I totally remember doing this exact thing. Making plans with people either in person or over a payphone or on the phone at home and then hoping that everyone got the correct info about where to meet and what time to meet. And then once you left the house there was no way of knowing where they were or if they would actually show up. And if they didn't show up you would drive/bike around and hopefully meet up with other kids that were up to something. All the while your friends could've shown up after you left and you wouldn't have known!

This would be so unrelatable to young people nowadays. And it feels so long ago.

Edit: yes I know this is an AI image and I flared it as such but it was too relatable not to share 😂

My partner and I moved from Massachusetts to Florida during COVID. We have a son who has special needs and partner wanted to be close to family.

We got here and started drifting apart, we’ve been separated but remain friendly and co-parenting.

I found a job and was working my ass off.

My parents live in NJ. My mother died earlier this year.
Father is alive but on cognitive decline. Luckily he owns his house and has a nice retirement fund.

Yesterday I get fired from my job. That job was my life. Gone. Got a severance. The life I’ve known is gone.

Really considering moving special needs son up to NJ and live with my Dad. Dad is all for it. Partner supports but we aren’t sure how to spilt custody. NJ has better services for him, but the move will be tough

Am I crazy? I’ve tried to make Florida work, but it doesn’t. I’ve dealt with winters (lived in NJ, MA, and upstate NY) I’ll be a single parent but in the end it’ll be better for my son.

It just feels so much right now

UPDATE-Thank you for the kind words! This lady appreciates it.
I know what to do-it’s going to be hard but it won’t be forever.
Also can’t wait for NJ bagels

Someone commented on a post a few years ago that said, "People back then looked healthier." The post was some original 1980s era video taken at the mall by a group of teenage friends. I grew up right in the beginning of the '80s—I was born in 1974, so I was 10 in '84.

To get back on topic, I recently saw a video on Instagram of Tina Turner. I realized I had never really given her much thought as a live performer; she was just the voice to a number of popular songs that were on the radio at the time. I decided to go on YouTube and watch a few Tina Turner live performances in concert. I chose the 1990s when she was at the peak of her game, in my opinion. Her performance was outstanding, to say the least!

But that wasn't what shocked me. Every now and then you would get a camera shot of just the crowd, and the difference was flooring!

Everyone in that building was present and together. The performers were looking at the crowd and the crowd was looking right at the performer. They were all singing, hands up, sweaty as hell, and having the time of their lives.

When was the last time you were at a live event? It feels like nearly every view of the stage is framed through a sea of lit-up screens.

And so I wondered, why did it become so popular to record live events? In my generation, we definitely made home videos and were out there with camcorders. Recording special events, sporting events, or things that you just wanted to share with your grandkids. When the internet went live and social pages started to get popular, people would share their photos just for the sake of sharing. Then those host companies decided to add likes, friends, and comments.

So, I feel like people of any age who record live events now are doing it primarily for content for their social media page. And what is that content good for? What's its value? It has value if it's enjoyable, engaging, and entertaining—and if so, you might gain friends, followers, and likes.

But what's ironic about that concept is that in the 1990s, people were surrounded by real people who were all interested in the same thing and shared something in common that night. They were dancing, bumping into each other, and laughing. Girls on the shoulders of guys and singing along, with not a camera in sight. But I'm sure real connections were made. And isn't that what it's all about? Real friends?

Anyway, I feel like the people who record a live event, seeing it through their screen (just to keep it in focus and centered), never fully experience the true event for themselves.

Isn't it a shame that we feel the need to record content for other people's pleasure—making sure it's focused and centered for someone else's enjoyment? The next time you're at a live event and everyone starts pulling out their phone...

Just experience it for yourself, and enjoy it live!

We don't need to share every moment.

Start putting yourself first!🙂

Peace❤️

Omg...miss them so much. Especially those cherry ones. Anybody remember these? The two packs at the gas station were my favorites!

So I went for my hearing test yesterday and I have moderate hearing loss in my left ear. I said to the lady who did my testing I think it’s crazy that they test us when we go to school and when we’re old. I may have had hearing loss in my left ear for years and never knew. I have really tiny ear canals and always had problems with excess wax.

