Let’s take a walk down memory lane….shall we? How many of these things are familiar to you…but not to your offspring? And how many will be long forgotten by the next generation??
(Above) We’re so spoiled now…waking to the gently rising music from our iHomes or clock radios with our fancy snooze alarms. We’d probably have a heart attack waking to one of these. And I’m imagining that ticking would drive me insane. (Gee…I’m realizing that almost every clock in my house is digital…how long before kids can’t read analog??)
Of all the things they could have called the above….why a mouse? Why not a ‘bean’? Or…a 'pod'?? Mine doesn’t look anything like a rodent, especially now that they’re wireless. I do believe they should re-think this name.
(Above) Yikes. Anyone who’s still saving these babies for prosperity? Still optimistic about that?? I hate to break it to you but...I don't think they're ever coming back. You know, they’ve digitally re-mastered almost every tune ever made now. You can probably find it on iTunes. Just saying…
Quick! You’re talking on the phone! What do you call the above three things? I call ‘em hourglass, arrow-pointer and hover-hand. Do kids even know what an hourglass is in real life? Other than being used for charades? Does anyone still use the three minute glass timer to make hard-boiled eggs? Does it work??
(Above) I realize that not everyone has a digital camera…but I do believe these are becoming a thing of the past. Remember when it took a week to get your photos back? Then it was three days….then three hours…then one hour. And you had to remember that anything on that roll was subject to ridicule by the entire photo-processing staff. Honestly, I can't imagine waiting for more than say, 5 seconds to discover that I do indeed look like a rock-chick-porn-star in those ridiculously-long false eyelashes and those too-tight leggings from 1990. Boom-chicka-wah-wah...
(Above) Then: “To da moon, Alice!”
(Above) Now: “To infinity….and beyond!”
(Above) I saw one of these the other day and felt that rush of pure childhood joy. I don’t know why…but I never see the actual Good Humor truck anymore…with their “ching-ching-ching” bells. None of that electronic-musical-crap I hear now.
(Above) Family night entertainment then.
(Above) Family night now. I’m going on record now as saying that I think the future of home entertainment will involve holograms. You’ll all sit in a circular fashion and watch the action in the middle of your living room. It’ll be like you’re right there.
(Above) I mean…seriously? Who’s real and who’s the hologram? Creepy.
The above is why I had 324 cavities as a kid. Only, I don’t remember any other colors besides the traditional ‘tooth-rotting white’. Yes, I do believe that was what it was called on the package…
None of my children have ever had a cavity, which is completely inconceivable to me, so don’t even think about giving them any of the above.
(Above) Then, we all loved Lucy.
(Above) Now, evidently everybody hates Chris. Gee. I don’t care for him….but ’hate’ is such a strong word.
Above is the equivalent to seeing you have no cell bars. It may look like a happy scene…but it’s not. (Gigi knows what I'm talking about.)
(Above) Networks practicing their primary and secondary colors….AKA “We’re off the air. Go to bed, for God’s sake. We’ve got nothing else to say.”
(Above) When a chick said she had to wash her hair, she dried it with one of these contraptions. With curlers, of course. I believe it took approximately 3 ½ hours to complete and by then, the evening was over…so she really couldn't go out with you...and then she'd wind up having to ‘sleep’ on the blasted things, which was like resting your weary head on these:
Comfy.
(Above) All business….
(Above) Casual and sport-sy?
And finally….a scene that may soon be non-existent:
Standing on line at the bank to deposit a check. (S-n-o-r-e)
Now, you can photograph the check with your cell and have it deposited without getting out of bed. (If you keep your checks under your pillow, that is.)
Wow. Modern technology. Aren’t you proud of us for keeping up?
Crazy trip down memory lane. It makes me think of how Lu calls me "old school" every time I write an actual check instead of swiping a card. Lol.
The times they are a-changin my friend. And somedays it's all I can do to keep up. Lol.
As always, thought provoking and giggle-snorting post.
