Flashback Friday #208

Our Song


Greetings, One & all. I know you've all been to the place where I'm heading in this post. You've met a dreamy person and through the haze of love, a song comes  on the radio that you tab as "Our song". This post will explain the significant differences between what Toni and I considered as "Our song".

In my previous "Flashback Friday", you got to see the Polaroid snapshot of me on my 16th birthday. I was holding two albums that my folks had bought me for my birthday. During my "Dark years" I was big into Rock & Roll and Pop music. I loved the "Get the Knack" album (by The Knack). But the Kenny Rogers album? Country? What was that all about? Here's the explanation.

While riding in the car with Mom, she would let me tune in to WNCI FM (our Pinto had an AM/FM radio, one of the first cars we owned that did). Dad wasn't so kind. When he drove, it was always WMNI AM (old Country & Western). But I digress. While driving with Mom one day, the song "You Decorated My Life" by Kenny Rogers came on. It was a "crossover" hit as it was popular with the Pop crowd as well as the C&W crowd. I told her that Toni had decided that was "our song", therefore she purchased the Kenny Rogers album for my birthday. Here are the lyrics:

All my life was a paper once plain, pure and white
Till you moved with your pen changin' moods now and then
Till the balance was right
Then you added some music, ev'ry note was in place
And anybody could see all the changes in me by the look on my face

And you decorated my life, created a world where dreams are a apart
And you decorated my life by paintin' your love all over my heart
You decorated my life

Like a rhyme with no reason in an unfinished song
There was no harmony life meant nothin' to me, until you came along
And you brought out the colors, what a gentle surprise
Now I'm able to see all the things life can be shinin' soft in your eyes

And you decorated my life, created a world where dreams are a part
And you decorated my life by paintin' your love all over my heart
You decorated my life

Toni may have considered that as "our song", but I didn't. In my mind, our song was Billy Joel's "You May Be Right". Here are those lyrics:

Friday night I crashed your party
Saturday I said I'm sorry
Sunday came and trashed me out again
I was only having fun
Wasn't hurting any one
And we all enjoyed the weekend for a change

I've been stranded in the combat zone
I walked through Bedford Stuy alone
Even rode my motorcycle in the rain
And you told me not to drive
But I made it home alive
So you said that only proves that I'm insane

You may be right
I may be crazy
But it just may be a lunatic you're looking for
Turn out the light
Don't try to save me
You may be wrong for all I know
But you may be right

Remember how I found you there
Alone in your electric chair
I told you dirty jokes until you smiled
You were lonely for a man
I said take me as I am
Cause you might enjoy some madness for a while

Now think of all the years you tried to
Find someone to satisfy you
I might be as crazy as you say
If I'm crazy then it's true
That it's all because of you
And you wouldn't want me any other way

You may be right
I may be crazy
But it just may be a lunatic you're looking for
It's too late to fight
It's too late to change me
You may be wrong for all I know
But you may be right

You may be right
I may be crazy
But it just may be a lunatic you're looking for
Turn out the light
Don't try to save me
You may be wrong for all I know
But you may be right

You may be wrong but you may be right
You may be wrong but you may be right

It's funny, Mom bought me the Kenny Rogers album, but not the Bill Joel. Could it be that Mom was taking sides in the disagreement?

Flashback Friday #207

Sweet 16


Welcome to all. Grab a party hat and a noise maker because it's party time. My 16th birthday.

The day started out like any other day. I had to go to school (I tried to convince my parents that I should be able to take my birthday off, but they wouldn't agree). I came home and did my chores. When my parents came home, they had a surprise for me.

They had stopped at Gold Circle (a department store in Westerville that no longer exists) and bought me a couple of record albums for my birthday. I was hoping for a car, but that didn't happen. Mom commenced to make a "garbage cake" while also fixing supper.

While digging through some stuff at my parents house, I unearthed an actual picture taken that day.

Quite frightening, eh? I'll bet you didn't realize that this was a costume party. Just check out that ridiculous wig. Oops, my bad, that's not a wig, that's my actual hair (circa 1980). The sweat shirt was given to me by my brother, Sir Gattabout (who was in the Army at the time). He decided he wanted it back on one of his trips home. In my hands are the two record albums that I got for my birthday. The first was "Get The Knack" by The Knack (you remember "My Sharona" don't you?) and the second was "Kenny" by Kenny Rogers. Seeing that I'm not a big country fan, the second selection may seem odd to you. More about that in next week's Flashback Friday.

Flashback Friday #206

Baseball Cards


A hearty Hi-Ho neighbor to you. Welcome to another post about people you probably don't know.

