Remember When
onto the surface of the moon. I thought my head would
explode with the tension. I was a huge sci/fi fan. 43 years
ago, seems like last week..
Quote: EvenBobSome of us here remember when Neil Armstrong stepped
onto the surface of the moon. I thought my head would
explode with the tension. I was a huge sci/fi fan. 43 years
ago, seems like last week..
It is also worth remembering when the USA took up big challenges. A POTUS that made a challenge based not on some "compassionate" goal but a pure scientiffic one. We didn't know we would get the thousands of great tech breakthroughs we got, but we did. We lost a few lives, but the project went on. Just 17 years after the moon landing, a mere 6 deaths raised calls to end manned space flignts altogether. The refrain from half the USA was, "we spent all that money while we have all these poor people here on earth!"
It took just 66 years from the first flight to the moon landing. But barely 40 from the moon landing to the grounding of all USA manned space flight.
When you wrote that, were you awareQuote: EvenBobSome of us here remember when Neil Armstrong stepped
onto the surface of the moon...
that Neil Armstrong passed away on Saturday?
R.I.P. Moonman...
paroled until 1970. I remember telling him by then we would have a man on the moon. I was just kidding LOL
Quote: EvenBobIn the 50's we there were no cheap ballpoint pens. They
were around, but they cost as much a $100 in todays
money. We used fountain pens in grade school.
It wasn't until about 1960 that Bic introduced the first
cheap ballpoint for 19 cents. Everybody used them,
it was only pen you saw.
You were lucky to be at such a progressive school Bob. Throughout most of my elementary school in the 50's we were required to use the school supplied 'dip pens' (a removal ink nib on a shaped and painted wooden handle). Our wooden desks came with a whole in the upper corner that accepted the bottle of school supplied ink for dipping the pen. Before I made it to high school they relaxed the rules and we were allowed to have fountain pens. Eventually in high school ballpoint pens were allowed. My recollection of the reason the ballpoint pens were resisted for many years is two fold. The obvious reason was that the early pens were not of a very good quality and leaked and left blobs on the paper. The second reason was, and still is true, this is the fact that pressure and pen direction with a nib pen makes for a varied line width and a much more ornate/refined scriipt. Sadly in todays world that is no longer considered a sufficient reason to use a fountain pen.
We used to put mercury from broken thermometers in there and play with it. LOL
Quote: buzzpaffI had one of them desks too. In the center at the top was a carved grove to lay pencils in.
We used to put mercury from broken thermometers in there and play with it. LOL
I used to collect and play with mercury all the time to Buzz. If you listen to the environmentalists now you would think contact with a little mercury was an automatic death sentance. The landlord of one of the houses I lived in as a kid was an amateur gold panner and had a beer bottle full of the stuff. He would let me fill a pan and play with it occasionally
Quote: odiousgambitI forget when or where, but fairly recently some mercury in a bottle hit the floor and the bottle broke in a high school lab. Officials were aghast it was still around, and although no one was allowed to touch it, of course, they closed the school till hazmat could come in.
Administrators must lose all common sense when hired or promoted. This reminds me of my last day in pest control. Well-meaning tech tells people rats and mice can spread hantivirus. Someone googles it. An hour later they clear the building and call my office. I was so glad I got fired that day and didn't have to deal with it
People these days seem conditioned to think everything will kill them.
friends in the couple years after high school. I
thought how I missed those times, and I realized
what I really missed was how naive I was.
Thats why being young is so much fun, you think
the world is a completely different place than it
really is. As you get older and have more real
life experiences, all your misconceptions and
fantasies fall away. And you're eventually stuck
with the fact that most of life is a letdown.
Stuck in jobs that go nowhere, kids you don't
really want, a marriage you wish you were out
of. Aspirations you had that didn't work out. I'm
not saying this is me, but I know people who
all those things apply to.
But when you're young, you think its going to be
different. Thats what I miss, my rosy outlook on
everything. Now I just stick with whats dependable;
a good book, a good movie I've seen before, a
meal where I know whats coming. Going back in
time doesn't interest me, all the naivete I need to
make it great is long gone.
At $30 per ounce Troy, that translates to $9.78 today. A Happy Meal is about the same food and is $4.
So it looks like silver-prices are more than twice what the McD index suggests ;o)
$4 happy Meal translates to $12.25/Toz silver.
to 1996, the ultra Left slant was all we got. Then FoxNews came
along and the rest is history.
Rush Limbaugh established in the late 80's that there was a huge
untapped niche of American people that were starving for another
opinion. Rush and Fox have dominated their mediums almost since
their inception. They speak for the silent majority, god love em..
