Joy, what was it like for the Bicentennial?

Magnet #1228 - Gerald Ford (1974-1977)

Save the World Couple and DCsis have come up with several games lately to not-so-politely remind me of my ever-advancing age.

The first game they came up with was, are you older than [insert celebrity name here]? Or [insert other celebrity name here]?

And once answered, gales of laughter ensue.

The other game, is to randomly ask me questions of a historical nature. Such as:

Joy, what was it like for the Bicentennial?

The answer is:

I.

Don't.

KNOW.

I was just a toddler when all that stuff happened, I swear! And, I'm young enough to have had the United States Bicentennial in my own history books, so that's something.

I will say that I bet that the American Bicentennial project would have been the most awesome thing ever to work on workwise. Apparently, back in 1966 they were thinking it'd be ginormous one-city celebration (in one of our founding cities), but by the time I was born (shortly thereafter), they decided to create the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration, and help steer local events. Which makes more sense in hindsight, America created the way she was.

And so began the onslaught of Bicentennial products, packages, events and marketing all over the place, and when the big day came, tons of celebrations all over America. Apparently, they also flooded the airwaves with coverage by the likes of Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, and Ed McMahon. I mean, even Paul Anka had a special.

So that's why I picked Gerald Ford for today's Fourth of July holiday. He was the sitting president during the Bicentennial celebration - lighting a third lantern at the Old North Church in Boston, in honor of America's third century.

To steal one of my friend's Facebook posts, "For 235, America looks pretty good."

Happy birthday, America!

And thanks, England "for letting us have it, coz we wanted it so much."

In the sky with Lucy

Magnet #874 - Lucy the Elephant

Or not, as the case may be.

My friend brought back this Lucy the Elephant magnet for me from Margate, NJ, just a few miles down the road from Atlantic City.

Just so happens I already magnetblogged on this very same roadside attraction! Tell me you're surprised.

A couple of years ago, the AGE10 and I went down the shore (can I say that if it's AC? That's still Jersey Shore, right?), and we totally dropped by after I spied Lucy's thingamabob (there has to be a proper name for that thing) poking into the air.

It's actually one of my big Jersey regrets (don't we all have those?) - that we went only to the gift shop and not up into the belly of the elephant. It must be supercool up in there.

Actually, now that I think about it, it'd be superawesome to like, live, up in there. How cool would that be!

What's your address?

Nah, you don't need an address. I live in the elephant over on Atlantic Avenue!

Things that go bat in the night

Magnet # 616 - Indian Echo Caverns

The AGE10* bought me this Indian Echo Caverns magnet during their last Pennsylvania trip.

It's a cool magnet, even though the three of them know that caverns make me crazy with the scary "an earthquake could happen and kill me right here on this tour" thought.

Yeah, I don't know when it happened, but I've become a bit of a fraidy cat.

I think, mostly, it's because I'm hard of hearing, and people come up behind me in my cube, sometimes scaring the bejeepers out of me. Then again, one weekend, STWfiance arrived with a knock on my door. You know, the knock that usually indicates someone's at the door. Logically I knew that, and still when I opened the door and saw him darkening my doorway, I totally jumped out of my skin.

And don't even get me started on movies. The US version of The Ring? Do you know how many unmarked VHS tapes I have at home??? Yeah. That.

But, truly, the last time I was Cover my eyes, cover my eyes! scared was when we went to the Central Park Zoo, and into the rainforest pavilion. Dudes. Not only were the birds all free-range-y and flying around, but they had a whooole BATcave. A cave. Full of bats. Ummm, yeah, I hightailed my butt out of there.

The bats were probably ok. Really, it's the birds I totally can't stand.

Particularly pigeons, if you must know.

But that's just cuz a dead pigeon tried to kill me once.

Uh, yeah, that's totally a different magnet.

*AGE10. My new name for my two sisters, and the one sister's fiance. Made up of our last name, and his last name, combined with the fact that they live in the 20010 zip.