Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday — These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Fandango22 Comments

Maggie, at From Cave Walls, and Lauren, at LSS Attitude of Gratitude, alternate hosting Throwback Thursday. The idea of the prompt is for them to give us a topic and for us to write a post in which we share our own memories or experiences about the given topic. This week, Maggie said the she thought it would be fun to remember our adolescence and just think about a few of our favorite things.

Here are Maggie’s questions.

1) Who was your favorite relative? Not to play favorites, but who was the person you connected with more than others? Aunt, uncle, cousin, grandparent, or parent? Why were you closest to them?

That would have been my cousin Mike, the son of my mother’s brother. He was six months younger than me and we spent almost every weekend together. He would either stay over at my place or I would stay over at his. Not only was he my cousin, he was my best friend.

2) What was your favorite TV show? Share a clip if you can find one.

When I was young, my father and I bonded over westerns like Gunsmoke, Have Gun-Will Travel, Wagon Train, Bonanza, and Maverick. I also loved Rocky and Friends, but my father didn’t.

3) What was your favorite book or favorite family story?

I used to be into The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries.

4) What was your favorite, song, record, or album. Feel free to share a YouTube video of it.

When I was really young, my favorite song was Jimmy Boyd’s “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” When I was an adolescent, I was really into Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

5) Who was your favorite teacher? What grade were you in and what subject did they teach?

That was probably Miss North, my 10th grade biology teacher. She was hot!

6) What was your favorite subject (not teacher) in school?

I would say that my favorite courses were history courses.

7) Who was your favorite (aka best) friend? What things did you do together?

Aside from my cousin Mike, my two best friends were Mickey and Pat, two neighborhood kids. What did we do together? Everything. We were like the Three Musketeers: one for all and all for one.

8) What was your favorite way to pass the time?

When I wasn’t hanging out with Mickey and Pat or my cousin Mike, I used to play a game I invented that I called Baseball with Cards. I selected cards from two different decks and combined them to replicate statistical facsimiles of baseball games. Aces were home runs; Kings, triples; Queens, doubles; Jacks, singles (one-eyed jacks would advance base-runners two bases, two-eyed jacks, one base); deuces were walks; tens, strikeouts; nines, sacrifice flies; and the rest of the cards were outs. I’d sit and play baseball with cards for hours on end.

9) What was your favorite holiday? How did you celebrate?

It was probably the Fourth of July/Independence Day. We’d always have a big family gathering in the backyard with tons of food (grilled burgers and hot dogs) and all the extras, great desserts, and then we’d head to the go see the fireworks display in town.

10) What was your favorite toy or possession? Doll, camera, radio, bicycle?

I was a real bicycle enthusiast and my pride and joy was when I got my three-speed Raleigh English Racer, similar to the one pictured below.

Bonus: What was your favorite adventure? Family trip, amusement park, field trip, or vacation perhaps.

We lived in a suburb of Washington, DC, so heading into the city and visiting the sights, like the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial, was always fun. I especially liked going to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and to the U.S. Army Medical Museum. That was a freaky place.

Throwback Thursday — Transitioning

Fandango9 Comments

Maggie, at From Cave Walls, and Lauren, at LSS Attitude of Gratitude, alternate hosting Throwback Thursday. The idea of the prompt is for them to give us a topic and for us to write a post in which we share our own memories or experiences about the given topic. This week, Maggie noted that “part of growing up is finding you own way of self-expression.” To that end, she asks us to talk about “Transitions and Modifications.”

Here are Maggie’s questions.

1) Think about your first haircut. Were you the kid that cut your own hair? Did you go to a salon or did your parents cut your hair? Did your parents save a lock of your hair?

My mother probably cut my hair when I was still a baby. But after I grew up a bit, maybe old enough to start school, my parents took me to a barbershop for haircuts.

2) How about shaving? Fathers often teach their sons to shave. Most girls I know, decided for themselves when to shave their legs and their underarms. Some cultures do not shave at all.

My father taught me how to use an electric razor when my facial hair started to sprout at around fourteen. But at one point, probably when I was a freshman in college, I switched to shaving with a Gillette safety razor with double-edge “blue blades” after a girl told me my stubble, even after using my electric razor, irritated her skin.

After I switched to the Gillette razor, she said my face was as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Booyah!

3) Did you alter your clothes? Cut jeans into cut-offs? Cut the sleeves off t-shirts? Wear graphic tees? Tie-dyes? Sew patches on your jeans?

No, at least not as a young child.

4) Was there a time you remember challenging the authority in your household. Do you remember the first time you found your voice?

I probably went through the typical teenage rebellion phase, but I can’t recall a specific incident. Sorry.

5) What about piercings? Girls getting their ears pierced was a rite of passage for girls. Then boys started getting one ear pierced. As time passed, piercings became more mainstream and accepted.

To this day, and I’m in my 70s, I’ve never had either any piercings or any tattoos.

6) Did you walk on the wild side? Smoking? Drinking? Did your parents know?

