January 26, 2008

Kid R.E.H.

How could the kids back in school pick on me? Bully me? Look at that kid on that picture there - that's me. I was a cute kid, dammit? Wasn't I? Wonder what happened to all that potential beauty over the years...

Well, I will probably regret this post. Sorry guys - nice meeting you all, but after this I will likely go in hiding for the next ten or so years.

I'm KIDDING! ... I think.

It was RockDog and Jay who inspired me to do this. They have both posted pictures from the good old 80's, and I wanted to do the same. I wanted to show you how much of a Heavy Metal dude I was - so I dug into the old photo albums (mostly just bundles of old photographs held together by rubber bands... I need to take the time to organize all those pictures at some time) and found that I hardly had a single picture of me from those wonderful days. We never took pictures at parties or anywhere else for that matter.

There is this one of me butt naked in the shower, but I will not post that one for all of you to see. Settle for this description - it was the day after a big drunken party. I crawled into the shower to freshen up, and forgot to lock the door. All of a sudden, the shower curtain is whipped aside, as I'm standing there lathering shampoo into my hair, and my buddies took a full body picture of me... I do look shocked in that picture, let me tell you.

And, that is one picture you will never see ;)

Anyway. Looking through all those pictures I found myself on a journey down memory lane, and I loved the sights that were to be seen. So - I get this stupid idea that I will offer you all a little bit of me as a kid... first - then I might show you the progress of me growing up.

Hey! Preposterous Ponderings! This is your first chance to see me - fully un-obscured... although it was almost 30 years ago (there's another thought that scares the hell out of me).

That first one up there is from the school yearbook, when I was about 7 or 8 or 9... don't remember which year - and I don't feel like digging up those old books to see which year it was either.

Below, is a selection of pics for your enjoyment. I will comment on each below the pic.


This is me on the balcony of my childhood home. I'm drinking lemonade from a straw, and it appears to be a nice summer's day. I remember that table which was hung over the side of the balcony. My mother always had a lot of flowers out there.

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Here I am, proudly showing off my collection of Smurfs. This must be an early picture of my collecting them, because I know for a fact that I had about three times as many as you can see in this shot. It always reminds me of the time me and my cousin fought with plastic bags filled with Smurfs... swinging them at eachother. I was clocked in the head pretty good once, I recall.

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Alli asked me if I had any weird nicknames when I took questions, and I told you all about the Farmer Boy name I got at school. It was on account of a cap I wore, which I thought was cool... well, guess what? I found a pic of me wearing that particular cap. The suffering that thing caused me ;)

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And, here I am opening my presents on my 11th birthday. I got that cool black transistor radio with a cassette deck that I so badly wanted. Boy was I going to play some Kiss on that thing. Back in those days Kiss ruled the world. I wish I'd had a picture of me wearing my moms high heel boots and various jewelry performing Kiss songs to my mom and her man. That would've been a hoot!

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Well... there you have it. R.E.H. as a kid.

As a side-note. Thank you all for the support and advice on my previous post. Yes, I do feel a little down and blue right now. But, I've decided to be supportive of her decision, and try my best to be the best friend that I can be.

We went to the gym today, again. And, I feel I did a good job. We talked about her trip - she told me of her fear of flying, and I offered to go with her to hold her hand, in what turned out to be a successful little joke. I will miss her a lot. But, if I am to live in the moment - I will let this moment wash over me and I will enjoy seeing how happy she is. Because, when she's happy - that smile of hers is ever present. And, that smile of hers will always make me feel good.

Now, if you'll excuse me - I've got some packing to do. Judge for yourselves if this is to follow her in her adventure, or if I'm just seeking out that perfect hiding place ;)

46 comments:

Karen said...

Oh, what an adorable kid you were! This post is definitely cuter than the crazy rocker hair photos the other boys posted. Sorry Jay and Rock Dog, but teen angst photos do not compete with a photo of a 7 year old, lol.

I predict a swarm of bloggers' childhood photo posts...

Dana said...

Awww ... you really *are* a cutie!

fiwa said...

Awww comeon - you tease! Couldn't you just post the top half of the shower picture?! The look on your face must be priceless.

Those are so funny - I can just imagine you dressed up in the kiss-wear. We did that too - one of my male cousins who is a few years older made me be his "groupie" one summer while he pretended to sing Kiss songs into a hairbrush. I actually got to see them in person without the makeup in 1987. Scary, scarier without the makeup, even back that long ago! ;)

Sparkling Red said...

Aw, so cute! I love childhood photos. That first one, with your layered '70's hair, is the best. :-)

R.E.H. said...

Karen: Thanks. Yeah, I went for the cute factor there ;) I sure hope some other bloggers will pick up on this. It would be fun to see.

