Our Living Room- 1970s

 

coffee table 1969

1970

Coffee table

Fabric for deer pillow

deer pillow

Barbara's painting 

1971

handmade pillow and blanket

wall hanging and clock

lamp and end table

1972

blue couch at Christmas

Brown chair- my brother and me

1974

small black and white tv

TV cabinet with record player; Panasonic radio

TV cabinet-doors open

1975

Bookcase and Collier's Encyclopedia set

Knick-knacks

Tray set

1976

curtains

1977

Stripe Couch

1978

snack trays

crystal wine glasses

Knick-knacks

1979

Stereo-with 8 track

different view of bookcase

                                                                                                                                                                       

                                   

Chiller Theatre- October 26, 2019

 

October 27- Chiller Theatre-October 26, 2019

There was another bomb threat scare at this event; that makes 2 Octobers in a row. We were outside for an hour and 25 minutes. We wouldn’t have even still been there if Tony hadn’t had to go back in to buy something from one of the vendors. We didn’t leave until about 6:15.

     I was so exhausted by the time we got home. We stopped at Wawa where Mike and I got subs and soda for supper. We had split a sub for lunch at the event. We also had brought some snacks and water with us.

   Mike and I went into the room with the Revenge of the Nerds cast reunion to get Curtis Armstrong’s autograph shortly after we first got there. We got the same photo of his “Supernatural” character. I mentioned that I got my brother into the show and he said something like I am responsible for corrupting him.

    We then went into the room with the “Barney Miller” and “Three’s Company” stars. Neither of the latter 2-Joyce DeWitt and Priscilla Barnes, were there yet, however. From the former, only Max Gail was so we had to go back later to see Hal Linden.

   The room was so crowded then that we couldn’t get into it but he was standing outside of it before heading the other way so we got to see him. We returned for a third time and managed to get in there to see him and also Joyce and Priscilla. I didn’t really get a good look at Joyce though because my view was blocked most of the time.

   We saw Priscilla again when we were waiting outside during the evacuation. I hadn’t even seen her standing near us at first; Tony had pointed this out to me. He said that he had seen Shirley Jones standing between 2 cars when we were walking around out there.

    I waited on the Elvira autograph line for an hour and 20 minutes with my brother. He also got a table photo op with her. We saw Shirley Jones who was in the same room. Tony got her autograph and table photo op. I never really watched her show, The Partridge Family. I might have seen a few episodes. I saw her in Oklahoma and The Music Man. I might have seen Carousel too.

    Richard Dean Anderson, Richard Kline, Tori Spelling; Haley and Juliet Mills; Melissa Gilbert, and Barbie Benton were among the stars in the lobby area or whatever that space is called. We didn’t get to see Lisa Loring; she wasn’t at her table all 3 times that we went into that room.

    The 3 actors that were in that kids show “The Banana Splits” were also there. I never really watched it. Tony said that he did and that he even was a member of the fan club. We went into The Warriors room where 11 of its stars were. Two of them had to cancel out. I never really saw that movie but know who Michael Beck is. I must have seen him as a guest star in some television shows.

   A “Fame” reunion was in another room. I never watched that show. I did see the movie at the library with my cousin Missy in the early 80s. My brother was going a little gaga over Nia Peeples.

   We didn’t get to see Tatum O’Neal and Kristi McNichol because you had to wait on the line for their autographs for that “privilege”, just like with Tony Danza a couple of years ago. He was there this past April too; I wonder if he was out in the open for all to see this time.

    I wish that I had been able to talk Mike into taking the train and a cab to that show. I would have even paid for the latter. He didn’t want to spend the money on transportation for it. We missed out on a lot of stars that I would have liked to have seen like Danza, Cheryl Ladd, Joan Van Ark, Pamela Sue Martin, Parker Stevenson, John O’Hurley, Jason Priestly, William Kaat, Karen Allen, Morgan Fairchild; Carole and Paula (The Magic Garden) and 2 from Happy Days- Donnie Most and Anson Williams.

  My brother got excited when he saw a poster advertising the guest list for the Winter Con show in November. They had added a “Battlestar Galactica” star, Herb Jefferson Jr., since he last checked it online. Tony was teasing him about this because he mentioned it numerous times.

   Mike bought an Evil Spock (from the “Mirror, Mirror” episode) Pops for only $8.00. He was hoping to find the Kirk one too but not that many vendors had Pops this time. I didn’t buy anything. I thought about getting a “Supernatural” magnet but passed on it.

