Christmas eve:

Christmas eve was always such a fun night as a kid. I really miss those days.

1973 ad:

I have to admit, until I viewed the image full-sized I thought it was a fashion ad. Whatever.

Random find. I swear.

I have fairly good memories from 1973, but obviously it wasn't a great year for everybody..

Random fact:

Grover could always make me laugh.

Misc. Remembrance:

In the late '70s, there was a guy in our town named Stephen Gay. I guess he was a pretty prominent member of the town, because after he passed away, somebody on the town's zoning board proposed that a certain street's name be changed to "Gay Way" in Stephen's honor. Needless to say it didn't pass...

Random:

In 1974, Joan Crawford was as crazy as ever...

The "Chevette":

Mom purchased one in '78 from my future stepfather. Yes, she married her car salesman. I had 3 myself. Up until the mid-'90s you could still buy these used for about 500 bucks. Each one lasted me a few years. I lived in one of them, but that's for another post. They used to be everywhere, now you don't even see them in salvage yards. One day they all just disappeared.. For the money they were a pretty decent car, and from the different ads I saw they got about 40 mpg highway. I doubt they'll ever become collector items though. I guess the Chevette's gone for good.

Tab:

I didn't care for Tab. It was kind of bitter and left a bad after-taste in my mouth. A lot of people did like it, though, although in hindsight they all seemed to be women. I don't remember any men liking Tab. Even in the above ad the glass has a female contour. I guess it was universally a chick thing. I believe the above ad is from '78.

1978 classic:

Nobody could out-sing Madeline Kahn.

Oh the children and the flowers are my sisters and my brothers,

Their laughter and their loveliness can clear a cloudy day.

Like the music of the mountains and the colors of the rainbow,

They're a promise of the future, and a blessing for today.

Back in the day, I would have begged my folks for the above pants but they probably would have said "no". Sometimes they were just no darn fun. Of course, if I found a pair today there'd be nobody to stop me from buying them, but there's no way I'd even be caught dead in them now..

Reverse gender discrimination:

To this day I'm still upset that this was marketed strictly as a "girl's toy". I secretly wanted one so bad, but since it was a "girl's toy" I was embarrassed even to ask for it. I know you can't have everything, but still ...

So how many of you had...

... a pull-ring zipper shirt back in the day?? Of course it would have to be back in the day because I don't think they make them any more. And if they did make them, I doubt you could find any in the above tragic brown/orange color combination, which I'm guessing is circa '72. I wonder what the rest of the shirt looks like.

Veteran's Day 2013

A big thank you to all who served, and are serving. You're the best.

Had it:

Well I didn't, my folks did. It was the above model because I distinctly remember the yellow check-pattern on the coffee maker's face. I'd forgotten what the filter container boxes looked like. I think they got it sometime around '74. I'm not sure if that's when they were invented, but I'd never seen one before that. Prior to their Mr. Coffee, my folks had one of the old aluminum perkers with the glass knob at the top that to this day I have no idea how to use.
BTW, not to be too off-topic, but the spell-check wants me to change "perkers" to "porkers" or "peckers"...

Misc. Remembrance:

Whenever we visited my grandmother in Chatham back in the day, she always had a fresh batch of Toll House cookies that she'd made just for our visit. She kept them in a tin in her pantry. We'd arrive at the house, I'd give her the obligatory hug, then head right for the pantry and dive into the cookies. The tin was usually empty by the next day. And come to think of it, I don't think anybody else ate them. I still have a thing for Toll House cookies, but making the cookies is such an effort so now I just eat the chips right out of the bag..

Random:

According to the episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show entitled "Phyllis Whips Inflation" that aired January 18th 1975, Mary's take-home pay after deductions was $680 per month, and her rent had just been raised from $145 per month to $175. The above was her reaction when her landlord informed her of the $30 increase.

When art imitates life:

When I was little I was petrified of shots... okay, I still am...

Random:

Ever have one of those days where nothing goes right?? For the record, I'm not having one of those days, but I've had this pic for a while and didn't want to just throw it away.

http://inthepresenceofmanywitnesses.blogspot.com

Who'll stop the rain?????

Long as I remember, the rain been comin' down. Clouds of mystery pourin' confusion on the ground. Good men through the ages tryin' to find the sun. And I wonder (still I wonder) who'll stop the rain?

There's talk on the street; it sounds so familiar. Great expectations, everybody's watching you...

..... People you meet, they all seem to know you; Even your old friends treat you like you're something new. Johnny come lately, the new kid in town. Everybody loves you, so don't let them down. There's talk on the street, it's there to Remind you, that it doesn't really matter which side you're on. You're walking away and they're talking behind you. They will never forget you 'til somebody new comes along.

In the late '70s, after my neighbor and her husband got divorced, her boyfriend moved in to her house for about a year. He used to walk around the house in a bathrobe and an ascot. I don't think I ever saw him with his pants on...