Dana: Well, thank you! *Were* would have been the proper word though ;)

Fiwa: Yeah, I went to see Kiss live at the age of 13. That was the first concert I ever saw - and it seriously ROCKED!

Sparkling Red: It was good to be a kid in the 70's!

Jo said...

I'm proud of you, R.E.H...it's a big achievement that you're able to banter with The One & balance that with your hefty emotions.

Loved the photos! You have such big puppy eyes, so cute! I had a love-hate relationship with Smurfs...I watched the cartoon, got all caught up in the village drama, but I was suspicious of the little blue buggers too LOL

Kell said...

Look how cute you were! How could kids bully that sweet looking boy? Thanks for sharing with us.

Good for you being supportive of her decision. It's hard and painful, but I think you're doing the right thing (for what that's worth). Stay strong. She'll remember your support.

L.P. said...

so cute. hmmmm - maybe i need to rethink this breeder thing and have your baby. You'd make such pretty ones.

~thinking..... still thinking~

...nahhhhh - sorry.
I'm just not the mommy type.

Anonymous said...

Hahaha, cute. If I tried to post pics from the 80s, you wouldn't see any of me past the age of 5. Haha. I guess I'd have to do a 90s post. But I wouldn't. Because I have to remain anonymous!

Em

Jay said...

That hat is pretty funny. LOL

Yeah, no cameras at parties. Back in the day anyone that showed up at a party with a camera got thrown out. Now EVERYBODY has their cellphone camera and all the pics go on their myspace pages.

Packing? Hmmmm ....

MrRyanO said...

Cool pics, bro! Smurfs RULED!

Leighann said...

What a sweetheart. Then AND now!

Smurfs rocked! I've heard recently that they're thinking of bringing the Smurfs back (with more females)

Smurfette is going to be PISSED!

Jill said...

The smurf one could have a caption "How loud can I fart?"
And I wanted to see you in your Kiss outfit!! That could have been funny!

tt said...

So cute I could pinch those sweet cheeks! Being a terenager in the 70's totally rocked! Groovy dude!
Kids are mean.period. Doesn't matter what time period anyone grows up in..kids are just peckerheads....period.
I'm thinking you're going to pack up some of your most precious and fond memories and possibly a few feelings so that they will remain intact. You can open up that suitcase anytime you want and revisit them. But you don't have to carry them with you everywhere yo go.
You're a great friend to have. I wonder if she realizes that? I hope so.

cmacc said...

"But, if I am to live in the moment - I will let this moment wash over me and I will enjoy seeing how happy she is."

You are well on your way to living so that you may be in love with the delight of the moment. Good for you, great huge step, be proud.

Glitterstim said...

LOVE the pics! I think I had the same jacket....

And I hope she knows how good of a friend you really are....I think you're going about it the right way.

take care!
BJ

Mary P Jones (MPJ) said...

Aw, so cute!

Glad you are feeling better about thing with the One today.

Anonymous said...

The hairstyle rocked! I still see kids around with that hairstyle now. It hasn't lost it's glory :)

Flying sure sucks ironically! I'll tune in the TV (Thank God, they do have separate TV's for everyone in the carrier which I fly) :)

Sacrificial happiness is the hardest thing, hope the people at the other end realize this (Kudos to you)

Have a nice day :)

R.E.H. said...

Jo: Thanks... doesn't feel like I have much of a choice but to be supportive in this situation.

Suspicious of Smurfs? Smurfs were so cute. I swear I went through a period of time when I wanted to actually be a Smurf ;)

Kell: I hope she will remember. And, yes - wasn't I the cutest? ;)

Lakota Princess: A Barbie/R.E.H. combination would be a true winner however ;)

Well, it's the process of making babies which count anyway, right?

Emmeline: Yeah, I was aiming for anonymity when I started blogging as well... but I believe I've ended up somewhere in between ;)

No one's gonna recognize me from these pics - unless they know me really well to begin with.

Jay: Yeah, how things have changed. If someone brought a camera to a party back then they would be considered weird... why bring a camera to a party dude? Now, it's like it's a must.

Frankly - I like it better the new way... I wish I did have a lot of party pics of old.

R.E.H. said...

RockDog: That was me, dude - I was cool. And Smurfs DID rule!

Leighann: Yeah, I've heard a new Smurf movie is in the making. I hope I won't be the only 30+ human being standing in line at the ticket booth when that one's released ;)

Smurfette may be pissed, but I'll be pleased (if they're as hot as she was)

Jill: LOL! Yeah, does look like I'm about to rip on that one ;)

TT: I got to witness the entire 70's but didn't hit teenhood until the 80's. It would rule to be a teenager in any year I guess... let me rectify that - be in the mid-twenties - that's when life was really sweet ;)

I like your take on my packing.

