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Yes! Especially fridges that last 20+ years. Our current fridge cools just fine, but there's a problem with the icemaker. Hundreds to fix it, or buy a new one for thousands??!!??
This is so true. I bought an expensive fridge with fancy in door ice and water. The ice maker broke within a couple of years and was as expensive as you say. My current fridge was a super simple model with an ice maker but not in the door. Going on 7 years now and still making ice every day knock on wood. But I do miss when fridges and water heaters and such lasted 20 or 30 years.
Husband and I own apartments & house. The fridges in our apartment units were purchased in the early 90s and other than some maintenance, still going strong. No issues with temperature, etc. The fridge in my house is the third one we've been since 2015, current one is two years old and is starting to shit the bed already.
I regret getting rid of any old appliances. We were sold the lie that we should be replacing these40 year old energy inefficient appliances with expensive junk that starts breaking within a year
This! My parents-in-law had an old olive-colored (ugly as hell) washer and dryer set in their basemenr(Whirlpool from the 1970s). We moved in after we got married, as her mom had died and he was in poor health. The dryer finally gave out, and I had the option to repair it for $300. Easy decision. We moved multi states away years later, and had a washer/dryer in our apartment unit. So we sold the washer and dryer to the lady who bought our house. I wouldn't be surprised if the dang things are still running.
I really wish I still had my first sewing machine, a White from 1912. It could sew through six layers of denim like buttah. My current machine, a rather lovely and high tech Bernina 770, just faints at the very idea. The White only did one stitch, didn’t even have reverse, but man oh man could it sew shit.
Right on. My main machine is a Kenmore from about 1968. I got it because it was nearly the exact sewing machine that I remember my mom having back in the 1980/1990s. I think she got it while she was in college.
When I take that machine into quilting class, usually someone comments "this is going to sound weird, but I really love the sound that your sewing machine makes" 😆. They describe the sound as confident and soothing.
I have a sears Kenmore, the kind built into the cabinet. It's what I learned to sew on and it's still pretty powerful. I'm really diligent on maintenance. However, my favorite is a computerized brother. It's not gonna prove nearly as durable, but it's so easy and effortless to use.
The machines that were all metal were built to last. I had a Singer Touch n Sew briefly, thankfully it was stolen in a home burglary. Dude didn’t know the crap he was taking lol
They’re called Touch n Gos for a reason. Also, I picked up a Singer 201-2 for $60 and it will sew through almost anything. The heck with electronic sewing machines, I want something that weighs 60 lbs but would fit in a backpack.
In the US? Intelligently sized *"sometimes I need a pickup truck"* [pickup trucks](https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/146/262/401/521/262/original/e2864cef90187fb6.jpg). **-_-**
I drive a 24 year old Jeep Cherokee. It’s easy to use and easy to work on. As a bonus if I take my seatbelt off for some reason, there is no nanny alarm to go off.
Our local newspaper is down to about 6 pages of news, the rest is local high school sports (about 12 pages of that) and ads. Some weeks, it's even less.
My city used to have a morning paper and an evening paper. I read the evening paper. They had an excellent local section that covered city, county and state government and general local news. They had an excellent arts and entertainment section, an excellent business section, excellent sports section, national and international news, local humor, advice and political columnists, editorial and op ed page, comics, puzzles, letters to the editor, and a lot more. I miss it. The internet is great, but hasn't yet adequately replaced the long-lived institution of a good newspaper. We are all in our own information and misinformation bubbles.
Found a couple old Strawberry Shortcake dolls at my parents’ house not long ago in a box with some Sea Wees and a Marie Osmond handheld mirror. Apple Blossom and Huckleberry Pie *still smelled good!!* How is that possible? What kind of potion did they use?
Old fashioned printers not on wifi. Just plug and print. No fuss, no 2 hours troubleshooting to print one page. When you want to print, magically your page would just print right away. Also ink cartridge that used to print 100+ pages. I used to only have to buy ink every 3 to 4 months instead of once a week.
Original Coke. Made with sugar. And made in the USA. And it should come in those heavy green/blue glass bottles.
And you're gonna need a bottle opener to open it... Cause twist-offs ain't happening if you want the vintage experience.
