The Seventy Third One-3/16/24

If you read these please start from the first day.

I think I was born in the perfect year. I was born in 1978. That mean I spent my 2nd-12th years on this Earth in the 1980’s. And I had the perfect 80’s upbringing. We were right on the beginning edge of technology, we could play outside all day and our parents were all hung over from the 70’s so they didnt care what we did. 

I grew up in a fairly small town of 50,000 people in the middle of Texas. Starting in the second grade we all walked  about a mile home from school everyday with no worries (besides the occasional bully). But this in itself was an adventure everyday-which route should we take? Can we hop that fence? Is that dog chasing us? Do you want to see a dead body? (thats a joke!). Then when we got home we walked right back out the door, went to one of ten different sports fields or friends houses and played football, baseball or basketball until sundown. We didn't call ahead of time, we just went from house to house and found out where everyone was hanging out. On the weekends we spent all day in the woods (which we thought were the size of Vietnam but when you go back it's like a city block) or creeks catching crawdads or riding bikes all over town doing who knows what. Till this day I still can't mention some of the stuff me and my friends did.

We were so lucky. A lot of Friday or Saturday nights the entire neighborhood would just play hide and seek or 100 other games to keep us busy until we got tired. Come sun up we would beat all of our parents up on Sunday morning and repeat the routine. 

Not to mention seeing “Back to the Future '' Indiana Jones” “The Karate Kid” and my parents even took me to see "Lethal Weapon 2” in the movie theaters (just to name a few). The movie theater was in the mall parking lot and we spent many, many days at the mall. We walked there from my house a lot of the time and had to cross a few major roads-like a six lane highway-no one batted an eye. And we would spend like 8 hours at the mall sometimes.

One time when my cousin came over he played me Motley Crue and it changed my entire outlook on life-I was six. Then when we were 8 yrs old we all heard our first rap song “You Be Illin” by Run D.M.C., this changed a lot of stuff. Seriously none of my friends had ever heard of rap until this song came out-we were a little behind in the music scene. Not to mention MTV!!! This kind of was our Facebook or social media. Who remembers when Jon Bon Jovi gave his childhood house away!

In about 1986 the Nintendo came out and it was a whole new ball game. We all spent hours playing Mario. Sometimes in the Summer or after school we would go to the Boys and Girls Club which had pool tables, air hockey, a gym, video games, a pool, soccer and football fields and much more, it was the best. And I think it cost my Dad like $50 a month. 

Maybe every generation says this but I think I lucked out with my childhood years and think they were the best possible ones to grow up.  Were they perfect? Not even close. Did they prepare me for the real world and make me a tough S.O.B.-you betcha. I think the 1980;s was definitely the best years to be a child in and I'm happy that I got to experience it in the best country on Earth-The USA!!!

This was not everything but I only have so much time to write, I know it jumps around a little but I don't care. I guess I won't win a Pulitzer for this blog entry. 

The Artwork-Overall I like this one but I do wish I would have waited until my Christmas series came out later in the year. Everything looks good and I really like the gleam in his eye. I tried something for the first and I think last time on this one. I tried to use markers to see how it would look but was not too impressed so I stopped half way through. 

Day 73 and not one person from my family has asked why I have not drawn one drawing after drawing one everyday for a year straight.

Prize Alert!!! The next person to email (SwiftMovesLLC@gmail.com) or call or leave a message will get a gift card for $60. This offer is only good until 1159PM 3/17/24, only the first person to write in (according to the email timestamp) get the prize You don't have to be a customer and if you want we will send you a framed original of any of this artwork.)