Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI, CDT
Senior Member
Username: rliebing
Post Number: 1136
Registered: 02-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 11:32 am: |    |
100203
I MISS……………..
by Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI, CDT
Cincinnati, OH
I have a collection of some 50 ties in my closet-- and a beauty every one. I mss wearing one of them each day! I miss suits-- have only one now and just for very special occasions. Used to have 3-4 along with sport coats and blazers; I miss wearing one of them every day with crisp white or light colored dress shirts. I had a hard time adjusting to “casual Friday” and for a long time wore dress shirts even that day [no tie]. Felt sloppy. I miss civility; I miss simplicity! I miss general decency!
I miss quiet Sunday afternoon drives, just to look around. I miss seeing families in the “Sunday best” going to church. I miss nuns in habits, ministers with collars, and school teachers that do not resemble or dress like students. I miss the separation of sexes and the differences in appearances between those with authority, business and leadership, and those learning, working as employees, and otherwise at a lower level of status, I miss going downtown to shop [no stores left now worth the trip!] I miss streetcars and trolley buses-- even the older buses seemed to have a little more character, with colorful drivers.
I miss drive-ins, both for food and movies. I miss spiffy snap-brim hats—and ball caps with the bill in the front and a high flat front crown for the logo. I miss the great variety of hats that ladies wore on a daily basis, and on special occasions like Easter. In fact, I miss ladies in heels, hose and dresses without extreme styles. I miss sauerkraut suppers at church. I miss old fashion white bread [that Grandma made]. I miss old fashion, hand-dipped malts, and 5 cent dips of ice cream as big as your fist. I miss Coke bottles. I miss double-headers and full-sized Sunday newspapers, 2 inches thick with so much to read that it took all day. I miss fly swatters [instead of sprays]. I miss reel-type lawn mowers that you pushed yourself. I miss seeing youngsters with Mason jars catching “lightening bugs”!
I miss fire trucks with open cab, so you could see the firemen [sorry, ladies, but that’s what they were called]. I miss “policemen” [sorry again] with just night sticks and a .38 police special in lieu of the necessary automatic, war-like armament of today. I miss good rousing parades, with stellar bands, flashy uniforms and costumes. I miss novelty shops, with the best “junk” in town-- stuff you just “had to have”- whistles, kites, model planes, yo-yos, penny-candy, sodas [the hand-dipped kind made with real ice cream]. I miss sock-hops and slow dancing to music that has a melody and clear, lovely lyrics; tux and spiffy costumes on performers who don’t just yell. I miss Sinatra, Merman, Goulet, Day [both of them], MacRae, Martin [all of them], Cole, Stafford, Como and other real “singers”. I miss the Star-Spangled Banner, loud, clear, sung as written with ringing band accompaniment! I miss band concerts in the park; I miss good symphony concerts. I miss music of the ‘30s, ‘40s, and early ‘50s. I miss good TV shows that entertained without forensics, guns and gore; clever, really funny comedians; the well-crafted work of quality actors [oh, the spells they wove-- without violence or sex].
I miss good radio when stories were told in 15- or 30 minutes and the images were created in your mind not on a screen. I miss walking to church and to catch the bus to high school. I miss being a college student [first in my family]. I miss giant gatherings of our family at Thanksgiving and Christmas with the separate “kids’ table you had to outgrow. I miss bowling as a sub on Pop’s team on Friday nights. I really miss Mom and Pop, and all my relatives-- wonder what they think of me today? I still miss Emerson as he just passed a month ago-- what a dog!
I miss the old style drafting rooms, all the equipment, the quiet chatter, the exchange of knowledge and the production skills of the various people. I miss good, skilled, congenial, helpful and conscientious contractors. I miss 1000H, lead pointers, Pink Pearls, bunny bags, and triangular scales. I miss the constant air of professionalism, correctness, and determination in a business mode and not merely manipulating equipment. I miss learning from really good reps. I miss bid openings and the thrill of how things went and who you would be working with. I miss handshakes from clients when we gave them the keys to the buildings [and the tears of a few, even crusty old guys when we exceeded their expectations].
I miss all this and more, because I’m an old guy. You, I am sure, have your list of “misses”. But am so grateful to be here, now, and to have what I have, to know what I have learned over and above, and to be able to continue to produce, to help, to mentor, to write-- and just to be a professional, even if I do look and do differently.
Oh, and to know you folks!! |
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