♥Spot
I was talking about debit cards versus checks with one of my older employees (no insult, she's 70+) the other day. She said she'll never trust them. Cash, checks and the "emergency" credit card are it for her. My pitch about the convenience and accuracy (as opposed to "floating" money around) fell on deaf ears. Hmmm, no pun intended.
The kicker? Some one sold my debit card number online the next day. Fraud team shut it down and reversed the charges, but still! That's unbalanced karma in my opinion.
That app is really scary and really cool at the same time though.
oh girl you are tell your age..... you know that?
I hated the TV thing that woke you up.... the fuzzzzzzz noise!!!!
Hey, I have a vinyl player in my room (or at least will have...a long story :D) and I have some cool vinyls...and I'll do everything to get even more. Of course they'll never come back or anything like that, but still, they're kinda cute and retro, don't you think? ;)
Whew . . . thanks for the road trip. I did have a treat from an ice cream truck lately and was thrilled, until the bill for two ice creams was $14.00! Guess I'll stay with the memories next time.
Here'e a few more things some of which I did a post on) . . . hair perms, roll down crank car windows, little triangle shaped vent windows that popped open on cars, party lines, go-go boots, wearing hats to church, typewriters, garter belts, EVERYTHING closed on Sundays.
I can honestly say at least two of those things were "before my time!" And yeah, I'm pretty sure my son can't read an analog clock.
Well none of these things were before my time and some of them even 'old hat'. I know I resisted using the check card for a long time and now I think those that don't are cranky, uneducated and out of touch.
Now those stupid IPads...I'll never touch one and...
My grandmother had one of those hair dryers...We were going to the grocery store the other day and my little girl asked what the payphones were...I told her what they were...She said "Why don't they just use their cell phone?" Hey LP's are coming back...Many bands are releasing their albums on LP's too...Now they just need to start selling turn tables again...
Yep, the times they are a-changin'.
Mice? I remember we had one computer for the entire highschool (on a big rolling cart).
Camera film? I went on a four month trip back in 1990 and went through 14 rolls of film. I could have bought a couple of digital cameras for the price of that film and its developing.
Drive-ins? I used to love those as a kid. My parents would take the five of us to a triple feature. We were asleep by the 'grown up' third feature.
Internet banking? Much nicer! I recall my mother taking me to the bank as a boy to open a savings account and everything was writen in by hand.
"...discover that I do indeed look like a rock-chick-porn-star in those ridiculously-long false eyelashes and those too-tight leggings from 1990." LOL, Kathryn (you know where to send the photos...)
And do you remember Jiffy Pop Popcorn? And how advanced we were to move to air blow poppers? (All my friends had one in their dorm room.) Then it became microwave popcorn. Sigh.
All of these just made me feel really old.
The last one blew my mind! Is Capital One doing that too now? Amazing. My husband was instantly suspicious (conspiracy theorist).
I love this! And I absolutely loved rock candy too....
Right on the money. I just stumbled across your blog. I love it! I'm going to poke around, I promise to put everything back where I found it!
Wait a minute....you guys use analog clocks???
Spot: Yes, the times are definitely a-changing. I don't believe our children fully appreciate just how far we've come...but I suppose every generation says that, right?
Dorn: Wow. You're right....that karma is totally unacceptable! I mean, here you are supporting and defending the debit card and it comes back to bite you? That's simply not right.
Sir Thomas: Nuh-uh. I am merely generalizing the widening gap between generations. Just 'cause I remember something doesn't mean I used it.
Oh, hell...I feel old.
I was familiar with most - but definitely not all of those. Another thing I remember that kids today would have no clue about are those old "savings pass" books we had for our savings accounts, where you actually had to go into the bank to make a deposit and the teller would write the amount of your new balance in your little booklet. I was naively thinking that just meant I came from a ho-bunk country town, but no, I guess I have it admit - I'm getting old! Oy!
Adele: Oh, yeah...they're definitely cute and retro...as long as you have the equipment to listen to them! Hopefully, there will be some diehard places out there in cyberspace that'll always carry spare parts.
