Eyre Affairs

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Tuesday, April 18, 2006

"She would not be born till to-morrow..." ~ Jane Eyre

Most of my childhood memories are from the 1980's, but I was born in 1978 and was thinking this morning about all of the wonderful things to come out of that decade.

One may ask, what wonderful things? True, paisley bell-bottoms, orange shaggy rugs, the Beatles Breakup, and Nixon's antics are not exactly stellar aspects of the decade, but I think there are some wonderful gifts from the 70's that are forgotten too often.

~ The Fondue Pot: Fondue made an amazing comeback a few years ago, and thanks to J.Sarah, I have a fondue pot that serves four. Waterzooi serves fondue daily, some made with beer and some with wine. One of the best fondues can be found at Artisinal. To quote a friend on a night a bunch of us went to La Bonne Soup for a big fondue pot, "Who knew cheese and bread could be so exciting?"

~ Star Wars: To this day, I get a lump in the back of my throat each time I see Luke Skywalker stare at the two moons of Endor as he stands in the dessert of Tatouine. I teach Star Wars to my freshman, tying it in to my mythology unit. It speaks for itself. The films capture the Hero Archetype set by the Ancient Greeks in their stories. My favorite of the three is Empire. I don't consider the new ones to have all that much merit, except for the end of the last one where James Earl Jones is back as Vader. Star Wars was released in 1977, and I saw it. My mom went with my father when she was pregnant with me and Robin. It explains a lot when it comes to our love of this epic, believe me.

~ John Denver: I love John Denver. My aunt was crazy about him in the early part of the 80's, and that love transposed itself on to me, my mother, and my sisters. I prefer his country music to his other folk music, but "Annie's Song" is probably the best song he has in his repertoire. I once read it was the most popular wedding song of the 70's, but I try to block the image of grooms in seersucker suits dancing to this with their hippie brides. "Calypso" isn't really a country song, but I just love when he yodels in it.

~ The Godfather: Self-explanatory. There is only one part of the movie I can't stand, and that is when sweet Apollonia gets killed. I never liked Kaye for Michael.

~ Pablo Neruda: Pablo Neruda won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1971. He is my favorite poet because he is multi-faceted in his subjects. His poems range from political to romantic to passions regarding food. One of my favorite Neruda poems is called, "Oda Al Tomate" or "Ode to Tomatoes."
http://www.soupsong.com/ftomato2.html

~ Sesame Street: At almost 8 months old, Jack already loves Elmo. I think this show was and is so important to instilling good values in young children. Well, that and I love that Cookie Monster helped us all to embrace our cookie-loving selves. One of my dream jobs includes being a producer for the Children's Television Workshop.

~ Clogs: I loved clogs. I loved the sound they made, and I still remember trying on Missy's and walking around her room trying not to trip since they were too big on me. No doubt she is reading this and perturbed at yet another example of how Robin and I invaded her room. I would wear clogs today. That slap sound clogs make reminds me of summer.

Other favorites include corduroy pants, Bruce Springsteen, and Happy Days. Oh, and there is nothing I love more than viewing family photos from the 70's. I can't believe my father wore bell bottoms and had mutton chops and my mother wore gypsy blouses.

14 Comments:

Blogger beachgirl said...

The Godfather and Star Wars, both classics!! My personal favorite is the music, I love disco!!

2:13 PM  
Blogger Barry said...

Don't forget the Eagles, America, American Graffiti... lot's of good 70's stuff. Some great early 70's muscle cars too!! Still had Hemi Chargers, Z-28's and the like...Oh well, I guess I just agree with you a bit

2:27 PM  
Blogger ThursdayNext said...

Beachgirl ~ I cannot believe I forgot ABBA! The best disco group ever!

Barry ~ I am glad you added to the list. :) I apoligize for forgetting the Eagles - they are the best, indeed.

2:51 PM  
Blogger Clearlykels said...

You know, I have not seen any of the Godfather movies. I think I saw part of the Star Wars, but I cannot be sure.

3:24 PM  
Blogger ThursdayNext said...

Kels ~ I actually didnt see the G-father until three years ago! Its worth staying in one night and making a big bowl of fettucine over. ;) As for Star Wars, well, I advocate watching it first!

3:45 PM  
Blogger Heather said...

Ahhh, I love the sound that clogs make when they slap!!

Isn't that silly!

4:09 PM  
Blogger Slim said...

I was born in 1977. I just saw Godfather 1 and 2 in the last couple months. I'm of Italian heritage (sort of-I'm the whitest white girl you'll ever meet and I sunburn like a newborn baby).When I was a child my father (whose grandfather immigrated from Italy) expressed that he hates mafia movies because they stereotype Italian-Americans. I guess I subconciuosly took on his sentiment until my boyfriend talked me into seeing them. They're entertaining! Who knew?

Ahhh, I remember the first time I had cheese fondue. It was with my father and step-mother. I remember thinking it was a strange dinner spread, and being amazed that simply dipping bread into cheese could be such an enjoyable meal.

Thanks for the memory.

I can't wear clogs, they seem to fly off my feet as I walk. Maybe I walk funny.

8:03 PM  
Blogger Charlie Mc said...

don't forget the crush you had/still have on Schneider from "One Day at a Time" I know is tool belt turns you on! :)

7:14 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

78!!! your a Baby!

7:32 AM  
Blogger K said...

What a great post. I'm still in absolute lust with fondue. I would have suggested that for our upcoming party (along with the sangria)--but the sangria already got vetoed for being too easily spilled on our rugs and I can't imagine the fondue would go over well (dang those multiple roommates)...but I'd still like to hear your recipe--so intrigued!

11:26 AM  
Blogger Steph said...

Oh wow! What a flashback for me. I remember all of those things, too - although first hand. My uncle had to wait in line overnight for tickets to the premiere of Star Wars. My parents had fondue parties where everyone who came over was wearing bell bottoms and dancing in the living room to the 5th Dimension! And John Denver, yup, loved him. I even wrote a post once on how I caught a special on him on PBS and loved every minute of it! What a great decade. We had click-clacks, banana seats on our bikes with "sissy bars", and our hair cut into "wings."
Oh my gosh, these are such great memories! Thanks!

1:18 PM  
Blogger Christie E. Little said...

Wow...
Clogs..love
Happy Days...love!
Star Wars..my boy loves!(now I know all about Luke, Darth and the Sith Lord..lol)
Hey babe...Grease!
xoxo

ps..Cali is fabulous!

4:06 PM  
Blogger ThursdayNext said...

Heather - No that is not silly. :) Come to NY soon so we can slap clogs as we walk...

WIP ~ I agree; those movies are for entertainment value only, as is the Sopranos!

Chaz ~ I was in love with the Duke boys, not Schneider. Humph!

V ~ You rock my world for calling me YOUNG! ;)

K ~ Sangria recipes shall be sent to you via email for certain!

Steph ~ I am going digging for the Denver post tomorrow! What is your favorite song?

TG ~ Were you loving Danny or Kinicky more? I was more of a Kinicky girl myself...

10:39 PM  
Blogger Shauna said...

Every single item on your list is one of my favorites! Are we the same person? Oh, and besides that, Jane Eyre is my favorite novel in the world. I read it first when I was eleven, then read it agan every winter for the next twenty years.

12:27 PM  

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