I mi$$ alot of the good things I had in the 80s and before....


Good food,etc.............

LaCrosse WI a great place to ride a bike. Altoona PA not such a good place for bike riding

I miss being within walking distance to any stores. We lived in an area where you could walk to everything.

I missed my extended family and childhood friends when we moved away from the Chicago area. It was never the same to only see them once or twice a year. Moving twice in four years sucked.

I missed Burger Chef when they closed their restaurants. I miss the 1980s.

I didn't have an ocean in my young years and we got ourselves to NJ beaches, drove or flew....now I iive probably a mile or so from the Pacific.

Most of all I miss a strong good walking body.


I believe I got the answer upside down...

I MISS WALKING!:(:(


I HATE being in a wheelchair

Independently Owned Neighborhood Grocery Stores At one time quite common, just about every neighborhood had at least one within a 3 block distance. But as the big chains grew, the independently owned stores started to dwindle. By my time in the 1960s, only the strongest remained in operation. For a kid, they were great, if you wanted a candy bar or just a piece of gum, you didn't have to go through an ordeal to find one. But the real value to the entire family, were the grocers who were also specialty shops. For instance if your grocer's core business was that he was a butcher with a grocery store "wrapped around" him...man you really had it made. Truly deluxe cuts of meat, the kind of which you would NEVER find at Kroger, or A&P. Of course the down side of that being that the really good ones were quite popular, so a large crowd regulated by the dreaded "take a number" torture system. I remember as a kid absolutely loathing the tedium of having to wait while mom waited her turn. Now days I really wish we still had something like that to choose from. There are a couple pretenders, but no one that truly captures the experience.

Sen Sen Officially a breath freshener for smokers, these tiny, match-head sized balls of resin were heavy on the taste of liquorice, but with an "atomic fireball" type heat to go with them...they were quite a treat.Could only find them at tobacconists and finer drug stores.

Truant Officers We had a doozey. Officer Bickle. Officially a part of the city police department, I recall his ubiquitous presence riding his department furnished Harley 3 wheeler....always with the black leather jacket even on the hottest day, the mirrored sunglasses, the big "fighter pilot" style helmet with the built-in mic and speakers....he was quite a terror. Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of which schools served which neighborhood, the school boundaries, and the names of the key officials at each school....you had better have your story straight if officer Bickle came asking if you "needed assistance" He could smoke out a phoney alibi in 5 questions or less. If you were playing hookey and out on the streets, you were constantly listening for the putta-putta-putt of his Harley.

Fairly common sight seeing him storm up and down the alleys near the local high schools, looking for delinquents smoking grass, and other no good pass times.

He was a legend.

40 years later, I had the treat of meeting his son (also a city cop, of course) And enjoyed swapping stories with him. He claimed that just about everyone to cross his dad's path, had a story to tell.

I MISS WALKING!:(:(


I HATE being in a wheelchairOh my I am so sorry sweetie,I had no idea :(

Muscle Car Era Having the big Detroit automakers at each other's throats with their "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" sales strategy, was great for the automotive performance enthusiast. The sanctioning bodies that regulated auto racing required that any car or engine entered in a race must have first sold at least so many stock versions to the buying public, in order to qualify for race day. So the manufacturers had to put "de-tuned" versions of their hardware on dealer lots, in significant numbers...beforehand. Hence the "muscle car" era. They called this requirement "Homologation" , but most buyers just called it "zoom!!"

The Counter Culture...this was really a fanastic epoch in American history, having such a broad swath of the population devoted to retrograde ideology. Barnardine Dohrn, the Weathermen, the Summer of Love....the Right wing's fear of "the monster within"...Great times!! Music with meaning!!
The only thing even close today, is the "woke" mindset, but, IMO, the cost of entry there is too high for me.

Sen Sen Officially a breath freshener for smokers, these tiny, match-head sized balls of resin were heavy on the taste of liquorice, but with an "atomic fireball" type heat to go with them...they were quite a treat.Could only find them at tobacconists and finer drug stores.


