I am quickly falling behind in my goal to write one of these once a week. I am going to keep going though and hopefully I will find time to catch up and finish by the time December rolls around...
So, year ten! It was 1976, the bicentennial. Oh, how the country was in a big swell of patriotism and glory. I guess we were just coming off of that whole Nixon thing too. People had a lot of reasons to wave a flag and put up some red, white and blue! Kids seemed to be the easiest targets to get involved in the whole thing. I feel like I remember the whole school year leading up to the Forth of July was one long USA nostalgia campaign. Well, it was an event that was pretty innocuous and it made everyone happy. So there really did not seem to be any harm in the whole thing.
I was entering third grade at this point. Still at Anson Elementary School. My younger brothers were getting older and bigger. There was talk of possibly moving at some point. My mother had taken a job at JC Penney in their old location on Main Street in Marshalltown. She was an inventory clerk. I think that meant that she processed all of the new merchandise that came into the store and put price tags on it. It was a part-time job and she still was mostly in the home when us kids were there. Dad was not often left to take care of the kids on his own. Not that he couldn't....but he worked the main bread winning job....and he always seemed tired and reserved when he was at home.
I started my big television watching around this time. I got some gift money of around $50.00 and chose to get a 4" screen black and white camping version television for my bedroom. The thing looked like a cross between a short wave radio and a car battery. But, it had a little screen and could pick up all of the television stations with it's telescopic antenna. I loved it. I really really loved it!
Finally! I had a television in my own bedroom. I put it on a table right next to my bed and I would watch TV until I fell asleep. Usually, that meant that around midnight my dad would open my door and yell at me to "turn that damn thing off!". I could never figure out exactly why that bothered him so much. I imagined that the cost of the electricity must have been so expensive that he felt I was just wasting it running the TV in the dark while I slept. I never had the volume up so loud that it could be heard in any other room. I did not even really stay up much past ten o'clock. Today I think it was probably just an annoyance for him that I constantly defied his directions. But, anyway....I would watch everything I could. I quickly became a huge fan of almost every show. I started watching things like Saturday Night Live, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Charlie's Angels, Bionic Woman, Sonny & Cher, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley......etc.
Things have not changed much. Today I still watch a whole lot of television. When I lived with my grandparents after high school, I found out that my grandfather also watched a whole lot of television. Usually by himself....and usually he would fall asleep watching television. That fact made me feel a whole lot closer to my grandfather....and seemed to explain a lot about why I did those things too....
And today, I still currently fall asleep with the television on in my room. Except now it is a 37" flat screen that is playing.....and I use a sleep timer to turn it off after an hour.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Year Nine - 1975
Now we get to second grade. Here is where I really started to make some choices in my life. I started to define who I was and what I preferred in life. I started to sing along with more songs on the radio. I had songs that I really liked (Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers). And watched television shows that I enjoyed (Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries).
This was also the year that I developed one of my first crushes. And it was on a girl. I know! I was surprised too. Her name was Julie Long. She was an adorable little girl with curly blond hair. Kind of like Cindy on the Brady Bunch. She seemed very cute and nice. And popularity was starting to happen in our social circles. I thought she was probably one of the most popular people in the second grade. I remember sitting in class and staring at her. And then one day near Valentine's Day, I made her a card out of notebook paper. I asked her if she liked me. Yes, it was all about me. I did not include how I daydream about her.... And then I circled my question in a pencil written heart. I remember giving her the card in a daze. And waiting hopefully for her to return it to me with her answer. Well, I got my answer. "No!"
That was a cold splash of water on my ego. Suddenly I felt insecure and paranoid. I was rejected by someone I thought was so nice. What did that say about me? I would look over at Julie still and every time she would laugh I though she was mocking me. I went from having a crush....to being crushed. I thought I must have done something wrong. A few months later I remember telling my mother that I wanted to get a small tin of candies for someone at school. I am sure she was thrilled and amused. She bought me a fancy tin of hard candies wrapped up in clear cellophane. It looked very nice and kind of expensive to me. School was going to be taking a break for a week. Probably spring break. And at the end of the day I got the gift out. I walked right up to Julie before she got on her school bus. And I handed her the candies. I said "I wanted to give this to you". And then I turned and walked away. I could not even stay a moment longer to see what her expression was....other than total surprise that I was handing her this gift with no real reason. And then, I never spoke to her about it ever again. Man, I had some kind of passive aggressive thing happening. I still had a little crush on her....every time I saw her through the rest of our school years. But, I avoided every really talking to her ever again.
Julie was great. I remember her always being popular. She was athletic and excelled at gymnastics. I kind of doubt she even remembers much of any of this....
I have seen recently that we have many common friends on Facebook. She is married and has children. Looks like she has a great life and I am happy for her. I requested to be her Facebook friend a few weeks ago.....and I got my answer. No. LOL!
This was also the year that I developed one of my first crushes. And it was on a girl. I know! I was surprised too. Her name was Julie Long. She was an adorable little girl with curly blond hair. Kind of like Cindy on the Brady Bunch. She seemed very cute and nice. And popularity was starting to happen in our social circles. I thought she was probably one of the most popular people in the second grade. I remember sitting in class and staring at her. And then one day near Valentine's Day, I made her a card out of notebook paper. I asked her if she liked me. Yes, it was all about me. I did not include how I daydream about her.... And then I circled my question in a pencil written heart. I remember giving her the card in a daze. And waiting hopefully for her to return it to me with her answer. Well, I got my answer. "No!"
