Using my blog to try and make the world a better place. If I can help someone forget their troubles for a few minutes a day, it's all worth it.

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

The 1976 BiCentennial

You name it, they made it. Posted by Hello


As early as 1974, manufacturers started to gear up for the nation's upcoming BiCentennial milestone. Everything seemed to come in a "Special BiCentennial Commemorative Edition", whether it was collectable plates, cookie tins, beer cans, colored bottles with corks in the top (mom had 8 of those bottles and i pushed the corks down into the bottles and she couldn't retrieve the corks from inside the bottles so they were all ruined.... after all, I was only 8), candy bar wrappers, flags, belt buckles, playing cards, ceramic tiles, soda bottles, cereal boxes, etc. The list was endless. It was all pretty worthless junk, and the actual event itself seemed overshadowed by all the hype and marketing.

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Things I'm glad I never received in the 70's

Posted by Hello


THESE ARE JUST A FEW THINGS I AM GLAD I NEVER RECEIVED IN THE 70'S:

  • The Pet Rock
  • A leisure suit
  • A mood ring
  • A perm
  • A Pinto
  • Billy Beer
  • GI Joe stuff
  • An 8-track casette player
  • A cocaine addiction
  • A draft notice
  • Bell-bottoms

Sunday, May 22, 2005

Quality Time

Whale Watching Posted by Hello

Whale watching is a major source of income for many Cape Cod residents. This was taken in the fall, not sure what year ('00?). It's ironic that in the early 19th century Cape Codders made their livings harvesting whales, today's residents make their livings observing whales.

Sunday, May 15, 2005

The Boston Globe 8/20/02

Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Boston Globe
"Earthweek: A diary of the planet Week ending Aug. 16, 2002"
'UNIDENTIFIED HOT OBJECT
Numerous residents from Southwestern Nepal to India's Uttar Pradesh state have complained to authorities that a mysterious fireball has been descending from the night sky and attacking them with extreme heat. The sphere of red and blue lights is said to severely burn those that it does not kill. The Katmandu Post quoted residents of the city of Nepalgunj as saying the unidentfied object would target people sleeping on terraces and roofs to escape the summer heat. Doctors have dismissed the stories as mass hysteria, but have been unable to explain the burns. A crowd of 10,000 people gathered in the Indian city of Sitapur to demand that authorities capture the mysterious attackers. "People just block the roads and attack the police for inaction each time there's a death or injury," said Amrit Abhijat, Mirzapur's district magistrate.'

Distributed by: The Los Angeles Times Syndicate
E-mail: mail@earthweek.com
c. 2002 Earth Environment Service

Coloring Books

Quality reading in 1973 Posted by Hello

I had this coloring book as a kid. Dad would take me to the local store and I would buy them. I must've had 50 coloring books. When I bought the above book 'back in the day', it was 50 cents. The above book is currently listed on ebay for $20 and the reserve is not met (he doesn't have any bidders though, either).

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Schoolhouse Rock

A Saturday Morning Staple Posted by Hello

We the people, in order to form a more perfect union,
Establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility.
Provide for the common defense,
Promote the general welfare, and
Secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and posterity
Do ordain and establish the Constitution
For the United States of America.


Schoolhouse Rock - Grammar Rock
Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Adverbs Here

Music & Lyrics: Bob Dorough
Sung by: Bob Dorough
Animation: Phil Kimmelman and Associates


Hmmmmm... hmmmmm... hmmmmm!!!
{Ready pop?}
{Yep.}
{Ready son?}
{Mmm hmm!}
{Let's go.}
{Let's go!}
{One, two...}