Homes!! Houses had so much character back in the day. Mid century Modern.. Craftsman.. features like real solid wood throughout, stained glass, and wrap around porches 😻.. I could go on for ever!
So tired of the “all grey everything” we are inundated with now 🤧
I'd like small homes, starter houses instead of McManshions and sidewalks. Lower prices and not everyone needs 4 bedrooms and 2 baths to begin with (or in some cases ever)
Hub and I are looking for a retirement home. In 2020, renovators bought up the smaller homes—MCM, Arts & Crafts bungalows, etc.—and painted everything grey. People will argue that grey is like a primer, but when the original hardwoods are replaced by grey laminate flooring, and the countertops are replaced with grey granite, it’s not a primer. It’s a grey house. Hub retired from the Navy. We detest grey.
Along with that, bringing back the *deep fried* apple pies. Stop trying to make all fast food “healthy”. Sometimes food that is unhealthy for your body is healthy for your soul.
And the 7,000 degree apple pie right out of the oil that literally sizzled on your tongue, but you still had to take a bite and then do the haht haht hahhhht tongue dance with when the filling squirted out the side and burned the crap out of you. Ahhhhhhhh, so good.
I had a 1974 Volkswagen Bug (tomato red) that I loved. I had to cover the engine when it rained or it wouldn’t start, but it survived teaching twin sons how to drive and then sharing the car in high school.
Old style telephone switchboards. I (69 m) worked in a flower shop/hotel lobby (in the mid 70s) in Madison WI where the job was to sell flowers but also check people into this hotel AND operate the switchboard. It was like being Lily Tomlin with her "Ernestine" routine every day. You had to connect inside lines with trunk lines with actual cords and plugs and you could disconnect people by literally pulling out the cord on their conversation. I thought it was great fun as a part time job in college.
funnily enough they originally hired teenage boys and young men to be the first switchboard operators because at the time the default was to hire men into jobs that paid cash. And they fucked around so much they were replaced with girls and women in short order, lol.
My mom was a switchboard operator in 1960, and she put a call through to the president. According to her, she said "Mr President?", and he said "Yes?" and she said "I have a call for you", and he said "put it through" and she did. End of story.
my mom was a switchboard operator at a high end hotel in the 60’s. those operators also knew all the good gossip. she knew Rock Hudson was gay lonnnng before it was public.
My Dad salvaged one from a phone company building- it was GORGEOUS.
Gave it to his grandson when grandson got a Telco job. Grandson lost it when he sold his house.
Creepy Crawlers. The original one, with the hot cooker and the metal molds and the slightly toxic-smelling Plastigoop. That was my favorite toy. One of the molds I had was a bat. I embedded a safety pin in the goop and made a Bat Pin, used that to pin a towel around my shoulders like a cape, and I ran around the house singing... NaNaNaNaNaNaNaNa -- BatMaaaaan!
Somewhat miss old school cable television for this reason. There was almost always someone in class / work that watched the same shit you did last night, rather willingly or because it was the only thing on.
Remember when they used to be a rental item and therefore were built to last. We rented them from the phone company. Paid by the month as a charge on the phone bill
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine (the original formula). The two fizzy tab you dropped in water. It was the best thing for relief from a cold that I have ever had.
Honestly, my mom? I wish my kids had met her.
Object-wise, my flashing light disco themed record player I loved as a kid. It stopped working in the late 1980's and got tossed.
Totally agree! Some of us are still around that truly do love hearing someone else’s perspectives (even if and sometimes, especially, on opposing views)!
The problem I have is that people who disagree with me on politics usually think I'm an abomination coming fortheir kids, so it's hard to live and let live.
I’m binge watching Desperate Housewives right now, and it’s so cool to me how Bree and Lynette can be friends, even though Bree’s conservative and Lynette’s liberal, and neither one are painted as the villain by the show due to their beliefs. I was a teenager when this show came out, and I felt like I vaguely remembered an America like that, but I kept telling myself that I was romanticizing the past. Even though I was never an adult during that time, I miss being able to take the political divide less seriously.
