The America I remember.........

I was born in the 1950's. I was a child when Buddy Holly sang "That'll be the Day". I was born when Elvis debuted on The Ed Sullivan Show. I grew up in the early 60's having to get "butch" or "flat top" haircuts. I HATED THEM. This probably explains my hair style.

I remember having to try out for Little league. I remember sitting on the bench until I got my ass up and got over my fear of a fastball. Nobody got to play just because they signed up. I remember having to pass reading and math tests before I could go to the next grade level. I remember getting a bike and riding ALL OVER TOWN. I remember going out and playing hard with my friends. We played three flies up. We also played a game called "pepper". We played 2 on 2 basketball, 2 on 2 flag football and tennis. We turned our sting ray bicycles into motorcycles with basebal cards. If we were lucky, on a warm summer night, we'd play hide and seek in the dark. Our parents didn't worry about us being kidnapped or killed by a crack head gangster. We didn't have video games or chatrooms to waste our lives away in and get fat. Our biggest concern as kids was getting back in the house before the street lights came on.

We saw almost every movie that came out. Back then the film companies only release quality movies once every couple of months. Not meaningless crap that's destined for the 5.95 DVD rack before it hits the box office (if it even does).

Back then you could go to the ball game for about 7 bucks (box seats) and get Willie Mays's autograph for free. Now 7 bucks will get you an order of garlic fries, or maybe a regular hot dog, and if you want the say hey kid's autograph, you can buy a ticket at a show that costs 10 bucks to get in, then 40 bucks for a ticket to stand in line and have Willie sign your baseball or glove etc.....

In 1968, cars were made of steel. They had 4 barrels. Gas was 44 cents a gallon. You could cruise the strip just for the feel of driving a gas guzzling politically incorrect muscle car. Of course I wouldn't get that chance til' about 1972.

We had a cool thing back then called drive-in movies. If you could get a girl to go with you to a drive-in movie, you were going to be a man that night. You usually picked a crappy movie because, drive-in movies weren't to watch.

I remember A&W rootbeer drive-ins. The waitresses use to come out to your car and take your order.

I remember JUKE BOXES. 10 cents a single play. 3 plays for 25 cents and 7 for a half-dollar.

I remember 7 burgers for doller.

I remember clip on roller-skates. Roller arenas and the hoky poky. My fondest memories are of going to see the Bay Area Bombers crushing the mid-west Pioneers. Charlie O'connel and Joanie Weston starting and finishing fights. (this would be the greatest sport in the world - Roller Derby)

Nobody gave a damn about cholesterol. I think the Bacon Double Cheese burger was invented in the 60's.

Americans were Americans. Not Hyphenated Americans.

Going into the service was something you just did when you graduated highschool. Defending your country was something you did out of pride.

I remember when Pizza joints were cool places that had "shuffle boards". Not kiddie banquet rooms for T-ball parties.

I remember looking forward to the new James Bond movie. The new Beatles album and even the new Elvis Movie.

I remember when MTV actually played music videos.

I remember when everyone said Merry Christmas. Nobody said winter holidays or some substitute politically correct crap.

I remember when people didn't get divorced, and if they did, they didn't talk about it. There were no such things as pre-nups. Teachers that even talked about condoms in school would have been fired. Abstainance was the rule not the exception. If a man got a woman pregant, he married her. She didn't run off to an abortion clinic to have "taken care of".

I remember when the Russians were the biggest fear. Sitting to close to the television would ruin your eyes. And rumors of hair growing on the palm of your hands.

I remember mom taking my temperature whenever I was sick, and dad taking me to the ballgame on a Saturday morning.

I remember having a childhood however brief it was. My mom died when I was 11 and my dad died when I was 20.