The other night I was in our local Homeland, as I am every few days, buying milk. Honestly, if someone could invent some kind of long-term pasteurizing method that would keep milk from expiring, so I could buy thirty gallons at a time, instead of having to continually run to the store twice a week for three more gallons, over and over and over, I swear I would kiss them on the lips. Drive through liquor barns in Ohio that also sold milk by the gallon??? Best. Thing. Ever.
But I digress.
After I picked up the milk, and some bread, and some Lucky Charms because my kids are on a Lucky Charms kick, and oh look, some Oreos fell into my cart ..... I pushed the buggy up to the check out lanes at the front of the store. There was a family in line in front of me ..... well, a mom and her teenage son, that is.
His back was to me, and I noticed right away that he was dressed .... well ... as many teenage boys are these days. Baggy pants, oversized hoodie, ball cap twisted sideways. The other thing I noticed immediately was that he had some kind of twitch. I mean, it was that, or a series of small seizures, but since his mom wasn't paying any special kind of attention, I just assumed it was a twitch. And I thought, "Oh, that's unfortunate." Then he turned around and I realized he had an ipod in his ears.
Dear Mr. Stork, thank you for delivering me in the mid 1960's, which means I was a teenager in the mid 1980's, the age of portable stereo systems and breakdancing. Because although I'm sure most of us born in this era looked just as silly as that boy when we were his age, at least people who saw us out in public usually could tell we weren't twitching, but instead were dancing --- the giant boomboxes were typically a dead giveaway. Who knew to be grateful for ghetto blasters?? We might have looked ridiculous, but at least it wasn't confused with Tourettes.**
**and I mean this with no disrespect to anyone with Tourettes, considering Kellen was almost diagnosed with that a few years ago ...... just that in hindsight, I'm happy for my boombox, which classified me as a dork, loud and clear, instead of teeny tiny ipods, which make kids of today less-obvious dorks.
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21 comments:
LOL! I know exactly what you mean. What is even better are the poor souls that are LOUDLY (and obliviously) practicing for their upcoming audition for Randy, Paula & Simon. You know the ones I am talking about. The one's that are trying real hard to make your ears bleed.
There is ultra-pasteurized milk, and it doesn't even need to be refrigerated until it's opened! In Europe it's sold in tetra-pack cartons, and it's starting to show up in American stores that way, too.
Why in the world was Kellen nearly diagnosed with Tourettes?? Inquiring minds MUST know this!
And holy CRAP, do your kids drink a lot of milk! Not sure what the cost of milk is in your area but here it is quite expensive. I buy it at Costco since it is nearly a dollar cheaper per gallon there. I buy 2-3 gallons a week and when it's gone, man, it's gone. Suffer with the water, baby!
You and I must be around the same age. Do you remember the "ipod of the 80s"? That would be a Sony Walkman. I had version WM4. It was about size of a small paperback, a heavy one at that. I wore it on a strap across my shoulders with large headphones attached. I did not have big hair. Actually my hair was worse than big hair...I had a "Dorothy Hamil" for the late 70s, and then a "Julie the purser from the Love Boat" hairstyle for the early 80s. I do miss the 80s--it was my time of coming of age.
I agree - drive thru's (or called Pony Kegs) that sell milk = genius!!
Diane in Cincinnati OHIO!!!
Do you really call shopping carts buggy's??? or were you just saying that for the sake of making the story more interesting???? Cause... really... that's a little weird!! :)
I'm also thankful we had cellphones that you had to hold to your ears and not a little tiny earbud so no one thought I was talking to myself.
What's so wierd about a "buggy?"
...maybe its a southern term...
Anne in Ga. (formerly from the great state of TEXAS)
Umm, I say "buggy", too. (e.g. when I get halfway through the store, having intended to get 2 items, and I now have 15 things stacked precariously in my arms, I will ask my son to please hurry and get a buggy..)
ANYway.... just had to laugh at the asterisk and disclaimer, because you KNOW someone will post a nasty comment about how insensitive you are. Happens every time... *sigh*.
I thought you were going to tell us that his pants were halfway between his waist and his knees when you mentioned the teenager in front of you.. since that was the topic of conversation at dinner last night with my teenagers. My 16 year old son told us that there's a boy in his science class who wears his pants way down.. and that the science substitute yesterday said that he wondered if the boy knew where that fad started?? The boy said, yeah, it's cool in prison. The sub said "No, you're right about it starting in prison, but it isn't cool.. it just means that the guy wearing his pants that way is available".. My son said that the boy had his pants pulled up after that conversation! We laughed so hard I spit my milk out.. (and we drink about five gallons a week in our house, too, with two teenagers and two parents who drink it..)
wow, I thought our 2 gallons of milk a week was alot! lol! Of course, we end up with 3 total because my dear husband won't touch the organic stuff I buy for the little one. I remember the big ghetto blasters of the 80's- except as an elementary age child I thought the teenagers who had them were the coolest thing ever! loL!
I'm with you on the milk Kristie, around here we have a freakin MILK MAN! I see him drive around but yet never get around to calling him to see how much he would charge me. Instead I run to Target and buy my 4 gallons as well as 80 bucks worth of other stuff. The milk man might actually be a good investment for me!
http://www.organicvalley.coop/products/milk-and-cream/shelf-stable-milks/
Theres a link to Organic milk that does not need to be refrigerated until it's opened. Great for traveling, and while we've been on vacation.
You probably spend a little more on it but totally worth it!
ACK! You mean those drive-thru liquor/milk places aren't all over the place? What a thing to be proud of as a former Ohioan--being from a state that you can drive thru and drink at the same time. When the boys were babies, I remember relying on those drive thrus--heavily.
Yeah, but you know what's just a little bit weirder than a teenager with an IPOD?
It's seeing people talking to themselves as they walk down the isle at the super market and wondering why and thinking you only used to see those people in the city in the not so nice parts of town and hmmm, wonder what they are doing here.... then having that aha moment when you realize they have a blue tooth in their ear and they are not just a crazy person wandering around the store.
Marie
www.caringbridge.org/visit/marielle
We had Drive Thru Daiquiri shops in Louisiana. They give it to you with Masking tape draped across the straw hole, and the straw in it's paper cover, so that they are not giving you an"open container." You get the privilege of opening it yourself, LOL!
I call mine a Grocery Cart. Not a buggy. sorry! I think Buggy is funny too.
Claire in TX
Maybe it is a southern thing...I've always said "buggy" too!
Remember the movie Say Anything? Lloyd had his boom box goin on!
UHT, baby!!...it's the only kind of milk I can buy here in Africa. You know the little horizon milks at Starbucks??...those are UHT. But to tell you the truth, I would go to the grocery store every day if I knew I could get a gallon of fresh milk.
That last Anonymous was me...Rachael...and I say buggy too.
AMEN SISTER!!!!! So, so, so THERE with you!!!!! I can't text for heck and since we don't have unlimited text messaging I hardly ever do. I'm with you re: the boom box too.
No matter how many years I have now bought MULTIPLE gallons of milk per week for our family of 7, I still check the stupid expiration date. Most times, it makes me laugh at myself for even thinking the milk will make it anywhere close to the expiration date.....but then I do it again a couple of days later when I'm buying more. I'd pay good money for super-pasteurized milk that I could buy once a month!!
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