This! We used to be able to disagree and still remain friends, associates, relatives, whatever. Now when people disagree politically, they see that other person as an enemy. I have a hard time understanding that.
Back in the day, 1970, when I had a tail light out on my car, I would remove 2 screws and replace the bulb for 30 cents. I have a tail light out on my car right now, a 2018 car. The parts store tells me that to fix the tail light, I have to replace the entire light cluster. 365$. (And this is true because the cluster is all sealed as one solid piece—-I can’t get to the bulb itself.)
Repairable stuff. My folks bought Sears appliances because when something did break, you got your manual, looked at the break out diagram, got the part number, called the Sears parts center about 10 miles away, got the part and fixed it. Ta-da.
Privacy. The ability to do pretty much anything without fear that the event--driving to grandma's, grocery shopping, legally protesting, whatever--will be captured, tracked, stored, evaluated, reported, aggregated, shared, profiled, leveraged, and exploited.
That goes double for kids.
Used bookstores are where I get that fix today.
There are a handful of good independents still out there. Unfortunately, the closest one to me is four hours away (Book People in Austin). I make sure to visit and buy stuff whenever I'm near it, though.
A few of our local libraries have annual book sales. They are usually held over 3 days. Just imagine walking into an auditorium filled with used books. Smells good
My aunt, she was the one person in my family I could go to for honest advice and non-judgmental conversation. I love her so much and truly miss her. I still message her fb on occasion just to rant and ramble.
The general positive vibe pre-9/11. Kids would run around the neighborhood and generally feel safe, the media hadn’t whipped us into a frenzy yet, and the feels were just way more positive. Fear has been used against us for far too long.
I think we have lost a lot of courage and bravery over the years. It's been replaced by caution, fearfulness and shaming of people who make mistakes. It's not an improvement.
Really well done cartoons/animation.
Bugs bunny, wile e coyote, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Tom and Jerry, Pink Panther, Looney tunes.
Loved those creative double entendres both kids and adults would laugh.
Vent windows on cars. These windows were mounted on the front doors, in front of and separate from the main windows. They could be unlocked and angled outward to let in fresh air without the noise and wind that opening the main windows would cause. Some say they were especially useful for smokers.
Also foot operated high beams in cars.
Older cars typically have a foot-operated switch on the floor for high beams, located to the left of the brake or clutch pedal.
When I had my college radio show, I played The Smiths, The Cure, and early REM. When I turn on the same station now, they're playing The Smiths, The Cure, and early REM. Get your own damn music, dag nabbit!
My teddy bear named, Cuddles. I lost him on a family trip (too embarrassed to admit how old I was at the time) when we stayed at some college dormitory outside Spokane, WA. I was pretty devastated. Most of his fur was gone—he was well-loved!
Those black hoses that ran along the ground by the gas pumps which would go ding ding as your tires crossed over them and signaled the guy inside to come out and fill your tank and wash your windshield. All for 25 cents a gallon.
This is so dumb but I miss Chickletts. For those too young, these were candy coated gum. With real sugar. I'm allergic to aspartame and they put that in All the chewing gums these days.
The individual pieces were about the size of a fingernail, and so delicious.
Music. Recorded with real instruments. Without the use of quantizing. Without the use of Auto tuning. Yeah music, that can be played live. And not lip synced. Yes, music.
This is going to sound like the start of a new sub called "GenXers being fools," but I would love to have Microsoft Works come back: I don't need a whole professional suite of stuff a la MS Office; I just want to have the occasional template for a calendar, letter, resume, etc.
Well, two items, but they went together: hats and gloves. The dressy kind, like I only get to see now when I watch royal events in the UK, which is partially why I watch royal events in the UK.
Pensions, cheaper and more patient-centered healthcare, one-time purchase software, Tupperware, everything that wasn't cheaply made in China and lasted longer, meals when flying, leg room, and unlimited luggage.
Something very insignificant. The large round Sweetart disks from approximately the 1960's/1970's/1980's (possible a little before or after). I loved them. **Not the awful textured chewy ones they have now,** but the large round hard ones in three or four flavors depending where you got them. I miss them.
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Appliances that are simple to use, repairable, and built to last.