Random fact:

 

In the '70s when I was in grade school, I was pretty good at math. It wasn't until I got in to high school and began taking the advanced courses that I started to fail miserably.

When art imitates life:

The above reminds me of when we were kids and used to tie towels around our necks to make capes, then run around the yard fighting crime as superheroes. No I'm not making this up...

Really cheap advice:

You better choose your fights carefully, because you're not going to win them all.

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes, there beneath the blue suburban skies...

Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs
Of every head he's had the pleasure to have known
And all the people that come and go
Stop and say hello
On the corner is a banker with a motorcar
The little children laugh at him behind his back
And the banker never wears a mac
In the pouring rain...
Very strange

In Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass
And in his pocket is a portrait of the Queen.
He likes to keep his fire engine clean
It's a clean machine

Behind the shelter in the middle of a roundabout
A pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
And though she feels as if she's in a play
She is anyway
Penny Lane the barber shaves another customer
We see the banker sitting waiting for a trim
Then the fireman rushes in
From the pouring rain...
Very strange

Random:

Pretty soon I'll have to start doing job interviews. I pray that they don't go as badly as the above...

Rest in peace my friend. I'll miss you.

"I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice. Still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone. I guess I just miss my friend."

So many questions:

Do I know where I'm going to? No. Do I like the things that life is showing me? No. Do I get what I'm hoping for? No. When I look behind me there's no open doors. What am I hoping for??? I don't know..

Back in the day I never really knew what my folks did for a living...

Misc. Remembrance:

When Smokey and the Bandit came out in '77, I hadn't seen the movie advertised on TV. When somebody mentioned the title of the movie, I assumed it was about a bear and a raccoon. I had no idea it was about scofflaws and redneck sheriffs...

Yes I'm wise, but it's wisdom born of pain...

.. yes I've paid a price, but look how much I've gained. If I have to, I can do anything. I am strong (strong!), I'm invincible (invincible!) I am woman...

Oh how I miss Marathon candy bars (but then again you knew that. I whine about it all the time....)

Good morning everyone:

One of the first songs I remember. It's still a fave of mine.

Saturday Night Disco:

"Got To Be Real" by Cheryl Lynn

Come to think of it:

It must've been 40 years since I've had a candy necklace. I used to get them all the time. A couple of times I thought of buying one to see if they taste the same, but at 45 years old it just seems weird now. I could tell the cashier "it's for my daughter", but that even makes it more weird...

Good morning everyone:

Misc. Remembrance:

 

In the late '70s my grandmother started making Chex Party Mix. I hated Chex Party Mix. As of this moment I am currently finishing a cup of Chex Party Mix. If you'd told me 35 years ago that I would be eating this stuff someday because I liked it, I'd have told you that you were crazy...

Misc. Remembrance:

I was too young to remember this, but I'm told that around 1970 (which means I was about 2 years old), and we were at my grandparents' house in Chatham. The adults were playing cards and I was standing around, hanging out. I was standing next to my grandmother, and I'd nonchalantly say things like "K". "6". "5". "J". She'd smile at me. And I'd keep saying numbers and letters. Also, it turns out that everyone was beating her that night and she was losing pretty badly. Apparently, I was calling out the cards she had in her hand and she was the only one who didn't know it. She didn't catch on 'til the game was almost over.

Question:

Do they even make Wella Balsam shampoo any more?? Personally, I never used the stuff. I was more of a Body On Tap fan, myself.

Saturday Night Disco:

 

Btw, I had no idea "Fernando" was a disco song, but whatever...

I was just thinking about...

... Mary White, the 1977 made-for-TV movie starring Kathleen Beller. Kathleen was a major child/teen star back in the day. I was going to post about this years ago, but could never remember her name, or the name of the movie. I watched it on TV, but missed the horse accident where she died. I haven't seen the movie since then. It's really hard to believe it was 36 years ago.

I dreamed a dream:

This isn't from the '70s, but I'm kind of short on ideas. I had a dream where I was in a restaurant, and the waitress came to my table with my order. I told her the fries didn't look done well enough, so she said "Let me see." She reached down and took one of my fries and ate it, and said that she thought they tasted okay. Then she took my fry basket and handed it to the person at the next table and asked his opinion. And the next thing I knew my fries were being passed around from table to table and everyone was eating my fries. I started to complain and the waitress turned to me and gave me a dirty look and told me that she thought I had a rotten attitude.

