, Chris!

Unknown said...

Awww! Joanne! It looks like I just missed you! I loved Duran Duran too! Oh, and Men Without Hats and Billy Bragg bring back memories too! How fun! Polaroids were fun...what a novelty! Now people use polaroids for..uhh..stuff! LOL!

BTW, I used to rush home from school so I could catch a bit of Little House on the Prairie! LOVED that show! Hey!!! I thought I was going to marry Almanzo!! ;p

I was going to call you this morning at the shop...just for kicks! LOL! Have a good day and hope it's a busy one!!! :)

From Our Farm to Your Table

Blog Archive

Farmers Feed Cities

You Can Find Me Here!




Affiliates

Brand Ambassador for

For Fellow Bloggers

Connect With Advertisers - Sign up for SocialSpark!
A Reliable Blogger

Proud Recipient

© 2006 - 2012 Life on Manitoulin. All Rights Reserved. Powered by Blogger.

About the Blog Author


City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
Contact Me

Les Boutons!

Life on Manitoulin: Just a bunch of ramblings from a city girl gone country!

Life on Manitoulin: Just a bunch of ramblings from a city girl gone country!

Let's Connect

Members

Support


Photobucket


Related Posts with Thumbnails