Ahhhhh … 1978.  Still no memories. 

I turned the big “2″ this year, and one of my favorite comic strip and cartoon characters was born.  “Garfield” started off as a really fat cat, and well, he’s a little thinner, but not by much.

Looking back through history’s timeline, nothing else really happened that year that grabs my attention or interest, so I’ll stop here.  I do have a couple of memories from when I was three, so …

1979 is next!

Look ahead to 1979

Back to 1977

I remember about as much from 1977 as I do 1976:  Zilch.

So, what happened back then?  Jimmy Carter took office, Elvis departed this mortal planet and Apple was born.  No, not that idiot actress’ daughter, but the company.  Only one of these applies positively into my life now.  I can’t stand Carter, and I never cared for Elvis.  However, I simply cannot function every day without my iPod.  Thank you Jobs and Woz for creating Apple, even though I don’t use a Mac … yet.

Oh, yeah.  Star Wars opened. 

Nothing of any significance happened on my birthday, except Christian recording artist Rebecca St. James was born this year.  She and I are exactly one year apart, and I got the chance to tell her that at a concert in Texas back in 1995.  So much for trying to impress her, which I was highly smitten.  Anyhow, I turned the mighty age of one, and I’ve seen photos to know I had a good time getting hopped up on sugar and cake.

One really cool thing happened this year.  The space shuttle Enterprise made its test flight on top of a jet.  I love any and everything to do with space.    I can’t help but be a space and sci-fi geek, especially with my love of all things Star Trek.  After all, I was born in Enterprise, Alabama.

That’s about all I have for 1977.  No worries, though.  The good and interesting memories are coming.  You’ll just have to forgive me for being a tot during this time. 

Next up, 1978!

Back to 1976

When 1976 rolled around, Gerald Ford was president, the United States turned the ripe old age of 200 and my parents welcomed a bouncing baby boy.

I wasn’t around for the official USA birthday party that year, but I showed up three weeks later.  It was a Monday evening, and I came screaming into the world via C-section.  My mom’s first words when she saw me were, “He’s so red.”  Then she fell back asleep.  I’ve been a ball of excitement ever since.

I wish I could tell you I remember Jimmy Carter being elected president on November 2 that year, and I wish I could tell you I remember my first Christmas.  But you know that whole memory thing is tricky when you’re only five-months-old.  I do know I was given a stuffed “Casper the Ghost” doll for Christmas, and I still have it.

Some pretty big movies came out my birth year: Rocky, Taxi Driver, Network, All the President’s Men. I’ve seen Rocky, but none of the others.  I really should since I love movies so much.

Mom worked at The American Bank in Geneva, AL, and Dad was a corporal with the Alabama State Troopers.  We lived in Coffee Springs and owned a St. Bernard.  At least, I think we did when I was born.  They may have owned him only beforehand.  In any case, I’m sure you can imagine a big hairy dog like that living in the hot climate of UCLA.  For those not in the know, UCLA stands for the “Unknown Corner of Lower Alabama,”  the southeastern region of the state.

I know we had an old white and black bulldog named Butch.  Mom still has a replica of him she made in a ceramics class.  It’s a very nice likeness of him, and it makes me miss him even though I don’t have too many memories with him.  I’ll save one memory in particular for 1979 or 1980.

We lived on a “farm,” if you will.  Dad had not yet planted Christmas trees, and we had a barn with cows.  It wasn’t a true farm, but it was close enough.  There were small fields with some crops being grown, and you couldn’t see your neighbor’s house down the road.

I don’t remember anything from 1976, so I’ll close this entry.  I’ll add more to it after I talk to Mom and Dad to get some of their memories.  Up next: 1977 …

Back to Prologue

I mentioned in my last post that this was not about feeding my ego.  It’s about the fact the older I get, the more memories I struggle to contain.  Isn’t that what happens when we get older?

I got the idea to do this from David Dollar.  I’ve never met him, but we grew up just minutes from each other in Geneva County, Alabama.  I’m friends with him on Facebook, and I read his blog regularly: Clouds in My Coffee.  He writes a lot about his past, and it got me thinking about mine a couple of weeks ago.  I found his site by searching for an old friend, as well as an old girlfriend.  He went to school with both of them, and uses humorous references (nicknames) to both.

The first year and trip down memory lane is 1976.  Granted, by the time it was over, I was only six-months-old.  So, for the first few years that I can’t remember anything, I’ll just note different events from that year.

The first one is coming soon.  I will always tag these posts as “life by the numbers” should you look for them in between other blog musings.

Time to crank up the ol’ gray matter and put my memories to text.  No matter how embarrassing, funny, insightful or painful, I’ll write about it here.

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m about to be an open book.

I’ll be starting a new, lengthy project soon for this blog.  Because I’m getting older and forgetting a lot of my childhood, I’m going to go through a lot of memories and stories, year-by-year.  Each post will be a “Year in Review” essentially, except for the school years.  Those will be divided up by grade.

I’m gathering up quite a few thoughts.  I’m also debating just how personal I want to get.  I’m ruling out passwords for these entries because I want to be as open as possible.  However, I’ll probably not name specific, or full, names or get too personal with some thoughts, but it should be interesting to relive some.  I guess I really want to relearn what made me who I am today.

These stories and memories are not to brag on myself, or to fulfill some overwhelming desire to be egotistical.  If you truly know me, you know I’m not that way.  These are just thoughts I want to remember before I forget, and you get to enjoy them (or get mad at me).

Like I said, this will be a long-term project.  The mood to write has to hit me.  Actually, it’s more like I have to find the time to write.

But for now, I’m going to bed.  I’ll try to start laying down my life story soon.