Lolly Lolly Lolly, get your adverbs here!
Lolly Lolly Lolly, got some adverbs here!
Come on down to Lolly's, get the adverbs here!
You're going to need
If you write or read
Or even think about it.
Lolly Lolly Lolly, get your adverbs here!
Got a lot of Lolly, jolly adverbs here!
Anything you need
And we can make it absolutely clear!
An adverb is a word... {That's all it is, and there's a lot of 'em!}
That modifies a verb... {Sometimes a verb! Sometimes...}
It modifies an adjective,
Or else another adverb.
And so you see that it's positively, very, very, necessary.
Lolly Lolly Lolly, get your adverbs here!
Father, son and Lolly selling adverbs here!
Got a lot of adverbs and we make it clear,
So come to Lolly!
{Hello, folks. This is Lolly Senior, saying we have every adverb in
the book, so come on down and look!}
{Hello, folks. Lolly Junior here. Suppose your house needs painting.
How are you going to paint it? That's where the adverb comes in.
We can also give you a special intensifier so you can paint it very
neatly or rather sloppily.}
{Hi. Suppose you're going nut-gathering. Your buddy wants to know
where and when. Use an adverb and tell him.)
Get your adverb...
Use it with an adjective, it says much more.
Anything described can be described some more.
Anything you'd ever need is in the store,
And so you choose very carefully
Every word you use.
Use it with a verb it tells us how you did.
Where it happened, where you're going, where you've been.
Use it with another adverb at the end, and even more...
How, where, or when, condition or reason...
These questions are answered
When you use an adverb...
{Come and get it!}
Lolly Lolly Lolly, get your adverbs here!
Quickly quickly quickly, get your adverbs here!
Slowly surely really, learn your adverbs here!
You're going need 'em
If you read 'em,
If you write or talk or think about it.
Lolly...
}} {If it's an adverb we have it at Lolly's!
}} Bring along your old adjectives too, like slow, soft and sure.
}} We'll fit them out with our "l-y" attachment,
}} And make perfectly good adverbs out of them!}
Get your adverbs here!
}} {Lots of good tricks at Lolly's, so come on down!}
Lolly, Lolly, Lolly!
}} {Adverbs deal with manner, place, time...}
Lolly, Lolly, Lolly!
}} {Condition, reason...}
Father Son and Lolly!
}} {Comparison, contrast...}
Lolly, Lolly, Lolly!
}} {Enrich your language with adverbs!}
Lolly, Lolly, Lolly!
{Besides, they're absolutely free!}
Lolly, Lolly, Lolly!
}} {At your service!}
Indubitably!

Saturday Morning Expressionism

Way back in '75, I had a friend over at my house one Saturday morning. We had just finished watching Land of The Lost (they had a commercial in the middle of the show for the 'Bionic Bigfoot' action figure), and we were looking for something to do. We went into dad's workshop and found some poster paints laying around, so we decided to paint a mural on dad's workbench with poster paint. We painted peace signs (about 40 in all) in green, blue, red, and white. It was a beautiful work of art, my best at that point, but apparantly dad didn't appreciate the visual arts like we did. My attitude was more of a "well, if you have to ask I can't explain it to you" artsy-snob type of attitude.
The rest of the day went a little better.

Thursday, May 12, 2005

1976 Flashback

I remember as a kid I had a playmate that I spent alot of time with. His name was Teddy Grant and we grew up together as kids. I recall one day in 1976 when Teddy was over, mom was running late for an appointment. It seems like it took her an hour to get us cleaned up. She asked us to wait while she took her shower and got dressed. So Teddy and I decided we would play out back - in the marsh. We were a mess, and it took another half hour to get us cleaned up. Teddy had to wear my clothes because his were ruined for the day.
Mom missed her appointment.

The Gospel

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans 6:23

The Blizzard Of '78

Any kid growing up in New England, especially near the Boston area remembers the blizzard of '78. It was either January or February and I had just turned 10. It was the kind of monster blizzard where people ended up leaving their cars on the road and walking to shelter. Later on in the day cars were covered by snow and some people couldn't find them for a couple of days. School was closed for about 2 weeks. I suppose if you were a kid, it was great. But looking back I'm sure it was a nightmare for adults, having to scramble for somebody to watch their kids while they worked, etc. I remember mom sending me to the store to buy cigarettes. My nose barely cleared the counter and I was allowed to purchase cigarettes..... a couple years later I started purchasing them for myself - but that's an entirely different story. I don't smoke anymore.

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Living La Vida Granola

Posted by Hello

In 1970, all you needed was an A-Frame, a mattress, a guitar, The Whole Earth Catalog, and a year's supply of brown rice.

