What are your ten best childhood memories?

[Rain Man]

Let's define childhood as pre-age 16.

Here are mine.

1. Playing football at recess at Northside Elementary School in Rogers, Arkansas. Great group of friends, and the school let us play rough.

2. Getting an electric football game for Christmas in second grade, when we lived in Springfield. (But...Bears and Giants? What were you thinking, mom and dad?)

3. Being generally recognized and constantly stroked as a kid with high academic talent, highlighted by a barnstorming tour of classes to show off my reading ability in first grade.

4. Beating a 6-on-1 situation in bombardment in 9th grade to win the game.

5. Trip to the Smithsonian when I was 12. My parents asked where I wanted to go, and I said D.C., and I was surprised that they said yes. (It was the only out-of-state vacation the family took between my ages of 6 and 18.) The Smithsonian was my Mecca.

6. Going to the air-conditioned library in the summer, wandering around for a couple of hours looking at books, and then stocking up on books, including my favorite "Freddie the Pig" series.

7. Eating salted watermelon on hot summer nights with my cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents, especially at one particular house in Arkansas that we lived in.

8. Riding in the bread truck with my dad when I was 3 or 4. My mom made me a little Taystee bread shirt, complete with name patch, and I thought I was on top of the world. (Interesting note: The bread truck had no passenger seat, and my dad drove with the doors open. I would ride on top of the engine hump in the delivery truck, and it's amazing that I didn't fall out of the truck and die.)

9. Spending a week at my grandparents' house during the summer. It was quite exotic to spend the night 30 miles from home.

10. Moving. I always liked going into a new house and finding my new room. I never had any problems moving to a new town, and actually liked it.

[dtebbe]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

7. Losing my virginity. And my second real girlfriend being a nymphomaniac. It's kind of a blurr. She taught me a lot.....whew.

If this was true it would rank higher than #7....

DT

[cdcox]

No particular order.

1. Playing in the woods/creek in 3rd and 4th grade. Out all day, great feedom.

2. Summer vacations with cousins at the Lake of the Ozarks. Swim, waterski, boat ride, eat cookies, fish, repeat. All day for 7 days.

3. Poker nights with relatives - grown ups played cards, kids had fun.

4. Christmas. Three in particular: 1) the year my brother and I got Hot Wheels with a supercharger, and Chiefs helmets. 2) The year I got my "three speed bike, with hand breaks, a bannana seat, high handle bars, and a sissy bar." That bike was pimp. 3) Christmas of '71. Lots of relatives at the house. Radio Shack electronics kit for Christams. Chiefs on TV (dad had a huge dirctional antenna on the roof to pull the games in from Columbia). Had the Chiefs won, that would be the perfect day.

5. Seeing the Chiefs win the SB in '70. We lived in NY at the time. After the victory, mom and dad stood on the front porch banging pots and pans, dad went in the garage and honked the horn.

6. Summer camp at Oceola. And Boy Scout camping trips in general.

7. Winning the chess tournament in Jr. High. They displayed the trophy in the case in the weeks leading up to the tourney. I would spend my lunch period staring at it.

8. Visits to my Grandparents farm. Swinging on a rope out over the pigs. Building stuff out of the junk pile. Climbing in the cherry tree. Raiding the cookie jar.

9. Going quail hunting with my dad and Uncle John. Up early, dress warm, breakfast of oatmeal and toast, pack lunches, drive out, watch the dogs works, run up and down ditches all day, it was great.

10. Sledding on the big hill behind our house in NY. We'd get like 30" or more of snow and it would stay for weeks. One year all the parents in the neighborhood packed down the snow to make kind of an Olymic bobsled run.

I probably could list another 10. I had a great childhood.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by cdcox

4. Christmas. Three in particular: 1) the year my brother and I got Hot Wheels with a supercharger, and Chiefs helmets. 2) The year I got my "three speed bike, with hand breaks, a bannana seat, high handle bars, and a sissy bar." That bike was pimp. 3) Christmas of '71. Lots of relatives at the house. Radio Shack electronics kit for Christams. Chiefs on TV (dad had a huge dirctional antenna on the roof to pull the games in from Columbia). Had the Chiefs won, that would be the perfect day.

What the - one of your top memories is the day that the multi-decade curse was cast upon the Chiefs? What kind of animal are you?

[BIG_DADDY]

1. Mini-bike for christmas at 6.
2. Riding after school till dinner.
3. 1st times doing the nasties.
4. BB gun wars
5. Shooting guns with pops.
6. Winning first tournament in martial arts.
7. Going on long motorcyle rides with pops in front of him at 5. I remember coming back to the house in my leather jacket asking mom what she made the men the eat.
8. Winning the little league championships my final year.
9. Going to Rowdy Campbell's house and meeting his mom who had been a playboy playmate. Getting the tingles and sporting my first wood that day.
10. Beating the ass of the two twins who were older than me and bullied me when I was younger.

[Calcountry]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Let's define childhood as pre-age 16.

Here are mine.

1. Playing football at recess at Northside Elementary School in Rogers, Arkansas. Great group of friends, and the school let us play rough.

2. Getting an electric football game for Christmas in second grade, when we lived in Springfield. (But...Bears and Giants? What were you thinking, mom and dad?)

