Growing older, not up: 4 decades, 101 favorite things

My friend Bethany over at Mommy Writer Blog today posted her 101 Favorite Things and kinda/sorta challenged others to come up with their own lists.

Being a sucker for lists and kinda/sorta challenges, I came up with my own 101 favorite things. But with a slight twist.

What I've done is compiled a list of 101 favorite things gathered over the span of four decades, beginning with the seventies and continuing through today. I've left out the first nine years of my life because those years an empty account in my memory bank. The same holds true for the year 1981, but that's another story altogether.

You'll notice that the list is heavily weighted on the seventies, which comprises ages 9 through 19, the adolescent years of my life. These years undoubtedly shaped who I am today and thus deserve the more extensive coverage. Not to mention that the seventies were just more fun. Or perhaps they just seemed more fun because I was a kid.

What my list demonstrates, I think, is that while I've certainly grown older, I really haven't grown up.

Oh, and after you've read mine, show me some of yours.

70s

1. Pop Rocks
2. Banana Splits
3. Land of the Lost
4. Ray Rayner & Friends
5. Bubble Yum Bubble Gum
6. Jose Cardenal's 1975 Topps baseball card
7. Summer vacations with my grandparents
8. Recess
9. My Cubs cap
10. My banana seat bicycle
11. Paper football
12. Lisa Hibbard (the "new girl" in 5th grade)
13. Nerf Basketball
14. Sears Toughskin Jeans
15. Debbie Dowsett (high school swim coach)
16. Drive-in movies
17. My 1973 Dodge Charger SE
18. Lowenbrau 7-ounce bottles
19. Steve Dahl
20. WLS MusicRadio -- The Big 89
21. Hank Aaron’s 715^th home run
22. Naugles' Macho Nacho
23. Off Broadway’s “On”
24. Charlie’s Angels
25. My Farrah Fawcett poster
26. Freshen Up Bubble Gum
27. Radio Mystery Theater
28. The DeFranco Family’s “Heartbeat…It’s a Lovebeat”
29. Concert T-shirts
30. 45s
31. 8-tracks
32. REO Speedwagon’s Keep Pushin’
33. Aurelio’s
34. Saturday Night Live
35. “Rapper’s Delight”
36. Basement parties
37. Chicago Stadium

80s

1. “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off”
2. Bright Lights, Big City
3. Thursday nights at the White Horse
4. ISU Basketball
5. Ted Drewes frozen custard
6. Avanti’s Gondola
7. Modern English’s “I Melt With You”
8. Spring Break
9. “Webster”
10. Nobody’s Business (my college air guitar band)
11. Break dancing
12. 610 Hester Street
13. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”
14. Mix tapes
15. Jungle Juice
16. "Cheers"
17. U2's "Joshua Tree" tour
18. Tone-Loc’s “Wild Thing”
19. 1985 Bears
20. 1984 Cubs
21. Lassen's Tap
22. “The Sure Thing”
23. My study carrel
24. Answering machine messages

90s

1. Retro 80s Night at Amnesia
2. My study carrel
3. Wrigley bleachers
4. Seinfeld
5. Johnny B
6. Elbo Room
7. Chicago Reader Personals
8. Santorini sunsets
9. Nude beaches in Greece
10. Louie's Backyard
11. Jimmy Buffett concerts
12. Wrigleyville
13. The Gingerman Tavern
14. “Barcelona”
15. “High Fidelity”
16. Q101 Jamboree
17. The Metro
18. Goose Island Beer
19. 1998 Cubs
20. Repeat 3-Peat
21. Surfing the Internet
22. E-mail
23. Napster
24. The Raw Bar

00s

1. The tapa tango
2. Lost in the Ivy
3. ASC Meetings
4. Chicago Writers Association
5. 2003 Cubs
6. Jousting
7. Orbit bubblemint gum
8. Ralph’s World concerts
9. Blogging
10. Tazo black iced tea from Starbucks (shaken not stirred)
11. Walgreens malted milk balls and chocolate peanut clusters (a bargain at 99 cents/bag)
12. I-Pass
13. Disney Cruise
14. Stroller rides
15. “Step in Time”
16. Watching the son rise and sometimes fall

Update on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 at 04:13PM by Randy Richardson

The problem with a list like this? You keep thinking of faves that you've left off the list and have to go back and amend it.

Comments

[You Are...]

I would have thought the 1998 Spring Break Decisionwriting Trip would have at least made your top 25 from the 1990s....

[Randy Richardson]

Thanks for the reminder, You Are... I've made the appropriate amendment to the 90s list. The 1998 SPDT is now represented by The Elbo Room.

[Bethany]

Totally agree on the Update-- I've thought of a good 25 things I *should* amend the list with. Ah well, at least I got ya thinking.

Great list and GREAT twist! :-)