That was a cold splash of water on my ego. Suddenly I felt insecure and paranoid. I was rejected by someone I thought was so nice. What did that say about me? I would look over at Julie still and every time she would laugh I though she was mocking me. I went from having a crush....to being crushed. I thought I must have done something wrong. A few months later I remember telling my mother that I wanted to get a small tin of candies for someone at school. I am sure she was thrilled and amused. She bought me a fancy tin of hard candies wrapped up in clear cellophane. It looked very nice and kind of expensive to me. School was going to be taking a break for a week. Probably spring break. And at the end of the day I got the gift out. I walked right up to Julie before she got on her school bus. And I handed her the candies. I said "I wanted to give this to you". And then I turned and walked away. I could not even stay a moment longer to see what her expression was....other than total surprise that I was handing her this gift with no real reason. And then, I never spoke to her about it ever again. Man, I had some kind of passive aggressive thing happening. I still had a little crush on her....every time I saw her through the rest of our school years. But, I avoided every really talking to her ever again.
Julie was great. I remember her always being popular. She was athletic and excelled at gymnastics. I kind of doubt she even remembers much of any of this....
I have seen recently that we have many common friends on Facebook. She is married and has children. Looks like she has a great life and I am happy for her. I requested to be her Facebook friend a few weeks ago.....and I got my answer. No. LOL!
Year Eight - 1974
Ok, this writing once a week is hard. I get really bogged down in the other things that take up my current life and it makes me too busy to stop and think about what to write about my previous years of life. Sorry I have made you all wait so long for this year.....it's 1974 and things are starting to happen...
So, we left off with me doing all kinds of fun kid stuff. Roller skating, bowling, and seeing movies. Yeah, I did all that. In addition, I continued to take swim lessons when ever my mother could find new ones for me and my brothers to take. Around this time we took lessons at the YMCA and through the Red Cross at the local outdoor pool. Man, we took a lot of swimming lessons. As a result of these lessons, I developed a condition called "water on the ear". Basically, I had water trapped behind my eardrum and because I was still developing it would probably not drain on its own...so, I had to have surgery to drain the water and install very very tiny tubes in my ears to allow future water to drain. I remember having to travel an hour to Des Moines to have the surgery done. We got there early in the day....we had just listened to Minnie Riperton sing "Lovin You" on the radio in the car. I remember just being amazed at the clarity of her high notes and the lulling quality of the lyrics. Contrast that with the sterile atmosphere of the hospital. The surgery preparations and the ultimately being put under and wheeled into surgery. ZZZZzzzzz...... Once out, all I remember is being warned not to let my ears get wet for the next month. Jeez...that meant covering my ears in medical tape every time I took a bath. And no swim lessons. It was quite a production there for a little while... And then, I never thought about those tubes in my ears ever again. They say they just fall out naturally as you grow up.
This year I also had my tonsils removed as well. It's funny how I don't remember that surgery at all and the ear one is so clear to me....
This was also the year I was in first grade. Finally, real school! I had a homeroom and a class schedule with different teachers. No more pseudo babysitters who pretended to give instruction. These teachers were giving actual lessons. Learning to read. Learning to do math. Learning very basic science. Practicing how to write. I liked school. I like the social atmosphere. And I had fun there....this year. I was at Anson Elementary. I walked about half a mile to school each day....alone or with the neighbor kids.
I don't remember really making any decisions yet in my life. I just followed the schedule that was made for me by my mom or the school or whoever....I was still a soft ball of clay....and anyone could mold me.
So, we left off with me doing all kinds of fun kid stuff. Roller skating, bowling, and seeing movies. Yeah, I did all that. In addition, I continued to take swim lessons when ever my mother could find new ones for me and my brothers to take. Around this time we took lessons at the YMCA and through the Red Cross at the local outdoor pool. Man, we took a lot of swimming lessons. As a result of these lessons, I developed a condition called "water on the ear". Basically, I had water trapped behind my eardrum and because I was still developing it would probably not drain on its own...so, I had to have surgery to drain the water and install very very tiny tubes in my ears to allow future water to drain. I remember having to travel an hour to Des Moines to have the surgery done. We got there early in the day....we had just listened to Minnie Riperton sing "Lovin You" on the radio in the car. I remember just being amazed at the clarity of her high notes and the lulling quality of the lyrics. Contrast that with the sterile atmosphere of the hospital. The surgery preparations and the ultimately being put under and wheeled into surgery. ZZZZzzzzz...... Once out, all I remember is being warned not to let my ears get wet for the next month. Jeez...that meant covering my ears in medical tape every time I took a bath. And no swim lessons. It was quite a production there for a little while... And then, I never thought about those tubes in my ears ever again. They say they just fall out naturally as you grow up.
This year I also had my tonsils removed as well. It's funny how I don't remember that surgery at all and the ear one is so clear to me....
This was also the year I was in first grade. Finally, real school! I had a homeroom and a class schedule with different teachers. No more pseudo babysitters who pretended to give instruction. These teachers were giving actual lessons. Learning to read. Learning to do math. Learning very basic science. Practicing how to write. I liked school. I like the social atmosphere. And I had fun there....this year. I was at Anson Elementary. I walked about half a mile to school each day....alone or with the neighbor kids.
I don't remember really making any decisions yet in my life. I just followed the schedule that was made for me by my mom or the school or whoever....I was still a soft ball of clay....and anyone could mold me.
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