Quote: EvenBobRemember when the only all news channel was CNN? From 1980
to 1996, the ultra Left slant was all we got. Then FoxNews came
along and the rest is history.
Rush Limbaugh established in the late 80's that there was a huge
untapped niche of American people that were starving for another
opinion. Rush and Fox have dominated their mediums almost since
their inception. They speak for the silent majority, god love em..
I'm glad you included the word opinion, even if the 'silent' part is laughable.
state of the art? In 30 years they'll be saying that about
The Hobbit.
They're trying to make GB 3 but Bill Murray keeps shredding
the scripts. He says men in their 60's chasing ghosts just
isn't funny.
in 1950. He lived on the outskirts of a city and
never needed one. Milk, butter, cheese, eggs,
were all delivered by the milkman. Bread by
the breadman. Every neighborhood had a grocer
a few blocks away. He took the bus downtown
to work. Just 15 years later every family had cars,
usually 2. Even most kids in my class in our last
year had a car. The changes that took place
between 1950 and 1965 were astounding.
Quote: EvenBobMy dad was 35 before he learned to drive a car
My father knew how to drive but didnt own a car till he was about the same age; finally got a car in 1949 I believe.
During and right after the war, there were no cars to be had!
Quote: odiousgambitMy father knew how to drive but didnt own a car till he was about the same age; finally got a car in 1949 I believe.
!
Because he learned so late, my dad was always
an overly cautious driver. And he always bought
used tanks in the 50's, usually Cadillacs. These
cars were immense by today's standards, it was
like piloting a ship down the road. The back
seat was so huge us 3 kids were lost in it. There
was so much space between the back seat and
the front seat, we could sit on the back seat floor
and play board games. You could fit a refridgerator
in the trunk.
This is exactly like the 49 Fleetwood he had, even
had the windshield visor on the outside. What a tank.
After reading EvenBob's post, I will be upping my dosage of Lexapro to 20mg's a day. I'm one of those people EvenBob referred to.....thanks for putting into words.Quote: EvenBobI visited a place today where I hung out a lot with
friends in the couple years after high school. I
thought how I missed those times, and I realized
what I really missed was how naive I was.
Thats why being young is so much fun, you think
the world is a completely different place than it
really is. As you get older and have more real
life experiences, all your misconceptions and
fantasies fall away. And you're eventually stuck
with the fact that most of life is a letdown.
Stuck in jobs that go nowhere, kids you don't
really want, a marriage you wish you were out
of. Aspirations you had that didn't work out. I'm
not saying this is me, but I know people who
all those things apply to.
But when you're young, you think its going to be
different. Thats what I miss, my rosy outlook on
everything. Now I just stick with whats dependable;
a good book, a good movie I've seen before, a
meal where I know whats coming. Going back in
time doesn't interest me, all the naivete I need to
make it great is long gone.
Quote: treetopbuddyAfter reading EvenBob's post, I will be upping my dosage of Lexapro to 20mg's a day. I'm one of those people EvenBob referred to.....thanks for putting into words.
I remember when I was 17, riding thru neighborhoods,
and thinking all the people in all those houses were happy.
Just like on TV.
Oh boy, slap that kid across the face and call him a dope..
I'm remember when I was 17, watching T.V. with parents and the word "pregnant" come out out the T.V. My face turned beet red.Quote: EvenBobI remember when I was 17, riding thru neighborhoods,
and thinking all the people in all those houses were happy.
Just like on TV.
Oh boy, slap that kid across the face and call him a dope..
Quote: treetopbuddyI'm remember when I was 17, watching T.V. with parents and the word "pregnant" come out out the T.V. My face turned beet red.
Yup, you did not talk about anything sexual
in front of your parents, and they never
mentioned it to you. I told my sister to
'bite me' once, about 1961. My dad took off
his leather slipper and hit me with it. He
said 'do you know what that means'? I said
no, what did it mean. He said nothing and
stomped away. A few years later he told me
he didn't know either, but it sounded sexual.
Those were the days.
That's funny.....Quote: EvenBobYup, you did not talk about anything sexual
in front of your parents, and they never
mentioned it to you. I told my sister to
'bite me' once, about 1961. My dad took off
his leather slipper and hit me with it. He
said 'do you know what that means'? I said
no, what did it mean. He said nothing and
stomped away. A few years later he told me
he didn't know either, but it sounded sexual.
Those were the days.