   He was wearing the “Supernatural” shirt. He had wanted me to wear mine too but I didn’t feel like it. A couple of fellow fans started talking to him. The one lady mentioned that she has been going to the Creation conventions with the Gold Package ticket for the past 9 years and will be at next year’s too. She also stays at the hotel and gets photo ops and other autographs. She must have lots of money.

The guy said that the first year that he went that this package was about $325.00. It is crazy that the price has gone up to nearly $1,000.00 more since then. I don’t know if he was with that lady or not. Maybe he went a year or 2 before her. What year did they even start having these conventions in New Jersey?

   I probably will wear my shirt at the convention in Pittsburgh. I am just praying that nothing happens to prevent us from going to that. I might even be tempted to pay for a table photo op with Mark Sheppard if the price is right. Part of me is saying that I shouldn’t bother though since I didn’t do so for James Marsters. I don’t know which side of me to listen to.

September 12, 2017- Paul McCartney Concert

 

 My brother and I had a great time at the McCartney concert. Sir Paul put on an excellent show. He has a lot of energy for someone in his mid-70s. He is only 3 years younger than our parents. It was the longest one that I have ever been to- 2 hours and 45 minutes. We definitely got our money’s worth. It started at about 8:40, 20-25 minutes later than I thought that it would.

   He told some interesting Beatles stories before or after some of those songs, like “Something”. During part of that, he used the ukulele that George Harrison had given him. After “Back in the USSR “, I am pretty sure that he mentioned that they were the first rock concert ever in Moscow’s Red Square.

   There were also tales for “Blackbird”, “Love Me Do”, and” I Wanna Be Your Man”; they gave the latter song to the Rolling Stones to record. I am pretty sure that he said that this was the first number one hit in the UK for them.

   I was so happy when he did “Eleanor Rigby” which is one of my favorite Beatles songs. We would have been so disappointed if he didn’t do “Live and Let Die”. There were some loud pyrotechnics during that.  I only knew this and “Band on The Run” out of the 6 Wings songs. I did used to have the albums but my memories of them are hazy.

   McCartney was reading out some of the people’s signs. One guy had seen him either 100 or 110 times. After the concert, I overhead a lady saying that she has seen him 12 times. I wish that I had been to some of his shows in the past. It seems kind of surreal that I was even at this one.

  It was funny hearing a couple of ladies saying something like “He’s so cute” when McCartney was hamming it up a bit.

   I was surprised that my brother said that seeing him was on his bucket list. He sometimes tells me that the Beatles are so over-rated. Yet he has a greatest hits CD of theirs. He wishes that he had gone to see The Rolling Stones the last time they were on tour.

   Once again, regrets about getting rid of my Beatles/McCartney/Wings albums and tapes were on my mind. I took them to the book and record exchange place in Cranford. I didn’t even get that much credit for these and later saw high prices on them. I should have at least kept 1962-1966 and 1967-1970

   I feel bad that I exchanged my Dad’s 2 45’s at a record show too. I also threw out all the dubbed tapes that a boyfriend made for me in the late 90s. I can’t afford to get the CDs of these. I need to save money for other things now.

  I was doing some people watching; those of all ages were there, including some young kids. I couldn’t help feeling like an outsider even amongst other fans as I do at other concerts and events that I attend.  

   We talked to a nice couple at the Linden train station. Naturally, I was feeling anxious. They were going to the Yankees game. They live on a street in that town that is nearby our old apartment.

   I wrote down the set list this afternoon. There were either 36 or 38 songs on it. 5 were new ones that I wasn’t familiar with. McCartney was joking around about the fact that it was like a black hole out there during these unlike during the Beatles songs when the cell phone cameras all lit up brightly, or something similar.

   “Hey Jude” is playing in my head now. This was never really one of my favs. I like it a little up until the annoying part that seems to drag on at the end. Mike feels the same way. I was somewhat getting into it during the show though. I didn’t ask Mike what he thought about that. He probably would say that he wish that he had done “Get Back” instead; he had been trying to sing this earlier in the day.

   I am slightly ashamed that I was singing along during “Yesterday”. I probably would have been more so if my brother were sitting next to me. He hadn’t intended on going but then changed his mind a couple of minutes after I ordered my ticket. He was 3 rows above me, up at the very top of this venue.

   He still teases me about singing along to a couple of Duran Duran songs at the Garden in 2011. He did so about my dancing too. I know that I shouldn’t let this get to me but it is difficult not to.

