Those kids have no idea what The Mother Road is or was-nor do they care.  It
is so sad to see icons disappearing and no one caring.

Pause Here For Nostalgia: (author uncertain)

For All Those Born Before 1945

           WE ARE SURVIVORS !!! Consider the changes we have witnessed. We
were born before television, before penicillin, before polio shots, frozen
foods, Xerox, plastic, contact lenses, Frisbees, and the PILL. We were
before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams, and ball point pens,
before panty hose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air
conditioners, drip-dry clothes---and before man walked on the moon.

           We were married first and then lived together. How quaint can
you be? In our time closets were clothes, not for "coming out of". Bunnies
were small rabbits and rabbits were not Volkswagens. Designer Jeans were
scheming girls named Jean or Jeanne, and hav­ing a meaningful relationship
meant getting along well with our cousins.

           We thought fast food was what you ate during Lent, and Outer
Space was the back of the Drive-In-Theater.

           We were before house-husbands, gay rights, computer dating, dual
careers and commuter marriages. We were before day-care cen­ters, group
therapy and nursing homes. We never heard of FM ra­dio, tape decks, electric
typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt and guys wearing
earrings. For us, time-shar­ing meant togetherness-not computers or
condominiums. A chip meant a piece of wood; hardware meant hardware, and
software wasn't even a word.

           In 1948, "made in Japan" meant junk and the term "making out"
referred to how you did on your exam. Pizzas, McDonalds and instant coffee
were unheard of. We hit the scene when there were 5 and 10-cent stores,
where you bought things for five and ten cents. Sanders or Wilson sold ice
cream cones for a nickel or a dime. For one nickel you could ride a street
car, make a phone call, buy a Pepsi or enough stamps to mail one letter and
two post cards. You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600 but who could
afford; a pity too, because gas was $0.11 a gallon!

           In our day, cigarette smoking was fashionable, GRASS was mowed,
COKE was a cold drink, and POT was something you cooked in. ROCK MUSIC was
Grandma's lullaby and AIDS were helpers in the principals office.

           We were certainly not before the difference between the sexes
was discovered, but we were surely before the sex change; we made do with
what we had!

           And we were the last generation that was so dumb as to think you
needed a husband to have a baby! No wonder we are so confused and there is
such a generation gap today.

           BUT WE SURVIVED!!!!! WHAT BETTER REASON TO CELEBRATE?

If you don't feel like a crusty anachronism-I do and am proud of it.

By the way... I'm leary of Brits... even long-resident Brits... analyzing
"Yanks"

Remember this is the same arrogant rag that had its readers write to voters
in my county to explain WHY it was imperative they vote for Kerry...

Sure enough, they added about ten points to Bush's margin at the polls.

{niggling thoughts of a king named George and something about 'tea'}

I wasnt long ago that Guardian was making fun of those behemoth driving
yokels... all the time their readers secretly wished to come over on a
fellowship and spend a year driving one of them, which they had picked up
for about the price of a set of new 'tyres' back home.
{personal anecdote on THAT!}

We might email the author and ask what he thinks of the new version
Mustang... but, oh well...

GM pays $925 with every car