Terrific gifts for boomers - Click the pic for more information:
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The BBHQ Boomer Essays:
Everybody's Got a Story!
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Our Boomer-In-Charge here at BBHQ, Hershel Chicowitz, writes
frequently about current events... from a boomer perspective. He is
sometimes funny, sometimes provocative, sometimes a little of each. We
hope you get a kick out of our Boomer Essays.
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We get letters... we get lots and lots of letters..... Perhaps one of
the biggest kicks we get out of BBHQ comes from the stories we
receive from other boomers. (And some of them... from you
single women.... whew!!) Our "When I
Was a Kid..." section offers short, verbal "pictures" of what it was
like... when boomers were kids.
But in this case, a picture cannot tell a story. Only a story can tell
a story. The boomer years was a fabulous time to grow up. We all have
terrific experiences and wonderful stories to tell. Indeed, many of the
boomers who write to us say they would like some day to put their stories
on paper, but....
But what?
My father died when I was a teenager; my mother, over a decade ago.
There is not a day that goes by that I don't wish I knew more about
them, what they felt and believed, how they delt with issues when they
were my age. Not a single day.
Last Christmas, my sister gave me a diary that my dad kept during the
war. He made an entry nearly every day between Saturday, June 10, 1942
and Thursday, January 4, 1945. The real surprising part is that my
mother and sister had this diary in their possession for over 30 years...
and I never knew about it. But that's another story. Anyway, it is a
wonderful memoir of the war as my father lived it, and a priceless piece
of our family history.
There is a small problem with the translation, however. My father was a
doctor; and you know what they say about their handwriting. My father
got an A in every class in medical school, including doctors'
penmanship. Apparently my sister and my mom tried for 30 years to read
it, and never got past page three. If you can make sense out of any of
this, please let me know; I have 142 other pages I desperately need help
with.
I note that on Wednesday, he played nine holes of golf, and shot a 50.
Obviously, preparing for civilain life as a doctor.
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Anyway, we all tend to procrastinate. My mother (that's her, over there
on the right) never did get her story down on paper. And it is a shame,
'cause she had much to tell.
So my admonition to you this week is to please don't let your kids and
grandkids say the same thing fifty years from now. They may not care
today, they will want to know some day; believe me, they will.
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What did you think about the Vietnam War?
Did you go to Woodstock? What was it like?
Were you a hippie? What were they like?
Why did you wear those crazy clothes?
What do you remember about President Kennedy?
Where were you when you heard Kennedy had been assassinated?
Were you popular in school?
When did you get your first transistor radio?
What was your first boyfriend like?
How did you meet dad?
Was the disco really popular?
Did you think that school was a drag?
Did you ever have a black and white TV?
Did you really leave your door unlocked at night?
Did you really walk 5 miles to school every day in 3 feet of snow?
Why were the Beatles so popular? And Elvis?
What were the songs like back then? What did they make you think of?
What did you do for fun when you were a teenager?
What were you afraid of when you were a kid?
What was it like when President Nixon resigned?
And if you still have the luxury... please, please, do the same for your
parents! They, too, have endearing stories to tell. Tom Brokaw's book,
"The Greatest Generation," contains touching stories of ordinary and
not-so-ordinary people during the war. I'm sure your parents' stories are
just as compelling. But if they never record it, nobody will ever
know.
What are you waiting for?
Click here to test your knowledge!
The Boomer Essays - On Being a Boomer:
Personal Stories of the Chicowitz:
Exploring My Roots: A Chicowitz History
A Trip to the Dentist
The Chicowitz Gets Dumped - Again!
Just Shoot Me!
He Sleeps with the Fishes
My Little Girl, Princess
Why am I Still Single?
The Plastic Surgery Saga
Our House is a Very, Very, Very Fine House... Not!
Our House - Part 2
Our House - Part 3: Reclaiming the Past
Middle Age and the Mazdamobile
Down for the Count
That Dirty Dancing
Contemplations on the Hereafter
Tool Time with the Chicowitz
The Chicowitz Goes Country
Born to be Screwed
Mr. Brownthumb
The Mixer - A Singles Story
Crab Cakes
Midlife Crisis:
The Defining Moment
The Saga Continues
Fighting Back
The Straight Scoop
In December, Traditions of Christmas:
1997: The Christmas Tree
1998: Remembrance.... and Friends
1999: Christmas Cards
2001: Songs & Stories
2002: The Gift of Giving
2003: Decorating the Tree
2004: The Christmas Pin
2005: The Making of the Christmas Card
2006: Christmas on a Toothpick
2007: The Paper Route Years
Merry Christmas, Y'all
Hershel's Wish List: 2004
The "A" List
Teach, Preach & Nag:
Courage and Class: Tony Snow
The New American Dream
A Grateful Heart
Things We'll Learn
The Death of a Friend
The Age of Non-Responsibility
"Thank You": Another Dying Phrase
The Saturday Night Live "Curse"
The Boomers, the Xers and Beyond
Rules, Boundaries and Consequences
It's for the Children
"American Beauty" - an American Nightmare
Of Values and Legacies
School Violence: Lessons from the Past
The Boomer Lyrics are with Us Everywhere
Everybody's Got a Story
Power to the Boomers
My Kingdom for a Plain Burger
Perception is Reality?
Oh Woe is Us!
