Friday, January 04, 2008

aaaaahhhhh....nostalgia....Come and join me, won't you?

So....here it is...the Friday before life gets back to normal. Koji is at the daycare so the rest of us can get our "work" done....Issei is working on about 12 pages of homework he "forgot" and I am actually getting some work done on my room. "Look!!! There's the floor!!! See...I told you it was there!!!"

I needed some music to get me motivated so I went into the K-man's room (aka-the "music room") to peruse the CD collection. Now...for those who know us, know that this...is no..task done quickly. With my collection plus his...we have ourselves a CD extravaganza!!! (he hinted the other night that he needed another set of ABC dividers, like those used in record stores, because the genres were getting all mixed up!!! *sigh*)

Anyway....as I was going through the selections, I found myself becoming very nostalgic....Must be the beginning of a new year encouraging that...I dunno, but....I realized that there were certain albums that had such strong memories and/or emotions....

For me...first and foremost...is Lynyrd Skynyrd. I listen to their music and automatically I am thrown back into high school...specifically...9th and 10th grade. My BFF Danette and I were the "little sisters" of some older guys who let us hang out/tag along with them. One of them, would listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd for hours on end. We would drive around in his old Jeep, with no heat (and in the winter in Colorado, believe me, it was cooooooold!!) and even today, when I hear anything by LS, I think of that time.




My very first car, when I was 16, was a VW Beetle and it had a kick-ass stereo....for 1978, that is!! My friends and I would drive around, listening to music and of course, singing!!! We also got very good at "car dancing"!!!



Leo Sayer was quite the hit then....his "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" was a tape (possibly 8-Track?!?!) that we listened to often. I remember one time, we actually stopped the car in the middle of Main Street and had an impromptu dance!!!! No...we weren't crazy..... at all!!!

I can still remember scrounging around coins for gas for Betsy (my car!!)....we would drag main for hours and hours...and $2 in gas would last a really long time!!!
(Did anyone else "drag main"?? We were right out of "American Graffiti"!!!! and YES, all of us with VWs named them, mine was "Betsy", Danette's was "Fred" and Susan (another BFF) had "Lulu"...I know...too cute for words!!)







Aaaaahhhh....Pablo Cruise...LOVED THEM!!!
I used to ride around with someone sometimes who wouldn't sing, but he would mouth the words to the songs and act like he was singing TO me....and since I was a freshman and he was a senior, that was just waaaayyy too cool!!
(Gosh...to be 15 again, huh??)
**oh...and just for the record...the Pablo Cruise CD is the K-man's, not mine.




I discovered Jimmy B. when I was 15....his songs are fun, funny, and sometimes really deep (Really!!). So many road-trips included Jimmy...even today, he goes with me wherever I go.
I thought I had found the love of my life one time when one special person finished the line to one of my favorite songs....(I guess that was a personal test I gave guys!!) "My head hurts, my feet stink......."
Lo and behold...the guy was a toad and his knowledge of Jimmy B........ not even worth it!!!

By the way...do YOU know the line?
I finally had to quit asking that 'cause so many people just weren't the Parrot Head that I am.

*answer....."and I don't love Jesus". It's a song about being hungover...not one of his hits, but still, for us in the Phlock, it's right up there!!!





And lastly (for today, that is)....Phil Collins.
In 1986, I had finally graduated from University and had no plans for a job or my future....at all. Sure, I had applied for teaching jobs, but...I had just finished doing a 3 year program in 2 and I needed a break.
So.....I went to the Dominican Republic for about 3 weeks. A good friend of mine was in the Peace Corps down there and she offered me her place to escape and hopefully, find myself. So....I packed up my bag...and spent the best holiday I have ever had. We were in Third World conditions but it was awesome!! So many hours were spent on the most beautiful of beaches, drinking beer and/or rum and listening to Phil in my headset. That was also the year that I had a bit of a "love affair" with the Viet Nam War....I read so many books during that time...and the songs from this CD bring that all back.
*note....I found part of my self there....I'm a "work in progress" don't you know!!!

So.....what about you?? Are your memories as affected by music as mine? What does it for you?? I'd be interested in hearing what others have to say....

Okay...so my "computer time" is up and I really should get some more done.
By the way.....I'm now listening to "Daughtry".....Man!! When I start my own list of "Secret Boyfriends" like so many have done, Chris Daughtry will be up there pretty close to the top.....yummmmmm!!! Could eat him up with a spoon!!!

Have a good weekend everyone.

TTFN

*TaTaForNow*

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Deb....Thanx for the walk down memory lane. The music and funin good ole Springfield, America.
Shellie

Mrs. G. said...

You were definitely way cooler than me in your musical choice. But rest assured I rocked my ass to some 8-track cassetes of a musical mastermind by the name of Barry Manilow.

Lauren said...

I was thinking you needed to write a "secret boyfriend" post right when you mentioned it!

How can it be that I have a son named Pablo and I have never heard of Pablo Cruise!

We also used to cruise the strip in small town Iowa!

dkuroiwa said...

Yes...I have been thinking about that whole "secret boyfriend" idea for a while now...it may be one of those 'continuing' kind of posts as I have been flashing on different people at odd times of the day and say to myself, "OH!! I need add HIM to my list!!"
This may be a looooong list indeed....stay tuned!!!
*can I put Eduardo on it?!?! :-D

Anonymous said...

There is nothing like your first car! I had a '64 Bug--we were the same age. I remember wondering why people wanted air conditioning in their cars--what could be better than cruising with your friends with the windows down and the tunes cranked? Of course now I'd consider and un-air condidtioned car a form of torture. Aah, the ravages of age. Thanks for bringing back the feeling of youth.

dkuroiwa said...

Mine was a '65....and I paid $600 for it!!! I cleaned alot of offices and babysat alot of kids so that I could enjoy that wonderful freedom!!! Do you also remember having to drive about 40 miles and hour in 2nd gear just to get the defroster to work a little bit in the winter?!?!?!
I made a huge purchase that first winter and bought 4 ice scrapers and made the cutest little pockets for them so anyone at anytime could scrape the inside of the window to see out!!!!
Yeah...if someone said, "here's a great car, but no heat...no air conditioning...but you can have it for free".....i'd have to think very long and hard about that one!!!
Have a good one, Jenn!!

Mary Alice said...

My parents drove a 1966 VW micro bus....oh yeah it was the family minivan of it's time. Also, I totally agree that Jimmy Buffet can be deep.