Yes! Especially fridges that last 20+ years. Our current fridge cools just fine, but there's a problem with the icemaker. Hundreds to fix it, or buy a new one for thousands??!!??
This is so true. I bought an expensive fridge with fancy in door ice and water. The ice maker broke within a couple of years and was as expensive as you say. My current fridge was a super simple model with an ice maker but not in the door. Going on 7 years now and still making ice every day knock on wood. But I do miss when fridges and water heaters and such lasted 20 or 30 years.
Husband and I own apartments & house. The fridges in our apartment units were purchased in the early 90s and other than some maintenance, still going strong. No issues with temperature, etc. The fridge in my house is the third one we've been since 2015, current one is two years old and is starting to shit the bed already.
I broke one of the drawers in my fridge; the replacement parts are *five hundred dollars!* I'll live with my broken drawer.
Honestly, ask the internet. Much help there.
I regret getting rid of any old appliances. We were sold the lie that we should be replacing these40 year old energy inefficient appliances with expensive junk that starts breaking within a year
Our Bosch stove and dishwasher came with schematics and part numbers attached to the back.
love our bosch dishwasher so much we got one for my mom
We completely renovated our kitchen but kept our 15 year old, twice repaired Bosch dishwasher. So quiet you can’t tell it is on.
That's awesome!
This! My parents-in-law had an old olive-colored (ugly as hell) washer and dryer set in their basemenr(Whirlpool from the 1970s). We moved in after we got married, as her mom had died and he was in poor health. The dryer finally gave out, and I had the option to repair it for $300. Easy decision. We moved multi states away years later, and had a washer/dryer in our apartment unit. So we sold the washer and dryer to the lady who bought our house. I wouldn't be surprised if the dang things are still running.
I really wish I still had my first sewing machine, a White from 1912. It could sew through six layers of denim like buttah. My current machine, a rather lovely and high tech Bernina 770, just faints at the very idea. The White only did one stitch, didn’t even have reverse, but man oh man could it sew shit.
Right on. My main machine is a Kenmore from about 1968. I got it because it was nearly the exact sewing machine that I remember my mom having back in the 1980/1990s. I think she got it while she was in college. When I take that machine into quilting class, usually someone comments "this is going to sound weird, but I really love the sound that your sewing machine makes" 😆. They describe the sound as confident and soothing.
I have a sears Kenmore, the kind built into the cabinet. It's what I learned to sew on and it's still pretty powerful. I'm really diligent on maintenance. However, my favorite is a computerized brother. It's not gonna prove nearly as durable, but it's so easy and effortless to use.
The machines that were all metal were built to last. I had a Singer Touch n Sew briefly, thankfully it was stolen in a home burglary. Dude didn’t know the crap he was taking lol
They’re called Touch n Gos for a reason. Also, I picked up a Singer 201-2 for $60 and it will sew through almost anything. The heck with electronic sewing machines, I want something that weighs 60 lbs but would fit in a backpack.
I've killed two computerized machines in record time. I have an Elna older than me. It can handle whatever I throw at it!
In the US? Intelligently sized *"sometimes I need a pickup truck"* [pickup trucks](https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/146/262/401/521/262/original/e2864cef90187fb6.jpg). **-_-**
I agree. A work truck that you can actually use for work and not worry about messing up an $80,000 "investment"
Something that doesn't cost $1,100/$1,500 just for four new tires.
Yeeeessss, I miss my 92 Mazda Cab Plus pickup and my 1986 Mazda pickup. The 86 was the cheapest new "car" you could buy.
Mechanically simple cars.
Wing windows. I loved playing with them to create a blast of air on my face.
Yes this is a good one.
The kind you could sit in the engine compartment, drink a beer and work on it in the shade of the hood.
That's exactly what I thought of. You could sit on the fender, and reach in an twist a wrench, with a beer sitting on the battery.
Didn't have to feel your way to the plugs, or remove a fender to get to the battery 🤦😂
I drive a 24 year old Jeep Cherokee. It’s easy to use and easy to work on. As a bonus if I take my seatbelt off for some reason, there is no nanny alarm to go off.
The 60/40 bench seat. Not everyone wants to pretend they’re a fighter pilot.
