Not planning on blogging much today. Gonna take it easy and enjoy the weekend. Trying to get my mother to write something. And then blog it without her knowing. That's not blogiarism, is it? She can write really great stories. She started talking about the day I was born, and the days just before and after. And was telling me stuff I'd never even heard before. So I told her she needed to write it down. We'll see.
Flashback, 1989... My nickname for the last two years of high school was JT Love. (Yes, I know, now you've heard of me.) It came about the day we were ordering our National Honor Society shirts. (How many great stories have started with that line.) The faculty sponsor mentioned almost in passing that we could get our real name or a nickname on the back of the shirt. So NG suggested that I get "JT Love" on mine. It sounded like a good idea at the time. Much like I'm sure that New Coke sounded like a good idea at the time. And having Chevy Chase host a late-night talk show sounded like a good idea at the time. Anyway, it stuck. And it actually wasn't that bad. Even today, someone will occasionally refer to me by that name. But I'm a different man today. With a different body.
Flashback, 1980... I cooked supper last night and had family over. It was good. We sat around the table talking for half an hour or so after everyone had finished eating. Then my sister saw my Atari Flashback 2. Back in the day, Mom used to play Pac Man. She had a pattern she'd always follow and everything. I couldn't remember if my AF2 included Pac Man or not, but I hooked it up to see. It did not. However, my sister and I started playing against each other. Frog Pond. Combat. And eventually, Pong. Well, who knew in the year MMVI, Pong could still be so much fun? I mean, seriously, I could have just about designed this game on my old TRS-80. But somehow, the old Atari provided at least an hour of fun and laughter for us. After my sister and her husband left, Mom and I played a game of video checkers. I won. She left. And I felt bad for winning.
This post really has no ending. I used to lie awake at night and think I'd be thankful if I just lived to see the year 2000. I always felt I'd die young. Maybe everyone does. I don't know. Never could imagine myself being an adult. Just doesn't seem possible that JT Love is about to be 33.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. And if it snows where you are, please post pictures.
"Fifteen, there's still time for you. Twenty-two, I feel her too. Thirty-three, you're on your way. Every day's a new day..."
HAVE A HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUNDAY!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am sure your mother writes quite well, after all she had you... so get her a postin'!!!!
This is too weird... my dh is exactally 10 years older than you. nee nee nee nee
ReplyDeletePoor Dh has to get his yearly physical and work on that day.
I learned programming on a "trash-80" too! LOL!
I hope you have a great birthday and I'll rush out to get some snow pix before it all melts away!
I loved Pitfall...unfortunately, we had an Intelevision, so I got stuck with Burger Time. It was ok, but no Atari. I still love Pac Man, and get real excited when I find it somewhere.
ReplyDeleteOh, and just glanced above - Happy Birthday Bone. Wow - you and Sherry and ....my dad...all in the same week. (Ugh...just remembered the whole dad thing again...thanks).
Oh, THAT JT Love! Oh yeah, I remember you now! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat stinks! I'm two years (2.5?) older than you, and we didn't have an Atari! And woe befell us all.
I'd love to see some of your mom's writing. She sounds neat!
I'll be posting pictures of the snow later. Maybe. After all, it's been since July that I've posted any pictures!
ReplyDeleteBTW, in case you are wondering, it is too late for you to die young.
Have an elderly-feeling weekend, Mr. Love (so you wish).
JT,
ReplyDeleteJUST WANTED TO WRITE AND SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY,I,M JUST 5 YEARS OLDER THAN YOU BUT HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND AND WERE COUSINS.GUESS WHO.
SEE,YA
UNICORNGIRL
Great post, and I want snow so bad I can taste it! :) (we'd settle for rain though...)
ReplyDeleteformer Northerner,
circe
JT Love! That's hilarious!! God, I love those video games. I miss them. Those remind me of days when I used to babysit kids that had Atari. Actually, I never really knew if there was a kid in the house, I was too into the games and MTV!!
ReplyDeleteWhy did everyone think they were going to die before thy got old?? I was always afraid of dying but didn't think "oh I'll die before I'm 21."
I hope you have a most fabulous birthday!! We're supposed to get snow and I'll send you a snow pic for sure.
OCG: I think it would be neat. Something different. As I said, we'll see. Thanks for getting the happy birthday ball rolling ;-)
ReplyDeleteRenee: Yes, the TRS-80. I could have done great things, except I'd always end up misplacing my memory storage cassette tapes.
Tenacious Kid: Oh, Intellivision. I'm so sorry. I think one of my friends had one of those. Or maybe that was a Commodore 64. Burger Time... lol Really?
Jen: Hmmm... I hope this nickname doesn't make a comeback. Maybe I should not have posted that story. lol Sounded like a good idea at the time.
Buzz: Haha. I was actually thinking that as I was driving home in the rain and the road was slick and the oncoming headlights were nearly blinding me... it's already too late for me to die young.
UnicornGirl: Five years older than me? Well that narrows it down a lot.
Xinh: No, actually I thought some people might be thrown off at first. Since I went right into the flashback on the first one, but not on the second.
I think I did try to make breakfast in bed for Mom when I was like eight or nine. Didn't work so well.
Circe: Glad someone else is wanting snow besides me :) It's snowing north of here now. We've only had rain.
Carnealian: I think I had a babysitter or two like that. I remember staying with my cousins once and we had a hot babysitter. And she wore sweatpants and had them pulled up mid-calf. Very Facts-of-Life-ish.
