Yes Virginia, There is A Santa Claus.....

My cousin Tori was the one responsible for ruining my childhood belief in Santa. I was probably around 8 at the time and boy was I pissed when she burst my bubble about the man in the red suit. I don't know how the conversation got started (she was mean enough to have probably been plotting this out weeks before) but the end result was her telling me that Santa was not real and that the presents came from my parents. WTF!!!!!! I seriously did not believe her and demanded proof. She told me that if we stayed up until my parents went to bed, we would see my mom putting presents under the tree from "Santa." My cousin and I shared a bed on the fold out couch in my grandma's living room that was mere inches away from the Christmas tree. Sure enough, after pretending to be asleep, we saw my mom and my grandma bringing in presents and putting them under the tree. I was crushed. The funny part was that I was mad at my cousin for ruining this for me, it did not bother me that my parents had been tricking me all those years. I still have a lot of anger towards my cousin for doing this to me.

Who cared if we poked our eyes out?

Kids from the 70's were tough! When it came to toys, toy manufacturers were in it for the WOW factor. There must have not been much thought or worry about Timmy hurting himself and his parents suing for millions. I had a lot of these dangerous toys myself as a child.




Remember the Lemon Twist? You attached a plastic circle to your ankle that had a plastic lemon on the end of it. You swung your leg around and jumped the little lemon. Talk about a workout! If you were really good you could do it while running. I can't tell you how many times I fell and wiped out when I really got going. Skinned knees galore!


How about the clacker? This was basically two heavy plastic balls on a string that you got going with a flick of your wrist. They made a fantastic clacking noise that drove parents and teachers crazy!! Kids would have huge bruises on their wrists from playing with these toys. The toy became lethal if you tried to throw it at someone!!



Other favorite dangerous toys included:

Baby Alive--The commercial went something like "Baby Alive.....soft and sweet.... she can eat and she can drink....." Of course as a kid we substituted the lyrics she can poop and she can pee for the eat and drink part. I wanted one of these dolls so badly!! I finally got one for Christmas and thought it was great!!! You gave her a bottle and she peed instantly in her diapers. There was some kind of food concoction that you mixed up and fed her (she had moving lips!!!) and it eventually ended up in her diapers as a brown poo-like substance. The only drawback was that she went through diapers like crazy and they were expensive. Eventually they found out that the "food" was molding inside the dolls and kids were getting sick. Once this announcement was made, I am sure that a lot of Baby Alive dolls ended up in the dump. The doll also made a reappearance in the 80's and I recently saw an updated model in a ToysRUs ad.

Chinese Jump rope- Basically a big rubberband that two people wrapped around their legs and a third person stood on the middle and twisted it around their legs and did strange contortions to leap out of the middle. Big opportunities existed to fall and break a limb when trying to get out of it. All the cool girls played this game during recess.

Lawn Darts- This actually proved to be deadly to some people. They were basically jumbo sized darts with metal needle-like tips that you threw at targets outside. Now I don't think that it takes a genius to figure out that kids would throw these at each other.

Plastic Bubble Glue- This was a psychadelic rainbow colored substance that was guaranteed to either get kids high or destroy a few brain cells. It smelled toxic!!! It came in a squeeze tube. You squeezed out a pea sized blop, rolled it into a ball, and stuck it on the end of a little straw. You then blew air in the straw and produced a bright colored rubber ball. You could pinch of the end and play with the ball and bat it around with your hands. Not much to it but I always used to get my mom to buy this for me. I guess kids were too high off the fumes to realize how dumb it was. It was cheap and you could find it in the toy sections at most grocery stores.

Teen Mall Queen

Do kids still hang out in malls like the did in the 80's? I practically lived in malls from about the sixth grade until college. Richardson Square Mall holds a lot of good memories for me. It was built in 1977 and I used to go there a lot with my family when we lived in Garland (it was the closest mall.) Since I no longer live in the area, I just found out that the mall was basically demolished and all that is left is a Super Target and a future Lowe's. Sad!!!!

The mall was located at the intersection of Beltline Road and Plano Road. At it's highpoint, it had four main anchors: Sears, Dillards, Tiches (which became Joske's), and Montgomery Ward. It had all of the usual 80's mall stores as well.

In 1979, we moved to Richardson and ended up right around the corner from the mall. I think the first time I went there by myself was in the 5th grade (1980). Back then, kids rode their bikes everywhere. Today, when I think about how far I used to go on my bike around town, it amazes me that I did not get killed or kidnapped in the process. It was definitely a different time (God I feel old!!!!!!)

I probably went to the mall the most with my friend Elizabeth. We would go to the movies, hang out, eat junk food, and occasionally have enough money to buy stuff. Stuarts and Lerners were big back then as well as Foot Locker, the Limited, and the Gap. Dillards was also popular but I only went there with my mom. That was the place to go for Calvin Klein jeans, Luv It jeans (remember the jeans with the little appliques on the back pockets?), and Esprit.