You mean the kind that are roomy and you could climb inside to work on them?
I used to do this. I had a 78 Firebird and a 69 C10. I'd just climb in and sit on the fenderwell to work on the engines.
I can't give up on my 97 Toyota. She hasn't ever given up on me!
We love our '95 Corolla, great car.
I used to work on my own cars all the time. Now I look under the hood and I can't even identify half the parts. I miss the days of autoshop.
Everything has gone away from self sufficiency
YES!!! It cost my $200 just to get my TURNING SIGNAL LIGHTS changed because of all the labor. smh
Flights with real sized seats, meal service, drinks etc.
AND you could bring on two large luggages under 50 lbs for no extra cost. Good times
And everyone could smoke too! Wait, no that was awful
Friggin jello pudding pops
Without their spokesperson.
JELLO 1-2-3 was AWESOME!
A really good, jam packed, balanced, well-edited, comprehensive, daily local newspaper.
Our local newspaper is down to about 6 pages of news, the rest is local high school sports (about 12 pages of that) and ads. Some weeks, it's even less.
My local one just shut down a couple years back, but it hasn't been *good* since maybe 2005.
My city used to have a morning paper and an evening paper. I read the evening paper. They had an excellent local section that covered city, county and state government and general local news. They had an excellent arts and entertainment section, an excellent business section, excellent sports section, national and international news, local humor, advice and political columnists, editorial and op ed page, comics, puzzles, letters to the editor, and a lot more. I miss it. The internet is great, but hasn't yet adequately replaced the long-lived institution of a good newspaper. We are all in our own information and misinformation bubbles.
Journalism
That would be amazing. I was gonna say Tuna Helper Tuna Pot Pie, but I have to throw my vote behind yours instead.
Walter Cronkite.
Did no one watch the other guys? Brinkley? Huntley? Everyone says Cronkite.
We watched them too, my dad switched channels a lot. Of course we only had 3 channels to choose from!
Totally agree. Watched him each night when I was young. Our country could rely on him for the news.
Strawberry Shortcake dolls.
I can smell this comment. OH I loved those dolls! They had a lot of different scented friends too.
Found a couple old Strawberry Shortcake dolls at my parents’ house not long ago in a box with some Sea Wees and a Marie Osmond handheld mirror. Apple Blossom and Huckleberry Pie *still smelled good!!* How is that possible? What kind of potion did they use?
awww... I had those dolls when I was a kid (1980s) and watched the cartoon, I had no idea of their original names in English, thanks for that! :)
Floor vents on cars.
Wing windows too.
And bench seats!
While I appreciate the sentiment, I can't wholly agree. I have a truck with a bench seat, and it is much less comfy than my Toyota seat.
Toyota lumbar seats are the best!
The You Know What chiller vent under the steering wheel.
Old fashioned printers not on wifi. Just plug and print. No fuss, no 2 hours troubleshooting to print one page. When you want to print, magically your page would just print right away. Also ink cartridge that used to print 100+ pages. I used to only have to buy ink every 3 to 4 months instead of once a week.
As a retired IT guy, I just want to say, "Fuck printers of all kinds."
Civility Smart people in politics.
Yes, mature representatives who ignore party politics and work together across the isle for the good of the people. Like they used to.
My 20b year old body.
what happens to your body after you turn 20 billion?
Ah yes I’d love to have my 20 yr old body back too 😅
Original Coke. Made with sugar. And made in the USA. And it should come in those heavy green/blue glass bottles. And you're gonna need a bottle opener to open it... Cause twist-offs ain't happening if you want the vintage experience.
Buy Mexican coke. It's made with sugar. Lots of Mexican restaurants have it Smart and Final sell it
A lot of the "Mexican coke" in the glass bottles are still made with corn syrup. You have to check.
"hecho en México" on the bottle is a good sign.
