My Younger Adventures At The Drive-In Movies

Drive-In Movies were an important and educational part of my teenage and young adult years. The so-called "passion pits" was a place for young adults to socialize and date and I spent many a Saturday night at the drive-in. Conditions were not always perfect, but the drive-in movie presented an opportunity to be alone with your girlfriend.

My first car (pictured below...that's me in the blue shirt) was a 1955 Midnight Blue Ford with a three speed floor mounted transmission. The typical car of that era did not normally have air-conditioning, power steering or power brakes. I don't recall exactly how much it cost to get in, but I do remember that you could buy gas, get into the drive-in and eat for around five dollars.

If I didn't have a date, I would usually go to the drive-in with a group of guys and when we entered the drive in, there would be a driver and one passenger. Once inside, we would pull the car to the back of the lot, open the trunk and let our other friends get out. My friend's 1956 Buick would fit up to four guys rather comfortably.

On a date, things did not always go exactly as planned, but that was part of the learning process. The weather and time of year was always a factor. It was hot and sticky in the summer and mosquitoes were a constant problem. The heat and the mosquitoes quite often put a damper on my romance. There's nothing worse that to be in deeply involved in business and be attacked from the rear by a kamikaze mosquito.

Fall, winter and spring months were the best and the cool air made it easy to snuggle up to my date. The movie speakers were attached to a pole beside the car and you took one off the pole and hung it on the window. When you rolled the windows up, it made for a cozy atmosphere. I can recall many a time when my windows, as well as the windows of the other cars around me, were all steamed up.

Intermission was the time when everyone headed to the bathrooms and afterwards, we'd buy a hot dog and a coke. It was a time to check out all the other people there and socialize. When I was with the guys, we'd go on a scouting mission to see if there was a car full of girls. All in all, it was good times and fond memories and some of the first of life's lessons were learned there.

After the movies were over, everyone would usually head to the local drive-in restaurant and hang out. I'll have more on that scene on Friday.

Kudos to Donald Trump for not relenting to pressure and allowing Miss California, Carrie Prejean, to retain her title. On April 29th at the Miss U.S.A. pageant, "celebrity blogger" Perez Hilton asked Miss California if she thought that the equal marriage ought to be extended to gay and lesbian couples across the country.

Prejean, 21, of San Diego, created controversy when she answered the question by saying she believes marriage should only be between a man and a woman.

This, evidently, offended Hilton and others and in a New York minute, semi-nude pictures of Prejean surfaced and were leaked to the media. Demands were made that Prejean be stripped of her title.

The last time I checked, I was living in America and freedom of speech is a right held by all. If you can stand in public and announce that you have the right to screw camels, I have the right to say that I prefer women.

Craigslist's "Erotic Services" section, will entirely removed in the next seven days after being investigated by several state and federal government agencies. Often referred to as the "local Internet brothel", this action came after a number of attacks and the murder of a prostitute.

Speaking of investigations, look for indictments and arrests of ACORN officers and officials in the coming month's. ACORN, a democratic based organization is under investigations in twelve states for fraudulent 2008 voter registration and some of the registration forms were under names including Dallas Cowboys football players, Mickey Mouse, and from telephone directories, verbatim.

This Date In History: 1607; Jamestown, Virginia, is founded. 1787; The First Fleet carries the first shipment of British convict settlers to Botany Bay in Australia. 1940; In his first speech before the British House of Commons, new Prime Minister Winston Churchill rallies the country to war saying, "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat." 1981; Pope John Paul II is shot in the Vatican's Saint Peter's Square.

Picture Of The Day: Drive-ins...those were the days. It seems like yesterday and the fond memories of that era always bring a grin to my face. My second car (pictured above) was a 1963 Chevrolet Impala and and I purchased it after I crashed my 1955 ford. The 1955 Ford in the background was purchased for parts so that I could rebuild my crashed car. After I rebuilt it, I ended up selling it because of my soon-to-be service with the United States Army.

Birthdays: Sir Arthur Sullivan, composer 1842, Sir Ronald Ross, physician and entomologist 1857, Daphne du Maurier, writer 1907, Peter Gabriel, singer and songwriter 1950, Stevie Wonder, singer and songwriter 1950.

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) I don't believe that it takes a village to raise a child, it takes two parents. 2) Being a singer-musician, I've always loved music. One of the perks that come along with playing in a band is that you become popular with the the girls (no matter how ugly you are). 3) I believe that a clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. 4) According to a new survey, women say they feel more comfortable undressing in front of men than they do undressing in front of other women. They say that women are too judgmental, where, of course, men are just grateful. 5) I have a tendency to talk to myself and I rather enjoy the company. The only problem is that I am so used to talking to myself, that I sometimes I do it in public which ofttimes causes panic among anyone within earshot.

The Hits Just Keep On Coming:

A group of psychiatrists were attending their first seminar on emotional extremes. The speaker said,"Frank, just to establish some parameters, what is the opposite of joy?" Frank replied, "Sadness."

The speaker continued, "Thomas, What is the opposite of depression. Thomas pondered the question and answered, "Elation." The speaker looked toward the back of the class and said, "Bubba, what is the opposite of woe?" Bubba replied, "I believe that would be giddyup."

The following ditty comes to me via my pal, Garnett. I wonder if he was trying to tell me something?

An older man approached an attractive younger woman at a shopping mall and says, "Excuse me, miss, I can't seem to find my wife. Can you talk to me for a couple of minutes?"

The woman, feeling a bit of compassion for the old fellow, said, "Of course, sir. Do you know where your wife might be?" The man said, "I have no idea, but every time I talk to a woman with an ass like yours, she appears out of nowhere."

An Irishman had been drinking at a pub all night and the bartender finally said that the bar was closing. The Irishman stood up to leave and fell flat on his face. He tried to stand one more time with the same result. He figured he'd crawl outside and get some fresh air and maybe that would sober him up.

Once outside he stood up and fell flat on his face, so he decided to crawl the four blocks to his home. When he arrived at the door, he stood up and again fell flat on his face. He crawled through the door and into his bedroom. When he reached his bed he tried one more time to stand up. This time he managed to pull himself upright, but he quickly fell right into bed and was sound asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He was awakened the next morning to his wife standing over him, shouting, "So, you've been out drinking again!!" The Irishman asked, "What makes you say that?" His wife said, "The pub called. You left your wheelchair there again."

That's it for today my little teeny boppers. Wednesday is Hump Day and that means a trek to AREA 51. Part Deux of "the Drive-in" and more on Friday.

Stay Tuned !