The following post was inspired by Secret's post of the other day. [MY SOAP OPERA LIFE BLOG] She was talking about how spoiled these "under-30s" are in regards to the things they have...
Of course now, it's all relative because my mom didn't have what I had growing up....my grandmother didn't have what mom had etc...
I can't speak to that (I could but I don't feel like it damn it!)
What I can address is: (and in no particular order, just how they come to me.)
1.) We got our first microwave in '77. For the first few years I was afraid of it! Thought it would give me cancer! By the time I was 31 and I had 3 kids all under 7 I said THANK YOU GOD FOR CAN OPENERS AND MICROWAVES cause this bitch don't cook!
2.) Until I was 10, the biggest screen I watched in the house was a tiny bit smaller than my mac book monitor and it was black and white. And that's what I saw Neil Armstrong walk on the moon on....and boy was he tiny!
3.) My friend Linda-her dad worked for IBM and so they were the rich family on the block and she was the first to get all kinds of new "technology" It was at her house I had my first microwave warmed pizza...I saw my first HBO flick and had my PONG cherry popped!
4.) We got our first color tv in '78, just in time to watch "Makin' It" and "Angie" before they ran their short, one season courses!
5.) I saw my first cell phone in '83 or '84...my bosses husband carried it with him all the time, the thing was the size of a small child! LOL
He'd show off with it too...looking back, I laugh visualizing him carting it around, over his shoulder. Bet he felt like "the man" with it...but he looked absolutely ridiculous.
6.) Saw my first MTV video in '81...Pretenders, Brass In Pocket..(remember when MTV showed VIDEOS-remember Martha Quinn,...JJ Jackson, Nina...Mark...Alan (am I missing anyone.)
7.) Got my first 'cellular' phone in '97 (Nokia with the trac phone cards)
8.) Got HBO in our own home in '78...one of my first movies was "The Hills Have Eyes"....the original....OMG
I couldn't sleep without a nitelight for a week!!!
9.) Sent my first email out Jan. 1996.
10.) Dropped in on my first chatroom Jan. '96 and I remember I was like scared! Nervous, excited...my heart was racing! I remember sitting there reading for 10 minutes...it was like trying to time your moves so you don't mess up the ropes in double dutch! My fingers poised at the keyboard, waiting for my big break, my opening!
Finally with my courage up I...I....typed...."HI!"
One small step for me, one giant leap for ...me, into the 21st century.
11.) My first blog entry was Oct. 1, 2006
m.
PS) blogstream is running so slow these days...I almost didn't post
PPS) Be sure to check out Secrets post-it was spot on!
PPPS) When we were young, real young, there were only like 3 tv stations and two of 'em went off the air with the National Anthem at 11pm! And yeh, like Secret said, what remote control?
I remember running home after school to beat my brother to the TV set. It was a blond cabinet and in black and white, and who ever got home first got to see either Roy Rogers or American Bandstand. Yes, I usually won! I was seven years older than my bro. Mom worked then and we were latch key kids before it was cool.
I remember white clothes on the clothes line blowing in the hot Texas wind. I remember these things called stretchers mens khacky pants were hung on. I remember the ironing in the refrigerator starched and ready for the iron.
I remember Mother keeping the car and us taking Dad to work early in the am because she had errands to run that day.
In the evenings we sat outside in the back yard. Dad would make me come out with them instead of listening to the soap operas on the radio. "only the shadow knows" I loved them as a kid...
Cokes tasted better, and peanuts would have money in the little red box they came in.
I'm sorry my kids missed the National Anthem on TV and the 10:00 old movies.
Great to go back Rubble. Thanks for letting me vent. Heide
Thanks SO much for sharing such heartwarming memories!
I LOVED IT!!!
More, more!!! I want to hear more!
m.
Heide,
I must come up with some more memories of the 50's and early 60's!
