Top 10 things I miss from when I was a kid (Part 2)
Author: Mark Daley
•6:45 PM
5. NorthStar Running Shoes 
Next to Kodiak boots and Clarke's, the NorthStar Running shoe is the most iconic shoe I can remember from the 1970's. Also hoping that they would be my next pair of shoes, but I never did own a pair.  



4. CJOH Newsline and Brian Smith
6 PM at the Daley household meant that Dinner was over, the dishes were prepared and Newsline was on the TV. 

I can remember watching the local Ottawa News Team bring the current events into our Home with Max Keeping at the anchor desk, JJ Clarke weather, and Brian Smith at the Sports desk.

Sadly, in August 1995, Brian Smith died after being shot in the CJOH parking lot. It was a shocking event - and sadden the entire city. The City of Ottawa of my youth changed for me that day. 

The legacy of Brian Smith, and his community envolvement lives on both on the CJOH (CTV Ottawa website) and through the Brian Smith Memorial Golf Tournament.

3. Bloom County
I got into a much loved routine at Hillcrest High School. Mornings, before class began we used to gather in the Library to read Bloom County. Bloom County is a much beloved cartoon strip created by Berkeley Breathed. You can find his latest work at his website.

His style and satire provided inspiration for my future comic strip endeavors (Clear Mind, Morning Mist) during my days at Ottawa University.

2. Big Wheels
I have a nephew that I wish I could have introduced him to Big Wheels. Next to my banana seat bike, it was the best ride ever!  -- 'Nuff Said.

And Number #1. The Pop Shoppe
Lastly, after counting down the list of things that I wish were still around, the Pop Shoppe is by far the one I miss the most. Located in a warehouse off of St. Laurent Blvd in the East end of Ottawa, the Pop Shoppe had every flavour of soft drink you could imagine. And with buying the liquid joy by the case, you could mix and match between Orange, Lime, Grape, Root Beer, Lemonade. I can almost still taste it.

Hopefully reading these last two postings have brought back similar happy memories. So many good things have come and gone - and so many more have still yet to occur.


Let me know what you think.
Share what things, places and tastes that you recall from when you were younger. What would you love to re-experience just one more time?

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Top 10 things I miss from when I was a kid (Part 1)
Author: Mark Daley
•4:19 PM
Its around this time of year that I would run home from school as fast as I could. I'd run into the house, forgetting to take off my shoes, and meet my Mom in the Kitchen. "Has it come yet?" I would ask. And I would hope for the words, "Yes its here, its in the living room -- Take off your Shoes!". Ok, the take off your shoes part wasn't part of my hope.

What was I waiting for?

The Christmas Catalogues from Consumer Distributing, Shop Rite, Sears Canada and to a lesser extent Eaton's and Canadian Tire. In those glossy, colour images, was a gold mine of hopes and wishes for Christmas Morning.

As I remember back to this joy, I wonder what else do I miss from when I grew up in Ottawa? 

So here is my Top 10 list of things I miss:

#10. I.P. Looney's Restaurant:
A low-brow restaurant in the East part of Ottawa, provided the capital with a unique dining experience. From the warning at the front door that all ties will be cut-off to the "...waiters dressed like Batman or Robin or the Big Bad Wolf serve and sing..." (NY Times - Travel Section - May 1984). It was one of a kind.

#9. The Ottawa Rough Riders
The best part of growing up in Ottawa was CFL football. The Ottawa Rough Riders TV and Radio broadcasts were rarely missed events. I still recall the "Tommy Clements to Tony Gabriel" pass in the dying minutes of the 1976 Grey Cup against those other Roughriders. As kids we must have shouted that 100 times while passing the football in the school yard. It was shameful that the franchise and stadium have been left to decay over the years.  Bring back the Riders!

You can relive the key 1976 Grey Cup play at the CBC.

#8. Steinberg's Grocery Store

My local Steinberg's grocery store was located within the local shopping mall Elmvale Acres. While Steinberg's was not remarkably different than other grocery chains, I do have a couple of memories. Primarily the brown-paper bags that the groceries were placed within. These bags became the same bags placed within our kitchen garbage pail. And sometimes not that well - as paper bags do a terrible job in stopping liquids.

The second memory is that the groceries were not carried out to the cars, but rather, the bags were placed in blue bins with number/letters indicators stapled to the sides. These numbers are given to the customers, who then drive the cars up to the loading area. Once there, they provide the tickets - and the bag boys go and fetch the correct bins. Most importantly they load up the trunk with the bags (regardless of the weather). That was service.

