Summer Memories - the 80's edition

This time of year always brings back such memories. Getting ready to start school again, pooling all of my babysitting money together to pay for registration (Bry's lucky, I just wrote an 80.00 check for registration and he didn't have to do a dang thing!), and hopefully having enough left to buy some school clothes and maybe even a $7.00 Trapper Keeper from TruValue.
I do believe I did not have the $7.00 it took to purchase a sweet Trapper Keeper with a sunset on the cover from TruValue, but I do believe I found one at the DI. The end was ripped and the cardboard was bowed, but who cares, it was a real Trapper Keeper!
As for school clothes, my mom sewed many of my clothing items that I sported my 7th grade year, although the "clam diggers" she swore were totally popular (I guess she forgot it was the 80's, and not the 60's), I saw no one else wear and it only took me one time of wearing them to figure out they weren't cool. Too bad it took me even once! I really think she just didn't have enough fabric to make pants so she tried to convince me into believing they were cool and that Salt Lake really was one of the "fashion capitals of the world". Boy, could she weave a story! What a great mom to make the best out of no money or fabric!
I do remember being able to save up enough money to buy some white cat eye sunglasses that got stolen the first week of school. I was really bummned, because it was one of the few things that I owned that wasn't fake or second-hand!
Oh, and the $1.00 section of Hallmark in the Valley Fair Mall where you could find every color of bead and matching earrings in garish bright colors coudln't be beat.
Speaking of Valley Fair Mall, my friends and I would ride the bus to the mall all of the time. We'd see a movie, visit Hallmark, and then, we'd all go and get our pictures taken in the photo booth. I wish I still had the photo where we were all wearing neon colored, zebra striped bandana's around our necks. Do you remember what I mean? You didn't roll the bandana up, but kept it in a triangle, and tied it around your neck so it came up to your chin. Then, if you were really cool, you'd hang your sunglasses from your ears below your chin as well. You couldn't open your mouth really wide or they'd fall off.
To top off our Valley Fair Mall experience, we'd always make a stop by the Keyhole to peek at all of the naughty stuff they offered. I couldn't believe they had a lightswitch cover sporting a man opening his overcoat and where his pepe was, was the light switch!
I wish I had all of the cassette tapes I recorded my favorite songs on. "Real" tapes from the store were so much money, so I constantly listened to my radio, with my tape set at just the right spot, to record my favorite songs. Most of the songs on my tapes missed the first few seconds and had a DJ talking about the weather over the instrumental introduction. If You Leave by OMD was featured multiple times on both sides of about every tape I owned. I also remember the Karate Kid song by Peter Cetera (Glory of Love?), True Blue by Madonna and It's a Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo frequenting my recordings. Ahhh, the good life.
So, hopefully you share some of my memories, and if you don't, here's some that may stir the heart strings...

You know you are a child from the 80's if:
You have a tendency to turn the collar up on your Polo shirts.
You know where to go if you "wanna go where everybody knows your name."
Partying "like it's 1999" seemed SO far away.
You wore the little bootie socks with the colored balls on the back.
You had a crush on Jon Bon Jovi, or know someone who did.
"Poltergeist" totally freaked you out.
You never questioned why the A-Team were always imprisoned in places that had sufficient tools to build an armored tank.
The Dark Crystal is still one of your favorite movies.
You remember when Deborah Gibson was "Debbie" Gibson.
You remember when Ricky Martin was a member of Menudo.
You actually believed for a minute that K.I.T. (The night rider) actually was real.
Ooh, you could crush a Grape!
You remember the original version of Windows: Macintosh.
At one point during your teenage years, you walked with a noticeable tilt to one side due to the number of plastic rings on that arm. (Mine were always sorted in rainbow order....)
You own any cassettes or records.
You rolled the sleeves of your suit jacket up
You remember when film critics raved that no movie could ever possibly get better special effects than those in the movie TRON.
You remember Michael Jackson when he was still black.
You know how to use a rotary phone.
You knew what Willis was "talkin' 'bout."
You yearned to be a member of The Babysitters Club, and tried to start a club of your own.
Punks actually "shocked" people.
Once, while spending hours in the arcade, you actually lined up quarters on the top panel of the game -- to "reserve" your spot.
If you ever said "I pity the fool".
Schoolhouse Rock played a HUGE part in how you actually learned the English language
You fell victim to 80's fashion: big hair, crimped, combed over to the side, and you wore spandex pants.