I took up smoking cigarettes in high school and, yes, I did keep my cigarettes hidden when I still lived with my parents. I would also drink beer when I crossed over into the District of Columbia from my neighborhood in the Maryland suburbs because the drinking age in DC was 18, versus 21 in Maryland.

7) What about tattoos? Did you get a tattoo while still living at home? Did your parents approve?

As I said in my response to number 5, to this day, I’ve never had a tattoo. Why would I want to deface this bodacious body?

8) What about language? Was swearing allowed in your family? Did you use the same language around your friends as you did at home with your family?

Certain “swear” words, like damn and shit, were “tolerated” in our household. But most of George Carlin’s seven words you can’t say on TV were forbidden in our house, as well. However, with my friends, nothing was off the table.

9) Think back to high school. Girls, did you iron your hair? Did you color your hair? (using Sun-in counts!) Guys, did you grow a beard or moustache? Did you grow your hair long? Feel free to share a photo of yourself back in the day.

I grew my hair long in college. I grew a beard and mustache after I was discharged from the Army. I still have a beard and mustache, but my long, flowing hair abandoned me long ago.

10) Many people think our authentic self is the person we were as young children. Are you still inherently the same person you were as a child or have you changed your personality and demeanor along the way?

I would say I am not anything like I was as a young child. I was naïve and trusting without an ounce of guile. Not I’m a jaded, cynical, skeptic.

Throwback Thursday — Learning Skills

Fandango5 Comments

Maggie, at From Cave Walls, and Lauren, at LSS Attitude of Gratitude, alternate hosting Throwback Thursday. The idea of the prompt is for them to give us a topic and for us to write a post in which we share our own memories or experiences about the given topic. This week, Lauren noted that, as kids, we are exposed to a huge variety of learning experiences. We can never succeed unless we are willing to make a commitment to the process. Hence, she asks the question about our experience when it comes to “learning new skills”

Here are Lauren’s questions.

1) When did you learn to ride a bike? Were you self-taught or did someone teach you? Any major injuries on the way? Did you master the skill? Do you still ride? If applicable, did you teach your kids?

I don’t remember exactly how old I was, but I think I was pretty much self-taught. My first two-wheeler was a Schwinn. But my pride and joy was when I got my three-speed Raleigh English Racer, similar to the one pictured below.

I will say that I mastered bicycling, although not competitively…just for fun and pre-driving transportation. I didn’t get what might be called “major” injuries. Just minor scrapes and bruises. I do still bike. Last December my wife and I sold our Trek bikes for two electric bikes, so we’re still going strong, even at our advanced age.

Both of our kids are avid cyclists, so I’m going to take credit for teaching them, even though I probably didn’t.

2) Did you learn to play a musical instrument? At what age? Who taught you? How often did you practice? Were you in band at school? How good were you? Do you still play? If applicable, did you encourage your kids to play?

One of my biggest regrets is that I never learned to play a musical instrument. I was in a band in high school, but I was a singer. And in college I was in a barbershop quartet. Our daughter doesn’t play any instruments but our son taught himself to play harmonica and ukulele. He also dabbles in piano playing.

3) Did you sing in a choir in church or at school? At what age? How often did you practice? Did you enjoy it? How good were you? Do you still sing with others?

I sang in a school choir in junior high school, a band in high school, and a barbershop quartet in college. For the junior high chorus, we practiced 2-3 times a week. Our high school band’s practice was sporadic, as was practice for my college barbershop quartet. How good was I? Well, let’s put it this way: I no longer sing with others or in public.

4) Did you have formal instructions on speaking a second language? Were you fortunate enough to be raised in a house with two or more languages? Did you learn a second language in school? Are you fluent in more than one language?

I took French in junior high school. At home we only spoke English. Je parle un peu le Français, mais je ne parle pas couramment.

5) Did you to play on a sports team or learn martial arts? At what age did you start? Did a parent become a coach? Did you practice at home? Do you still play sports? If applicable, did you encourage your children to play on a team?

I played Little League baseball and Midget League football in elementary school. I was also on a bowling team and a mixed softball team with work colleagues after college. When my kids were younger they were on local and school soccer teams. These days I watch, but do not play, sports.

6) Did you ever take dance, tap, ballet, baton, cheerleading, etc. lessons? When did you start? How long did you take lessons? Did you practice on your own in addition to the lessons? How skilled did you become? Did you encourage your children to do the same?

My parents made me take ballroom dancing (waltz, foxtrot, jitterbug, cha cha) and I hated it. I probably went for two years. I never practiced and I was never a very skilled dancer. My wife made me take dance lessons later in life and I hated it then, too. I did not encourage our kids to take dance lessons.

7) Did you learn to roller skate or ice skate? Did someone teach you or did you take lessons? At what age did you learn? Did you become skilled quickly? Can you still skate? Did you teach your children.

I did learn to roller skate in my pre-teen years. No lessons, purely self-taught and I was a decent roller skater. My friends and I would often go to an indoor roller skating rink on weekends. I tried ice skating, but was never very good at it. Nor was I good at rollerblading (in-line skates), although that’s what my kids preferred. I no longer roller skate, as I would prefer to not break any bones when I would inevitably fall on my keister.