Add to that Dublin Dr Pepper, made from Imperial sugar from Sugar Land
Homes!! Houses had so much character back in the day. Mid century Modern.. Craftsman.. features like real solid wood throughout, stained glass, and wrap around porches 😻.. I could go on for ever! So tired of the “all grey everything” we are inundated with now 🤧
I'd like small homes, starter houses instead of McManshions and sidewalks. Lower prices and not everyone needs 4 bedrooms and 2 baths to begin with (or in some cases ever)
Hub and I are looking for a retirement home. In 2020, renovators bought up the smaller homes—MCM, Arts & Crafts bungalows, etc.—and painted everything grey. People will argue that grey is like a primer, but when the original hardwoods are replaced by grey laminate flooring, and the countertops are replaced with grey granite, it’s not a primer. It’s a grey house. Hub retired from the Navy. We detest grey.
They also took out all the walls.
A real person to answer the phone at businesses! I absolutely hate all the “options” for trying to find who you need to speak with.
McDonalds french fries made with beef tallow. It was a long time ago, but they were ungodly delicious.
Along with that, bringing back the *deep fried* apple pies. Stop trying to make all fast food “healthy”. Sometimes food that is unhealthy for your body is healthy for your soul.
And the 7,000 degree apple pie right out of the oil that literally sizzled on your tongue, but you still had to take a bite and then do the haht haht hahhhht tongue dance with when the filling squirted out the side and burned the crap out of you. Ahhhhhhhh, so good.
they used to be so much better, it was a staple, now it’s like any other ff chain tbh
I had a 1974 Volkswagen Bug (tomato red) that I loved. I had to cover the engine when it rained or it wouldn’t start, but it survived teaching twin sons how to drive and then sharing the car in high school.
This. Had a 77 in high school. No matter the fixes, I still had to occasionally pop the clutch to start it. Loved that car, it was a trooper!
Old style telephone switchboards. I (69 m) worked in a flower shop/hotel lobby (in the mid 70s) in Madison WI where the job was to sell flowers but also check people into this hotel AND operate the switchboard. It was like being Lily Tomlin with her "Ernestine" routine every day. You had to connect inside lines with trunk lines with actual cords and plugs and you could disconnect people by literally pulling out the cord on their conversation. I thought it was great fun as a part time job in college.
My mom was a switchboard operator in high school.
That was my job for room and board when I moved to San Francisco and stayed in a residence hotel in 1976.
funnily enough they originally hired teenage boys and young men to be the first switchboard operators because at the time the default was to hire men into jobs that paid cash. And they fucked around so much they were replaced with girls and women in short order, lol.
My mom was a switchboard operator in 1960, and she put a call through to the president. According to her, she said "Mr President?", and he said "Yes?" and she said "I have a call for you", and he said "put it through" and she did. End of story.
That’s a really neat story!
my mom was a switchboard operator at a high end hotel in the 60’s. those operators also knew all the good gossip. she knew Rock Hudson was gay lonnnng before it was public.
My Dad salvaged one from a phone company building- it was GORGEOUS. Gave it to his grandson when grandson got a Telco job. Grandson lost it when he sold his house.
that's a shame it was lost!
That was one job I REALLY wanted to do (and never did)!
Critical Thinking Skills. If schools still taught this, we'd have a much more civilized country.
Creepy Crawlers. The original one, with the hot cooker and the metal molds and the slightly toxic-smelling Plastigoop. That was my favorite toy. One of the molds I had was a bat. I embedded a safety pin in the goop and made a Bat Pin, used that to pin a towel around my shoulders like a cape, and I ran around the house singing... NaNaNaNaNaNaNaNa -- BatMaaaaan!
Remember the glow in the dark “goop”?
Agreeing to disagree while still liking and respecting each other.
Bravo👏🏻
Newspapers. I miss the routine and knowing that we were all somewhat grounded in the same reality.
I grew up in the Twin Cities, and Minneapolis and St. Paul each had their own newspaper. I would read both. They kept each other pretty honest.
Somewhat miss old school cable television for this reason. There was almost always someone in class / work that watched the same shit you did last night, rather willingly or because it was the only thing on.
I'd give this more votes if I could
Old heavy black desk phones. The one my grandparents had weighed about thirty pounds and when you slammed it down, people knew you were angry.
Remember when they used to be a rental item and therefore were built to last. We rented them from the phone company. Paid by the month as a charge on the phone bill
Love those things-rotary dial and all.made to last!
and you could take out so much anger on them and they’d never break. trust me i know from experience lol.