Friday, May 06, 2005

My Favorite 70s Songs

Cat's Best Posted by Hello

These are my favorite songs from the 70s:
  • Morning Has Broken - Cat Stevens (One of the very first songs I ever remember hearing on the radio).
  • Oh Very Young - Cat Stevens (I could listen to it over and over).
  • Theme From Mahogany - Diana Ross (Exquisitely beautiful. A masterpiece).
  • Evergreen - Barbara Streisand (Sensual and beautiful).
  • My Heart Belongs To Me - Barbara Streisand (Just ask James Brolin).
  • I Got A Name - Jim Croce (Makes me want to strap on my backpack and hit the road).
  • Annie's Song - John Denver
  • The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot (Glad I was busy that day).
  • I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing - The Hillside Singers (Give me a hillside and a coke, and all's right with the world).
  • Both Sides Now - Judy Collins (One of the best songs ever written).
  • Who Knows Where The Time Goes - Judy Collins ("Sad deserted shore, your fickle friends are leaving").
  • Dust In The Wind - Kansas (Speak for yourself, Kansas!).
  • Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas (Classic).
  • Come Sail Away - Styx (No thanks, i get sea sick).
  • Get Right Back - ? (I'll get back to this one).
  • I Just Want To Be Your Everything - Andy Gibb (He had such a gift and threw it all away for drugs. What a waste).
  • More Than A Woman - The BeeGee's (Yes, she was).
  • How Deep Is Your Love - The BeeGee's (Disco with a heart).
  • I will Survive - Gloria Gayner (Don't 'dis that gal!).
  • When Will I See You Again - 33 Degrees (Will she have to suffer, and cry the whole night through?).
  • 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon (And yet they seemed so happy together).
  • Still Crazy After All These Years - Paul Simon (".. we talked about some old times, and we drank ourselves some beers").
  • Leader Of The Band - Dan Fogleberg
  • Don't Give Up On Us Baby - David Soul (Not bad for his only hit).
  • Weekend In New England - Barry Manilow (I never get tired of this song).
  • She's Always A Woman To Me - Billy Joel (She may have been a woman, but she was no lady).
  • We're All Alone - Rita Coolidge
  • Slow Dancing - Johnny Rivers (Always puts me in the mood).
  • Let Your Love Flow - The Bellamy Brothers (Excellent).
  • Jesse - Carly Simon (Let him go, girl, he's not worth it!!!!!!).
  • Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert something ("If you like making love in bed at night in the dunes of the Cape" - now, i've seen many dunes on the Cape but none of them had beds in them).
  • The Spy Who Loved Me - Carly Simon (I always wished this song was longer).
  • Lola - The Kinks (I always liked this song.... although I never knew what it meant....).

Thursday, May 05, 2005

70s Lunchboxes

Just A Couple Examples Posted by Hello

Ah, there was nothing like starting the new school year with a brand new lunchbox..... I had the above 2 examples, plus several others through the years. The Partridge Family box was my favorite, although I didn't really care for the show - I just liked the bus and the colors on the box. Another of my favorites was my Evel Kneivel box. I wish I still had them.

70s Shows I Didn't Like

Nellie Olsen, every village has one.... Posted by Hello

These are the shows I didn't like from the 70's
  • Little House On The Prarie (Liked it until I realized every show was depressing).
  • The Waltons (Sorry, hated it for several reasons: 1. They lived in the heart of the depression/ 2. They lived in a big old dumpy farmhouse/ 3. The girls all wore 5th hand dresses/ 4. John Boy was highly over-rated and i never liked that thing on his face/ 5. The grandmother kind of got on my nerves/ 6. They all got along a little too well/ 7. They all went to bed at the same time, I mean what family really does that?).
  • Family (Kristy McNichol was really annoying, and Meredith Baxter was a little too serious for my liking).
  • The Hardy Boys (I was so glad when my cousin Michelle got over her Shaun Cassidy phase).
  • The Partridge Family (To this day I can watch re-runs of The Brady Bunch, but I can't sit through 5 minutes of The Partridge Family. Seems you either liked The Brady Bunch or The Partridge Family, but never both. Although to their credit, even though they didn't have Maureen McCormick, or that groovy staircase, or a wacky housekeeper that kept us all in stitches, you gotta admit they had one hell of a bus).

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

My Favorite 70's Shows

Sunshine, Brady-Style Posted by Hello

My favorite shows of the 70s were:
  • The Brady Bunch (My favorite episodes were: the Haskel's Ice Cream Hut episode, the one where Marcia has an emotional breakdown after losing the role of Juliet to someone else, and the one where Bobby becomes a socialist hall monitor and puts too much soap in the washing machine. Also, I like the episode where Greg takes Bobby on his date with Rachel and Bobby says to Greg: "You wouldn't want sweetie-pie to get wet, would you?" I thought that was SO hysterical back then, I "laughed my ass off". I also liked the one where Peter's volcano erupted on Marcia's booster club meeting. I still laugh).
  • Sesame Street (Made me the caring, sensitive man I am today).
  • The Electric Company (Anyone remember the "L-Y" song?).
  • Zoom (I remember an episode where a bunch of talking vegetables get "processed" in the end. It scarred me for 2 years).
  • All in the Family (Who didn't like it when Archie called Mike a 'Meat head'? My grandmother watched this show faithfully to prove to the rest of the family that she was 'liberated').
  • Maude (The only work Adrienne Barbeau did where her character had any class).
  • The Mary Tyler Moore Show (She could turn my world on with her smile).
  • The Carol Burnett Show (I loved how Eunice used to nag everyone to play a game with her, then she would start to lose and cry and blame everybody else for her life's problems).
  • The Jeffersons (Just once I wish Louise hauled off and punched her mother-in-law's lights out, she was such a bitch).
  • Sanford and Son (Aunt Esther, what a pistol!).
  • The Gong Show (An all-time classic, I never understood why they don't show re-runs).
  • The $1.98 Beauty Show (The 'winner' would receive a cheezy crown and a check for $1.98. It was so derranged it was good. Better than Miss America).
  • Alice (Flo was a cool chick, but still I don't think I would want to kiss her grits).
  • Laverne and Shirley (The first time I ever heard the word "Bimbo". Back then I was so young my parents wouldn't tell me what that word meant......).
  • WKRP in Cincinnatti (I liked the line when Mr. Carlson told Randy the station manager: "When I eat something it turns into fat. When you eat something, it turns into hair". Les Nessman was my favorite character).
  • Mash (The only problem is now I can never find anyone who is willing to watch it with me).
  • Land of the Lost (A saturday morning staple. Who can't recite the opening song?).
  • Yoga with Maggie (A PBS classic. She was always dressed in this sort of one-piece black stretch spandex jumpsuit, and she had black, past-her-waist-length hair with bangs. She was very enlightened. I'm sure she's out there, somewhere, meditating).

