if you were a little girl in the 70's ...

After having an Atari in the house for the last 10 days, it's brought out quite a flood of warm-n-fuzzies for this little daughter of the 70's ... I was already touching on some of my best childhood movie memories in my last post, but since then I've remembered so many more fun things from 'back in the day' - it's as if a door in my mind opened, the memories have been vivid and clear - kinda wild.  I recalled an email FW that was being passed around about 3 years ago and was able to find it again (thank you, google!) ... anyone remember this one?  I've eliminated the entries that just didn't speak to me, but believe me when I tell you that each and every one of these photos below mean something to me ... ah, those beautiful 70's ...

If you were a little girl in the 70's ...

You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a stethoscope that actually worked ...

You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it ...

  

You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute ...

You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island ...

You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days ...

YOU had Star Wars action figures, too ...

You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic - with the thermos inside!

You owned "Klick-Klacks" and smacked yourself in the face more than once ...

You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits ...

Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession ...

You had either a "bowl cut" or "pixie," not to mention the "Dorothy Hamill" ...

You wore a poncho or gauchos ... 

You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon ...

You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze.  The swing set tipped over at least once ...

You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture; and you despised Nellie Olson!

You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle) ...

It was a big event in your household each year when the "Wizard of Oz" would come on tv.  Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags!

You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: "Who will I marry ...

... Shaun Cassidy, Leif  Garrett, or David Cassidy?"

 

You had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat ...

You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume

books ...

You drowned yourself in Love's Baby Soft, which was the first 'real' perfume you ever owned ...

You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color ...

You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes, or shoelaces with heart or rainbow designs ...

You used to tape songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker ...

You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record albums ...

Guilty as charged.  I had or did every single one of these things.  Even the swingset that tipped over.  And that Dorothy Hamill haircut wasn't the best look I've ever tried (nor were the prairie dresses for that matter!), so my mom deserves a special mommy hug to have smiled through those phases!  And by the way, I would have added to the list a shout out for the 6-million-dollar-man and the bionic woman - I even had a Jamie Sommers barbie for crying out loud ...

For me, all of these things were a big part of my youth - hilarious now, but oh so important to me back then!  What I wouldn't give to have a home video to watch or to go back as a fly on the wall and see my 10-year-old self for a day ... alas.  The memories will have to suffice - well ... memories and an actual Atari console.  With 10 game cartridges.  Including Ms. Pac-Man and Frogger.  What do you guys think - do any of these relics from the 1970's especially speak to you guys, too?  Thanks for putting up with my walk down 1970's Lane today ...

the other big gift ...

I have a feeling that among my small circle of bloggy friends who visit me here, all of us grew up right around the same time and were therefore exposed to pretty much the same pop culture memories along the way.  For example, the original Star Wars movie in 1977 ... I was younger than little ladybug is now, but boy do I ever have strong memories about that one - it was so crowded when we went to see it for the first time (b/c we all saw it more than once, right?) that I sat on the floor at the front of the theater with a bunch of my school friends and was totally captivated by the entire thing - unforgettable - a fond childhood memory...

And though 4 years later I didn't sit on the floor for Raiders of the Lost Ark, I remember a very similar experience - it was the summer of 1981 and I saw it at the old-school (long since torn down) one-screen theater in the town by the lake where we spent summers ... I vividly remember giggling with disgust with my friend Mandy when the guy's face melts off at the end.  Despite the melting face, another fond memory.  And then the following summer there was E.T. ... I mean, please.  This movie is one of the true greats and ranks as one of my personal top 5 favorites of all time.  At 13, just a bit older than my big ladybug is right now, I was with Mandy again in that same theater up by the lake ... I'll never forget the experience of crying our eyes out one minute over E.T.'s assumed death and then laughing through the tears as he and Elliott escaped in the van ... only to be reduced to tears again as the 2 friends said their goodbyes by the waiting spaceship ... now that's what I call a good movie!

And other than slurpees from 7-11 (that came with 'collectible' rock-n-roll cups at one point) and those great bikes with the big handles and the banana seat, I have one more very fond childhood memory from these golden years of my childhood.  It's an item that's gone the way of the dinosaur ... or has it?  Perhaps a certain Manbug has a wife who was able to find this beloved item and resurrect some great memories ... anyone recognize it?

If you recognized this as an Atari 2600 and your heart skipped a beat as you saw it for the first time in decades, then we're on the same page!  Though we didn't know each other back in the late 70's/early 80's when these things were hotter than an iPad-2, both Manbug and I were huge Atari-heads and often share fond Atari memories with the kids - like the time when Uncle John unplugged the Atari just as Uncle Jamie had surpassed the high score in Space Invaders and was having the game of his life ... to say that mayhem ensued does't say enough about that aftermath - a famous story at the Thanksgiving table each year.  So imagine my excitement when by chance I found this Atari in like-new condition for sale at a nearby game store that recently repaired a wii for us.  As soon as I saw it, I couldn't resist the draw - the draw to those "golden years" of my youth - and I knew that Manbug would feel the same way.  I was able to get 4 game cartridges for it as well - Asteroids, Combat, Space Invaders, and Pac-Man - wahooo, game on!!

