FOR THOSE BORN BEFORE 1945
We are survivors...consider the changes we have witnessed:
We were born before television, before penicillin, before polio shots, frozen food, Xerox, plastic, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill.
We were before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and ballpoint pens, before pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip-dry clothes--and before man walked on the moon.
We got married first and then lived together. How quaint can you be?
In our time, closets were for clothes, not for "coming out of". Bunnies were small rabbits and rabbits were not Volkswagens. Designer jeans were scheming girls named Jean or Jeanne, and having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with our cousins. We thought fast food was what you ate during Lent, and outer space was the back of the Riviera Theatre. We were before househusbands, gay rights, computer dating, dual careers and commuter marriages. We were before day-care centers, group therapy and nursing homes. We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt and guys wearing earrings. For us, time-sharing meant togetherness--not computers or condominiums. A "chip" meant a piece of wood, hardware meant hardware and software wasn't even a word! In 1940, "Made in Japan" meant junk and the term "making out" referred to how you did on your exam. Pizzas, McDonalds and instant coffee were unheard of.
We hit the scene when there were five and ten-cent stores where you bought things for five and ten cents. Sanders or Wilson’s sold ice cream cones for a nickel or a dime. For one nickel you could ride a streetcar, make a phone call, buy a Pepsi or enough stamps to mail one letter and two postcards. You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one? A pity too, because gas was eleven cents a gallon.
In our day, cigarette smoking was fashionable, grass was mowed. Coke was a cold drink...