One Woman's Thoughts: Ouch. $7 for ice cream? Isn't that more than a gallon costs at the market?? I guess you're paying for the home delivery. Oh! Little triangle windows! I think I remember those! And yes, the Blue Law (closed on Sundays)...some parts of Jersey still practice this. Then they cross the border to NY to shop. Major congestion!
Gigi: Well, me too! But Lucy & Honeymooners were always in reruns...and I honestly don't remember the test pattern. But I remember pre-cable, so I was probably just too little to stay up that late.
Jerry: Ha! Welcome home, my friend! Yeah, I'm surprised when I see someone write a check...I'm so used to the debit card. Online banking/billpay took some getting used to. Next, I want to get you on Twitter. We'll work on that!
Christiejolu: Ugh. All I think of when I see a payphone is GERMS. Creepy GERMS. Really...they're bringing back LP's? But...they're not very portable!
Alan W. Davidson: You had a triple feature? You lucky dog! We had doubles...and us kids were always asleep by the 2nd show. You are wonderful for my ego, mister! (Blushes) Boom-chicka-wah-wah...
Wendy Ramer: YES. I LOVED Jiffy Pop. SUCH technological advancement when we got the blow-poppers....no more shaking it over an open flame! I wonder how many house fires were related to Jiffy Pop.....
Jess: I know, sweetie. We're not old...technology's just moving really, really fast. I know Chase and USAA are doing it...just Google "check deposit from cell phone" and you'll see.
KellyGrrl: You ate rock candy too? The sisterhood of cavities! Oh, man....when I Googled it, they had kits for making it at home. I had to slowly back away.....!
Kate: Thank you...and welcome! I'm glad you've found us....and feel free to mess things up. I highly doubt anyone'll even notice!
Oddyoddyo13: Dani! Exactly what I was afraid of. I shall have to start a class...it'll be on Saturday mornings....from 5-6am. It'll be mandatory, so don't oversleep. I'll teach you all about funny round clocks and explain how we managed in "the olden days"...before Dexter's Laboratory and CatDog.
ValleyWriter: You? Old?? Nah. I'd take the "ho-bunk country town" for as long as you can milk it. It's not our fault if they've sped up technology while we've maintained our youthfulness. I prefer to think that all of us are simply "experienced" and "well-versed". That makes it sound like we're worth much more than anybody else...'cause we're so damn smart. (I'm sticking to it.)
Ha! The alarm clock cracked me up. I had one. Loved it.
My roomates did NOT.
My birthday present that year? A clock radio.
My grandmother, who slept like the dead, would put one of those old alarm clocks in a metal bowl to wake up in the morning.
Okay, so I know what all of those things are and I have no offspring. We still have records and we still play them. Usually around Christmas. We have several formats too... And I actually went to the bank to deposit a check last week. AM I STUCK IN TIME?! HOLY CRAP IT EXPLAINS SO MUCH!
I was just thinking about something similar the other day.I was being all nostalgic about albums and stuff.
Love this post! I got excited about an ice cream truck on Saturday and bought a rocket pop- but it wasnt the HUGE one i remembered as a kid- it was skinny but I still got blue lips from eating it.
I hate everything changing, but how else are we going to get to the future??
What a fun walk down memory lane. Most of those things Mo has never seen however she is a child of weirdness so for Christmas one year she got a record player- of course it has a cd player and well and she can hook her ipod to it, but it does play "vinyl" as she calls it and that's the only way she will listen to her Beatles albums. We do still have one drive in movie theatre and all the kids love it, for the same reason we loved it as teenagers! One last thing, I have no idea what the inside of my bank looks like!
We were just talking about when tv stations actually went off the air and we didn't have 24/7 anything. Staying up late was so much more like dangerous then....nobody worked the night shift or swing shifts for that matter...dunno if my bank does the check thing...will have to see...
When I used to work at the local funeral home we used to meet with the families in the arrangement room and we had a folder with all the personal questions we needed to ask in order to prepare the death certificate and also the obituary...and get this...it all had to be handwritten on the folder!!!
