Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with childhoodmemories

She got away by not swimming, I think?

inging — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:48:32 -0800

NancyDrewFilesFilter: The one where she's pushed into a tank with a Great! White! Shark! I can't remember the title, and the sites I've found that list all the titles in the series don't include summaries. I would love to read it again, if I can get my hands on it, and step one is determining the correct title. Thanks, Nancy Drew aficionados.

Hey, remember crazy mannequin shows from the 80's?

pedmands — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:54:55 -0800

Here's a semi-tough one (at least, I think). TV show from the 80's, had at least one character that was a mannequin who would come to life after you placed his cabbie-hat on him... I remember him being in a department store at the top of an escalator, something to that effect. There was also an episode in which a live character was home sick and he brought her chicken soup, I think. There was also a computer and an owl. Damned if I don't sound crazy.

This one has been bugging me and my lady all day, to the extent that I passed up my chance this week to ask an anonymous Q that's been bothering me... impulsive, I know, but necessary.

Thanks.

How do you know you were four?

creasy boy — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:05:14 -0800

In your childhood memories, how do you know how old you were? My whole life I've never understood this. When people are telling stories about things they remember when they were 4, or 7, or whatever, how do they know how old they were? Does the memory come branded with the year? This comment is an example. Here's another example from the same thread. How do you know if you were 4 or 5 or 6 years old at the time? At the very most I could maybe, based on context, say what school grade I was in -- starting in about the 6th grade; before then everything is pretty much a big blur. I would very much like to know how you manage to put a year to your early memories.

The poem that haunts my nightmares!

InnocentBystander — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:02:33 -0800

Help me find a poem I read over 10 years ago and have hazy memories of! It's about termites that eat steel. Does this ring any bells? A man wanders into a decaying cityscape, and at the end of the poem, he sees some termites and wants to keep them away from wood, or something, and an old-timer tells him: "They don't eat wood any more," and pulls from its jaws a glistening crumb of steel.

I've been thinking of this poem for days and haven't been able to successfully google it. I think I read it in my 8th grade literature anthology, if that helps any.

Jogging down memory lane.

bonobo — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:01:33 -0800

Anyone familiar with nursery schools or grade schools in the East Los Angeles or Pico Rivera, CA, area in the mid-to-late '70s? A name to go with the memories would be most welcome. I was born in 1975 and my birth parents and I lived in Pico Rivera, CA, on La Docena Lane in the vicinity of Rivera Park. I attended either preschool or kindergarten while living there. The few details I can recall are sketchy but seem unique enough that it might jog someone else's memory.

The grounds were based on a courtyard plan. Not entirely unique for the area, I'm sure. This courtyard was landscaped with lush tropical plants.
There were two playgrounds, side by side and not within the courtyard. One playground had typical equipment--swings, slides, and monkey bars. The adjoining lot was paved and had tricycles and another type of wheeled ride-on toy pedaled with one's hands.
The playgrounds were next to a fenced-in area with at least two giant tortoises we could observe and sometimes feed.
Another part of the school grounds had a wee carousel with wheeled horses that we pedaled like bicycles.

I haven't any family members I can ask about this place I remember so fondly. Thank you.

What kind of markers did I have when I was kid?

scose — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 22:33:43 -0800

My first memory is fighting with my twin brother over a set of markers. I'm trying to figure out what kind of markers they were, and I'm going crazy! They were about four inches long and flat-- the cross section would be about 1 inch by 1/2 inch. The bodies were mostly black. They were in a set of two or three tiers, somewhere around 20 colors. I had always thought they were Chartpaks, but a google search turns up only their long, round Ad Markers. I remember using them in 1988, but they could have been bought anywhere from 1983 to 1988.

name this little mag from the early 80's

darkpony — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 14:27:18 -0800

1980ish - western massachusetts I had a newsprint publication abot 50 - 80 pages with a bunch of single page indy comics in it. what the heck was it called? I was 10 or 12. I probably picked it up for free in northhampton ma. I recall it had alot of R. Crumb 'style' b/w short comics. various artists. I'm also assuming it was somewhat political but it all went over my head. My parents may have eventually thrown it out when they finally looked inside. Possibly had some essays or writing but I know there were ALOT of comics (that's why I loved it so).

It was on newsprint like a local 'shoppers guide' type rag.

I mention mass because it may have been a regional compilation but could have also had a wider circulation than I was aware of. may have been a one time deal or a monthly or quarterly publication but I only ever had that one issue.

I know I barely understood most of it but it fascinated me. last night it popped into my head and now I can't stop thinking about it.

What the heck was it called?