Fast Forward Rewind

Lara sent me this a while ago and I decided it deserved a post. It's taken me a little while though (big surprise, no?) And growing up in the '90s is SO over-rated. The '80s are so where it's at.


You Know You Grew Up In The 80's or Early 90's If :

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "SIKE."
Okay. No. But only because I know how to spell. I ended my sentences with "psych."

2. You watched the Pound Puppies.
Nope.

3. You can sing the rap to the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" ..and can do the "Carlton".
Of course. Can't you. This show was one of those things that kept me up late at night when I first started college (many, many years ago). We'd stay up late just to watch the reruns (and Growing Pains). We also decided it should have been "The Carlton Show" especially whe Carlton and Will were living in the pool house. And Jazz was always there.

4. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
This I do remember. And I remember it actually being sexy too.

5. You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club and tried to start a club of your own.
No, but then again I'm a guy. And this one falls into the '90s category too (e.g. after my time). Sarah B. over at Que Sera Sera has made numerous posts about this though.

6. You owned those lil' Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls.
Nope. But I do remember them.

7. You know that "WOAH " comes from Joey on Blossom.
I so totally know this. I never did thing that Mayim Bialik was particularly hot but, man, wasn't that Six (Jenna Von Oy)? Speaking of biker shorts under skirts.

8. Two words: Hammer Pants
Never had 'em. Totally remember 'em. Also I was into Hammer before that whole "Can't Touch This" thing hit. He was an old standby for the early days of "Yo! MTV Raps." Back when it was just an hour on Saturdays with Fab 5 Freddy as the host.

9. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock."
I never had HBO back in the day but I did catch it at friends' houses. Never understood the greatness of it though. Although, I know Meaghan did.

10. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars... and "spokey-dokes" or playing cards on your spokes for that incredible sound effect.
Oh my God! Heck yes! Well, not the streamers (those got ripped out of everyone's bikes). And "spokey dokes" were for geeks. The card trick was the ONLY way to go.

11. You can sing the entire theme song to "DuckTales " (Woo ooh!)
"Duck Tales" sucked. And it was after my time. I was in college when this was on.

12. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
See my earlier (and probably a few future) posts. Although if you miss these days and you get a lot of channels I can probably put together a Saturday morning lineup for you. Including "Mucha Lucha," the new "Batman," new and old "Spider-Man" cartoons and pretty much everything on Boomerang.

13. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
Again, not a girl. But I do remember this. Blossom, again, no?

14. You saw the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles " on the big screen...and still know the turtles names.
Also after my time. But I do know the names. I have a cousin who's about 15 years younger than me though who was WAY into them though. Right Mike?

15. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.
I don't even get this reference.

16. You played the game "MASH " (Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House).
Nor this one.

18. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
Not a girl. But I so remember this. Those were some hot pants.

19. L.A. Gear....need I say more?
Well, no. Because that stuff sucked. Like B.U.M. Equipment did.

21. You remember reading "Tales of A Fourth-Grade Nothing " and all the Ramona books.
Of course. Once I figured out Judy Blume was putting all that juicy stuff in those books (around third or fourth grade, I think), those were required reading.

22. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF."
Man, Ralph Macio kicked ass thanks to Mr. Miyagi's training.

23. You wanted to be a Goonie.
Not really. But Chunk was pretty cool. And that little guy who made all the gadgets totally rocked.

24. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us... head-to-toe)
I did. Not head-to-toe. But still.

25. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted.
Look, I don't like people making fun of MJ. But his nose is pretty wack these days. But "Thriller" is still a great album. From start to finish.

26. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
Yes, I did. And I had to wonder if she ever got laid too.

27. You took lunch boxes to school.. . and traded Garbage Pail Kids in the schoolyard.
Yeah, but I never had the good lunch boxes. Steve Bois had all the cool ones though. Six Million Dollar Man and The Dukes of Hazzard stood out. I think I still have an assload of those Garbage Pail Kids things kicking around somewhere.

28. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
Nope. But I remember Friendship Bracelets. But they never got banned.

29. You still get the urge to say "NOT " after every sentence.
Yes, I do.

30. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts.
I do. Those things rocked. I'm pretty sure I saw one on eBay a while back too.

31. Barbie and the Rockers was your favorite band.
No.

32. You thought She-ra (Princess of Power!) and He-Man should hook up.
Why not? There they were, together anyway.

33. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
Not really. But the friendship bracelets yes.

34. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes. (and like #24, probably in neon colors, too)
Again, not a girl. But I knew plenty of girls who did.

35. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are,but what am I?"
Mm-Hmm.

36. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"
I sure do.

37. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.
Yeah. And it wasn't any more fun than the ice skating rink. Gosh, I sucked.

38. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
No. But I played on them a lot. And I also have done the beer ones.

39. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
Yes. Those things were kind of tricky.

40. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
Didn't everyone?

41. You've gone through this nodding your head in agreement.
Of course. Natch.

42. You remember Popples.
No.

43. "Don't worry, be happy"
Bobby McFerrin has said this song is like the bane of his existence. But it's still funny. "Here's a little song I wrote..."

44. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks.
More of "I'm not a girl." But I remeber this. With those stirrup pants too.

45. You wore socks scrunched down (and sometimes still do... getting yelled at by "younger hip" members of the family)
More "not a girl."

46. You remember boom boxes.. and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.
There was this kid at summer camp from The Bronx or something who had a that huge one that took like 20 D-Cell batteries and had two antennaes to bring in the 45 watts of power. It had an motion alarm on it too. That thing kicked ass. I still see them in old-school ads every once in a while. I always liked those skinny little Sony things that came in different colors though.