Because life goes on:

The above is one of my top-10 fave Brady Bunch scenes. "Blossom Of The Month"... haha

It's hard to say goodbye:

My roommate is my best friend. We've been friends for 25 years. We started a couple of businesses together, and have been inseparable since we met. He hasn't been feeling well for a while, so I took him to the hospital to see if they could figure out what was wrong. He was supposed to go in for a cat scan then leave, but it turned out that he had to stay over night. One night turned into four days. The doctors said that it looked like he may have lymphoma, so they operated and removed a lymph node to have it biopsied. He was nervous that he might have lymphoma and wasn't looking forward to the chemotherapy and radiation. His test results came back, and turns out he doesn't have lymphoma. He has melanoma. Apparently his upper body is filled with cancer and it has spread to his liver. It's progressing very quickly. Since melanoma is untreatable, all they can do is give him pain medication so he won't suffer too much. He asked how long he had to live, and the doctor said maybe 6 months. I've never lost a friend to cancer before, and I've never been alone. I really wasn't expecting this. I will miss him very much. I don't really know how to finish this post off, all I can say is, enjoy your friends while you have them.

Random bad taste:

I really have no excuse for posting the above, only except for the fact that I had it and didn't want to just throw it away..

Misc. Remembrance:

Back in the '70s, '50s nostalgia was very high ... no matter how tasteless or totally void it may have been of any decency or artistic merit.

Random:

It wasn't uncommon to see murals painted on the side of vans. It also wasn't uncommon that these vans were make out vans, as I'm sure is the case with the above..

Random fact:

Even though I was not a huge fan of the show, I have to say my favorite Partridge Family member was Danny. I thought he was so cool.

Saturday Night Disco:

"If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman.

Random find:

In 1974, eating at McDonald's was pretty inexpensive.

Fact:

One of the most painful experiences in life is losing a friend.

Does anyone remember...

... the episodes of "One Day At A Time" when Ann Romano would be going through a personal crisis, and at the end of the episode she would stand in front of a full-length mirror, all the lights would go dim, and she'd start to talk to her image and lecture herself??? Does anyone else think that's weird in retrospect???

Memorial Day 2013

In honor of all who served and gave their lives for the rest of us.

Saturday Night Disco:

"I Feel Love" by Donna Summer. Yes, I guess she does....

"Joshua" by Dolly Parton:

Well a good way's down the railroad track, there was this little ole' run-down shack, and in it lived a man I'd never seen. Folks said "he was a mean and a viscous man, and you better not step foot on his land" but I didn't think nobody could be that mean. So I took me out walkin' down the railroad track, I was gonna go down to that little ol' shack and just find out if all them things I'd heard was true. There was a big black dog a-layin' out in the yard, and it growled at me and I swallowed hard and I heard somebody say "Well, who are you?" Ohhh and there he stood in the door of that shack and his beard and his hair was long and black, and he was the biggest man I'd ever seen. When he spoke his voice was low and deep, but he just didn't frighten me, 'cause somehow I just knew he wasn't mean. He said "What you doin' snoopin' round my place?" then I saw a smile come across his face, so I smiled back and I told him who I was. He said "Come on in and pull ya up a chair (you might as well since you're already here)", and he said "you can call me Joshua". Joshua, Joshua, what you doin' livin' here all alone? Joshua, Joshua, ain't you got nobody to call your own??
We talked 'til the sun was clean outta sight and we're still talkin' when it come daylight, and there was just so much we had to say. Now I'd spent my life in an orphan's home, and just like him I was all alone, so I said "yeah" when he asked if I'd stay. Well we grew closer as time went on, and that little ol' shack it was a happy home, and we just couldn't help but fall in love. That big black dog and that little ol' shack sittin' down by the railroad track it's plenty good enough for me and Joshua. Joshua, Joshua well you're just what I been a-lookin' for. Joshua, Joshua ya ain't gonna be lonesome anymore.

1977 Big Foot Game:

Val mentioned this one, although I don't remember it. However, around '75 - '78, Big Foot was a huge topic. Seems like everyone was reporting a Big Foot sighting. "In Search Of" and other SciFi TV shows regularly mentioned him. To this day I'm not quite sure what Big Foot was supposed to be...

A 1976 fave:

"Evergreen" by Barbra Streisand. This song always takes me back.

Misc. Remembrance:

It was probably 1972, and a friend of my mother's came over to have coffee with my mom. She came with her two kids: Lori and Teddy. Lori and I decided to hide on our parents and have Teddy tell them that he couldn't find us, while we hid behind the chimney of my house as our parents searched for us. We lived near a swamp. So our parents are outside frantically calling our names, while Lori and myself were hiding behind the chimney laughing at them. Finally after about 10 minutes we ran out from behind the chimney and said "Here we are!" We got our @$$e$ kicked that day. I think I was punished for a week...

Saturday Night Disco:

"Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste Of Honey.

Random Fact:

The Carpenters weren't the first to record "Top Of The World". Lynn Anderson recorded the song first, and I like her version much better.

Misc. Remembrance:

I can remember circa 1972 and watching "That Girl" re-runs on daytime TV, and noticing that in the opening song how the girl in the window bore an uncanny resemblance to Ann Marie, and being amazed that they were able to find someone who looked just like her for the store window. It blew my mind.