So many things that seem really funny to me now.

A House With An Upstairs

Most of the houses where I grew up were either one story ranches or farm houses. I knew a couple of people who had a basement, and some of them even had a finished basement, but that didn’t have the gravitas of a home with a staircase and rooms upstairs. Now I know that basements are where it’s at.

A Pool. Any Pool.

Big Tennessee/Florida difference here, but having a pool was for the wealthy in the time and place I grew up. Even in Christmas Vacation, it was a big deal that the Griswolds would be getting a pool. And they already were rich in my eyes…what with that house that had an upstairs and all. Even an above ground pool was pretty swanky in my eyes. Now I know that creeks and rivers are infinitely more fun than pools.

Pay-At-The-Table Restaurants

When I was a sophomore in high school, a bunch of us went out to eat at a restaurant where your server brought the bill, you paid them, and they brought you change. I’d never been to a restaurant like that before, and I wasn’t really sure how to navigate the situation. I feel the same way about valet parking now–I’m not sure how it works. Anyway, I thought that was the fanciest thing I’d ever done. Also, I learned that night that big group gatherings planned in advance weren’t my thing.

Flying On A Plane

I was 21 the first time I flew on a plane. That was for rich people, and there hadn’t really be an opportunity or reason for me to fly anywhere up to that point. I’d been some places like Florida and Gatlinburg on vacation, but never far enough away to need to fly. We went on a school trip to New York and DC when I was a junior, but that was on a chartered bus. Did some travelling around the Southeast and Midwest playing rugby, but we always drove. My first plane ride was from Nashville to New Orleans on Southwest airlines, and I had “Ramblin’ Man” playing in my head the entire way. We stopped in Birmingham to let some people off and some others on.

I’m on my way to New Orleans this mornin’
Leavin’ out of Nashville Tennessee
They’re always havin’ a good time down on the bayou, Lord
Them delta women think the world of me

Car Phones

This came about a little later, but a car phone was crazy fancy. Just…mind blowing. Would love for all phones to now be inoperable in a vehicle.

Cable TV

We didn’t have cable available out where I lived. When I went to someone’s house that had MTV, I was blown away. We eventually got one of the huge satellite dishes after my mom’s business was doing well. But I’m not sure if they ever ran cable out to our place. Luckily, I liked to read, and I’m glad now I didn’t have all those channels to distract me from it.

Shrimp

My grandfather would go to Florida a couple of times a year to fish, and he would always bring back shrimp and boil them up for me. I’d make myself sick on them…nothing but shrimp with cocktail sauce and saltine crackers. It wasn’t the fanciest food I was aware of (I knew about lobster from TV), but it was the fanciest food I’d ever had. It’s funny that there are lots of things I eat pretty regularly now that I didn’t even know were a thing. Back then, sushi was the most exotic food imaginable. Now you can buy it at the grocery store.

I should keep this list running.