47. You remember watching both "Gremlins " movies.
Never saw 'em. Do remember 'em though.

48. You know what it meant to say "Care Bear Stare!!"
Yes. But it was never something I was into.

49. You remember watching "Rainbow Bright" and "My Little Pony Tales"
Not really.

50. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.
Alyssa Milano IS hot.

51. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
Sure I do. There was this kid in my class in high school, Keith Michaud, who was totally into ALF. I also caught his short-lived talk show on TVLand recently a few times and while it was decidedly sucky, it was still a little funny.

52. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool... and don't even flinch when people refer to them as "NKOTB".
Hangin' Tough. Totally.

53. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By Bell," The ORIGINAL class.
Yes. Still do. Thank you reruns.

54. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
It's actually called "You Give Love A Bad Name."

55. You just sang those words to yourself.
Yes. I did. With that hair-metal scream too.

56. You remember watching Magic vs. Bird.
Mm-Hmm. And the video game too.

57. Homemade Levi shorts.. (the shorter the better)
This is what I'm still talking about. On girls.

58. You remember when mullets were cool!
Mullets were never cool. But I do remember when they were popular. Perms on dudes too.

59. You had a mullet!
NEVER.

60. You still sing "We are the World"
I have like two copies of this on vinyl and at least one on cassette. I still play some of the stuff off it on my radio show.

61. You tight rolled your jeans.
Yes, I did. With bluchers too.

62. You owned a bannana clip.
No. But then again (once again), I'm not a girl.

63. You remember "Where's the Beef?"
Sure. BK you are the king.

64. You used to (and probably still do) say "What you talkin' about Willis?"
I sure do. Especially now that Brendan lives on Willis Street in Portland.

65. You had big hair and you knew how to use it.
Nope. But Josh Ambrutis sure did. And Heather Stickney too.

66. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren't you?
I am. But again, it's called "You Give Love A Bad Name."


PASS THIS ON TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS WHO GREW UP IN THE 80s or early 90s!

ROCK ON!

Just can't find the time

With school, work, an exorbitant amount of television piling up on top of my TV and a modicum of a social life, there just doesn't seem to be too much time to write these things. And, to make matters worse, with all of those other things taking up all my time, I really don't have too much to write about.

I have watched a little TV in the past couple of weeks but it seems like instead of gearing up for May Sweeps (are those even happening this year?), April (and frankly I just finished with March) is pretty depressing for television. But here are some highlights.

American Dreams finale: Everytime I think this show has hit an end, it turns around and starts all over again. JJ working in the space program, Meg running off with Milo Ventamiglia (I'm so not sure I spelled that right) and leaving Roxanne to fend for herself. I feel for you Rox. I really do. And, I can just tell, that pretty soon Patty is going to have some real stories on the show.

Eyes premiere: Tim Daly is back on TV and this show is a perfect showcase for his little witicisms and sarcastic banter. And, what's her name, Sidney from Melrose is on too. And so is A.J. Langer. Come on everybody, how much do I love A.J. Langer? You all know the answer to that one.

The O.C.: I keep catching little pieces and not whole episodes (but I will, dear friends, I will) and right now, my impression is: I still love Summer (Rachel Bilson is the best), even Marissa is starting to be interesting, I'm not sure how I feel about Trey and if Seth doesn't stop with that slightly awkward banter with Zach I'm seriously gonna pee myself pretty soon.

And while I'm still lamenting the death of Life As We Know It (and tell me you all saw the teacher who fooled around with the student as the comic book lady on this week's The O.C. - it's sad that I'm lamenting that show and I can't remember the names of any of the characters), I'm still a little happy because Veronica Mars will be back next seasson.

And speaking of seasons, I'm so glad the TV guys have finally figured out what Fox has known for fifteen years now, just because it's summer doesn't mean people stop watching TV. Way to go guys.

Okay, that wasn't too hard (it never really is though - just like everything else, starting is the hard part) and it turns out I could find at least a little to say. I promise I won't make you all wait this long again (and this time I mean it. No, really, I do.).

A bit hazy

I've been putting myself to sleep with the help of the good people in the pharmaceutical industry who produce Sudafed since I've had a bit of a cold for the past 4 days or so. It seems mostly gone now though. But the weird hazy feeling remains.

Life is really funny sometimes. I've just finished my morning ritual which involves waking up for the fourth or fifth time since about 8 a.m. and realizing I won't be able to go back to sleep no matter how many times I close my eyes and just lie there. So I get up and stumble in the direction of my computer. I hit the power button, hear that reassuring bell-ringing sound of the computer starting and shuffle off to the bathroom. Then I pour myself a little O.J. (today we are using the souvenir cup from The Tropical Isle in New Orleans, La., home of the infamous Hand Grenade - which is what came in this cup) and go check my mail. After I check my mail, and this part is new - just recently started, I read the list of blogs written by friends and people I already feel like I know like friends. Most of these are on the list of links on the side of my page but some aren't. I'll change that today. I promise.

One blog was a woman's monthly letter to her now-14-month-old girl. This blog is one of the sweetest things I've read in ages and this woman writes from the heart. It's sweet and wonderful and gooey but strong. I've watched many of my friends from high school and college get married and most have taken the road of procreation. I have to admit that at first I wondered why they felt the need to have children so early (this was several years ago and for the people my age to be having kids now is, to me, much more normal). But lately I've been seeing even more friends of mine having children and I get this feeling that the time is right. I'm happy for these people and enjoy seeing and visiting with their kids. It's just a shift in perspective and priorities but it's a noticeable one.

I thought I had more to write (and I do - it's called a thesis and I really need to get cracking) but I can't seem to remember what I was going to go on about next. Damn you Sudafed. But I'll be back again soon. I promise. I know you all missed me. I won't make you wait so long for the next one.