Thank you all for the birthday wishes!
I think you're right.
ReplyDeleteI never thought I would live to see 25.
And I still don't know that I will make it to 30.
Whatever. :)
Wherever and whenever I go, at least I know that I loved the life I had.
As for the Atari . . LOVIN it!
I spent TOO much time yesterday playing Old School "Mario Bros" and "Duck Hunt" with my brother. Don't ask, don't ask.
So is your mother where you get your stellar story-telling abilities from??
we did the atari..pacman for sure, pole position too..but i'm with meghan on the duck hunt and mario..and the power pad that you could jump on and run with..think we had some sort of olympic game that we could be track stars with. like the original DDR, which the kids i'm teaching now love. that was post-homecoming this year..
ReplyDeleteonly a few flurries here, nothing to stick.
Well JT Love, don't quite think you're the live fast die young type
ReplyDeleteWould James Dean have done the 50's equivalant of blogging about making his mom, sister and b-i-l dinner?
Okay I do find him sexy--though dead for half a century--this isn't coming out correctly--he wasn't the marrying type when alive I think, actually I think he was gay
This is the worst comment I have ever left anywhere but I'm going to leave it in
Want recipes next time
Atari!!!! We had one of those. I used to love that thing. Pong, brings back good memories. My boyfriend just progammed his own pong game so now it's like pong overload.
ReplyDeleteMeghan: "Wherever and whenever I go, at least I know that I loved the life I had."
ReplyDeleteIf you can say that... that's a lot.
Yes, probably the only person who would list his two main influences as Hemingway and his mom :)
AW: Oh yeah, my sis and I had the power pad! We are finally getting a few flurries here today. Not sticking, but it beats nothing.
By the way, what is DDR?
Pia: Thanks... I think. I didn't say anything about living fast. Just dying young :)
Think you left out a "not that there's anything wrong with that" in there somewhere.
And I actually have thought about posting recipes. More than once. But do I really wanna go there?
Jen: I think it's funny how those simple games can still provide much entertainment. Or at least a little.
My word ver is lffissgd.
Life is good my friends!
Too buzzed to be leaving comments, but wanted to say I love the 80s flashbacks... I mean what's not to love in an 80s flashback? Just played the VH1's I Love the 80s game tonight with boyfriend, sister and her boyfriend tonite. Who could ask for a better nostalgic decade?? Am I even making sense????
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to you...
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to you...
Happy Birthday dear Bone...
Happy Birthday to you!
Hey! Happy Birthday!! I wanted to send you a card, but I don't have your email address.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're enjoying your day today.
:)
Hope you have a great Birthday. Please go here for your card.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=FJ37711543. Not sure if it will open, or if you will have to cut and paste.
Patty
BTW ~ You have a birthday wish on my blog...
ReplyDeleteSee, who loves ya?
heehhhhe
Hope you have a wonderful day.
Sherri: That's odd, because we played Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture last night that had mostly questions about the 80's and 90's.
ReplyDeleteVeronika: Yeah, I had someone the other day tell me I was hard to get in touch with on here. Thank you for the birthday wish.
Patty: I just viewed my card. That is so thoughtful!! Thank you.
Sherry: My very own happy birthday post! Thanks, sweetie.
Happy HAPPY Bithday!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteOK, LMAO at Sherry's drunken flashback post..hahaha. Drunk bloggin'. That's awesome. Happy B'day O ye of superior video technology. (Don't knock Burger Time until you try it).
ReplyDeleteDDR= dance dance revolution. you can often find the huge game at an arcade, but then they started to sell the power pad type things again for this game. its similar to the old games we played..but this is all dance-themed. apparently its a great work-out. there's a machine in Madison's union and its usually overflowing with foreign exchange students..i've never actually tried it, so i can give you no personal review.
ReplyDeleteps happy birthday.
!!!YADHTRIB YPPAH
ReplyDelete,EVOL
KCIHCYVOORG
(Had to be different- you know me! Hope your day was the best!)
Happy Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteFrom Applebee's to You
We wish it was our birthday
so we could party too!
Yeah... we eat there too much man.
I'm looking forward to the Valentine's Day Show this week! It's going to rock!
~K
No snow in Texas. Booo. One of these days when the kids leave the house for good, Nick and I are moving. Somewhere with four seasons, at least one including snow.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Bone! I hope yours was great.
ReplyDeleteMIL called yesterday to talk to her son and invite us over to celebrate his bday at her house... hummm... If she had called earlier in the week she would have known that he had to work and that we had plans. GRRR She's getting on my nerves in her old age.
Ms. L and Beadinggal: Thank you both :)
ReplyDeleteTenacious Burger Timer: What exactly was the object of that game?
AW: Ah, yes. I've seen people on those. That reminds me of a Seinfeld bit: "A lot of people say, life's too short. I say, no it's not. It's actually too long. Have you ever been at the mall and you see someone in the arcade doing this dance revolution thing? That right there is proof that life is too long, that those people have nothing better to do than that."
Groovychick: UOY KNAHT. (I thought that was Dea-Vinci code there for a second.
Java: Thanks, bro. Your obsession with the show is starting to concern me a little :)
Lass: Yeah, winter seems to get shorter every year here. Never heard that version of Happy Birthday.
Renee: Hey, go easy on us old folks. We sometimes get a bit cantankerous in our old age :)
happy belated birthday wishes bone! ...or err JT Love
ReplyDeleteThanks, Crys. And I think we can put the nickname to rest now :)
ReplyDelete