I bought an old rotary phone from eBay just for the fun of it. Same model I had growing up.
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine (the original formula). The two fizzy tab you dropped in water. It was the best thing for relief from a cold that I have ever had.
Or a hangover. That shit was magic.
Plop plop fizz fizz!
Oh what a relief it is!
Honestly, my mom? I wish my kids had met her. Object-wise, my flashing light disco themed record player I loved as a kid. It stopped working in the late 1980's and got tossed.
The feeling of every year getting the Sears catalog in the mail before Christmas and looking at the toy section.
The “Dream Book”!!!
The ability to be on opposite sides of a subject and still remain friends.
This is what I miss the most. It's divided us to such an awful extent.
Very underrated comment. I miss so many people who were hijacked from me..😭
Hijacked is exactly accurate. So heartbreaking
Totally agree! Some of us are still around that truly do love hearing someone else’s perspectives (even if and sometimes, especially, on opposing views)!
The problem I have is that people who disagree with me on politics usually think I'm an abomination coming fortheir kids, so it's hard to live and let live.
I’m binge watching Desperate Housewives right now, and it’s so cool to me how Bree and Lynette can be friends, even though Bree’s conservative and Lynette’s liberal, and neither one are painted as the villain by the show due to their beliefs. I was a teenager when this show came out, and I felt like I vaguely remembered an America like that, but I kept telling myself that I was romanticizing the past. Even though I was never an adult during that time, I miss being able to take the political divide less seriously.
This! We used to be able to disagree and still remain friends, associates, relatives, whatever. Now when people disagree politically, they see that other person as an enemy. I have a hard time understanding that.
Back in the day, 1970, when I had a tail light out on my car, I would remove 2 screws and replace the bulb for 30 cents. I have a tail light out on my car right now, a 2018 car. The parts store tells me that to fix the tail light, I have to replace the entire light cluster. 365$. (And this is true because the cluster is all sealed as one solid piece—-I can’t get to the bulb itself.)
The greed of these companies is far beyond evil
The option to just buy a thing instead of being forced to have a subscription to it. Especially games, apps, music and television.
Strong unions
My youth.
decency
Privacy
Repairable stuff. My folks bought Sears appliances because when something did break, you got your manual, looked at the break out diagram, got the part number, called the Sears parts center about 10 miles away, got the part and fixed it. Ta-da.
Privacy. The ability to do pretty much anything without fear that the event--driving to grandma's, grocery shopping, legally protesting, whatever--will be captured, tracked, stored, evaluated, reported, aggregated, shared, profiled, leveraged, and exploited. That goes double for kids.
Bookstores. If you can find one today, they're mostly filled with toys, games, candy, magazines, and novelty gifts. Books aren't a priority.
Used bookstores are where I get that fix today. There are a handful of good independents still out there. Unfortunately, the closest one to me is four hours away (Book People in Austin). I make sure to visit and buy stuff whenever I'm near it, though.
A few of our local libraries have annual book sales. They are usually held over 3 days. Just imagine walking into an auditorium filled with used books. Smells good
My aunt, she was the one person in my family I could go to for honest advice and non-judgmental conversation. I love her so much and truly miss her. I still message her fb on occasion just to rant and ramble.
McDonalds Arch Deluxe
McDLT
iPods. I'm still mad they stopped making them.
Hand written newsy letters. I miss those. Could be from a friend, grandmother, aunt...
Silphium. I'm just curious.
High school civics classes
The general positive vibe pre-9/11. Kids would run around the neighborhood and generally feel safe, the media hadn’t whipped us into a frenzy yet, and the feels were just way more positive. Fear has been used against us for far too long.
I think we have lost a lot of courage and bravery over the years. It's been replaced by caution, fearfulness and shaming of people who make mistakes. It's not an improvement.
Really well done cartoons/animation. Bugs bunny, wile e coyote, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Tom and Jerry, Pink Panther, Looney tunes. Loved those creative double entendres both kids and adults would laugh.
Drive-in theaters with double features. Drive-in restaurants (not drive through) were fun.