I once mentioned that maybe it might be a good idea to have a computer in there because it was much quicker to type than to handwrite everything. I was told that the "families" would be offended to have computers in the room while making funeral arrangements as it's too cold and impersonal. Some places/businesses just don't keep up with technology. Now where I work we have dual screens...LOVE IT!
I guess the town I grew up in was really behind the times, because I remember almost all of these, and I'm not even 30 yet! It ALMOST makes you appreciate the modern conveniences, doesn't it?
I'm a blogger and love living a part of my life on-line. But I will be one of the last to part with my daily newspaper...
Good post--I'd forgotten about those hair dryer contraptions--I think Mom used them just to tune us kids out. I also miss the drive in, for other reasons.
Lynn: Ha! Ouch! How could anyone sleep that soundly? The ticking alone would drive me crazy! I suppose it doesn't matter what method I use to wake up. I still hate it.
Lauren: You have records? And you play them?? You have one of them new-fangled record players? But you can't find new albums, right? Wow....next, you'll tell me that you sometimes cook your food with fire...
Missed Periods: Oh, it's so easy to get nostalgic, don't you think? That's 'cause we're grownups and we understand now how wonderful it is to be a kid!
Daily Panic: Why am I not surprised that you were expecting that rocket pop to be twice the size? Classic adult trauma...remembering the kid-version of things. Always disappointing....totally not fair!
Carol: Ha! Well, Mo's vinyl player/cd player/iPod player sounds excellent! A marriage of the old and the new...how perfect! I take it you're a direct deposit gal, eh?
TC: How frustrating it must've been to have your entertainment abruptly cut off at a certain hour. I don't turn the TV on till 11, so till I get sleepy, I really want something to be on! And I think the check deposit idea ROCKS.
Alicia: Wow. I guess I could see funeral homes not exactly being "cutting edge". They're computerized by now, I hope!? God, my handwriting has absolutely suffered as my typing increased...I can't read my own writing sometimes. Dual screens sounds AWESOME!
Tinkerschnitzel: Well. That IS somewhat unusual for someone so young. Not sure what to make of that! Maybe your hometown was just a little late coming to the technological party...
Straight Guy: Amen and God bless. We'll see how long it lasts. I mean, forget about the ritual of the morning paper...what would we use in the winter to start the fire in the fireplace?
sage: Oh, you guys and your drive-ins. Did anyone go to actually watch the movie? I wonder how many of us were possibly conceived in those drive-ins? (Did I say that out loud?)
Okay, so I know I'm a few days late in reading/commenting. Hey, I've been busy! :)
I loved this trip down memory lane and sadly I can remember most of these things. We actually still have a couple drive-ins around here.
And I can remember when there was no more TV ... when the colored bars or the American flag were the only things on. And when you had to actually get up to change the channel or turn up/down the volume. My dad used to make us kids to that. I guess that's why he had us. :)
Anyway, thanks for the walk down memory lane. Loved it!
I love that clock! Daddy had one and when we would go visit grammy I had to take it with me cause I could get to sleep with out the tick tick.
I don't even want to think about all the money that was wasted on the pics that weren't any good and then the missed oppertunities. I am thrilled to have a digital camera at last.
One of these days Alice, pow zoom to da moon...hubby still quotes that one!! LOL!
The color test..first the national music with the flag waving, then bam it's over. That takes me back..
I had one of those hairdryers!! LMAO!
I will forever and ever use a film camera. I won't conform! Digital is great, but the grainy film is just so lovely.
But I can't read time unless it's digital.
Thought I was the only one who thought about the whole television going hologram. I keep telling my family to watch for that. As you said, there may be a time when it seems as if you are really a part of the action inside the TV. Scary cool. Or as my sons are fond of saying these days, "That's SO BEAST!"
I owned that hair dryer! LOL :) enjoyed that post from the past! thanks :)
What a great trip down memory lane. It is simply amazing some of the things that we thought at the time were the greatest things on earth we look at now and say "Are you kidding me?".
And one day all that we know now our future generations are going to laugh at us.
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