Throwback Thursday — The Rules

Fandango11 Comments

Maggie, at From Cave Walls, and Lauren, at LSS Attitude of Gratitude, alternate hosting Throwback Thursday. The idea of the prompt is for them to give us a topic and for us to write a post in which we share our own memories or experiences about the given topic. This week, Maggie gives us the topic of rules and family hierarchy, and child/parent relationships. She asks the question, “are rules made to be broken?”

Here are Maggie’s questions.

1) Who in your family was the person who made and enforced rules?

I wouldn’t say that my parents were sticklers when it came to rules, but between my mother and father, my mother was more influential when it came to setting and enforcing the rules.

2) Did you grow up with many rules, or was your life a little more flexible?

As I said above, my folks weren’t sticklers who imposed a whole lot of rules, so I would go with a little more flexible.

3) Were you a rule follower or a rule breaker?

I followed the rules I liked and broke the ones I didn’t.

4) How were discipline and – in contrast – rewards managed in your household?

My folks were not disciplinarians. I don’t recall ever getting punished or grounded, but I also don’t recall having any “good behavior” rewards bestowed upon me.

5) Were you given the opportunity to plead your case in matters of disagreement?

Most of the time, yes. And I had two older sisters who often assisted me in that endeavor.

6) What tools did your parents use – ‘I’m going to count to three‘ or ‘don’t make me get up’ or a time-out chair?

It was mostly “go to your room,” which was fine with me, as being sent to my room was like Br’er Fox throwing Br’er Rabbit into the briar patch.

7) Did fear of discipline curb your desire to break or bend the rules?

The recurring theme in my responses to these questions is that there just wasn’t much in the way of discipline meted out to me, so fear of discipline wasn’t a big deterrent.

8) Did your upbringing influence the way you (as an adult) managed rules in your own home?

I was definitely more strict with my kids than my parents were with me. That said, my wife was more of the disciplinarian than I was.

9) Were you ever ‘grounded’? Do you want to share the story?

Nope. Never grounded.

10) Did you break rules your parents never knew about? Want to confess and leave with a clear conscious? No?

I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.

Throwback Thursday — The Dating Game

Fandango21 Comments

Maggie, at From Cave Walls, and Lauren, at LSS Attitude of Gratitude, alternate hosting Throwback Thursday. The idea of the prompt is for them to give us a topic and for us to write a post in which we share our own memories or experiences about the given topic. This week, Lauren gives us the topic of our first dating experiences.

Here are Lauren’s questions.

1) On your very first date, did you do the asking, or were you asked out?

Face it, I’m an old fart and I can’t remember a damn thing about my very first date. I can’t even remember who she was. But based upon dating protocols at the time, I’m sure I did the asking.

2) Were you typically stressed out before a first date? Did things seem to be easier the more you dated the same person?

I’d say more excited than stressed out. As to whether or not things got easier, that depended upon the girl. If she turned out to be the high maintenance type or the insecure, jealous type, things tended to get more difficult, rather than easier.

3) What did you do to prepare for the date? Did you wear new clothes, or special outfits?

I showered, brushed my teeth, and combed my hair. Other than that, I didn’t do much to prepare. I tried not to put on airs. My motto was “accept me as I am or reject me.”

4) How did you meet those first dates? Were your dates with friends of a family member, or friends of a friend?

Most of the girls I went out with in the “early” days were girls in the neighborhood or from school.

5) Did you have a curfew on those early dates? Did you typically arrive home on time or were you constantly breaking curfew?

More often than not, it was the girl, not me, who had a curfew.

6) Did your parents insist on meeting whomever you dated?

Nope, and that was fine with me.

7) Where did you usually go when on a date? (movies, concerts, picnics, etc.)

All of those, plus dinners, bowling, miniature golf, and museums and art galleries. I also had a motorcycle at the time, so there were thrilling motorcycle rides.

8) Did the boy/man always pay for the date or did you go Dutch treat?

I always paid unless the “date” was with a girl who was a good friend, a platonic friend. Then we might have gone Dutch.

9) Were you typically the talker or the listener on a date?

I had two older sisters and they advised me, if I wanted to be successful with a girl, I needed to spend 30% of my time with her talking and 70% of my time listening. And not just listening, but really hearing her and remembering what she said.

10) What did you do if the date clearly wasn’t going well? (feign a headache, ask to go home, end the date early, etc.)

I tried not to make rash judgments or decisions, so unless the date was going so badly that it was unsalvageable, I would try to make the best of a seemingly bad situation. But there was no hope, I’d say something like, “I’m sorry but I don’t think this is meant to be.”

11) A connection from the past to the present, if applicable. How long did you date your current partner before marriage?

We dated for a year and then lived together for a year before we got married. And we’ve been married for 44 years.

12) Bonus Question: Care to share a disasters first date?

I wrote all about this disaster in this post, if you’d care to read all about it.