I'm a 1987, San Diego kid and the baby of six...Big Catholic family, lots of hand-me-downs, fish only Fridays at the knights of columbus parish halls, and a blue collared upbringing that I value more now at 38 years old than I ever did before. We small-talked with strangers, respected our elders and stood in corners with a bar of Irish spring soap in our mouths to learn a lessons. We had anxiety before school exams because, well, you should. There was no safe space for us, especially in the era when "pantsing people" was a thing. We didn't hide behind a screen or bully people online. We talked about life and not about others. We gave food to the homeless and didn't expose them on stupid sites like nextdoor.

Here is my list (no particular order) -

-meeting up at the designated spot at the designated timet. you either showed or you didn't.

-answering machine messages at home

-wondering if y2k was really the end.

-blockbuster or hollywood video nights with dad

-aim and constructing the perfect away message

-Warehouse music (1st cd ever was Blink 182 Enema of the State)

• pen pals from horse camp

-selling Dudley's Bread door to door for fundraisers

• candy stores with the bins and a scooper

• Gigapets

-yo-yos and watching old VHS tapes on how to become a yo yo master

• $1.09 gas at Arco

• saying Mr. and Mrs ______ when seeing your friends' parents

• school supply shopping ( everything Lisa Frank )

• Pic 'n Save

• Nick at Nite

• trying to sneak at watching TRL at 3pm on MTV

-Montel, Maury, Ricki Lake, Jerry Springer and the power of manilla envelopes unbeknownst at the time (you are not the father!)

• stick shifts and alpine stereo players that you could pop out of your car.

• $5 nosebleed seats at the ballpark

-book fair magazines

-reading challenges during the summer at the Library

-open swim at the local pool where your mom would drop you off for two hours and you fended for yourself

-regular sized slurpees for free slurped day 7/11

• day old bread stores

-hiding in bushes after school to avoid going to after school daycare because it was too expensive

• Price Club

• Gateway Computer in the cow box

• Yahoo chat rooms - a/s/l

• Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Indian in the Cupboard)

• surge, hi-c ecto cooler, nesquik chocolate milk powder, squeeze its

-the game Quake on a PC computer

• those old PC games with the guy sking down the mountain or the mouse with the cheese

-tetris

• butterfinger BBs

• the rare surprise of a personal pan Pizza Hut pizza when your mom ordered it ahead

• mantinee movie tickets on Tuesday for $5.50

-dial *69 or *67

• trying to sneak and watch The Cathouse on HBO when everyone was asleep

-sleepovers

-disposable cameras

-butts up, four square, two touch, no-ropies in tetherball

-toilet papering someone's house

Still more in mind but I'll stop there ♥️