Interesting. I only know that word from Robert Preston's soliloquy in The Music Man. The song makes it clear what it's for but being that the show/movie takes place at the turn of the 20th century I had no idea Sen Sen lasted into modern times. Being I abhor smoking there's no chance of finding me in a tobacconist.

Interesting. I only know that word from Robert Preston's soliloquy in The Music Man. The song makes it clear what it's for but being that the show/movie takes place at the turn of the 20th century I had no idea Sen Sen lasted into modern times. Being I abhor smoking there's no chance of finding me in a tobacconist.

Regrettably, Sen Sen is no more.

My first experience with it, I must have been about 4 or 5 years old. And (looking back on it all), was a miserably spoiled child.

My father's only uncle, a widower, cigar smoker, skirt chaser, and likely a grown up spoiled child as well, I suspect had grown tired of my insistence that it was always about me.

Asking him for a treat, he gave me a couple SenSen, and probably thought he had given me what I "deserved".

And gosh, those things were like putting a couple tiny coals in my mouth....extremely intense. If you've ever touched the terminals of a 9 volt battery to your tongue, that is what I was experiencing.

But then, the liquorice flavor takes over, and it was intense, too. It's truly remarkable they could pack so much flavor in such a tiny spec.

I liked em!! Once you knew what to expect, the initial sensation was not quite as unpleasant.

When Great uncle passed and we cleaned out his estate, I made sure that I got his SenSen stash :D

Oh my I am so sorry sweetie,I had no idea :(

thank you

I'm sure everyone's wondering why so I'll tell you-I have a rare muscular condition called HSP that's similar to MS and causes gradual muscle weakness; especially in the lower extremities.

::::::::::::::::::::::If .you want to know more feel free to ask; I don't mind talking about it.

Regrettably, Sen Sen is no more.

My first experience with it, I must have been about 4 or 5 years old. And (looking back on it all), was a miserably spoiled child.

My father's only uncle, a widower, cigar smoker, skirt chaser, and likely a grown up spoiled child as well, I suspect had grown tired of my insistence that it was always about me.

Asking him for a treat, he gave me a couple SenSen, and probably thought he had given me what I "deserved".

And gosh, those things were like putting a couple tiny coals in my mouth....extremely intense. If you've ever touched the terminals of a 9 volt battery to your tongue, that is what I was experiencing.

But then, the liquorice flavor takes over, and it was intense, too. It's truly remarkable they could pack so much flavor in such a tiny spec.

I liked em!! Once you knew what to expect, the initial sensation was not quite as unpleasant.

When Great uncle passed and we cleaned out his estate, I made sure that I got his SenSen stash :D


I'm not much of a drinker either; generally just wine, and even that, not often.

But the one hard liquor I do enjoy is anisette, and the one brand I stick to is Marie Brizard. If you want an intense licorice flavor like nothing else, that's it.

One other fond childhood memory from the 1960s, we had this mega-dimestore downtown, or you could call it a "Junk department store"....it was sort of a Kmart before it's time....and they had a lunch counter where this old man smoking a pipe and reading a newspaper, was ALWAYS seated there.

And the blend of his pipe smoke, the hot co-co aroma from the dedicated dispenser, and the smell of carmel corn being made fresh at the adjacent confection counter...just blended together to create a heavenly smell I have never found anywhere else.

Cavendish I believe was his tobacco.


And, TAA-DAHHH!! I'm a forum veteran now. Man, that journey from 2,999 to 5,000 posts was like a trip through the desert on a horse with no name!

Congratulations on #5,000.

I miss the revolving display of Matchbox cars at one store, and the well-stocked pile of boxed cars at another.

Having a mailbox on the corner of my street, to drop off letter mail.

Sunday comics sections of 12 pages or more every week.

Peanuts comic characters on Hostess fruit pies.

Homemade Greek desserts.

Oh one thing that has been missed by many are 5&10 stores in general. Woolworths, Kresge's, Newburry and others.

A good friend used to say we can't even buy a spool of thread or needle anymore.

Yes, G. C. Murphy. They had a lunch counter at Lafayette Square Mall, probably into the 1990s. Good burgers. Or just a grilled cheese sandwich.

