Wednesday, March 19, 2008

What were you doing thirty years ago?

What were you doing thirty years ago?

That sounds sooooooooo long ago. It only feels like last year.

Thirty years ago, I was in my senior year of high school - that was 1978.


I was co-editor of our high school newspaper, on the year book staff, 2nd lieutenant of our flag corps. I worked part time at a junky jewelry store in downtown Cincinnati. I went to the disco several nights a week and danced hte night away.

We were all chatting on the CB radio, good buddy. That's a big 10-4. My husband wants to be Burt Reynolds/Bo in Smokey and the Bandit.


On I was watching M.A.S.H. (I saw a rerun tonight), One Day At A Time, the Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Eight Is Enough, The Waltons, Welcome Back Kotter, Charlie's Angels, and Little House on the Prairie. I was probably watching Brady Bunch and All in the Family reruns, too.



My boyfriend whom we called "Chewie" as everyone said he looked like Chewbacca, was way more in love with Star Wars IV than with me. I think he saw it at the theater at least 17 times. I liked it, too. We all did. I still say episodes IV, V, and VI are the best by far. Forget the better graphics in the first trilogy, the characters and story are great. By the way, I didn't marry this guy. Can you imagine what our kids would've looked like? Yikes!

I borrowed my mom's big tank of an Impala to drive my friends around Cincinnati. We went to the drive in a lot when we didn't go to the disco. In fact, I could see one or two of the drive-in screens from my mom's front lawn. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear the sound or lip read.

We also hung out at the Frisch's drive through, eating greasy fries and burgers. Well, I ate the buddy boy (the ham sandwich) with the greasy fries.


I wanted to go to college for journalism at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, but I was preparing to make do with the University of Cincinnati in Clifton.


I drove one of the best cars I ever had - a red Toyota Corolla. Later, I drove a blue, beat up Corolla, but it never let me down.


The only computers I knew about were the ones my dad worked on - the big IBM monsters that filled rooms and used punch cards. I don't think I heard of a PC until the late 80s when I was in college. (I dropped out of college and went into the Air Force for a few years and then returned to college after I was married and had 3 children - so much for dorm and sorority life).


I was thin without trying, without watching what I ate. But like I said, I was a dancing fool. That was back when the cool guys tried to be John Travolta on the disco floor, when they wore those 3 piece white suits. It was also when the guys just started doing "the bump" with us in the middle of the dance floor before we'd officially met. Those were fun days. God, I miss them.

On a different topic, I missed American Idol last night and again tonight. I was good and doing my edits at Borders. I just want my editor to know. :) I'll catch the recording Friday or Saturday.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Yep - I remember all that...and I was 14 with braces...now I am 44 with fantastic teeth

Molly Daniels said...

I was 12, and about to get my braces. Bemoaning the fact I couldn't go to the disco. Pretending to dance the night away with John Travolta; sing with Shaun Cassidy, Bee Gees, Bay City Rollers or Donny and Marie; and got my 1st official boyfriend on a camping trip to Colorado. But nothing like AJ's Goddess and the Ghost, ha ha! Also dreaming of finding my 'Danny' (Grease)

Maggie May said...

Thirty years ago I was 35! Getting my kids dinners & sorting out little squabbles & things! Now I seem to be doing similar things for my grandchildren!

You have given your blog a different look! Thought I'd come to the wrong place! Very nice!

captain corky said...

I was 7 for most of that year. I played with a lot of toys, like Star Wars figures, MEGO Super Hero ACTION FIGURES (not dolls) Lego's, Playmobil's, and went around pretending I was a superhero, or Captain Kirk. A lot's changes since then... ;)

Unknown said...

Almost everyone is younger than me. I'm not used to that. I'm one of the youngest where I work overall and in my department.

Glad you like the new site design. Didn't mean to confuse ya.

Good to know your teeth are good Amarinda. Guess it's okay to guy you (you know, like a horse). I have to get braces on my 13 year old. He's got a wicked underbite.

Cath said...

Hi Ashley -
Yep I remember a lot of that over here too! I was into Star Wars AND John Travolta, House on the Prairie (loved that) and the rest.

For us it wasn't drive-ins (they still don't exist here) but the "flicks" (picture house / cinema) each week, swimming baths and discos.
Those were the days...

Love the make over on the site. Love the pink!

Diva's Thoughts said...

30 years ago I was in the 6th grade. Doing the kid thing. lol I had a MAJOR crush on Michael Jackson back then.

Unknown said...

I still can't believe how that cute little boy that was Michael Jackson turned out. He's only a year older than me if that much. I grew up with him - so to speak. And Donny Osmond - who looks better than ever, btw. It's like an episode of Sliders with MJ, as if we're on an alternate world where Elvis is still alive and sweet little Michael Jackson's turned into some freak so they know it can't be their home world as that could never, ever happen on their Earth.

Teena in Toronto said...

Thirty years ago ...

I was 15, in grade 10 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, had been dating the same guy for about six months (we eventually got engaged but broke up after 4 years) and I had just started working part time in a pastry shoppe. Man, that's soooo long ago!

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