Oh Yea, I was one of the kids that followed the DDT truck down the back alleys on my bicycle......Mom would open up the windows so the spray would come in to our house and kill the mosquitoes! Hello?
Bet you never got lice neither!
N E V E R
My wife has always had a remote control for the TV. When it came time to change one of the four TV channels she would say, "Whit, would you get up and change the channel from 7 to 10."
Then again, I'm hard pressed to remember my own wedding anniversary.
I remember when arcades were cool and video games were non violent..I had an atari with space invaders, pacman, pitfall, and the combat game.
I remember Saturday morning cartoons, not like todays tho. My fav. was the Smurfs. from 7am till 12 noon.
I am a child of the '80's
thanks for listening to my story
Buffu wrote:
"I remember early mtv..when they showed videos..I liked Nina and Downtown Julie Brown... I was there for headbangers ball, yo mtv raps, and 90 minutes..the music changed and I kept watching. I remember when vh1 started.The first video was Straight up by Paula Abdul.
****I'M WITH YA' BUFFY AND OH YES, HOW I COULD FORGET DOWNTOWN JULIE BROWN!!! I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I SAW BOY GEORGE IN HIS 'DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME?' I USED TO FALL ASLEEP ON THE COUCH SOMETIMES ON THE WEEKENDS AND ONE NIGHT I WOKE UP AND SAW HIM OR HER? I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HELL I WAS LOOKING AT...BUT I LIKE HIS/HER VOICE BUT BOY DID SHE/HE LOOK WACKY! I USED TO STAY UP ALL NIGHT JUST TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF ADAM ANT AND THE STRAY CATS! THIS WAS IN THE VERY BEG. '81-'-82****
I remember when arcades were cool and video games were non violent..I had an atari with space invaders, pacman, pitfall, and the combat game. ****I USED TO LOOOVEEEE PINBALL!****
I remember Saturday morning cartoons, not like todays tho. My fav. was the Smurfs. from 7am till 12 noon." ****OH YEH!! FROM '72-'77 YOU COULD FIND LITTLE MICHELE SITTING IN FRONT OF THE TV SET FROM 8AM-12 WATCHING ALL HER FAVORITES...LAND OF THE LOST, SIGMUND THE SEA MONSTER, ISIS, SHAZAM ETC....!****
Thanks for sharing Buffy, you sparked some memories with me too! (See my gallery to find a photo of Little Michele, too bad I don't have one of me sitting in front of our tiny tv, with cereal bowl in hand!)
Michele
Now days, with these high techy tvs...you can't hardly do anything without a remote. And when I was married (in the late 80s, 90s), there was like 4 or 5 damned remotes for one little tv. It was ridiculous!!!
Give me one remote...one simple remote...
And another thing about remotes...they have been a big part of laziness, insomnia and obesity in this country...
REMOTES ARE THE DEVIL!!!
hmm...I wrote that as a joke but there might be some truth to it?
m.
Ya know the memory's a fu....
what was I going to write?
Hang on...give me a sec.
Oh yeh! So yeh, the memory's a funny thing...I can remember when I lost my virginity but I don't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday!
Ugh!
Rubble
I share some of those memories - but I think go back a bit further
I remember when we got our first microwave. I wasn't scared of it, but it was as big as a BUS!
I remember getting a B&W 13" TV for Christmas on year & I was so happy! We had a color TV already in the living room that was a huge console.
I remember going thru mother & daddy's old record collection. They had a red 45 that had Shaboom on it. I loved listening to that!
I didn't get my first cell phone until early 90's after I broke down in the dark when the kids were very little. Ex-hubby was gone hunting for the weekend. I had one the next day & he hated it! He still refuses to get one for himself.
You post is funny as usualy, PR!
m.
One of my friends hasn't had tv in her home for 7 years...I still shake my head...
Oh and her stoopid kids are honor roll students...
So what!
I can't imagine being without a tv...any size...give me something!!!!
m.
Anyhoo..I have to admit, I wish I had had a cell phone one night in '88 when I accidentally locked my 9 months old in a car and I had to flag down someone and I KNOW I WAS TAKING MY LIFE IN MY HANDS but what else could I do. The car slowed down, there were two older teen in it (maybe one was 20 or so, a bit younger than me.) I explained my situation and I said PLEASE call my husband. They assured me they would and I stood there by the door, my baby crying, confused, hungry and me scared that they wouldn't bother calling.
About 20 mins later the calvary arrived. My angels were watching over me and daughter that nite!
So to all ya'll little squirts or young mommies with cell phones...
WHAT ABOUT THEM APPLES!!!
And had I been without my daughter..I would have had a long walk to the nearest house/McDonalds...but I would have walked it...sucked it up and walked it.
Bear Hugs!
PolarB ;)
PS- I was always wayyyyy behind the times. We just got a DVD player two years ago and that was the first time I had ever used a cell phone. I still don't have cable tv or high speed internet.
I used to live for Saturday morning cartoons on our 3 channel television, no wait 4 channels as we had the PBS ?? channel too. My family was veryyyyyy slow at getting a microwave, a vcr player, I remember my first computer when I was around 17, a Commodore 64. My dad didn't get cable television until I was almost ready to move out so that was around ummm let me think 1987ish. I always had to watch MTV at my friends house. My mom and dad were born in the 30's and weren't into all the new "gadgets" and technology lol Now, I try and keep up to date on all of it......don't want my kids thinking I'm a dork lol
I can remember everybody's birthday's too but I don't know my way around this area and I've lived here two years.
Selective, very selective...we remember what we want to.
I say my three kids sucked my brain cells out in the 90s...that's the excuse I give anyway.
m.
Oh and by the way....we'll always be a bit dorky to our kids...
Oh well.
Rubble,..aka Michdork.
Take care and a have a Great Day...
I am going to post the lyrics on my site called A differnt world
It really is a different world today ain't it?
m.
If my mom and dad could only see me now! Well, from their vantage point they can and are having a good laff!
Microwave induced cancer...I laugh at you in your face.
m.
Again, thanks for popping in!!
Michele/Rubble
I have dream like memories of MTV starting. Like I remember the first video "Video Killed the Radio Star" but I don't remember anything before or after that, just sitting around the tv with my family. I recall finally being able to watch the Smurfs after getting cable, and I remember our VCR which was just giant. Interesting to think about that stuff again!
Take Care!
And thanks for sparking those fun memories!
m.
That was our life ...
What dishwasher? WE were the diswasher!
What garbage disposal? That was our job!
What remote? WE were the remote!
And so it went ...
Hugggggggggggggggggggggz,
Taylor
My oldest daughter (now 21) WAS our resident dishwasher for many years....and hated it. I can't blame her. But now she's living on her own and I can only hope she's applying the lessons she learned...
(although for many years I would go behind her and wash them all over again...oh well...mom's 300 miles away, ya' gotta' do it right the first time, no mommy to fix your dishwashing mistakes!)
m.
Best graphics, layouts, and more for your profiles! Click Here!
You have been OVERHEARD and SEEN at my place!
It could have been a graphic or a quote,
It could have been something that you wrote!
You added greatly to my Spring Fever Post
So I linked to your blog as a toast,
"For all you do and all you say ...
Wishing you the BEST of today!"
Hugggggggggggggggggggggggz,
Taylor
And again, thanks for putting that all together for all of us to enjoy and giggle at!
m.
AM
I added the question to all the comments in that section. It reads better too. Thanks!
Huggggggggggggggggggggggz,
Taylor
Bear Hugs!
PolarB ;)
"TOMORROW TOMORROW!!!"
The weekend was a busy one!
But I HAVE NOT forgotten Ms PB!
Just need time to compose in intelligent blog about the subject
I will PM you the topic but shh...keep it a secret!
Bear Hugs!
PolarB ;)