Quote: EvenBobBecause he learned so late, my dad was always
an overly cautious driver. And he always bought
used tanks in the 50's, usually Cadillacs. These
cars were immense by today's standards, it was
like piloting a ship down the road. The back
seat was so huge us 3 kids were lost in it. There
was so much space between the back seat and
the front seat, we could sit on the back seat floor
and play board games. You could fit a refridgerator
in the trunk.
This is exactly like the 49 Fleetwood he had, even
had the windshield visor on the outside. What a tank.
Was it a flathead with the glass-sight fuel pump? My dad had a 1947 he bought in the 1980s. It took some time to get the bugs out of it, she got vapor-lock sometimes. Ever see gasoline boiling? You could with that car!
Tanks, yes. The convertibles had a cross-frame stronger than some houses!
Quote: AZDuffman
Was it a flathead with the glass-sight fuel pump?
I'm sure it was a flathead. He was always working
on it, the hood was always up. It was about 1954,
and a 49 would have been an old car already.
Quote: EvenBobGoing back in
time doesn't interest me, all the naivete I need to
make it great is long gone.
EB, don’t give up. I know exactly what you’re talking about, it was one of the hardest parts about growing up when I realized that it was happening. The loss of innocence, the lost of the naivete. But while you can’t go back in time, the essence of those times can still be found. I often find mine fishing with my son. Up to my knees in mud, crawling around the cricks and streams searching for crayfish, frogs, and all sorts of creepy crawlies puts me right back to 12 years old. Bills, debt, work, medical issues forgotten, nothing on my mind but the mud squishing between my toes and the sun (and occasionally my son) on my back.
Hell, I was just saying to my girl that my Wisconsin trip was more fun than I had at college. I’m having more fun at 32 hanging out with guys almost old enough to be my dad than I had at 17 with drugs in my head, girls in my lap, and the world at my fingertips.
Adulthood sucks for sure. In my mid 20s, I already felt myself being pulled down by it. Thinking I had 60 more years to go was a curse, not a blessing. Realizing the possibilities of the future could be greater than the experiences of the past was one of the greatest realizations I’ve ever had.
I saw a youth mouthpiece that ran $70. $70! For a mouthpiece!! Sticks pushing $200, skates over $350, and every manner of cloth and plastic to make sure not a single cell of your pride and joy gets damaged.
I remember we were lucky if we could find a local phonebook to tape to your legs while playing goalie. Maybe the coaches son was there and could score a baseball catcher's chest pad, but more often than not, you had a t-shirt and a pair of balls. A puck was a tennis ball, lacrosse ball, crushed pop can, hell, a skoal can filled with dirt and taped shut was the cat's ass. If you got tripped up on a breakaway, you lost minimum 40% of your flesh, and you damn well better jump right up and give the guy a knuckle sandwich, no matter how much it stung. Helmets? I laugh out loud. Take a shot to the face and you had maximum 1 minute to get your shit together and get back in the game, or you didn't get invited to play anymore.
90* on blacktop pushing 120*, and we never missed a day. We'd carry nets and gear for miles, from parking lot to parking lot as we got kicked out of one after another, and do it all again the next day, all summer long.
I heard yelling outside the other day, and it hit me as a strange occurance. Turns out the neighbor kids were out playing basketball in the snow. It's a sad day when youthful play becomes a "strange occurance".
Quote: Face
I remember we were lucky if we could find a local phonebook to tape to your legs while playing goalie. .
Try finding a phone book today or a phone booth.
Quote: Face
I heard yelling outside the other day, and it hit me as a strange occurance. Turns out the neighbor kids were out playing basketball in the snow. It's a sad day when youthful play becomes a "strange occurance".
That is the saddest thing of all, and sad to say many times it is because parents want to look good in front of their friends and neighbors. You can be labeled a "bad parent" by a group of people in the neighborhood simply by allowing your kid to walk down to the park and shoot hoops. Personally, I don't think the streets are any more dangerous than they were in the 40s, 50s or 60s, it's just that we live in a 24/7 news cycle now. Back then your news was half an hour a day at 6 pm, now it is all day long. Blissful ignorance is the way to go!
Quote: FatGeezusTry finding a phone book today or a phone booth.
"They have phones in booths now? Thank God! I can stop lugging this cell phone everyhwere!" Hermes Conrad in Futurama.
I don't miss lower survival rates of cancer, minor injuries to ligaments requiring major surgeries with general anesthesia, etc.
long and you had no plans and it seemed endless? School
was out by June 3rd and didn't start again till Sept, after
Labor Day. Now, because of all the holidays the teachers
unions demanded during the school year, it lets out in mid
June and starts about Aug 20th. Barely 8 or 9 weeks and it
used to be 13 weeks.
