Category: History

Saturday Night Retro

That’s me and my little brother standing outside our McLean Virginia house exactly 24 years ago today on the 06TH of June in 1985. It’s the date of my high school graduation, and it was just one day after my 18TH birthday. My high school graduation was held at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington D.C. There were about 500 in my graduating ‘Class Of 1985’.

6 days after this momentous event I left home and proceeded to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio Texas for Air Force Basic Military Training. (I had no real Summer that year.)

And now my friends – a real treat. I present to you for your ‘Saturday Night Retro’ review this long lost gem. It’s legendary jazz and blues singer and guitarist Leon Redbone performing the full-length opening theme song of one of the greatest prime time network television sitcoms of the mid-1980s – “Mr. Belvedere”. ENJOY !

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My 42ND Birthday

So TODAY I am officially 42-years-old even though I’ve been stating my age as 42 since pretty much the latter portion of 2008. Tomorrow I technically begin my 43RD year, but I won’t be ready to tell people that I’m 43 until perhaps Thanksgiving or Christmas. 42 just seems like a nice cool even number age. It’s the year that Elvis Presley died.

THANK YOU to all of my good friends (and my cool little brother) who sent me cell phone text message greetings, blog comment greetings, and E-Mail greetings today. Every year I try hard to keep my birthday a secret, yet word somehow seems to get out to the world. It never fails.

I spent about 5 hours at The Falls today (in addition to the 3 hours that I was there last night). I had my annual eye exam. While my pupils were COLOSSAL I ate an ENORMOUS Lunch at T-G-I-Fridays, and then I saw “Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian” at the Regal Cinemas there.

Here’s an interesting tidbit of useless trivia. I saw the original “Night At The Museum” movie on New Year’s Eve in 2006. It was the last movie that I saw at the Flagship Cinemas in Homestead before I attended Life Pointe Church for the very first time at that movie theatre exactly 3 Sundays later.

As far as my eye exam was concerned my longtime nearsightedness continues to slowly improve with age (that’s apparently normal), but my relatively new farsightedness (reading vision) continues to slowly worsen. I had to get all-new glasses to reflect the change in my vision. It’s a sign of old age maturity. 😯

It’s hard to believe that 24 years ago tomorrow – the 06TH of June – I graduated from high school. I thought that I would never make it. TOMORROW on the ‘Retro’ I’ll share a picture of me dressed up in my high school graduation cap and gown.

But until then check this out from 42 years ago tonight:

: Chris At Birth – Selma Alabama – June 05TH 1967

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Saturday Night Retro

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date May 30, 2009

As I begin this post it’s barely after 7 AM on a Saturday morning, but I’m ready to go all ‘Retro’ on you right now ! The fact of the matter is that I’m leaving for the Florida Keys with a buddy in a couple of hours, and we may head all the way down to the end of the road – Mile Marker Zero – in the heart of Key West. If we reach the end then we probably won’t be back until late tonight, so I wanted to get this posted now in that event.

About 21 years ago during the Spring of 1988 my Mom, Dad, and Brother visited me here in America’s Riviera for the first time ever. We actually stayed at a popular hotel resort in Key Largo (bayside), and we drove all the way down to Key West in our rental car. (I didn’t even own a car at the time.) I think it was the very first visit for all of us into the Florida Keys.

I’ve actually visited Key West via cruise ship more so than via automobile. In fact I’ll be there again on the Tuesday after Labor Day in September as part of another short Carnival cruise that I’ll be on. Key West is a fun town. It’s a nice place to visit every now and then. It seems so far away from Homestead and points north – besides its geographic location. It’s like a whole different world down there.

21 years ago in 1988 when we were discovering the Florida Keys for the first time this tropical song was emerging as a megasmash on the radio. As it turns out it became the biggest-selling (platinum) and longest-running single of their long historic careers. I’m talking of course of the legendary Beach Boys. Here’s their ENORMOUS 1988 smash “Kokomo”.

Tags 1988, Florida Keys, The Beach Boys

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Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date May 26, 2009
3 Comments on Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

You know you want it:

1. In just about a week Homestead has gone from brown and crunchy to green and lush. That’s what 10 inches of rain – over a foot in some areas – will do to the surrounding landscape. We are now right smack in the middle of a tropical rain forest. That’s why they call this ‘America’s Riviera’.

2. I could use another three-day weekend like this past weekend. I used Saturday and Monday as my ‘stay-at-home’ / ‘get-caught-up’ days, and I used Sunday as my ‘play-outside-with-friends’ day. I enjoyed all three days in their own special ways. I’m thinking about repeating the scenario this weekend by taking Friday off. It all depends on my requirements at my workplace.

3. Yesterday was Memorial Day – a day that we set aside each year to honour those who served, fought, and died defending our country and our freedom. Unfortunately in this new day and age our Armed Forces are not recognized and respected for the hard work that they do for us around the clock and around the world. Our military heroes should never ever be written off or forgotten.

4. Say what you will about this recent Miami Herald article, but I think that the news of Homestead’s death has been greatly exaggerated. I strongly believe that she will recover rather nicely once the global recession eases and the full-blown economic expansion presses forward full blast. Thousands of people moved down here to Homestead from 2002 to 2007 for a reason, and they will resume their MASSIVE migration southwestward sooner rather than later. There are already signs that this is starting to occur. History has shown us over and over again that with each new recession the expansion that follows is bigger and stronger than any previous one before it.

5. The month-long celebration that is my 42ND birthday continues for another couple of weeks. I’ve already celebrated it with my family over in North Texas, and now I hope to do the same with my friends and family here in Homestead. If you’re looking for that something special to treat me with for my very special day then you simply can’t go wrong with … FOOD !