May 6, 2017- The Mets and McCartney

It was raining so much yesterday that it didn’t seem as if there would even be a Mets game but luckily it stopped by around 4:15. There was only a spot of drizzle during it later on. They beat the Marlins 8-7. It hadn’t seemed like they were even going to win.

   I wish that I could be more descriptive about this but my mind is all jumbled. I mainly recall the rude people, particularly one guy, in front of us who often blocked our view. And the fact that neither my brother nor I were smart enough to realize that we could have moved over to avoid this until like the bottom of the 7^th inning.

   Mike was the one who said that we should do so. There wasn’t anyone else in our row so we went over to the end of it. I wish that we had done this much sooner.

    Syndergaard was supposed to be the pitcher but he is injured. This was disappointing. The free Thor t-shirt is kind of cheesy but I am glad that we got it.

   Don Mattingly, my 1980s crush, is the Marlins’ manager. It’s been nearly 30 years since I last saw him in person. I have been to more Mets games over the past 3 years than I was to Yankees games in the 1980s; 6- 2.

   Mike ate a chicken sandwich and fries from Blue Smoke. It was another chilly night, not as bad as the last time though. I was dressed warmer so this helped.

   The subway was extremely packed this time. I felt so anxious. Some music was playing in my head then, 2 songs apiece by McCartney and Spandau Ballet. This helped to calm me a bit as did some by Depeche Mode during the game.

   He wants to go to another game in 6 or 7 weeks. I sort of want to but mostly I am just feeling like this will be too tiring in every way as it has been these past 2 times.

   I ordered Paul McCartney tickets for Mike and me yesterday morning. Our seats could have been closer and also together if I had done the preorder on Thursday. The Prudential Center had sent me a code only part of me wasn’t so sure that I should make this purchase.

   It isn’t as if I am into his music that much anymore as I was in the late 80s and early 90s. At first, that internal voice won over the one that said that I shouldn’t pass up on this opportunity. I am just glad that I was able to reverse this in time to get these tickets. I probably will always be a bit mad at myself for not doing the presale.

   I was surprised that my brother actually wanted to go with me. He is always saying how over-rated that the Beatles (and each member) are. Yet he has their greatest hits. It is disappointing that we couldn’t get seats together but at least we will be in the same section (far from the stage), just 3 rows and one seat apart.

   That isn’t until September. We have the Lionel Richie concert before that in August. Both are at the same venue. Mike will be seeing Janet Jackson there in November; she finally rescheduled her tour dates. His Roger Waters show is also in September.

   He still is hoping that Bon Jovi will be at Met Life stadium this summer. I guess that I will go too. He had about 7 of their videos on yesterday before we left for the game. I am the one that got him into this group in the first place. He likes them more than I do now. I only listen to them when he does.

 

Later-

I read an article and watched some highlight clips of yesterday’s game. I did remember some of this, like how Granderson got a 2 run homerun, that Montero was the pitcher, and that they had 6 relievers. TJ Rivera did well but I only remember the homerun part of this. Their winning run was from a walk in the 8^th.

    There were a bunch of runs for each team in an inning- 6 for the Marlins in the 4th and 4 for the Mets in the 7^th. I think that this is right. Even after writing down these details, I am still doubting my memory. We were happy that Flores was in the line-up.

Cabbage Patch Kids 1984 and 1985

 

Gerald and Myrtle with Dad

Myrtle

Gerald

My brother with a Koosa- right

Me with Premie Lara

Mom's CPKs- don't remember the names

Lara and Gerald

Mom told us of the long lines that she waited on to get some of these Cabbage Patch kids. Part of me thought that they were kind of weird looking but they grew on me. Wish that I had kept Myrtle. We still have Gerald, Lara, and Mom's two red-headed ones. I don't remember much about the Koosa animal branch of these- did they come with names too? These days, they don't seem to be made as well as those in the 1980s.

Some of My Stuffed Animals-1983

 I recently found negatives for these and other photos that weren't even in my album. I hadn't even remembered taking these. I had them printed out a couple of months ago and was so pleased to see them. I must have liked Journey a lot back then- notice the poster and sign on my bedroom walls.

I wish that I had done a better job of picture taking though- too much ceiling in those basement shots, plus I cut off some of the animals on the bottom row.

I made copies of the bottom 2 and cropped them to get a closer view of the stuffed animals-