high school – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

Drive-in Movie Blues

February 1, 2023February 1, 2023 Posted in California, cars, dating, drive-in movie, firsts, high school, humor, relationships, worstsLeave a comment

(re-run) Linda was a freshman that summer and and would start high school in the fall. She was doing summer stock at the Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa. The play was Bye Bye Birdie, and she was playing the part of a show girl. Jeff, one of the good-looking stage hands, drove a blue ’66… Continue reading Drive-in Movie Blues

The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window

January 28, 2023 Posted in classmates, college, high school, Iowa, Iowa State University, locker room, memoir, physical fitness, physical fitness award, softball, teacher, windowLeave a comment

(re-run) It was senior year in high school. I was on my last semester of PE, my least favorite class. I maintained a straight-A average in all other classes. Not PE. It alternated between a B and a C. I was feeling good. We were in our next-to last unit, the physical fitness award. I… Continue reading The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window

Belly-up Beetle

January 18, 2023January 19, 2023 Posted in dating, relationships, memoir, worsts, alcohol abuse, California, drugs, high school, cars, guardian angel, marijuana, drinking, Volkswagen, beetleLeave a comment

(re-run) Curtis drove a 1969 vintage Volkswagen Beetle. George, his wing man, brought the weed. They’d met their dates at a party. Stacy and Camille went to San Leandro High. Curtis and George went to Castro Valley. Curtis liked Camille. George got Stacy. They all partied at a friend of a friend’s house in Oakland… Continue reading Belly-up Beetle

Home Alone in the Shower

December 22, 2022December 22, 2022 Posted in 70s, Alfred Hitchcock, basement, bathroom, Chicago, high school, memoir, meter man, Psycho the movie, shower, teenagersLeave a comment

(re-run) If you’ve never seen Alfred Hitchcock’s horror movie, Psycho, Janet Leigh gets killed while taking a shower. It’s a creep fest, and she won awards for her convincing screams. Flash back to the 70’s, when I was a teenager and home alone, taking a shower in the new basement bathroom. It was a crude… Continue reading Home Alone in the Shower

A Lasting Love

December 6, 2022December 6, 2022 Posted in California, cars, Catholic, Chevy, dancing, dating, high school, Homecoming, humor, music, parking, relationships, romance, sisterLeave a comment

(re-run) Maurice was a sophomore at Riordan Catholic High School for Boys in San Francisco. He played tenor sax in the marching band. His buddy, Dave, was dating a girl named Sheila from Mercy Catholic High School for girls, and he suggested that Maurice date her older sister, Colleen.The foursome went to the football game,… Continue reading A Lasting Love

Abortion, High School Pregnancies and Memories

December 1, 2022December 1, 2022 Posted in abortion, adopting, cheerleading, fooling around, girl crush, high school, memoir, memory, PE, pregnancy, pregnant, reputation, teen pregnancy, teens1 Comment

(re-run) It amazes me how one memory leads to the next and so on and so forth. Our brains are a beehive of memories, each one stashed in its own little honey-comb hexagon that doesn’t break out until something triggers it. Today it was talk of abortion with a friend and how she told of… Continue reading Abortion, High School Pregnancies and Memories

Behind Closed Doors

September 8, 2022September 8, 2022 Posted in abuse, attitude, basement, brother, Catholic, childhood, Facebook, gender roles, high school, Iowa, junior high school, memoir, physical abuse, relationships, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) I read a memoir about a woman’s tough childhood, with violence, danger, and an abusive older brother. I recommended it to Facebook friends online. A friend said she didn’t like it because she didn’t think the book rang true. “The Mormon part or the survivalist part?” I asked her. “Neither.” She didn’t think anyone… Continue reading Behind Closed Doors

Finances 101 and a Foamy Fountain

August 24, 2022August 24, 2022 Posted in California, Clorox, credit card fees, credit score, fountain, high school, Home Ec, Iowa, late fee, memoir, rebate, savings account, teachingLeave a comment

I took Home Economics long ago in high school. We learned how to cook, sew, and make a household budget. It was mostly girls back then in the 70s, but it’s something every teen should learn how to do, maybe not make an outfit from scratch but how to sew on a button. And cook.… Continue reading Finances 101 and a Foamy Fountain

The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window

August 18, 2022August 18, 2022 Posted in classmates, college, high school, Iowa, Iowa State University, locker room, memoir, physical fitness, physical fitness award, softball, teacher, windowLeave a comment

(re-run) It was senior year in high school. I was on my last semester of PE, my least favorite class. I maintained a straight-A average in all other classes. But not in PE. It alternated between a B and a C. I was feeling good. We were in our next-to last unit, the physical fitness… Continue reading The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window

Say What in Santa Cruz

August 7, 2022August 7, 2022 Posted in California, college, dating, friends, helpful strangers, high school, marriage proposal, relationships, Santa Cruz, siblings, vacationLeave a comment

(re-run) Jennifer met Brad at San Leandro High school in the Bay Area. She wasn’t allowed to date, but she was allowed to go to junior prom with him. The next year Brad asked Jennifer to Senior Ball. It was in San Francisco, and afterward, they went to Pier 39 with everyone else in their… Continue reading Say What in Santa Cruz