Oh one thing that has been missed by many are 5&10 stores in general. Woolworths, Kresge's, Newburry and others.

A good friend used to say we can't even buy a spool of thread or needle anymore.

So true. You could go into Woolworths, Ben Franklin and other dime stores and buy 1 item or dozens. and it was cheap! My kids loved to go there and spend their nickels and dimes. I really miss those places!:(

The last 5&10 in my life was in Santa Monica, a food counter and just about everything one needs and they even had a section in the back of the store where one could buy a canary and all the bird equipment.

What a crying shame that they are all gone.

The developers and all their deep pockets took over and developed mega monsters.

Meijer stores in my area ,midwest, used to carry everything from wallpaper to notions. I could shop there and find everything that I wanted. I started to notice the change when all of the Dollar stores and the internet shopping started cropping up. Meijer dropped so much of their inventory . One day I went there to buy some hair clips and combs and they had none! Nothing! Meijer has a very good grocery and I buy all of my groceries there but I miss the original store so much!

They also had a coffee/ doughnut area then a restaurant but they are gone too.

Meijer was a glorified version of KMart and Walmart in the beginning and is still doing good business but who knows for how long?

Regrettably, Sen Sen is no more.

A few decades ago, when a building was torn down in downtown South Bend, a huge old Sen Sen sign was revealed, painted on an adjacent brick wall. Preservationists fought for it to be preserved, but of course other greedy interests prevailed and a new ad was painted over it. The mint is now immortalized in Billy Joel's song "Keeping the Faith" (1983).

Regarding Meijer:

Meijer was one of only a couple of jobs I'd ever been fired from; they worked me half to death overnights and I lost 30 lbs in 6 months. At close to 30 years old at that time, I was able to wear my old high school cords.

Anyway, late one night, a loiterer who was a friend of some of the loafing employees got smart with me outside the building, and I pinned him against the entrance wall. So while I got the axe, the joke was on them, as I'd been the most productive 3rd shift employee at their Grape Rd. store, Mishawaka Indiana. I once set up their "Fred's American Diner" tables & seating by myself one night, and that wasn't even part of my official duties. That and "The Pizza Pan" and all of those things formerly inside -- are all long gone.

I miss White Castle. They don't any locations in Georgia. They are mostly in the Midwest and New York metropolitan area.

They sell them frozen in the stores, but they don't taste the same.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRn9pqL8PqXYKHo_iCms5d4-CHE0PDWucbo9A&usqp=CAU

https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/5e0df697ab5be6000762ca5c/White-Castle/960x0.jpg?format=jpg&width=600

I miss White Castle. They don't any locations in Georgia. They are mostly in the Midwest and New York metropolitan area.

They sell them frozen in the stores, but they don't taste the same.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRn9pqL8PqXYKHo_iCms5d4-CHE0PDWucbo9A&usqp=CAU

https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/5e0df697ab5be6000762ca5c/White-Castle/960x0.jpg?format=jpg&width=600

I have one a few blocks away. Drop by any time.

I miss White Castle. They don't any locations in Georgia.

Yes,...but

https://i.imgur.com/AQYETLi.png

The Varsity is good. They are popular for tourists. It's a big experience.

We have Krystal in Georgia.

https://www.atlantaeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/krystal-burgers.png

I also miss Dog n Suds (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_n_Suds) from my childhood.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/DnS_at_Night.jpg

A few decades ago, when a building was torn down in downtown South Bend, a huge old Sen Sen sign was revealed, painted on an adjacent brick wall. Preservationists fought for it to be preserved, but of course other greedy interests prevailed and a new ad was painted over it. The mint is now immortalized in Billy Joel's song "Keeping the Faith" (1983).

Regarding Meijer:

Meijer was one of only a couple of jobs I'd ever been fired from; they worked me half to death overnights and I lost 30 lbs in 6 months. At close to 30 years old at that time, I was able to wear my old high school cords.

