Kid stuff
 

Apparently they still make it, though updated for the times with the use of a mock cell phone...

http://www.hasbro.com/pl/page.viewpr...dn/default.cfm

Good News for NCS (and other people from Big D)
 

Thanks for the update. I'm reasonably sure Dallas will lose tonight anyway. I'll be at work, so I'll have to run down the the tv lounge for periodic updates.

LP, I agree that 102 crosses some weird heat threshold into the unbearable range. I will say that e/o is in a much more humid environment than Vegas. Dallas is humid now, but will be oven-like by late June.

childhood nostalgia overload
 

"Very sneaky, sis."

I loved watching the Muppet Show on Sunday night. It was a gentle reminder that the weekend was over and that I'd have to go back to school tomorrow.

I thought many of the cartoons of the late-70's and early-80's sucked. Remember the Rubik's Cube cartoon? the Pac-Man cartoon? I preferred the old Bugs Bunny or Roadrunner cartoons. I think those were the last ones that played on ABC Saturday mornings. Battle of the Planets came on weekday mornings early. I could make the spaceship out of Loc-Blocs, which was the only reason to use them instead of Legos. Did anyone else watch Battle of the Planets? Vaguely anime series with five teenagers who saved the planet and drove cool vehicles?

http://www.akdreamer.com/botp/picts/...ampan6inch.jpg

How 70's does that picture look, eh? I also liked Starblazers, which came on in the afternoons.

But most fun of all was the Mattel Football 2 game I had in third grade. Mattel had a bunch of handheld games with LED's (baseball, hockey, soccer). Football 2 was great because you could pass and run. Plus, you could play it with a friend and you could easily get a full game in during recess. I was so mad when Jason stole it. He returned it to the teacher, and to this day, I am still bitter that he wasn't expelled or spanked (our school had capital punishment back then) or set upon by wolves.

Trading Spaces Scandal!
 

Was that the one where Matthew McConnaughey was caught red-handed playing my bongos?!?!? NTTAWWT.


I figured if the court had a jury pool, then a speedo was appropriate attire, no?

Exactly, think about the deal you are getting when you only need 10K to purchase a 1M item. You should be thanking me. Not to mention for all of the men's room walls I have written your number.....er...referrals of your services I have made.

childhood nostalgia overload
 

If they were giving out capital punishment at my school, I'd have needed more than a gentle reminder to go back.

Man, are you OK? That must've been tough. But, then again, they probably had a rather low incidence of discipline problems.

:smash:

childhood nostalgia overload
 

Battle of the Planets rocked!! I saw a special somewhere a while back on anime in general and it mentioned that the entire series of Battle of the Planets (and the other variations/names it went under) were heavily edited Japanese anime which in translation bore no resemblance to what the Japanese show was in plot (or in violence level)...

The site you linked the picture from confirmed this. The villains on the Japanese series (Science Team Ninja Gatchaman -- love those Japanese names) were from Earth not from outer space, the characters were renamed and certain elements of American animation added in later to fill out the American story.

childhood nostalgia overload
 

I remember this as, "Pretty sneaky, sis." But I don't remember what it is . . . .

And I agree completely about The Muppet Show and Sunday nights.

childhood nostalgia overload
 

and i thought that my school was strict. was it a fundamentalist christian school that believes that disobediant children should be stoned? ;)

anyhow, that little mistake reminded me of a skit from "you can't do that on television" (which is apparently much too new for most of you to remember) where the school in reaction to the ban on corporal punishment in the school turned to the electric chair because capital punishment was still okay

i'd list all of my eighties memories, but what's the point, because you guys are all so old.

ms. naughty diplomat

Unwritten rule
 

Yes, this really is an unwritten rule. It's certainly not a rule for all men, but it's a useful rule for some. Having read the Salon.com article, it's a useful rule that Cary Tennis doesn't understand at all.

"If you're crazy about her, I say tell her so. What's she going to do, have you arrested?"

Having said these words in the early stages of a relationship with nearly dire consequences (ponderous relationship talk, immediate cooling of the relationship), I can tell you that the rule exists, the rule serves a purpose, and I follow the rule. Here's why.

I think men and women have different views on what the words "I love you" mean. Generally speaking, I think men see these words in the present tense and women see them in the future tense. When in the course of a relationship (or in the course of several recurring episodes of good sex, which most men see as a relationship equivalent), a man considers his lot and declares it to be good, he equates this with love. "Man, life is good. Jane's really hot. She's easy to talk to. She likes [pick any common interest] as much as me. In bed she [agrees with my version of the vanilla/chocolate list and likes all of the same flavors I do]. Jane rocks my world. I love Jane."

I think matters are more complicated for women. I think the "I love you" has a more long term meaning to women (once again, generally speaking). It's more than "I'm happy right now with you." Instead, it's closer to "I think I can be happy long term with you." So if the man says, "I love you." and it has a different meaning to the woman (even if it's a meaning that the man might not yet share himself) then it complicates things.

On the other hand, if the man waits for the woman to get to the point where she says "I love you" (where she means that she thinks she can be happy long term with you) she's already at the point where she's happy right now with the man. He can then reply "I love you too" without argument, discussion, or strife (so he'd better).

I don't recall any discussion of this rule with other men, but it's a pervasive rule designed to keep men from saying "I love you" at a time women would find irresponsibly early. As we've been talking about cartoons this afternoon, let me use an example. Beavis and Butthead are at the Stop 'n Shop, wiling away a Friday night. In comes Biker woman. She's driving Harley. She fills out her beer company T-shirt quite nicely. She starts stuffing items to shoplift down Butthead's pants. He immediately blurts out "I love you." Everyone knows this relationship won't last more than 30 minutes.

childhood nostalgia overload
 

You know, I think you're right. It's from the commerical for Connect Four, the game where you play a version of tic-tac-toe with red and black checkers.

I'd also like to change that whole reply now that rp has us getting hitched. I don't want to have to move to Arkansas.

I feel so old
 

Damn Leagl. Now granted I don't have access to the body language or other important cues and clues, but I think you got hit on and didn't even know it. If it was me, I'd be thinking that I was in.

Of course, I always think I'm in. But power of positive thinking and all that. I think that's probably helped me GET in on more than one occasion.

I feel so old
 

I never think I am being hit on. Her boyfriend was standing right behind her though, and I see no reason to believe she knew I was gay.

So, I don't think so. But like I said, I never think I am being hit on. I'm kind of dense.

I feel so old
 

Like I told you before, younger women have a far more open view of sexuality than we did at their age.

I say you go for the toaster.

I feel so old
 

As I said to someone else, I'd probably have to train her. That could be fun though.

Of course what if she gets all crazy and falls in love and decides she is a lesbian and because I was her first woman she will love me for ever and ever?* There she would be living right next to me. That would not be fun.




*This happens more than you would think. It never ends well.

childhood nostalgia overload
 

I remeber You Can't Do That On Television, with the slime and the Alanis Morrisset (slightly after my time) and the parental figure with the mustache, and the Canadian accents...

I don't remember it being all that funny unfortunately.

That show also reminded me of something that I won't miss from my teen (and maybe 20s) years -- Saved By The Bell. Yikes. And even worse, if you look on Saturday moring tv to this day there is always some Saved By The Bell-esque show taking up air time. Double Yikes.