#7. Smash up Derby
The next two items remembered are two toys items that I had when I was younger. The first is a rather a guilty memory of the past. I can remember wanting this so badly, and my Mom not happy when I received it from my God Father and Uncle Claude (Mom's younger brother). 

As you can see from the commercial on the right (thank you Youtube), the object of the game is straight forward - whined up the cars using long pull cords and release the cars on the ground. The cars speed towards each other - over a jump and bang into each other with pieces of the car flying apart everywhere. What kid wouldn't like that?! They just don't make toys like that any more (Ebay.ca has a few copies of "Smash-up Derby" including this one currently going for $250 US.)



#6. Plain Lego sets (no pre-designed kits)
Yes Legos are around today for kids to play with. But they are pre-defined kits.

Before the pre-defined, kit style lego sets, there were just plain Lego sets. They came in denominations of 100, 200, 600 piece sets. After many birthdays and Christmas' I had a trunk full of Legos. 

With all the different colour and style of bricks, I built bridges, sport stadiums, carousel and spaceships. The spaceships used window shutters as bay doors which revealed missiles. My only limitation was my imagination. 


Next posting:
I'll continue my count down and reveal what is the # 1 item I wish was still around.
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Spring 1977 - School Yard songs
Author: Mark Daley
•4:25 PM
Sometimes making a choice or a selection really should have a song associated to it.

Back in 1979, when it came to deciding who was "it" for playing tag in the school yard, we had several inventive songs to choose from. You may remember some of these:

1. Eenie-meenie-miny-moe
2. One-potato-two-potato-three-potato-four
3. And my favourite - My Mother met you Mother... 

If you're not familiar with it - the chooser would point at the kids for selection, pointing at one kid as he/she rang out the words. The last kid who was pointed at was removed from the group. This kept up until one was left - and that kid was "it". The song went something like this:
My Mother met your Mother while hanging the clothes
My Mother punched your Mother right in the nose
What colour was the blood?
YELLOW: (colour supplied by whomever the picker is pointing at)
Y-E-L-L-O-W spells Yellow - and you are not it for ever and ever more!
The fun part was choosing the colour. 

Do you remember any songs that you used in school when picking teams etc.?
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GM, Ford and Chrysler - Cars of the 1970's.
Author: Mark Daley
•5:03 PM
In the 1970's, the entertainment industry celebrated cars and their power with movies such as; American Graffiti, Gum Ball Rally and Smokie and the Bandit.  

Great movies. Hard to resist the cars in them.

Am I longing for the good old days of the gas guzzlers? Not completely. But, I do have an affinity to their style, strength and presence. You might say I like the way they commanded the road. 

Back then, the style of the cars were flamboyant and made a statement. Moreover, they still do today when they are driven around. I particularly like the Pontiac GCO, Buick Electra, and the infamous Trans AM. I couldn't help to stop and watch them as they drive by back then - and when I see these old classics as they drive by today.  

And in our love of retro, the designers are bringing back the same style with today's Charger, Mustang and Camaro.  Do command the road today? Probably not as much. Do they turn heads as they drive by? Absolutely.

Let me know:
What was your favourite car when you were young?
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March 1991: Life at University
Author: Mark Daley
•5:22 PM
Do you think about your time at school? I do. Especially now that work dominates my regular routine. Its fun to recall the variants of the weekly University life. 

If your experience was like mine, then you'll recall that campus life included distractions outside the classroom. For a time, I worked on the Ottawa U campus at the Games Room. This was a strategic decision as I spent many days and nights playing snooker so felt that I should at least be paid for it.  And the other location I could likely be found was either within Bar216 or the Equinox. However, getting into the Equinox (or "the Nox") on the Ottawa University Campus, was nearly impossible most evenings and especially on Thursday night. 

So I spent my time down at the Games Room. While there, I became a student of the game  of  Snooker. While I was not as good as some of the patrons, I did enjoy learning to play the game. It amazed me the level of competition the game brought forward. Some of the players, who came to the basement room, were able to gain enough gambling funds to pay for on campus rent.

Snooker is a great game of strategy and concentration. Over time I learned to understand both. Distractions from the usual routine is good. It helps keep the mind fresh and invigorate the creative energies. Surely it can work easily as well today as it did back then.  

Sometimes we all get comfortable in our usual routines. Time to shake it up.
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