Category Archives: Special topics
I went to Erasmus Hall High…
I went to Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn. One girl in my graduating class, and at least in a couple of my daily classes later played Jimmy “JJ” Walker’s Kid Sister on Good Times. Bernadette Stanis(she shortened her name). Another kid who was in some of my gym classes became a midget professional Wrestler called the Jamaica Kid/Haiti Kid. Although I didn’t know him, Gabe Kaplan was about 2 years ahead of me at school, and I knew a guy who I think he created Welcome Back Kotter with years later, Alan Sacks(Who’s kid sister I had a mad crush on.). He’s listed in the show credits, and I wish I knew if it was the same Alan Sacks, but I think it was, based on age and location. Welcome Back Kotter was based on Erasmus, not “Buchannon” high.
What I miss is the old 1960’s…
What I miss is the old 1960’s and 1970’s “Block Party”. When you’d be able to get a few of the old blue Police blockade wooden horse, and from dusk to midnight, there would be music to dance to, plenty of food, plenty of soda, water, coffee, beer, and wine, and everyone spent a few hours in just getting along. There would be dancing in the streets, as well as the fire escapes. Nowadays, I can only get a brief touch of that feeling when I see the music video for Carlos Santana’s and Rob Thomas’ “Smooth”.
Never forget the first….
Never forget the first. As a kid, that peck that made your face so hot you could still feel it there when you close your eyes, and remember. Easy, Brooklyn/Queens New York City. 1967. PS214K school yard, first grade lunch recess. Donna Mantos. My cousin crystal had a huge overcoat and she made a cave. It was late fall, and I had the robber’s ski mask, like most kids pulled down so you looked like a 7 year old SWAT sniper. She pulled up the mask, and we’d exchange the pecks. The high lasted all day. Then she’d go back to her girlfriends, and I’d go back to my playing airplane. First heavy kiss was 1974, High School of Art and Design, from Evelyn. Wrigley’s gum and Kool cigarettes. What a memory.
I don’t even know if this…
I don’t even know if this belongs here, because these weren’t games, exactly – there was a whole group of physical things we used to do as kids in Queens in the 50’s that were fun. ‘Most everyone remembers the trick of leaning the side of your hand against a wall and pressing on it – when you stepped away from the wall, your hand seemed to magically raise all by itself. But the one that I’m really “nostalging” on lately was giving each other “the chills”. There was a whole ritual where you stood behind your subject and recited a sort of pseudo-poem as you traced patterns on their back gently with a finger. At the end of the ritual, your subject shivered with glee. The ritual, as I remember it, went something like this: “X marks the spot” (you’d trace an X from each shoulder to the opposite side of their waist) “A dot, a dot” (two light taps on either side of the X) “A line and a line” (two lines, parallel to the ground, about 6 inches apart) “And a BIG question mark.” (Trace a large question mark, ending with the point just above the hips.) “Trails leading up . . . ” (You’d trace a wiggly line up the person’s spine with two fingers) “Trails leading down.” (Same wiggly lines go back down the back.) “Sea breeze . . .” (You’d blow on the person’s neck.) “. . .and a BIG squeeze.” (You’d put your thumb and forefinger on either side of your subject’s neck and pull back towards the spine with the lightest, most feathery pressure possible.) Does anyone remember this and if so, did I remember the entire ritual (I’m sure it varied from block to block!)
wow… that was today, i…
wow… that was today, i am going out with this amazing guy, Josh and well today we were left alone to ummm do what we wanted and i knew straight away that we would kiss, it was fantastic it lasted a long time and… wow i loved every second, when josh went home i just wanted to do it over and over, i was so calm and happy… it was amazing.