Anyway, late one night, a loiterer who was a friend of some of the loafing employees got smart with me outside the building, and I pinned him against the entrance wall. So while I got the axe, the joke was on them, as I'd been the most productive 3rd shift employee at their Grape Rd. store, Mishawaka Indiana. I once set up their "Fred's American Diner" tables & seating by myself one night, and that wasn't even part of my official duties. That and "The Pizza Pan" and all of those things formerly inside -- are all long gone.

Sorry you had a bad experience with Meijer. My daughter retired from there after 32 years. She worked in the back of the store in Receiving and pretty much was left on her own . She liked working off the main store floor as she didn't have to deal with customers. She met her husband, who was a deliveryman, while she worked there. So yes, she was glad to be able to retire and she and her husband get their health care benefits through Meijer.

We have Krystal in Georgia.


We had a Krystal in Little Rock for a while when I was a kid. I loved it, but it was in a bad location for traffic so it closed after a couple years.

thank you

I'm sure everyone's wondering why so I'll tell you-I have a rare muscular condition called HSP that's similar to MS and causes gradual muscle weakness; especially in the lower extremities.

::::::::::::::::::::::If .you want to know more feel free to ask; I don't mind talking about it.

I guess noone's interested in hearing more about my condition:talk:

I guess noone's interested in hearing more about my condition:talk:

I guess people might be tired of your “Woe is me, I’m in a wheelchair” posts.

I guess people might be tired of your “Woe is me, I’m in a wheelchair” posts.

James, that was uncalled for. Treky has to live with his condition day after day year after year. It will always be on his mind. Be charitable and count your blessings.
I am interested but I didn't know how serious his condition is. Treky, I hope that this new year will bring you some hope and happiness. Some of us DO care!:heart::wave:

I'm somewhat on the fence over this one. I was truly shocked to see anyone wearing the title "moderator" make such a calloused reply to someone actually suffering a disability. But at the same time remember Tj admonishing someone a few days back to "keep it festive" and backslappy. ("backslappy" being my own interpretation).

So, I wondered at the time if perhaps James was just doing TJ's hatchet work?

At the same time, I am sympathetic over Treky's plight, and if he wants to open up, I'm not so self absorbed to be indifferent. Perhaps a happy compromise might be for Trekky to open a dedicated thread, and in so doing thus avoiding the scorn of the "off topic" police?

I'm somewhat on the fence over this one. I was truly shocked to see anyone wearing the title "moderator" make such a calloused reply to someone actually suffering a disability. But at the same time remember Tj admonishing someone a few days back to "keep it festive" and backslappy. ("backslappy" being my own interpretation).

So, I wondered at the time if perhaps James was just doing TJ's hatchet work?

At the same time, I am sympathetic over Treky's plight, and if he wants to open up, I'm not so self absorbed to be indifferent. Perhaps a happy compromise might be for Trekky to open a dedicated thread, and in so doing thus avoiding the scorn of the "off topic" police?

I don't know if JamesG just woke up on the wrong side of the bed or maybe he's drunk, but his comment was uncalled for. We all have bad days.

He can be a bit blunt or sarcastic at times. He tells it like it is sometimes, but there's no reason for him to act like a ****.

Caroline13 continues to make COVID-19/vaccine related threads after I've asked her to stop them. Her original Franco Harris thread was nothing but rants about the vaccines. I deleted it. It was do disrespectful to his memory.

I'm somewhat on the fence over this one. I was truly shocked to see anyone wearing the title "moderator" make such a calloused reply to someone actually suffering a disability. But at the same time remember Tj admonishing someone a few days back to "keep it festive" and backslappy. ("backslappy" being my own interpretation).

So, I wondered at the time if perhaps James was just doing TJ's hatchet work?

At the same time, I am sympathetic over Treky's plight, and if he wants to open up, I'm not so self absorbed to be indifferent. Perhaps a happy compromise might be for Trekky to open a dedicated thread, and in so doing thus avoiding the scorn of the "off topic" police?


Well said GJ! I see your point about keeping things festive. We all have our troubles. But we can be backslappy without being rude!:)

I had my full faculties when I made that post, still do. I’m not unsympathetic towards the handicapped, but this isn’t the first time Treky came in on a thread with his “I hate being in a wheelchair” posts.