You ever owned a thin, black leather tie (and were proud of it), or worse it was patterned like a piano.
You actually saw Ted Danson as the MacDaddy he played "Sam" to be.
You ever wore fluorescent?neon if you will?clothing...
You know who played Uncle Ned, Elyse?s brother, on Family Ties.
You remember when you could buy half cans of soda (great for field trip days!).
You can, right now, hum to yourself the theme to 'Inspector Gadget'
You had top-of-the-line Commodore 64s in your jr. high computer lab
You had to stay after class to scrub your desk because your silver Outliner pen leaked through.
You thought Molly Ringwald was REALLY cool.
You remember when the A-Ha video was the pinnacle of modern technology, and you can still sing all the words.
You sat on your back porch, playing with your "My Little Pony" , "Rainbow Brite" , and "Strawberry Shortcake" dolls
You can still sing the rap to "Fresh Prince of Belair".
You even wore fluorescent, neon if you will, clothing.
You HAD to have your MTV.
You wore a banana clip or one of those slap on wrist bands at some point during your youth.
"Alternative" music actually was...and not popular Top 40 tunes.
You wore biker shorts underneath a short skirt and felt stylish, or know someone who did.
Cerise pink, electric blue and banana yellow have ever featured in your wardrobe or make-up collection.
You inserted the word "like" into, like, every sentence.
You remember with pain the sad day when the Green Machine hit the streets and made your old big wheel quite obsolete.
You remember when Betamax was at the cutting edge of technology.
Not that you'd do it personally, but body piercing captivates your attention
In many of your childhood photos you are wearing something plaid.
You know, by heart, the words to any "Weird" Al Yankovic song.
You believed that "By the power of Greyskull, you HAD the power!"
There were days that the homework just had to wait until the ABC Afterschool Special was over.
You know how (or wanted to be able) to Moonwalk!
You wanted to communicate with Synergy, or you wanted green hair like that lead singer of the Misfits.
You actually thought "Dirty Dancing" was a REALLY good movie.
The first time you ever kissed someone at a dance fell during "Crazy for You" by Madonna
You wore biker shorts underneath a short skirt and felt stylish.
You think there should be a Kids Incorporated original cast reunion.
You have heard of "Garbage Pail Kids" (and perhaps still have a collection of them).
you're starting to dread your 30th birthday, and have even begun going into denial about it's possibility
You remember when McDonald?s served their burgers in styrofoam boxes.
You knew all the words to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire", but it really didn't hold any meaning for you until about the third verse
Atari, IntelliVision, TelStar and Coleco were the ultimate gaming systems to own.
U2 is too "popular" and "mainstream" for you now
You have seen at least 10 episodes of Fraggle Rock.
You hold a special place in your heart for "Back to the Future."
You wondered why you and your mates never encountered diamond thieves whilst out on your BMXs.
You made Star Wars shrinky dinks in your oven.
Poltergeist freaked you out.
Your best party dress was either a ra-ra or puff-ball skirt.
You know who Mr. T is.
You ever uttered the word "Radical!"
You got a Little Professor calculator for Christmas.
You were disappointed when an episode of 3-2-1 Contact didn?t include a Bloodhound Gang segment.
You still know the Big Mac song. "Two all beef patties, special sauce?"
There were at least three people in your school that voluntarily went by the names of "Skip" "Buffy" "Muffy" or "Dexter."
You were in Cub Scouts or Girl Scouts but now you have no idea what all the badges you got were for.
Your hair, at some point in time in the 80's, became something which can only be described by the phrase "I was experimenting."
You know who Tina Yothers is.
You skipped school on the day Luke and Laura got married on General Hospital.
You owned a *realRubik's cube.
While in high school, you and all your friends discussed elaborate plans to get together again at the end of the century and play "1999" by Prince over and over again.
You had a poster of Rob Lowe, Kirk Cameron, Michael J. Fox or Don Johnson on your wall.
You can't remember when the word "networking" didn't have a computer connotation to it as well
You were a "wanna be". Madonna, Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Boy George, etc.
You always wondered why Tootie always wore those skates.
You were afraid of the Sleestacks on Land of The Lost.
You were sad when the "Where's the Beef" lady died.
You ever owned one of those embarrassing crimping irons.
The phrase "Where's the beef?" still doubles you over with laughter
One word: Izod.
You owned a doll with 'Xavier Roberts' signed on it's butt.
You watched Mary Lou Retton win the gold.