And now kids have so many 'camps' to attend, they never get
a break. Theres math camp and Bible camp and cheer leader
camp and band camp and chess camp and soccer camp and
football camp and Camp camp. And it all costs money. Families
can't take (or afford) vacations anymore because there isn't
a week where everybody is free.
I grew up in Colorado.....summers as a kid were magical. Memorial Day to Labor Day. Just free time.....no pressure to get ahead. My ex-wife signed my son up for everything except war.....he was "signed up" for something 365 days a year. No wonder he loves to smoke pot.Quote: EvenBobRemember when you were a kid and summer was 3 months
long and you had no plans and it seemed endless? School
was out by June 3rd and didn't start again till Sept, after
Labor Day. Now, because of all the holidays the teachers
unions demanded during the school year, it lets out in mid
June and starts about Aug 20th. Barely 8 or 9 weeks and it
used to be 13 weeks.
And now kids have so many 'camps' to attend, they never get
a break. Theres math camp and Bible camp and cheer leader
camp and band camp and chess camp and soccer camp and
football camp and Camp camp. And it all costs money. Families
can't take (or afford) vacations anymore because there isn't
a week where everybody is free.
Quote: treetopbuddyI grew up in Colorado.....summers as a kid were magical. Memorial Day to Labor Day. Just free time.....no pressure to get ahead. My ex-wife signed my son up for everything except war.....he was "signed up" for something 365 days a year.
My kids were the same. My daughter, who teaches college
math now, was a math teacher at math camp in the summer
when she was just a teen. My kids had no summer, it was
one camp ending and another starting. They turned out OK,
but I think they missed a lot.
Quote: slytherRemember when you had to blow the dust out of the cartridge to get your video game to work?
A little “Did You Know”…
It had nothing to do with dust. The metallic strips on the cartridge would oxidize, decreasing their conductivity. Blowing on them covered them in moisture from your breath, increasing the conductivity to the point the cartridge would work. The side effect was that said moisture just made the oxidation worse in the long run.
If you really wanted to fix it, you’d wipe it with rubbing alcohol. It’d remove the oxidation without promoting more. You’d still have to insert the cartridge “just right” in a way that only the owner knows how (maybe push all the way in, then pull the left corner out a little bit, then push down just right of center, c’mon, you remember ;)), but it’d work all the time after a good alcohol cleansing.
Yes, not only did I play Nintendo, I still do. I have one system that accepts NES, Super NES, and Sega Genesis cartridges, all in one little box. Great games never get old =)
Quote: treetopbuddyI grew up in Colorado.....summers as a kid were magical. Memorial Day to Labor Day. Just free time.....no pressure to get ahead. My ex-wife signed my son up for everything except war.....he was "signed up" for something 365 days a year. No wonder he loves to smoke pot.
As a parent of a 4 year old, you're constantly bombarded to do this to your kid. Pre- this and head-start that. You can kind of get caught up in it.
I remember a skit by Carlin talking about this same thing. "Just give the little fucker a stick! Nobody just plays with sticks anymore!" I caught myself scolding my boy for digging in my garden with just such a stick last summer, and that skit rolled through my head.
Now that kid tears up my garden and it makes me smile every time. Just a kid being a kid. That time will end for him, sure as it’s ended for every one of us, but damned if I’m going to encourage and accelerate it. We might sit down and practice writing or cutting with scissors for a spell, you know, to be a good parent and all, but after that, it’s bangin’ sticks and throwin’ rocks and chasin’ butterflies.
Summer camps and schools and courses? Pfft. Summer time is time for play. Cricks and woods and ponds and swamps. Some of the best learning lessons in life can be found out of doors.
Quote: FaceAs a parent of a 4 year old, you're constantly bombarded to do this to your kid..
I have a 1 yr old granddaughter and its already
started. They have plans for when she turns 3
and onwards from there. Every minute of her
time is being planned with programs and play
dates (thats happening now) and pre-pre
schools. Its like kids are a hobby for parents
now, to mold and shape. Hell, it was all I could
do to get my parents to acknowledge me in the
50's. We'd stay out till dark in the summer and
they had no idea where we were and didn't care,
as long as we didn't bother them.
yes, the play date. When I first heard the phrase "play date".... I thought, WTF is that?Quote: EvenBobI have a 1 yr old granddaughter and its already
started. They have plans for when she turns 3
and onwards from there. Every minute of her
time is being planned with programs and play
dates (thats happening now) and pre-pre
schools. Its like kids are a hobby for parents
now, to mold and shape. Hell, it was all I could
do to get my parents to acknowledge me in the
50's. We'd stay out till dark in the summer and
they had no idea where we were and didn't care,
as long as we didn't bother them.
and I'd go to the liquor store and buy her a carton
of Camels for $2.75, and I got to spend the change
on candy. Try that today and they'll come to your
house and arrest you.
