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The day before yesterday, I went about decluttering my study. I had to say goodbye to a whole lot of stuff that made me nostalgic but no longer had any purpose in my home. As I sorted through CD after CD, book after book, I felt like I’d been transported back in time. I could remember all the time I spent huddled over my CD player, gripping the booklets filled with notes from the artists and lyrics (if you were lucky). I thought, wow – I was actually pretty cool! Well, at least my music taste was haha.
As books and CDs become less of a ‘thing’, with the rise of newer, quicker, more compact technology, I realise that so many things were unique to my generation (as were all the things the generations before us enjoy memories of). I actually felt a little emotional when I handed all of the stuff over to the lovely staff at Cash Converters (for those not familiar – they’re Aussie pawn shops). And they were lovely. They were quite excited at the nostalgia I had brought back to them too.
I was inspired to create a bit of a throwback themed meme of memories – you can give it a go in the comments too or let me know if you blog about it (be sure to link back here so we can all find each other)! Don’t be afraid to give lots of details so that I can feel like I was there! x
What is your first ever memory?
I really clearly remember being on a sailing boat. I remember being outside the cabin thinking I was totally going to fall over the edge into the water. I was scared and really wanted to go back inside the cabin where it felt safe. This happened a few times in a row until finally I realised I didn’t need to be scared. I then remember wondering where that boat was and when I’d get to enjoy not being scared again (my parents had sold their boat damn it – I’d only just got the hang of it). I asked my mum about this a while later and she was shocked that it was my first memory. I was only 18 months old!!
First music album you picked out/bought:
I was a little late to the CD game (I was a cassette girl for a little longer than a lot of my friends who were so cool and had portable Discman players), but it was a big deal when I bought my first one. It was the Sunday Morning single by No Doubt (which google tells me was in 2005). I was probably about 10 or 11 years old.
First concert/live music gig you went to:
I went to a Silverchair concert with my best friend. It was 1997. We were head over heels in love with Daniel Johns (the lead singer/guitarist). The show was at the now non existent Perth Entertainment Centre. We were too small for the moshpit so we sat in general seating with my friend’s older brother who had kindly agreed to chaperone us. I kind of remember embarrassing him a bit when we squealed and sang along haha. Also, I found the ticket stub yesterday. It cost us $27 to get in. THE TICKET COST $27 – WTF. Ammonia and Magic Dirt were the support acts. OMG.
First car:
I had a charcoal coloured 1994 Nissan Pulsar sedan (which I thought was waaaaaay superior to a hatchback for some reason haha). I bought her from my parents (they knew I’d be safe in her). I had to earn half of her value and my parents would match me dollar for dollar. They made good on their promise – yay! I decked her out with a dodgy Blaupunkt stereo that hated half of my CDs and we were in business! She was called Buzz because she had the letters ‘BZ’ on her numberplate. I kept her for years, but ended up selling her to a nice police family.
What do you remember most about your first childhood home?
I remember the backyard (probably also because of all the photos my mum took). There was a great area out the back, where we had a swing set and a cubby house. My mum would tape a big piece of cardboard to the outside (exposed red brick) wall so we could paint. I also remember the family room. The family dog Bo Bo would come in and get all excited, barking and making the rug move under his paws.
Did you ever get in trouble at school? What for?
I was pretty good. I’d get told off for talking in class sometimes. I think I was disciplined for not doing my homework on time a couple of times. I think I had maybe one detention in my whole high school career. Something about a swimming carnival, but I have no idea what I did wrong.
Name 5 movies or TV shows you remember watching most as a kid/teen:
- Home Improvement
- Full House
- Lion King
- Recovery (remember that 3 hour Saturday morning show on the ABC hosted by Dylan Lewis? OMG)
- Rage. Back when they did the countdown of the top 50 songs each week. I’d try and wake up super early on a Saturday morning, sneak out to the TV, plug in some headphones taken from my walkman (haha) and watch as many music video clips as I could before my mum busted me. My poor mum haha.
First celebrity crush:
It’s hard to say. Probably Jonathan Taylor Thomas (yes JTT) of Home Improvement fame? I used to pin up his posters from my TV Hits magazines. That’s a little embarrassing but it was totally age appropriate at the time!
What did you want to be/do when you grew up?
I wanted to be everything from rock star, to pro surfer travelling around in a Holden EH wagon (very specific). I also wanted to be a SAHM because my mum was so awesome at it. As I got a bit older and realised that there’s this thing called reality (my passions may have been music and surfing but my talents and dedication were rather lacking) and wanted to be a youth worker or social worker.
What new technology excited you while you were growing up?
I remember when we got the internet. We got a computer and the internet at the same time. It was a big deal. Back then, not everyone had both. My friends all had the internet before we did. I know, right? HOLY F*CK I’M OLD NOW.
I remember finding these ‘make your own website for free’ things. I tried to start blogging (before I even knew what blogging was), but because like no-one had the internet, it didn’t exactly take off. And I think it was really difficult back then. I probably just forgot all of the passwords and stuff. I used to spend lots of time at friends’ places in IRC chat rooms (sorry Mum). So bad, now that I think about it. So many creeps that we were naively flirting with while WAAAAAY under age. Yikes!
So…now it’s your turn! x