Mego, rulers of the action figure world

Mego On Parade Posted by Hello

Mego created a very successful line of action figures in the 70's. I only had a few figures from the Star Trek series, along with the Enterprise playset. I also had a Robin figure (no Batman, so he was sort of out of place hanging out in the Enterprise along with Captain Kirk, Spock and Scotty). If you're into Mego action figures, check out this site:
http://megomuseum.com

My First Beer

In '69, everyone was celebrating Woodstock in one way or another. Posted by Hello

This photo of me and dad was taken in the Spring / Summer of 1969 at the Texas Instruments annual picnic. It made the cover of the Texas Instruments Annual Report.

A Very 70s Christmas

Just who was that bearded man??? Posted by Hello


This photo was taken around '72. The kid on the bottom right (David) became a police officer and is happily married with 3 kids, the kid on the bottom middle (Freddie) is happily married, the kid on the bottom left is me, the little boy in green (Jeff) is no longer alive - he tragically died in a car accident while in college, the girl on santa's lap dressed like Laurie Partridge who definitely has Santa's attention(Elaine) has a child and is a single career woman, the little girl to the left of santa (Laurie) who's trying to hide behind her present is also a single career woman, and the little girl on the top left with her head cut off (Kim) is re-married with a few kids.
This was shot at Ev's house in Raynham. It was a brand new subdivision when our parents bought their houses. Our parents paid about $20,000 for their homes, and now they sell for $400,000 or more. Who knew? But, I digress. Back to Christmas, I have absolutely NO IDEA to this day who this shifty-eyed Santa Claus is. Ev says he's Mr. Howell (no, not Thurston Howell III), and I still say he's my Grandfather Joe. But only God knows, and He's not telling.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

My Favorite 70's Movies

Chrissie at the wrong place at the wrong time (she shouldn't have left the party so early).












My favorite 70's movie were:
  • Jaws (I still miss Chrissie, Pippet, and Charlie's wife's holiday roast the most - Quint, I'm not so sure).
  • Every Which Way But Loose (It's still hillarious when the ape kisses Ruth Gordon on the lips).
  • Harold and Maude (Another classic featuring Ruth Gordon. I'd have dated her also. I like when she yells at the officer who's issuing her a citation: "Give an old lady a break!").
  • The Poseidon Adventure (Like Shelly Winter's character was actually a former Olympic swimmer....... how believable is that?).
  • Grease (Not that great on t.v., but I wore the album out. To this day I don't know ANYONE who liked that 'beauty school dropout' scene).
  • Saturday Night Fever (The album, not so much the movie. I still like the album).
  • The Bad News Bears (I'm an adult and even I don't use the language those kids used).
  • Animal house (I wish I had gone to college).
  • Smokey and the Bandit (Always brings out the redneck in me. Burt Reynolds was the best).
  • The Goodbye Girl (I like the part where Richard Dreyfuss has too much to drink because his play is a dismal failure and he gets really sick).
  • Salem's Lot (This terrified me to no end. I can remember lying in bed with the sheets over my head paranoid that I was going to see a vampire on the other side of the glass, scratching to get in. The movie - it was a miniseries - was set in Maine. My stepfather was taking us on a trip to Canada to his family reunion and we had to drive through Maine. I packed a crucifix just in case we were going to drive through at night).

Well, here goes again..

I eliminated my blog because nobody seemed to look at it.... NOW, ALL OF A SUDDEN, PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT MY BLOG AND SAYING "WELL, I CHECKED IT OUT AND THERE'S NOTHING THERE" (I never had great timing).
I'll give it another shot.