What Old-Fashioned Things Do You Remember?

20 inch rims wrote:

BMG music membership club

Classic. I remember basically the only time I've ever stole anything was the classic BMG/Columbia House routine. I was 18 at the time and living off campus in an apartment complex where each building had its own address with 8-10 apartment units inside. So you could give your address as either "100 Main St, Apt #2" or just say "102 Main St.".

They didn't require an actual name, credit card or even phone number to sign up to their little scheme (I believe it was something like $13 shipping per "Free" cd, hidden in fine print, and then you only had to buy one $17 album after that, plus $13 shipping too, but you were only billed after you received them). I signed up for an account at each address at both BMG and Columbia House, for four accounts total. I think I used "Ronnie James Dio" as my name for both. I think one had an "initial offer" of 11 free cds and the other had around 8-9, for nearly 40 free cds between the four accounts. Most of their music was complete garbage but they had some quirky distribution deals so I think on that initial order I was able to get the entire original Dead Kennedys catalog, Minor Thread discography, the Misfits original albums, Fugazi, and a bunch of other Discord and SST stuff. They didn't even bother sending the bills after a month or two.

Quirky message boards at the dawn of the internet in the early 90s, where people with shared obscure interests could discuss their interests. Oh, how I long for those days.

Member when there were way less mexicans

Shacking up was frowned upon.

Slackware on 25 floppy disks.

Unbiased wrote:

Shacking up was frowned upon.

When was this the 1890s?

Some good stuff on here:

For me: big permed hair, roller skating rink on Saturdays, playing centipede/pac man, barrel of monkeys & orthello.

Playing and riding my bike from sunrise to sunset or after dark as a kid.

Carrying a yellow Walkman/or single player CD player while jogging in school school.

Malemute Kid wrote:

Member when there were way less mexicans

I was thinking this but was too ashamed to post it, but it was true throughout New England and you never heard Spanish spoken. now, dial a business, and it asks your language preference.

My high school had a rifle club and once a week those kids would take their pellet/bb guns or even .22s to school, some on the bus, and once in a while they'd go shoot live ammo at the local rod and gun club.

In elementary school first thing each a.m., we would stand by our desks, put our hand on our hearts while some kid held the flag, and say the pledge of allegiance. And my sister says they then said the Lords Prayer in her class. This was a public school.

I remember finding porn magazines in ditches on the side of the road and other out of the way places that a 12 year old could do his thing. To this day when I'm out running and see a discarded mag on the side of the road the first thing I think is HEY IS THAT PORN?

FoShizzle wrote:

Malemute Kid wrote:

Member when there were way less mexicans

I was thinking this but was too ashamed to post it, but it was true throughout New England and you never heard Spanish spoken. now, dial a business, and it asks your language preference.

My high school had a rifle club and once a week those kids would take their pellet/bb guns or even .22s to school, some on the bus, and once in a while they'd go shoot live ammo at the local rod and gun club.

In elementary school first thing each a.m., we would stand by our desks, put our hand on our hearts while some kid held the flag, and say the pledge of allegiance. And my sister says they then said the Lords Prayer in her class. This was a public school.

Member chewbacca?

[quote]Mid 40s wrote:

- Commercials that asked you to write to Pueblo Colorado for more information.

Ha!

Strangely, this one boils down my memory of the old days into a tiny little nugget. I remember I used to picture what life was like in Pueblo, Colorado after seeing countless commercials that mentioned it. I imagined a few glass office towers in a John Ford red rock old west, with dark blue skies and towering white clouds. I imagined rooms full of women that looked like my grandma opening all those letters from people all around the country asking for more information. I pictured those women being nice but super efficient and business like, with tall hair and those glasses where the arms are attached to the bottom part of the lens and not the top, and a gold chain so they could hang around their necks while they were smoking in the screened-in porch by the bug zapper.

I haven't thought about Pueblo in a long, long time. Or my grandma. Thanks for that.

HarryPaums wrote:

I remember finding porn magazines in ditches on the side of the road and other out of the way places that a 12 year old could do his thing. To this day when I'm out running and see a discarded mag on the side of the road the first thing I think is HEY IS THAT PORN?

Right?? Man, the discarded porn we used to find down by the marsh. I still remember a German one - it was called "Wunder Bosom Und Super Mopsies". It did not disappoint.

Dat vas vine.

Pulling up to a gas station and having the attendant pump your gas, check your oil, fill your tires, and wash your windows.

Wometco Home Theater. It was a regional, crappy version of HBO in the late 70's/early 80's, that showed 3 movies per night via a cable box on your teevee.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wometco_Home_Theater

Enner wrote:

Pulling up to a gas station and having the attendant pump your gas, check your oil, fill your tires, and wash your windows.

AND.....gas stations with give-aways like knife sets, glasses, and S&H Green Stamps.

Domino's pizza being free if it wasn't delivered under 30 minutes. Friday nights Going to blockbuster and renting Nintendo games then ordering dominos.

CB radio. Smokey and the Bandit was the best ever!

wooly mammoth