Quote: FaceSummer camps and schools and courses? Pfft. Summer time is time for play. Cricks and woods and ponds and swamps. Some of the best learning lessons in life can be found out of doors.
I learned all this IN summer camp! My UT professor dad got rid of me every summer by sending me to camp in Hunt, Texas in the 70's where I learned all the things he was incapable of teaching, but every boy needs to learn. Stuff like swimming and boating, riding horses, building fires, sleeping under the stars and setting up tents/campsites, cooking on a fire, shooting guns and archery, fishing, boxing with other kids, tying knots, team sports, all that stuff every city kid should learn, but doesn't learn anymore. We had "dances" with girl camps in the area to teach us to interact with girls at that young age. I'm sure that camp has changed in the 35 years since I was there, but I still camp, fish and shoot guns etc because I learned it at a young age. My dad was useless in that regard at teaching.
Going to Camp Stewart for 5 years in the 70's was the best experience of my young life. (just a plug for anyone who's interested) I recommend it to any parent.
Wasn't it a shame you were alone at the time?
Quote: MrVRemember when you first had sex?
?
How about the first time you really had sex.
Big disappointment for me, I had to try it a
few more times before I realized how over rated
it was. I don't think I ever got over the disappointment.
Kinda like when you find out there's no Santa.
It had been so blown out of proportion by TV
and books and movies. Reminds me of the song
'Is that all there is?' My wife and I both laugh out
loud at Viagra commercials. They're just so stupid,
a couple in their 50's giving each other 'that look'.
I'd rather eat a nice grilled cheese sandwich and
have a bowl of tomato soup, thanks anyway..
Quote: FatGeezusTry finding a phone book today....
You don't get them anymore?
I still get the local Talking Phone Book, a slim, 3/4" job that would work perfect for some street hockey goalie stacks.
Hell, I still get the Erie County Yellow Pages, that 6" thick behemoth that damn near uproots my mailbox twice a year. I use that one to shoot .22cal in the basement. It stops the round in the "J" section, plenty to spare ;)
Quote: zippyboyI learned all this IN summer camp! My UT professor dad got rid of me every summer by sending me to camp in Hunt, Texas in the 70's where I learned all the things he was incapable of teaching, but every boy needs to learn. Stuff like swimming and boating, riding horses, building fires, sleeping under the stars and setting up tents/campsites, cooking on a fire, shooting guns and archery, fishing, boxing with other kids, tying knots, team sports, all that stuff every city kid should learn, but doesn't learn anymore. We had "dances" with girl camps in the area to teach us to interact with girls at that young age. I'm sure that camp has changed in the 35 years since I was there, but I still camp, fish and shoot guns etc because I learned it at a young age. My dad was useless in that regard at teaching.
Going to Camp Stewart for 5 years in the 70's was the best experience of my young life. (just a plug for anyone who's interested) I recommend it to any parent.
Sounds like your Dad was Okay. Just because he didn't teach you that stuff doesn't mean he was "useless".
Quote: EvenBobHow about the first time you really had sex.
Big disappointment for me, I had to try it a
few more times before I realized how over rated
it was. I don't think I ever got over the disappointment.
Kinda like when you find out there's no Santa.
It had been so blown out of proportion by TV
and books and movies. Reminds me of the song
'Is that all there is?' My wife and I both laugh out
loud at Viagra commercials. They're just so stupid,
a couple in their 50's giving each other 'that look'.
I'd rather eat a nice grilled cheese sandwich and
have a bowl of tomato soup, thanks anyway..
Bob, have you ever heard of cheese dreams? That's what we had growing up with tomato soup. It was a slice of buttered bread with a slice of cheese and a slice of tomato. Put it in the oven for about 15 minutes and you are good to go.
Quote: zippyboyGetting his kids out of the house for the summer was his primary goal, and I suppose he did it the right way. Could've been worse.
Its almost like parents hated their kids in the 50's.
I didn't see any parents that had any patience or gave
a rip what the kids were doing. Maybe it was the era they
were brought up in that made them bad parents.