Backpacker Momma: Thanks. Yes it is hard, and sometimes I slip out of it, and start moping about losing her and all that...

R.E.H. said...

Blogget Jones: Hehe... that jacket is so 70's its scary - and boy were some clothes ugly! Notice the boots on that one? Jeez!

Thanks... I hope she realizes that too.

Mary P. Jones: Thanks. I have to pick up the pieces and move on. It won't be easy, but feeling sorry for myself isn't going to make things better.

Joel: Yeah, I had a good head of hair. I had long(ish) hair all my life until last year when it all came off.

Thanks for those kind words.

Casdok said...

That wall paper brings back memories!!
As do the smurfs!!

Dana said...

r.e.h., I picked ARE on purpose! Next we'll work on the proper way to accept compliments!

R.E.H. said...

Casdok: That wallpaper does bring back memories... terrible memories ;)

Dana: hehe... Yeah, I've never been good at accepting compliments ;)

Tequila Mockingbird said...

awe, you were so cute!!!

i was actually gawky and gross looking from about the ages of 8-14. once the braces came off and i grew a great rack, it was all golden.

but seriously, you were a cutie.

R.E.H. said...

Tequila Mockingbird: No braces and a great rack goes a long way, doesn't it? I'm sure you were purty with the braces and without the rack too, though ;)

Tequila Mockingbird said...

nah. not so much. seriously, i was already 5'9 when i was 13, and towered above all of the boys. i needed to fill out a little bit to not look so gangly. also, i had to deal with my hair; naturally curly hair needs lot of attention and product. but i'm all good now, so HOORAY!

also, you suck for not having an email address on your page.

R.E.H. said...

Tequila Mockingbird: I know all about the hair problems. When mine was long, I developed more and more of a curl or wave to the natural flow, which made things difficult at times. Real long, and it was ok - but shorten it, and it went all over the place.

No e-mail because I was gunning for as much anonymity as possible when blogging... which is beginning to fall apart, however.

Liv said...

Wow. I had forgotten about smurf figurines until today. How I loved my Hefty and Smurfette!

Do you remember the Seawees? I reckon there are many little mermaid types buried in the old backyard sandbox where I grew up.

(btw, keep following your heart. I keep hearing that love is the answer even if my heart fears that it's not.)

R.E.H. said...

Liv: Yeah, I loved my Smurfs. I'm sad to this day still that someone broke into our storage in the basement and stole them all...

Good advice... follow my heart - I'll try to keep that in mind!

Samantha_K said...

Smurfs were cool when I was a kid...then you go to school and take ,like, psychology and sociology classes and think, "They were freaky little bastards."

And in your defense, the hat rocked. Ashton Kutcher ripped off your style a few years ago, man. You should say something to him about that...

R.E.H. said...

Samantha K: Ha! Yeah, if only Ashton Kutcher had been heard of back in my day... then I would've been the coolest kid on the block!

Newt said...

Awww, and you just get cuter with age.........

R.E.H. said...

Newt: hehe... thanks ;)

Allison Horner said...

Awww! Those pictures are soooo cute!

Tequila Mockingbird said...

dude, if you really wanted to stalk me, you gotta do it in email form...

R.E.H. said...

Alli: Thanks. I was a cute kid, though. I wish I were that cute today ;)

Tequila Mockingbird: Is my lurking outside your bedroom not enough for you?

Tequila Mockingbird said...

dude, that was you? hot. i'll walk around topless more often.

and no, it's not enough. you said you liked pen pals, right?

R.E.H. said...

Tequila Mockingbird: I never said I liked pen-pals... I have an aversion to pen-pals, in fact (you'll soon understand why) ;)

R.E.H. said...

Tequila Mockingbird: Haha! Yeah, you're right about that ;)

R.E.H. said...

Tequila Mockingbird: I will consider that... you're boobs would be worth it, I'm sure!

Tequila Mockingbird said...

they are fanfuckingtastic, but no i dont actually send out pics of them. although, if you were my pen pal, you would get to hear all of the awesome back stories i dont write about. like for example, last night when i came home from the bar, i watched french nun porn. soooo hot! but alas, i was too drunk to masterbate. DAMNIT!

Tequila Mockingbird said...

see the stuff youre missing out on? tsk tsk. not to mention the lady friend stories i dont blog about.

well, you have my email address.

Jay said...

funky hairdo!

R.E.H. said...

Tequila Mockingbird: I'll give it some serious consideration ;)

Jay Cam: Sweet, wasn't it?

Tequila Mockingbird said...

you do that. i promise i wont give away your secret identity bat man.