We also used to hang out in Pier One a lot. Pier One in the 70's-80's was nothing like it is today. It was a super cool store full of stuff from far away places like little wooden shoes from Holland and chopsticks. You could wander around in there for hours, which we did. The store was rows of floor to ceiling shelves and I never could figure out how they prevented shoplifting because they had no cameras and the salespeople were too busy talking on the phone.

In the 70's and 80's, Sears was not just for appliances like it is today. Clothes there were actually cute and well made. My mom used to go there at the beginning of every season when I was in elementary school and buy me loads of stuff. The Sears in Richardson Square Mall was also where I got my ears pierced in the third grade. I chickened out twice before I actually went through with it which I am sure really pissed my mom off since she had driven me all the way there.

Back then Sears also had a huge toy department. This was before WalMart took everything over. The annual wishbook was the highlight of my year. I wanted one of everything and I had a great time wandering the toy aisles while my parents were busy in the rest of the store. I had a bad habit of getting "lost" from my parents and I remember one visit where I was so lost that I went all the way out to the parking lot to see if our car was still there. I was probably 8 or 9 at the time. I was freaking out but I think I eventually found them in the tool department.

In the middle of the store was a large candy department with almost any type of bulk candy you could imagine, as well as fudge, popcorn, and sodas. My favorite thing to get was this candy shaped like little balls that came in a tube with a little seasonal figure (like Santa, a heart, or the Easter bunny on the top.) I also liked to get the string of lollipops that always had white writing on them. They also had a great record department. I probably went there once a week in junior high to pick up a new 45.

Creepy right? I think it is rather sad though. Back then it was a busy and happening place. It was the place to be seen and hang out. They had a great theater that I would go to pretty much every weekend with friends. I am thinking that they probably had 3-4 screens. In the lobby they had this soda dispenser for people who hated to wait in line. You could insert your money and out would pop a little cup, some chipped ice would spew out, and then your soda would pour out. You had to be careful though because sometimes the cup would come out crooked and if you were not paying attention (like my friend Elizabeth) your soda would miss the cup and then you would be SOL. There was also a soup dispenser there which I thought was odd because who the hell eats soup at the movies????

Another thing that we liked to do at the mall was eat. Chik-Fil-A, Orange Julius, the Nut House, GNC (for fruit roll-ups), Sbarros pizza... you name it. There were two places that we used to go to that seem kind of odd to me . One of them was a Mexican restaurant that apparently never had any customers but Elizabeth and I. We used to eat there all the time. I have vivid memories of one of us spilling our drinks and getting yelled at. We also used to eat at Piccadilly cafeteria which I think made us feel older and important. The eating area was like a big maze and we used to go all the way to the back and sit by ourselves.

One other place that I remember was a store near the movie theater that sold t-shirts. You would pick one of the designs that was featured on the walls and they would iron it on for you. You could then have your name put in the back in various choices of styles. You picked out the t-shirt and then you were charged by how much stuff they ironed on it. I used to talk my mom into buying me a new shirt here about once a month. She always used to complain about how expensive the shirt turned out to be by the time they finished ironing everything on it.

Other weird memories about this place:

1. Elizabeth and I putting headbands (yellow for me and blue for her) on layaway at this kiosk in the mall during the Olivia Newton John "Physical" era. What nerds!!!!
2. Our fascination with junk food. We would buy tons of crap from the restroom area vending machines, take it home and pig out! What they hell were we thinking????
3. When the mall first opened, it was closed on Sundays except for the movie theater. One Sunday afternoon I was sitting there with my friends Shin and Yuan waiting for her parents when this gang of older guys starting yelling stuff at us and threatening us. Being the brave kids we were.... we ran.... and they ran after us. I remember hauling ass and outrunning all of them around the outside of the whole mall. I remember being so terrified and somehow I had a sudden burst of speed and just flew past everyone. Eventually they caught up to my friends and it was realized that they thought we were someone else.
4. Elizabeth and I buying t-shirts at Spencers with pennies. Boy was the cashier pissed off big time!!! Ha!!
5. Performing a dance routine in the middle of the mall one Christmas. The mall used to have various dance schools come in and perform during the holidays.
6. I was told at the last minute that I would need a pair of jeans shorts as part of my costume for a gymnastics exhibition I was going to perform in. My mom had to work but my grandma was visiting and she had to take me to find a pair. I remember her getting so frustrated with me because we could not find a pair that fit or that I liked.
7. Shopping for little "Strawberry Shortcake" tennis shoes for my little sister at Stride Rite.
8. My mom trying on clothes at Dillards and then walking around with her shirt inside out and backwards all day.
   
   
   
   
   

Damnation!!

I am definitely a "numbers lock" type of person. Somebody keeps jacking with my keepboard and turning the numbers lock off. This!!! IS!!!! REALLY!!!PISSING!!!!!ME!!!OFF!!!
Please fuckinstopit right now!!! Whew....I feel better...