You remember when Madonna was just hitting the scene.
You remember the episode of Good Times when Flo broke down after James' funeral.
You ever wanted to be gagged with a spoon.
You ever owned a pair of "Pop-Wheels"?that handy little combination of shoe and roller skate that lasted about a year on the open market.
You remember and/or owned any of the Care Bear glass collections from Pizza Hut.
You have ever called 867-5309.
Leg warmers and headbands al᠐at Benatar once looked really cool to you.
You held the top score on Pac-Man.
You knew "The Artist" when he was humbly called "Prince."
Your hair defied gravity.
you remember when music that was labeled "alternative" really was
You remember when cellular phones weighed 15 lbs. and had to be carried over your shoulder.
You can name at least half of the members of the elite "Brat Pack."
You ever dressed to emulate a person you saw in either a Duran Duran, Madonna, or Cyndi Lauper video.
Words: "Atari" "IntelliVision" and "Coleco". Sound familiar?
You can remember watching Full House and Saved by the Bell for endless hours.
You wore tights under shorts and felt stylish.
You had a crush on one of the New Kids on the Block members.
You thought that Transformers were more than meets the eye.
You remember exactly where you were when you heard the space shuttle had exploded.
You know the profound meaning of "Wax on, Wax off."
You watched Purple Rain over and over again.
Pierce Brosnon will always be Remington Steele, not James Bond.
This rings a bell: "and my name, is Charlie. They work for me."
Your first Walkman weighed about as much as a brick.
You've recently horrified yourself by using any one of the following phrases: - "When I was younger" - "When I was your age" - "You know, back when..." - "Because I SAID so, that's why" - "What the HELL is this noise on the radio?" - "Just can't (fill in the blank) like I used to"
You wanted to be a Goonie.
you remember the days when "safe sex" meant "my parents are gone for the weekend"
You had a crush on Bo Derek.
You were shocked by the controversial plot lines in Degrassi Junior High.
You used to own a Snoopy Sno Cone Machine.
You wanted to be on Star Search.
You remember any or all of the following: Echo & the Bunnymen, Cutting Crew, Scritti Politti, or Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark.
You carried you lunch to school in a Gremlins or an ET lunchbox.
You are still baffled by the "day glo" clothing trend.
You ever had a Swatch Watch, and a Swatch Guard for it.
Jelly bracelets & shoes!
You were led to believe that in the year 2000 we'd all be living on the moon.
You tried to convince your Dad to fit a strip of red lights on the front of his Capri so it looked like KITT.
You could have got away with it if it hadn't been for those meddling kids.
Your first computer was a Commodore 64 or an Atari 800.
You wrote your boyfriends name on the side of your canvas Keds.
Four-square was THE playground game.
You wore French rolls on the bottom of your splatter painted jeans.
Never let them see you sweat.
Your dream car was either: the A-team van, KITT or The General Lee.
You were convinced for years that Batman was a mildly overweight man with a moderate beer belly who wore his under wearoutside of his clothes and talked strangely
You thought eating Reese's Pieces would attract your own Alien.
You used to hold in your head the thought that all those gold chains on Mr. T actually looked kinda cool and the thought that Mr. T made millions seemed rational to you at the time.
You know what "Push Up" ice cream is.
You played with Lego's when they were just blocks of various sizes, not any of the special little parts.
You know that another name for a keyboard is a "Synthesizer."
Guys: You remember when a guy piercing his ear was radical to the max, but did it anyhow.
You were only cool if you hung out at the Roller Rink and actually knew how to skate.
Chevy Chase was really funny in those Vacation movies.
You carried a big colored comb in your back pocket.
You could go through a case of Aqua Net hairspray in a week.
Your best friend had a soda stream at home and you were jealous
You can sing the McDonald's Big Mack Filet-o-fish, quarter pounder, French Fry song while jump roping.
You thought "Weird Science" was a masterpiece.
You remember when Molly Ringwald was on Facts of Life.
You know what "sike" and "not!" mean
You have worn a Banana Clip, or knew someone who did.
you were shocked and horrified at the Challenger explosion (which you were probably watching in school at the time), and yet,when someone mentions the name "JFK", the first thing you think of is "Oliver Stone"
You owned a T-shirt that said, "I shot J. R. " or know someone who did.
You had slouch socks, and puff painted your own shirt at least once.
Spend a majority of your time in your late 20s & early 30s obsessing over how much better things were "back then".
