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 pantyhose, dishwasher, clothes dryers, electric blankets,
air conditioners, drip-dry clothes...
and before man walked on the moon.

We got married first and THEN lived together,
How quaint can you be?
In our time, closets were for clothes, not for "coming out of".
Bunnies were small rabbits and rabbits were not Volkswagens.
Designer jeans were scheming girls named Jean,
and having a meaningful relationship
meant getting along with your cousin.

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

Back then, "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 where there were 5-and-10 cent
stores, where you bought things for
five and ten cents.  Ice Cream cones were 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 postcards.  You could
buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600...
But who could afford one?
A pity, too, since gas was only 11 cents a gallon!!

In our day, grass was mowed, coke was a cold drink and
pot was something you cooked in.
Rock music was a grandma's lullaby and
AIDS were helpers in the Principal's Office.
We we 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.

Sent in by
Frank Termini
Adjutant
Outpost Five