I know what I saw...........

The beaches around Destin and Ft. Walton Beach are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!! White sand like sugar, clear blue water, sunny days.......

I have good memories of hanging out at the beach as a child. My father was stationed at Eglin Air force base in the early 70's. Going to the beach in the summer was pretty much an everyday activity. Mostly I just went with my mom and her friends who all seemed to have kids about my age so there was never a shortage of playmates. I only remember going with my dad a couple of times. He was always either at work or just did not want to go I guess.

The amount of shells that you could find on the shore was incredible, especially after a big storm. Huge sand dollars, large conch type shells, and other great specimens were plentiful and usually still in good shape and not broken. After a big haul, my mom would put buckets of bleach on the back porch to bleach the sand dollars and clean out the insides of the shells. Believe me, that is a smell you will never forget!!

One of my mom's best friends at that time was a woman named Bridget. She lived across the street and had a little girl named Molly that was a year younger than me and a baby named Mikey. Bridget's husband and my dad were also good friends so we were always over at each other's homes a lot.

One of the best places to hang out at the beach was the Eglin Beach center. The structure was destroyed in 2004 by Hurricane Ivan but it has since been rebuilt. It had kinda a boardwalk feel with plank floors, snack bars, showers, and restrooms. I seem to remember lots of dark hallways and small rooms. It was also very damp.

Since most of the military men were working on the base, the beach was mostly moms, kids, teens, and retirees. There were also surfers..... young tan guys with shaggy hair and tan skin. They were always showing off for the hot moms and the teenage girls. One summer there were a couple of surfers that kept hanging around our little group. They were fun and friendly and we all had a good time. Bridget especially liked hanging around the surfers. She would flirt and laugh and they would try to teach her to surf.

I remember asking my mom for some money to get a drink.... running across the hot sand in bare feet to get to the snack bar.........and deciding to go to the bathroom before I got my soda. Back then you did not think much of a little 6-7 year old girl running around by herself. It was a different time where little kids were more independent and people watched out for one another. I was coming out of the restroom when I saw one of the surfers and Bridget in an alcove under the boardwalk area kissing. They were a little upset when they saw me and they quickly tried to cover it up with excuses as to what they were doing. I guess they thought I was just a dumb little kid who would believe their story. I remember Bridget being extra friendly to me that day and I don't ever think I mentioned the incident to anyone.

A couple of years ago I was talking to my mom about the days we spent on the beach with Molly and Bridget. I asked my mom if she knew about Bridget and the surfer and she looked kind of surprised. She said that she knew nothing about it but that she knew that Bridget and her husband had experienced some marital problems in later years. looking back, it is hard to believe that Bridget would have risked doing something like making out with a surfer in a place where a lot of people knew her family and husband, but who knows why people take risks and do things. I know what I saw and I am sticking to my story.........

St.Mary School.... I went there for a year and a half (kindergarten and half of first grade) in the 70's. I was looking at the website and it looks like it has not changed a bit.

Things I remember about this place

• The mean kindergarten teacher who told me and a little boy in the class that we were not allowed to sing with the rest of the class because we were "ruining" the songs. That bitch!!! She scarred me for life and I was too self conscious to sing in public for years. I don't even have a bad voice which is the weird thing. Maybe I sang to loudly? What kind of teacher says this to a child? Can you imagine if this happened in today's society?
• The plain blue jumpers with the white cotton blouse. Why couldn't they have had cute plaid skirts or something. You had to wear shorts underneath so the boys would not look up your dress.
• The playground with the tallest metal slide EVAH!! My friend Donna fell from the top and landed on her back and passed out cold. I laughed and laughed even though I was scared to death. I really thought she was dead. I don't know why I laughed because it sure as hell was not funny and I am not a mean person.
• Weekly mass. Although My mother and I were Catholic, we did not ever attend mass unless my grandparents were there. Mass scared me. I did not understand it and the nuns were creepy.
• My dad was in the military and the AirForce provided transportation for me to get to and from school which was off the base. It was always some young kid (probably 18-20 years old) who would drive me back and forth. I remember one of the vehicles had a hole in the floor on the passengers side and I was fascinated with the road flying by beneath me. There were about 4-5 guys who would rotate in the job of driving me. One or two of the guys liked to stop off in town on the way home from school to visit with friends, buy cigarettes, and lord knows what else. They would bribe me with candy and little toys from the convenience store. I have a vivid memory of green Slurpees, candy cigarettes, candy necklaces, and Razzles gum. My mom would get pissed because I was always late coming home from school and many times she would call the MP to report me missing. I don't remember the guys ever really getting in trouble. They were always nice to me and I always came home with a little bag full of treats and toys which is all that mattered to me.
• PE classes, Brownies after school (as in Girl Scouts, not the baked good), the smell of Tempera paint and mimeographed worksheets, workbooks with a religious theme, and the smell of the cafeteria. Good times folks! Good times......