Seriously, I was a gift hero twice over this year ... not sure how I can outdo myself from here!

Combat ... 

Space Invaders ...

time to teach a new generation ...

It required a small converter cable from Radio Shack to make the connection to our 'modern' (10 years old) playroom tv, but once it was all hooked up, the 'new' Atari worked like a champ ... the ladybugs loved it too and have become young Jedi knights in training with dad, the Obi Wan Kenobi of Atari - how fun is that?!

We're hooked all over again!  Next up, I'm going to call the store to see if they have Pitfall or Frogger ... anyone else want to play?

happy birthday, dear manbug ...

We love the art of gift-giving in our household ... we search tirelessly for clever gift ideas that really have some significant meaning, whether it's a gag gift (like boxer shorts with the Apple logo for my Mac-obsessed Manbug) or a meaningful gift (like the impossible-to-get iPad2).  We're also all about the art of gift presentation ... Manbug loves to send the ladybugs on multi-clue treasure hunts to find their gifts hidden in the house, for example.  So when it came to the afore-mentioned iPad's presentation, I just had to do something to throw him off and add to the curiosity of his big gift ...

a disclaimer: yes, these photos were taken in bed ... little ladybug could barely contain her excitement and woke at an unspeakable 5:30am to haul gifts upstairs for immediate opening - imagine the haziness, bedhead, and exhaustion of Christmas morning (times 3) if you will ... she was truly as excited to give it as her daddy was to receive it!

Clearly we can't hit a home run every year when it comes to gift giving, it definitely has peaks and valleys, but I'd say this year might just rank up there as one of the all-time bests ... his shock was so sincere, his joy was so uncontainable, it was clear I had done well ... he held it in his hands like the precious cargo that it is saying "I can't even believe it" repeatedly ... complete euphoria ...

You deserved it, dear Manbug of mine ... hope you enjoy every techie minute with your new love ♥
Happy Birthday!!

waiting ...

So you may have noticed that the posts have been sparse around here since my return - I haven't even shared my pics from home yet, sheesh.  Hard to believe it's been 2 weeks since we came back, but after I took that first step onto the hamster wheel, it snatched me right into the centrifuge of my real life.  Busy busy busy ... deep breath ... busy busy busy.  It's been overwhelming at times, Wednesday was a particularly bad day as I kept adding to my to-do list instead of crossing things off - everything I tried to accomplish seemed to turn into a bigger issue that involved more steps.  Steps that couldn't be taken immediately.  Thus the growing of the list instead of shrinking ... hate days like that.

Wanna guess how I've found the time to post this morning?  I'm spending my morning standing in line at the Apple store.  Why?  Anyone remember how my Manbug is an obsessed avid Apple fan and well known computer-whisperer?  Well, Manbug's birthday is on Monday and I'm trying to be a hero by scoring him the still-elusive iPad-2.  Sigh ... can you even believe that this thing has been out for weeks and there are still lines every morning for them?  I so don't get it ... see what a girl will do in the name of love?!

Part of my Wednesday horror show was learning that the iPad-2 is still in high demand and that I might not get one before the big day - the sweet baby-faced Apple employee must have been snickering to himself as I sauntered in at 11:30 looking for an iPad.  The line starts at 7am and we only have a few each day, he said.   Good luck.  Armed with the tip, I still failed to get here early enough the next day and ended up at the back of the line - thus, I was not rewarded with a golden ticket ... but today?  Third time's a charm!  They came out of the store at 8:10 to give away tickets for the number of iPads in stock and to send everyone else packing.  Today there were 9 iPad 2's to be had and guess who the ninth person in line was?!  Oh yeah ... that's what I'm talkin' about!  So today I have a golden ticket in my pocket and a big smile on my face.  Wahooooo!  The nine of us are waiting outside the door to pay for our iPads when the store opens.  Thank goodness for the free wifi at Apple so I can report about my victory immediately, right?!

Happy Happy Birthday to my sweet and wonderful Manbug ... my own personal computer superhero ... love ya' like a scooby snack, babe ...

the bronx zoo cobra ...

If it's completely absurd, chances are I'm intrigued - I find incredible humor in random things.  Like fugitive snakes with twitter accounts.  Have you guys been following the story of the cobra that escaped from the Bronx Zoo last week in NYC? The snake was missing for 6 days before being found just a few yards away from her cage yesterday, and to tell you the truth I'm a little sad she's been found because some very clever person had opened a twitter account for the snake under the name @BronxZoosCobra ... and there were some absolutely hilarious updates from the snake during her week on the run in NYC ...

... needless to say, @BronxZoosCobra went viral and gained over 200,000 followers - not to mention the facebook campaign to get the cobra to host Saturday Night Live this weekend ... I'm not even on twitter, but these updates were pure genius and really kept me smiling all week ... was anyone else following this too?

Oh well, all's well that ends well ... happy weekending everyone ...