Memoir Writing Friday Fun

I love those funny BuzzFeed posts (buzzfeed.com) and wanted  to share one that I saw recently about getting old.

Dave Stopera wrote the article (link below) which is titled:

If You Recognize Any Of These 35 Pictures, I'm Sorry, You're Officially Old

Wear it as a badge of honor.

(Note: I'm not going to include all 35 items. Just the one's I especially like).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of MY VERY FAVORITE places: The Drive In.

We used to go there all the time in high school. Some had a set price for a carload of people (like $5-7 per car) but when the money was tight at the other place, a few guys might hide in the trunk when coming in.

The Drive In back then was usually divided into 3 sections: 

1. The Front Rows: Families

2. The Back Row: Couples on dates (remember the "Put Your Hands on Me, Jack" car scene from Titanic)?

3. Middle: Everyone else        

The cool thing about the Drive In was that you were outside, so you could watch the sunset and stars come out.

They ALWAYS offered two movies for the price of one also, so it was quite a bargain.

One of the best parts of the Drive-In? Going to the Snack Bar at Intermission.

You could get all kinds of pretty good junk food there!

And it was always fun to watch other patrons stumble in there bleary-eyed after 2 hours of watching a movie in the dark.

... Okay, what is that thing in the picture above?

It's the loudspeaker they used back then.

The ONLY one for the movie.

Mono sound (only) not Hi Fi Stereo / and certainly not Surround Sound!

And because I grew up in Ohio - where it got COLD in the wintertime - a few Drive-Ins tried to stay open in the winter months by offering a in car heater, that was attached to the speaker pole (and kind of looked like it).

Yes, I distinctly remember watching a film during a snowstorm once (on a date) :)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jiffy Pop Popcorn!

We used to make that on our gas stove, by shaking it on the burner. 

The photo above shows what it looks like AFTER the corn has popped.

It's ready to eat above - you just have to peel back the foil.

The corn tasted pretty good.

It was REALLY EASY to burn the Jiffy pop, so you had to be careful.

And, I don't know how many house fires they caused - but I bet they did!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this one also - but I am definitely pulling the "Back in My Day" card here.

Because there were 6 kids in our family (3 boys and 3 girls) there were TONS of jacks everywhere in our house.

And they DID hurt when you stepped on them barefoot!  

Related to Jacks, but strangely not on Dave's You're Old 35 List, are Jarts (photo below courtesy of Pinterest). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The objective of that game was to throw the darts into the plastic circles on the ground.

... Kind of like Corn Hole today, but with sharp heavy daggers back then.

The Jart head was fairly heavy (probably lead) and pretty SHARP - because it had to burrow into the ground. 

If it hit you, it could do some damage - which is why probably why they don't exist anymore!

They were relatively safe if you threw them only a short distance (like 20-30 feet).

But back in the day at Family Picnics, we would NOT put those rings close together.  We would space then WAY FAR apart (like 100-200 feet) and consequently, have to throw the Jarts (the heavy dart) way up into the air so that they would travel the distance.

... Not that I would drink any beer at a picnic, but doing that would definitely NOT improve your dart throwing accuracy!

Thank you for the memories, Dave.

PS: For all you young whippersnappers: Just think, 40 years from now you will be doing the same thing, with things that exist TODAY! :) 

- - - Why don't YOU write your life story (or parts of it) and share it with your family?

You can try The Life Writer App for free here: https://www.thelifewriter.com/user/register

Do you want to see how it works?

This video shows that: 

 

 

Do you need a gift certificate for the holidays? This is what they look like ($95 - 10% if you're nice):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is Dave Stopera's excellent article: