What cows say, followed by the letter "V"...

When I was a young lad, we didn't get to go see many movies.  Up until about 1983 there was a drive-in theater in Cassville that I remember going to a few times - I specifically remember seeing (well, being there for, but not necessarily paying attention to) "Cannonball Run", "Neighbors", and "Annie" (okay, that one I did actually watch!).  I think I may remember vaguely seeing parts of "Conan The Barbarian".   I always loved going to the drive-ins - thought it was so cool to hang the little speaker on your window, and I thought it was even cooler when we discovered that you could tune in to a certain FM station and hear it even better.  You could technically even go up on the hill behind the theater and watch and hear the movie without paying!  Not that we ever did that. 

Other than the occasional trip to the drive-in, though, we never really went out to the movies!  I do remember going to see "Superman" with my dad when it came out - either late '78 or early '79.  I just have this vague memory of walking into the theater, and it was snowing. 

In the summers of the 80s, I would occasionally go to visit my Aunt Phyllis in Pittsburgh, and she would take me to go see movies.  I remember going to see "E.T.", "Big", and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" with her - she bawled her eyes out on the first two, which makes those particular films that much more special to me. 


I also remember going on a church trip up to Kansas City, and seeing the marquee on the movie theater outside of Independence Center, and "Weird Science" was playing.  I'd seen the trailer for that on TV and I wanted to see it so badly!

We finally got a VCR in early 1984.  The first movie we rented was "Flashdance".  Why do I remember these things?  I don't know - it's the same part of my brain, I'm sure, that remembers that the first tapes I bought were "Into The Gap" by Thompson Twins and "Daylight Again" by Crosby, Still and Nash. It's the same part that remembers that the first videos I ever saw on MTV were "TV Dinners" by ZZ Top, "If I'd Been The One", by .38 Special, and "Authority Song" by John Cougar Mellencamp.  I just remember these things, okay?  :-)

Ever since we got that VCR, I started really getting into movies.  During the summers, when Ma and Randy were working, I'd ride my bike up to the PQ Mart and rent just about every movie they had up there - sometimes I'd ride up there 2 or 3 times a day, and it was a good mile and a half one way.

They were mostly just your average comedies - nothing serious, that's for sure, and I didn't really get into the horror stuff until much later.  It wasn't until college and even after that when I developed a taste for the really good films - stuff that only the Oscar voting panel watches.  But I do love a good indie flick - just ask my family about "The Ice Storm".  I liked it - everyone else still gives me crap about "making them watch it" to this day!

Anyway, what does this have to do with today's stroke?  Nothing, really.  I was just thinking about movies today for some reason, and thought I'd just write it all down.  Oh, but I did do a silver stroke, in memory of our very first VCR (not exactly like this one, but close).  And now, off to watch another movie.  Ta ta!