imagination

Just this week I heard some people, in their 30’s talking about  teenagers of today. They were lamenting about how rough it was growing up 25 years ago without X-boxes and all the latest video games. How all they had was Atari! Wow! That’s tough! My sisters and I had “Pong” Yeah I know – too bad for me! But that got me thinking- It isn’t the level of video game that matters- It’s the loss of imagination! With the graphics of the game today- the images are there for you to see, not to visualize in your mind

Growing up in the late 50’s-early 60’s, we play acted the games and read comic books, mostly war comics like Sgt Rock. I learned German from those comics- ACHTUNG! and iiiiieeeee! that being the sound all Germans made when they got shot or bayoneted!

Earlier in my life, I could be a cowboy or spaceman with a shoe box on my head! In my mind I WAS a cowboy! I SAW the Indians! After awhile I was on Mars, zapping the three headed monsters! All that with a shoe box!

Now, I’m not against modern video games-the graphics are fantastic- but It’s all right there on the screen. You never have to imagine what it looks like when the aliens get hit with your atom blaster! iiiiieeee!

Leave it to beaver

Hi June, I’m home!

Well, that wasn’t exactly what my dad said when he got home from work but, that’s the era I grew up in! My friends and I kid each other about being the last of the leave it to beaver generation- A wonderful time to be a kid! Endless  days of baseball, fort building, and bike riding!

We could stay out past dark and no one worried that we had been abducted or heisting a 7-11 at gun point

I don’t recall that we ever locked our doors and we NEVER had a gun in the house!

There were drawbacks though, My mom always bought my clothes as if I would wear them for 10 years! God, the jeans were made of fabric and concrete!  They were way too big in the waist with enough room for another kid and a half! And  the cuffs were rolled up -as was the style- but not up to the knee! These things took so long to break-in I was shaving by the time they finally got comfortable! Mom always got me “husky” jeans-  Christ, I was bean pole! Of course I had to wear a belt that made me look like a straw sticking out of a cinched potato sack! But, We ALL looked like that! We made fun of the kids who’s clothes fit- they were sissies and we would hurl dirt clods at them- Dirt clods! are there still dirt clods out there? Are kids still heaving them at one another? Nah, Dirt clods just can’t inflict enough damage!

In my neighborhood we were lucky to have large field behind our house, just about a city block square full of trees and small hills. I think we had a tree house in every tree built out of scrap wood and rusty nails,and once I stepped on one of those rusty nails and drove it right through my high top Converse allstars and into my foot- of course my pals were concerned that I would get “lock jaw” They told me to keep my mouth open just enough to get food in- and I did for a couple of hours- until I got home and I can still hear my mom asking me just what the hell was wrong with me! I tried to explain but it’s hard to make sense with your mouth open barely half an inch!

Well I guess I’ve gone on enough for now- as I said up front, this is all new to me! This is my first computer and It’s old! On top of that- I never took typing in school. Back then the guys who did were kinda…. well odd! I wouldn’t be doing this at if It weren’t for the urging of a very good friend of mine and it’s yet to be seen if we remain friends after I embarrass  myself to death with this! Hopefully more later

Hello world!

First off let me say this is all very new to me. I do want everyone to know that city thoughts from the country doesn’t mean I’m some technologically advanced urbane man but I’m not some redneck, country bumpkin either. I’m a man of many thoughts and I have many tales to tell. This entire thing right here is almost like an experiment that you will be a part of. I was talked into it and I’m excited about sharing my thoughts.