3. Being generally recognized and constantly stroked as a kid with high academic talent, highlighted by a barnstorming tour of classes to show off my reading ability in first grade.

4. Beating a 6-on-1 situation in bombardment in 9th grade to win the game.

5. Trip to the Smithsonian when I was 12. My parents asked where I wanted to go, and I said D.C., and I was surprised that they said yes. (It was the only out-of-state vacation the family took between my ages of 6 and 18.) The Smithsonian was my Mecca.

6. Going to the air-conditioned library in the summer, wandering around for a couple of hours looking at books, and then stocking up on books, including my favorite "Freddie the Pig" series.

7. Eating salted watermelon on hot summer nights with my cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents, especially at one particular house in Arkansas that we lived in.

8. Riding in the bread truck with my dad when I was 3 or 4. My mom made me a little Taystee bread shirt, complete with name patch, and I thought I was on top of the world. (Interesting note: The bread truck had no passenger seat, and my dad drove with the doors open. I would ride on top of the engine hump in the delivery truck, and it's amazing that I didn't fall out of the truck and die.)

9. Spending a week at my grandparents' house during the summer. It was quite exotic to spend the night 30 miles from home.

10. Moving. I always liked going into a new house and finding my new room. I never had any problems moving to a new town, and actually liked it.

Since you are from Arkansas, you forgot the part about making out with your cousins.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

What the - one of your top memories is the day that the multi-decade curse was cast upon the Chiefs? What kind of animal are you?

When Yepremian's foot hit the ball, I said "Well, there's always next year." I had no idea we were launching into a 35 year curse. From my perspective at that instant, it was a good day except for a couple of missed field goals.

The other thing your missing is that Radio Shack electronic kit. It had all these resistors, capacitors, coils, and transistors mounted on a board, with little springs you used to wire the components together. Like you see here:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...000/35312b.jpg

I loved that thing. Another thing I remember from that day is my Uncle Fitz stepping on the ear phone and breaking off the plastic piece that goes into your ear.

[Moooo]

I don't remember my childhood at all. Which is sad cause i'm only 22...

Moooo

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by cdcox

The other thing your missing is that Radio Shack electronic kit. It had all these resistors, capacitors, coils, and transistors mounted on a board, with little springs you used to wire the components together. Like you see here:



I loved that thing. Another thing I remember from that day is my Uncle Fitz stepping on the ear phone and breaking off the plastic piece that goes into your ear.

You won't believe this, but I actually owned that thing, too. In eighth grade, we had an electronics course, and I loved it. There was a Radio Shack a block from my house, and I salivated over that kit until I could save up enough money to buy it. The only thing I remember now was the siren-like sound.

To this day, I still don't know what the capacitors and the integrated circuit did.

[Rain Man]

I always thought maybe my radio circuit was broken, because I could never get the radio to work. Did your radio work?

[Donger]

Originally Posted by cdcox

When Yepremian's foot hit the ball, I said "Well, there's always next year." I had no idea we were launching into a 35 year curse. From my perspective at that instant, it was a good day except for a couple of missed field goals.

The other thing your missing is that Radio Shack electronic kit. It had all these resistors, capacitors, coils, and transistors mounted on a board, with little springs you used to wire the components together. Like you see here:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...000/35312b.jpg

I loved that thing. Another thing I remember from that day is my Uncle Fitz stepping on the ear phone and breaking off the plastic piece that goes into your ear.

Oh yeah. I loved that thing. IIRC, I made a trip wire alarm system that scared the crap out of everyone in the house. That siren was loud. Then again, my brothers beat the crap out of me each time, but it was worth it.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I always thought maybe my radio circuit was broken, because I could never get the radio to work. Did your radio work?

Yeah.

My favorite project was the electronic organ. It used the morse code style switch as the key, and you adjusted the notes by turning a knob. I rewired that circuit to make a lie detector. I took it to Jr. High for this show and tell deal. Afterwards, a couple of the cutest girls in the class came over and were really interested in that. As I was a huge nerd and extremely shy around girls, this was a great thrill to me.

[Iowanian]

Originally Posted by Starbux37

5. Knocking out the front teeth of the 5th grade class bully. Whole class cheered me on as I just kept pummeling his face in fear that he might get up and do the same to me. He never bothered me again.

.

Whats wrong Randy?


Daddy's gonna Kill Raaaalphy

[cdcox]

This was the actual set I had:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Radio-Sh...QQcmdZViewItem

[Dartgod]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

You won't believe this, but I actually owned that thing, too. In eighth grade, we had an electronics course, and I loved it. There was a Radio Shack a block from my house, and I salivated over that kit until I could save up enough money to buy it. The only thing I remember now was the siren-like sound.

To this day, I still don't know what the capacitors and the integrated circuit did.

I had the same thing, except we were too poor to buy the 160-in-1 kit. I got the 1-in-1 kit, which consisted of a size C battery, two wire leads and a light bulb, all enclosed in a plastic case....kind of like a flashlight.



SONOFABITCH! It WAS a flashlight!

DAMN YOU, DAD!!!

[Baby Lee]

4. Beating a 6-on-1 situation in bombardment in 9th grade to win the game.

A 100+ member Boy Scout troop with a full gym at the church where we met made for some killer bombardment sessions.

Oh, and Buck Buck. Ever hear Bill Cosby's bit on Buck Buck? It was all that and more.