One has to stop looking at what they can’t do and start focusing on what you can. Being in a wheelchair does not mean one cannot live a happy and fulfilling life.

I had my full faculties when I made that post, still do. I’m not unsympathetic towards the handicapped, but this isn’t the first time Treky came in on a thread with his “I hate being in a wheelchair” posts.

One has to stop looking at what they can’t do and start focusing on what you can. Being in a wheelchair does not mean one cannot live a happy and fulfilling life.

It's also not the first time you've commented on it.

https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?p=5614690&highlight=wheelchair#post5614690

If you don't have anything nice to say to him, maybe you should say nothing at all.

Maybe you can put yourself in someone else's shoes who have physical or mental challenges before making posts like that. We have many people posting on here who face daily challenges.

I enjoy JamesG posts for the most part. Sometimes it's a little unsettling to read the things he posts under title of "moderator". It's a thankless job that I would want NO part of. But generally when I think "moderator" I think "de-escalator".....so whenever I see one essentially pouring gas on a flame, my first reaction is akin to "WTH?"

I enjoy JamesG posts for the most part. Sometimes it's a little unsettling to read the things he posts under title of "moderator". It's a thankless job that I would want NO part of. But generally when I think "moderator" I think "de-escalator".....so whenever I see one essentially pouring gas on a flame, my first reaction is akin to "WTH?"

He moderates only three boards - Chit Chat - Movies, The Walking Dead and True Blood. Moderators only have moderating power for the boards they are assigned. I would expect moderators in general to set a good example no matter where they are posting.

This is a situation where it would have been better for him to just not reply to him at all. There was no need for it. He had made a somewhat snippy comment in another thread earlier today. That's why I wondered if he had his full faculties. I guess some things just irk him at times.

I moderate Movies, The Walking Dead, and True Blood so for me it’s not a site wide position. If I see spam or someone going off the rails on other forums, then I report it as I have no authority to handle the posts myself.

My posting style hasn’t changed much since I was made a Mod., I don’t self-censor.

By the same token, in the neighborhood that I grew up in. "festive" often meant that we took turns shooting out street lights. :devil:

I guess people might be tired of your “Woe is me, I’m in a wheelchair” posts.

You may never have the misery of living in a wheelchair, I could have succumbed to one if I had "heard" my MD when she said "maybe you would do better inn a wheel chair", good lord NO, once a person is in a wheelchair, that is it. I struggle to keep walking and my sister who dealt with MS ended up in one and now an urn.

I believe Treky mentioned an illness similar to MS.

Have compassion and it is good to vent as Treiky has.

I guess people might be tired of your “Woe is me, I’m in a wheelchair” posts.

You've surveyed the people, I missed that survey.

A Big Boy restaurant.

I guess people might be tired of your “Woe is me, I’m in a wheelchair” posts.

Can't stop thinking about your cruel words.

Treky I'd like to know how you are doing.

Can't stop thinking about your cruel words.

Treky I'd like to know how you are doing.

Let's move on and stop going after each other. This thread has become way off topic. I think JamesG got the message. There's no reason to continue the beatdown.

I don't think treky has a woe is me attitude. He said he doesn't mind talking about it. Who would want to be in a wheelchair? I don't think JamesG would. It would change his life.

treky can start a new thread to talk about his condition. I think his posts got kind of lost in this thread. I don't think anyone was intentionally ignorning him.

I want to publicly apologize to treky for what I said the other day. I took some time to reflect and realized how out of line it was.

thank you

I'm sure everyone's wondering why so I'll tell you-I have a rare muscular condition called HSP that's similar to MS and causes gradual muscle weakness; especially in the lower extremities.

::::::::::::::::::::::If .you want to know more feel free to ask; I don't mind talking about it.

I want to publicly apologize to treky for what I said the other day. I took some time to reflect and realized how out of line it was.
that's OK; I forgive you.:)

I don't have IRL friends anymore like I used to in the area I was originally from.