In today's post, we discuss how my new girlfriend Toni turned me on to an activity that I've enjoyed since then (no, not that, gutter mind). She introduced me to baseball card collection. Lady Nottaguy-TYG, you can thank her the next time you see her.

I was over at her house, and she had to get something out of her closet. As long as the door was open, her folks didn't mind me following her there. When she opened the door, she moved a grocery bag out of her way. I asked what was in the bag. She pulled it over andshowed me. It was chock full of baseball cards. Most of them were 1979 Topps, but there were a few older plus a smackerling of the current year's offering (1980).

I was intrigued. I told her that I has some of those around the house from years past. I had purchased a few packs here & there, but never really got into collecting. I asked if I could look through the bag. I was smitten. I hadn't followed baseball but with a girlfriend who was a BIG Cincinnati Reds fan, I figured this was as good as a time as any to become a fan.

After Dad picked me up, I asked hom to stop by the store on our way home. The store had a display box of cards. They were 25 cents per pack. I went ahead and dropped a couple bucks on them and headed home.

Before I opened the new packs, I went upstairs and dug out the shoebox that had the older cards in it. Once I gathered them, I went back downstairs and opened the packs. In the first pack I opened was this card:

I looked at this card and looked at it again. Blue Jays? I had never heard of the Blue Jays. I later learned that they were an expansion team that started playing in 1977. Hello, where had I been? Obviously, not in the sports section of the newspaper.

The next time Toni was over, I showed her the small cache of cards I had. She flipped. "Wow, you've got some good players there", she said. I really didn't know anything about the players I had. I picked her brain about the cards I had.

These are some of the oldest cards I had. These are 1971 Topps. These are Ron Santo, Julian Javier, Dave LaRoche, Steve Carlton (pre-Phillies) and Al Kaline. My cousin gave these to me.

These are 1972 Topps. I remember purchasing these from our local drug store. Top row (L to R) Chris Spier (Topps Super Rookie), Willie Davis, Clay Carrol (In Action) Sparky Lyle (Pre-mustachioed Yankees), Joe Niekro. Bottom row- Pat Dobson, Ed Kranepole, Bobby Tolan, Tim McCarver (Yes, the famous sportscaster) anf Chuck Tanner.

Here are some more 1972 Topps. These guys are a bit more famous than the first lot. Top row (L to R) Joe Morgan (he of the mid-70's Big Red Machine), Roberto Clemente, Jim Palmer, Vida Blue, Billy Martin (managing the Tigers). Bottom- Rollie Fingers (pre-handle bar mustache), Tommy John (the guy the elbow surgery is named for), Tom Seaver (Boyhood Pic), Frank Howard and Dave Kingman (the only guy to hit home runs for 4 different teams in one year).

Here are some 1973 Topps. Top ow (L to R) Rollie Fingers (with mustache), Richie Hebner, Ceasar Gerinamo, Bert Campaneris, Harmon Killebrew and Davey Johnson (bottom, the current manager of the Washington Senators).

I still have all these cards plus a few (thousand) more.

OSU Halftime against Nebraska

on Saturday, OSU (GO BUCKS!) pasted Nebraska 63-38. The halftime show was phenomenal. Here it is via YouTube:

Flashback Friday #205

The Striptease

Greetings, Sorry I'm late. Lots of things going on around here.

I'll bet you're wondering about the title. Did I go to a nudie bar? Nope. See a dirty movie? Nope. The explanation is this. When Dad would come home from work, he was hot & sweaty. Since it was HIS house, HE could do whatever he pleased in it.

As he walked through the door, off came the shirt. Three steps into the house, the undershirt came off. A shoe was kicked off as soon as he sat down. socks immediately thereafter. He'd then stand up and drop his drawers and plop down on the couch in only his underwear. This happened on a nightly basis. He'd eat his supper on the couch, watching TV in his skivvies.

This wouldn't be so bad, but back then, folks stopped by without calling. "Just driving by and decided to stop in and see how you were doing." You wouldn't believe how fast he could sprint off that couch when he heard someone pulling up in the driveway.

I may have told this part before, but I couldn't find it in the archives, so you'll have to bear with me telling it again. One evening, Dad was all sprawled out and I was sitting in the chair beside the door. I leaned slightly and gave a quick rap on the door. Dad sprang from the couch and I nearly busted a gut laughing. He looked out from the kitchen and said "That was dirty." He then went back to the couch. Not more than three minutes later, there was a rap on the door. Dad figured it was me again, so he didn't move. At our house, you knocked a couple times, then walked in.

Since Dad thought it was me, he didn't move. At least he didn't move until he saw Aunt Shelly walk through the door. Boy, did he ever move then. You would have thought he was shot from a cannon. I busted whatever guts I hadn't busted laughing the first time.