You hid out behind the gym during recess to read "Are you there God, it?s me Margaret?" with your friends.
You know who He-Man and She-Ra are.
You remember Dirk Benedict as Starbuck long before he played Face.
You wore loafers with everything, and you put the laces in those little rolls.
You know who Max Headroom is.
You can't remember a time when "going out for coffee" DIDN'T involve 49,000 selections to choose from.
You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the ONLY female Smurf.
You have ever po-goed or space-hopped.
You've ever shopped at a Banana Republic or Benetton, but not in the last five years, okay?
You know what a "Whammee" is..
You jammed to the Miami Vice theme and thought Jan Hammer was cool.
You thought being a latch key kid was completely normal.
You had MALL Hair.
You remember the first time "Space: Above and Beyond" aired it was called "Battlestar Galactica"
You remember "Friday Night Videos" before the days of MTV.
Parachuting Action man was your favorite toy.
"Celebration" by Kool & the Gang was one of the hot new songs when you first heard it at a school dance
You remember the aerobie scare.
You wanted to have an alien like Alf living in your house.
Dungeons & Dragons was your favorite cartoon.
You know what leg warmers are and probably had a pair.
You remember the days that hooking your computer into your TV wasn't an expensive option that required gadgets - it was the ONLY WAY to use your computer!
You knew who Max's boss Jonathan Hart was.
You still love to play Pong!
You freaked out a little when you realized you fall into the "26-50" category of most surveys.
You actually spent countless hours trying to perfect the care-bear stare.
You had Wonder Woman or Superman underoos.
You thought UTFOs "Roxanne, Roxanne" song was the bomb!
Your all time favorite movie was Footloose and you actually thought that Kevin Bacon was HOT in it!!!
(Girls) You owned a pair of Pixie Boots, generally worn with leg warmers.
You know what a Doozer is.
You layered your multi-colored slouch socks, and added suspenders to make your outfit complete.
You remember when Jordache jeans with a flat-handle comb in the back pocket was cool.
You just had to have a Trapper Keeper to stay organized at school.
You're starting to believe that maybe 30 isn't so old after all, and it's those people over 40 you have to look out for.
You could break dance, or wish you could.
You know who Derek Wildstar, Mark Venture, Captain Avatar, Nova and Desslock are.
You know all the words to "Ice Ice Baby".
You, yes you, sat down and memorized the entire lyric sheet to "It's the end of the world as we know it"
You wanted to dress like the Hulk or She-Ra at Halloween.
You had to come in the house when the street lights came on.
You wanted to be either Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys.
You can remember the words to the theme song of "The Greatest American Hero." ("BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I'M WALKIN' ON AIR... I NEVER THOUGHT I COULD FEEL SO FREE-EE-EE...")
You wore a feather roach clip in your hair from the local carnival because you didn?t know what it really was.
You totally LOVED Barbie's cooler, punkier counterpart, "Jem" and her "Rockers"
When someone mentions two consecutive days of the week, the Happy Days theme is stuck in your head for hours on end.
You ever did the top toggle of your coat up around your neck without having your arms in the sleeves, and knew you looked like a super-hero.
You owned/operated a 'Trapper Keeper'
The TV movie "The Day After" still scares the heck out of you.
You remember when ATARI was a state of the art video game system
You know who Fat Albert is.
You tried a can of clear Pepsi but hated it like everyone else did.
You know who Spuds McKenzie, The Noid, and Joe Isuzu are.
You owned a Jordache anything, or you remember when Jordache jeans were cool.
You wore 3-8 different colored socks in layers and thought that the more you could wear the cooler you were.
You actually know who Rick Springfield is
Shiny grey flecked suits.
You wanted to be The Hulk for Halloween.
you watched HR Puffenstuff as a child, but now that you're older, you really understand that it would have been much betterhad you known about drugs at the time
Your name is Jennifer or Jason.
You had a crush on one of the Corey's (Haim or Feldman).
You know all of the words to at least one of the Schoolhouse Rock songs.
Your first date took you to the roller rink and you held hands for "Couples Only" skate.
You're parents wanted you to attend medical school, but you decided it was pointless since Quincy got all the babes, anyway.
You like the guy who played Freddy Kruger better as Wilie on "V".
You can't remember a time when "hitting the outlet stores" didn't mean going to an electrical warehouse

Okay, so the above list brings back so many memories I can't even begin to write them all. So, over the next little while, while living out the dog days of summer, I'll write a few memories related to the above list. Stay tuned!