Oh well. I’ll spit on my ear, brush myself off; and get a drink from the hose. I’ll be alright. lol

Edited lol i’m sorry I’m so tired. I fixed the typo

I’m trying to setup a collection of characters in media and literature that have Platinum hair color. I realize how silly that sounds. Comment if you want to.

You should also check those smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector batteries as well.

I can’t afford it. I currently live out of the state, but would like to come back to the area with my family one day and it’s a beautiful house they’ve had for 50 years. They don’t need the money. Why not rent it out, keep it in the family and enjoy the income?
Them: "Too much hassle"
Me: "Let a company manage it"
Them: "I’ve heard of people having a bad experience with companies. It’s easier just to be done with it."
Fair enough. It’s theirs. But man..

I'm about to start radiation treatment for breast cancer, and I'll be there every day, Monday through Friday, for 20 minutes each day, for several weeks.

I need to make a radiation treatment playlist. What songs would you add?

For me, it would be "work less, spend wisely".

I have spent my entire adult life trying to earn my way out of bad spending/saving habits. I stupidly worn my 60 hour work week like a badge of honor....and I now view it as a badge of shame.

My problem wasn't big ticket purchases. Rather it was a multitude of little purchases that kept me scrambling to earn more and more.

If I could go back in time, I would have built a lifestyle that a 40 hour work week could support. I would have enjoyed countless work-free nights spent doing things that were within my budget. I'd be happier, healthier, and less stressed. That's it.

Halloween used to take over my whole October. Costumes to track down, pumpkins to carve, school parties, and the walk from house to house holding little hands while the porch lights came on. Digging through the candy afterward for the good stuff.

Then somehow the kids grew up. Some of us have adult kids still at home with their own schedules, some have kids who moved out but live close enough to drop by. And a lot of us are also looking after a parent at the same time, so the holiday just looks different.

I'll admit I miss the old version. But I've been thinking it doesn't have to be over, just a new chapter with more generations at the table. Painting pumpkins with grown kids. Hearing stories from our parents we never got around to asking about. A puzzle and takeout instead of a big production. And it doesn't even have to be the 31st.

One thing I'm trying this year: if you're the one keeping everyone's schedules straight, ask for specific help. "Can you pick up three pumpkins and some paint?" works a lot better than "let me know if you want to help."

So I'm curious: - Do you still do anything for Halloween now that the kids are grown? - Has anyone found a way to include an older parent that they actually enjoyed? - What's the one tradition you'd bring back if you could?

Do you miss the whimsy of swizzle art? Golden sun prints on navy blue cloth? Jingle jangles and coffee in the Borders Cafe after you just purchased a Natalie Merchant CD? Breezy hempy dresses with earth toned cardigans? Let's all meet up in a cornfield and dance while we laugh at the rain!

Snipped them with the scissors and went back to convincing myself I'm still 28 years old.

Does anyone else parents have an odd attachment to stuff. Like old books, knock knacks, odd kitchen appliances. Stuff that is basically clutter but they are horrified at the idea of you throwing it out after they die and they have hoarded junk for years. Ugh

What are the three most unforgettable posters or billboards you've ever seen?

Not necessarily the best-looking ones. The ones that stuck in your head for years.

No Googling. No thinking too hard. Just name the first three that come to mind.

Mine are Gone With the Wind, the Marlboro Man, and Black Velvet Whiskey.

What are yours?

I’m not trying to make a joke, I’m just trying to make it known!

🤣 this has been stuck in my head for a week now! So now you all can suffer with me!! 😆

who else’s mom or grandmother or aunt had these???

​

What really blows my mind are the old phone numbers that I still remember!

Divorce, dead parents, kids that don't communicate unless they need something. It's getting heavy and I'm tired boss.

Listening to this 1993 album tonight and thinking it’s gritty, dark, vulnerable, perfect, and underrated. Guest vocals by Scrawl’s Marcy Mays. Anyone else love this album?

We were re-watching 'Airplane!' and I mentioned how cool Barbara Billingsley was for taking the jive translator part, given how she was the definition of square.

My kid wanted clarification, so I found 'Leave it to Beaver' and we watched the first episode. Normally when we watch something, the kid sits through it, then grabs the remote (we take turns) and puts on one of their shows, usually The Simpsons.

But this time the reaction was "Huh. I liked that. Let's watch another," and now it's in our Up Next list.

Not easy to find anything like it in current programming, and I'm happy to watch, too.