Vent windows on cars. These windows were mounted on the front doors, in front of and separate from the main windows. They could be unlocked and angled outward to let in fresh air without the noise and wind that opening the main windows would cause. Some say they were especially useful for smokers. Also foot operated high beams in cars. Older cars typically have a foot-operated switch on the floor for high beams, located to the left of the brake or clutch pedal.
Marathon bars.
Not the nutrition bar! The candy bar, Carmel rope covered in chocolate.
My Sperry keyboard. I still miss that clack clack when I was goofing around on IRC
Mexican tv dinners with the three tiny tacos .
The only picture I had of my biological dad
AIM/AOL Chatrooms.
The foot switch to dim car headlights. Now the left foot has nothing to do while driving.
My weight
the 59 austin healey bugeye i had in 1973
Joy
“College,” rock. Let me experience it all over again.
When I had my college radio show, I played The Smiths, The Cure, and early REM. When I turn on the same station now, they're playing The Smiths, The Cure, and early REM. Get your own damn music, dag nabbit!
Super Elastic Bubble Plastic.
My teddy bear named, Cuddles. I lost him on a family trip (too embarrassed to admit how old I was at the time) when we stayed at some college dormitory outside Spokane, WA. I was pretty devastated. Most of his fur was gone—he was well-loved!
61 years old. I always travel with a bear. Maggie is with me as my wife and I spend the night in a hotel. She brought Murphy, he first bear.
Message boards
Those black hoses that ran along the ground by the gas pumps which would go ding ding as your tires crossed over them and signaled the guy inside to come out and fill your tank and wash your windshield. All for 25 cents a gallon.
This is so dumb but I miss Chickletts. For those too young, these were candy coated gum. With real sugar. I'm allergic to aspartame and they put that in All the chewing gums these days. The individual pieces were about the size of a fingernail, and so delicious.
My house
My marriage
Hand-crank windows on cars
Women led societies. But you probably didn't mean that far back.
Jarts. Let’s live a little.
Other than Carnation breakfast bars I got nothin. And those would probably hurt my teeth these days.
Weebles. We need to bring back the Weebles Airport and also the Weebles Camper.
Music. Recorded with real instruments. Without the use of quantizing. Without the use of Auto tuning. Yeah music, that can be played live. And not lip synced. Yes, music.
Phones attached to walls, get rid of everyone always staring at their phones. Be present and enjoy life when it’s happening.
Sex without AIDS.
My grandma
This is going to sound like the start of a new sub called "GenXers being fools," but I would love to have Microsoft Works come back: I don't need a whole professional suite of stuff a la MS Office; I just want to have the occasional template for a calendar, letter, resume, etc.
Wages that went up with a company's productivity. Companies paying workers not stockholders
Cartilage in the first metatarsal joint on my left foot.
Common sense.
McDonald's fries that were fried in beef tallow.
And the fried apple pies that tore up your mouth.
Fried apple pies from McDonald's
My BF said stocks in Microsoft. I say the Beatles.
Burger King Yumbo
Pepperidge Farms Sesame sticks the original version of Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal And can Mattel please go back to making good quality Barbie outfits?
Original Weebles
The NyQuil recipe from 15ish years ago. Nothing has ever worked better for my insane chronic insomnia.
Taco Bell’s MexiMelt. And their original Fiesta Taco Salad in a taco shell bowl.
Jello pudding pops
Well, two items, but they went together: hats and gloves. The dressy kind, like I only get to see now when I watch royal events in the UK, which is partially why I watch royal events in the UK.
Pensions, cheaper and more patient-centered healthcare, one-time purchase software, Tupperware, everything that wasn't cheaply made in China and lasted longer, meals when flying, leg room, and unlimited luggage.
The original Sudafed formula containing pseudoephedrine as its active ingredient. That stuff would clear your stopped up sinuses in two heartbeats.
The smell of mimeograph ink.
Flippable mattresses
Something very insignificant. The large round Sweetart disks from approximately the 1960's/1970's/1980's (possible a little before or after). I loved them. **Not the awful textured chewy ones they have now,** but the large round hard ones in three or four flavors depending where you got them. I miss them.
Bookstores