It's Soooooo Hard
Take Care of Yourself
Public Service
The Universal Apology
The Leader of the Band
Travels with Princess:
A Camping We Will Go
A Camping We Did Go
Travels with Princess - Part 1
Travels with Princess - Part 2
Me and You and a Dog Named Princess
Savannah: Midnight in the Garden
Time to Think
On Top of Old Smoky
The Fall Leaves and Such
A View from Hurricane Alley:
The Big Scare
Before the Storm
After the Storm
Katrina:
Intemperate Thoughts
Information Misload
Wet Dream
Election 2004:
JF Kerry: Just the Facts
A Discussion of the Issues
The Election 2004 Quiz
Find a Bush Lie -- Collect $5,000
Talking Dirty in Washington
I Believe - The George W. Bush Edition
Inside John Kerry
Why Character Matters - Part Umpteen
Reporting for Duty
Is it Safe Yet?
Why We/They Hate Bush
Ronald Reagan: Hard-Wired Decency
What I Am
Nov. 8: Post-Mortem
Election 2006:
I Believe -- the Election 2006 Edition
A Civil Debate
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A Boomer Remembers...:
The 60s: Life was Sweeter
The New American Dream
Another Side of the Greatest Generation
Where has all the Music Gone?
Memories of the Sock Hop
Remembering the Chairman of the Board
Restless in Seattle
The New Math
We Are Not One Boomer
"And Here's to You, Joe DiMaggio"
The Days of Summers Past
The Seeds of Character
A Letter to a Teacher
I Want a Clark Bar!
When Music was Fun
Decoration Day - The Measure of Sacrifice
11/22/63: We Remember
Flashback: The Y2K Hysteria
When the Music had Words
Ronald Reagan: Hard-Wired Decency
The Great Carsoni
Love Songs of the Chicowitz
Do You Remember These?
V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N -- We're on Vacation!
A Watergate Success Story
Straight Talk on Social Issues:
Money 101: Incentive
Health Care: Solutions
Dr. Jack - A Man for Our Times
Misplaced Outrage: The Imus Affair
Global Warming Warning
Sin Offsets
Immigration: Good Fences
July, 2006: The Price of Freedom
Oh, Woe is Babs!
"Fair and Balanced"?
Lower Education
Boomer Retirement: "Hell No, We Won't Go!"
Social Security for Dummies
Feelings over Facts
Talking Down the Economy
The Little Red Hen
The Singles' Journal: Marriage
The Shadow IRS
The Dumbing Down of America
The Next, Great Entitlement
Voting Our way to Fairness
Straight Talk on Energy
We are Losing the Culture War
A Taxpayers' Bill of Rights
The Greedy Hand Extends its Reach
My Kingdom for a Candidate
Another Hat in the Toilet
We Have Met the Enemy
I'm From the Government & I'm Here to Help You
B. Clinton: The Case Against the President
B. Clinton: The Case For the President
Charlton Heston: The Culture War
Head Start: The Difference between Red and Blue
Labor Day - The Entrepreneur
It's Lonely at the Top
Kids on Drugs
Roe v. Wade Reality
Stem Cell 101
Vietnam: From a Distance
Iraq: Another Vietnam - ?
Mostly, Just Silly Stuff:
Sin Offsets
Menopause: Just for Laughs
The Fat Tax
Cell Phones & Other Crimes & Misdemeanors
Like Father, Like Son
Where Have You Gone, Walter Cronkite?
A Dire Warning to all Boomers
An Aging Boomer's Final Call to Action
BoomerSpeak
"American Pie": a Fresh Interpretation
Hail to Thee, My Alma Mater
Rock On!
The BBHQ Exam Story
Great Quotations
The $2.5 Million Pyramid
I Double-Dare You!
The Terrorist Attack of 2001:
The Best of Times
Showing Your Patriotism
"All We are Saaaaaaaa-ying..."
2004: Is it Safe Yet?
The Chicowitz on Iraq:
Politics for Dummies - Part I
Peace in Our Time
Yankee Go Home!
Bullhorn Responsibility
Blood for Oil!
Why We Fight
They Said - Part 1
They Said - Part 2
Why They're Wrong
** There's even more: The BBHQ Archives **
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If you like what we're doing here at BBHQ, please help us by buying stuff
through our link to Amazon.com:
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The BBHQ Album of the Month
is "Old Friends Live on Stage (Deluxe Edition) (2 CD/1 DVD),"
by Simon & Garfunkel. If you were fortunate enough to see them in concert
last year, I do not have to sell you. The concert was terrific! This
album collection includes 55 songs, plus their new recording, "Citizen of
the Planet," and one of the songs sung by the Everly Brothers during the
concert. The DVD was recorded during their concert in Madison
Square Garden in 2003. For any S&G fan, this is a
must have! But then, you knew that already, didn't you?
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The BBHQ Book of the Month is
"Vinyl Highway," by
Dee Dee Phelps. You remember her as Dee Dee, of Dick and Dee Dee.
Together, they took a decade long ride on the rock and roll roller
coaster. It was a heck of a ride! Dick Clark, Quincy Jones, the Beach
Boys, Glenn Campbell, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Vinton... Dick and Dee Dee
rubbed shoulders with all of them. This is her "behind the scenes" story.
It's pretty cool.
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Click here for more information,
or here to visit the BBHQ
Library.
Copyright © 2001-2008, Baby Boomer HeadQuarters - WWW.BBHQ.COM -
All rights reserved.
01/01/05
