The summer of 1983. BMX mania had swept the world. Hence, all I had dreamed of all year for Christmas was a BMX. Imagine my excitement (or lack of) when I got a Grifter.
Grifter: Children’s bicycle manufactured and marketed from 1976 and until early 1983 by the Raleigh Bicycle Company of Nottingham, England.
Grifter Pros:
The gear shift (which was incorporated [...]
Being a child of the 70’s my taste in music was influenced by my older siblings – Disco Europop.
Abba
The 80’s started with a bang, and like most kids my age I whittled away many a Saturday cradling my poor-man’s ‘Ghetto Blaster’ listening to Casey Kasem’s American Top 40.
Too many classics to mention but one band pretty much sums it up:
A-Ha [...]
I’ve never seen Mary Poppins in its entirety. Parts of it have always given me the creeps.
Perhaps it’s is because of the not so subtle (down right scary) imagery hidden throughout the movie. Don’t be deceived by it’s cute Disney musical facade with the ever so innocent Mary (fresh from singing in the Swiss alps).
Pure evil I say.
You doubt [...]
Ever since I was a kid I have been fascinated by rays… PaislyeJade has been terrified by them.
She remembers an obviously doctored photo in an old local surf shop of an areal view of a dingy dwarfed by the shadow of a giant manta swimming beneath it. The imagery that fuels nightmares.
In our early years of marriage we had a [...]
In relation to a recent Facebook thread, I couldn’t help but take 5 minutes out of my afternoon to write a quick post about the mysterious Goonies Octopus scene.
Back in the day (1985 to be precise), Goonies paraphernalia came out months before the release date here in NZ. The ever popular (at the time) Goonies Bubblegum Cards contained a couple [...]
It is 11:52pm and I’m sitting at the computer half asleep. A couple of minutes ago I was snuggled up in bed and Paisleyjade asked me if I had written a blog-post today. I hadn’t, so here I am. Sleepy, cold and half-naked. The things we do for fame.
Anyway. The above pic was taken in early-mid 80s. and there are [...]
Anyone growing up in the 80’s loved Mr. T. He was an icon of a bygone and fondly reminisced era. My wife even had a crush on him back in the day (married me because we look so similar;-) But I digress.
What I bet most of us Gen X’s don’t know (or anyone else for that matter) is that Mr. [...]
Chess rocks. I was in the chess club at school. I once had a very expensive medieval chess set. I love chess. Alas, I can count the number of fellow chess-loving-enthusiasts in my current circle of friends on no hands… zilch. nada. zero.
Imagine my delight when my 7 year old son came home from school last week and said, “Dad… [...]
Anyone in their 30’s and older will remember well the Flintstones. The cartoon was one of my all-time favourites and I reminisce (with nostalgic happiness) the 80’s when the show screened every school day around 4pm. Any cultured kidult will know that the Flintstones equal retro cartoonsville at its very best. I even named my cat ‘Barney’ in honour of [...]
It’s our wedding anniversary today. I was scrummaging through my shed this morning (as you do on your wedding anniversary) and found my Best Man’s wedding speech. Wayne, you did a legendary job with this, and it still makes me crack up thirteen years later!
So for a window into our life almost a decade and a half ago, read on…
Ode [...]
