Childhood Memories

Repost:

I'm in a gloomy kind of mood right now. I think it's the weather. I'm one of those people who get depressed when the weather gets all gray. Maybe it's because I'm an L.A. kid and I'm used to the sunshine. Anyway, I figured I'd revisit my happy place to shake the blues.

Things I Miss Most About Being A Kid

The 80's

Specifically, the early 80's. The summers of 81-84 were the best--my early teen years. I spent most of the time hanging out with my cousin Patty going to the car wash to buy an Orange Bang! and flirt with the neighborhood boys. These were also the early years of MTV. Remember when MTV actually showed music videos?
Thanks to MTV, I developed my first rock star crush:

Adam Ant




(Capt. Jack Sparrow totally stole his look.)

Orange Bang!



It sounds dirty, doesn't it? It's a drink that tastes like orange and creme ice cream. Almost every day Patty and I made the trek to the car wash to buy one.

Music

Sure, there is still music out there. There's some really good stuff too, but the 80's will always be my favorite. The soundtrack to my early teen years included:

-Adam and the Ants "Kings of the Wild Frontier"


I saved up my pennies and had Mom take me to Licorice Pizza to buy this album. It's one of the first of many.

-The Smiths' "Hatful of Hollow"



No one in my junior high was into The Smiths. They were one of the bands that cemented my "weirdo" status.

-Echo and the Bunnymen's "Echo and the Bunnymen"



Even back then I thought Ian McCulloch's voice was dreamy. :-) Their song "The Killing Moon" (off the "Ocean Rain" album") is my torch song.

The Clash's "The Clash"



I got a hand-me-down copy of this album from one of my older cousins. "White Man in Hammersmith Palais" is my favorite track.

The list goes on and on.

My dog, Shemp*


He was a Bichon Frise. My dad and I found him running through a very busy street and told him to jump in the car. He did--and slept all the way home. It was obvious he someone's pet---he was well cared for and trained. The next day we put up posters, in case his humans were looking for him, but no one ever called. Who knows where the little guy was from or how long he'd been lost.
The vet told us he was about six months old...it was the summer of 1981. He passed away in 1999. I still miss him.

My cat, Suzy*



Suzy was born May 4, 1969. My parents had her before I was born. She knew she was the favorite "kid" and never let me forget it. She was a quiet cat--- soft white fur and pretty blue eyes. People who had never seen her often mistook her for a stuffed toy.
She passed away May 16, 1989, just after her 20th birthday. She'll always be my furry sister.


Saturday morning cartoons

Kids nowadays have it so easy. They can just turn on Cartoon Network and watch cartoons anytime. We had to wait for Saturday morning. That's when the "good' cartoons were on.

Smurfs



Superfriends



Alvin and the Chipmunks



Schoolhouse Rock



I learned many a thing from watching Schoolhouse Rock, including the Preamble to the Constitution. It came in very handy in high school. The only drawback: I could only recite it by singing it.


Melrose Ave.

Today's Melrose Ave is nothing like the Melrose Ave. of the 80's. It was the center for all things punk back then. There were fun places to shop like Vinyl Fetish and Retail Slut, both of which are gone. In the later 80's, it was home of the Burger That Ate L.A.,which was torn down to make --you guessed it---a Starbuck's.


Retail Slut


I miss being a kid.

*Those aren't actually a pictures of Shemp and Suzy. I'm at work and don't have any pictures of my pets on this computer.