by Michael Mayes

Created on: November 04, 2008

I saw Star Wars at least eight times
Had the Pacman pattern memorized
And I've seen the stuff they put inside Stretch Armstrong.

I was Roger Staubach in my back yard
Had a shoebox full of baseball cards
And a couple of Evel Knievel scars on my right arm.

From : "Nineteen Somethin" by Mark Wills

I'm a pretty sentimental guy. I'm not one of those pack rat types who never throws anything away because it has some sort of memory attached to it. I am more sentimental when it comes to remembering people and places from the past. I do not spend my time looking back as that is a good way to run into a telephone pole. However, sometimes something will trigger a memory of someone or something from my past. It seems that music and smells trigger my memories like nothing else. The feeling can be so strong that it makes me wonder if time travel, on some level, is really possible. I had such a moment just the other day when the song "Nineteen Somethin'" by Mark Wills came on the car radio. While this is not a song from my youth, the lyrics nail my early childhood as no song before ever has.

I was born in late 1966. As a result, my earliest memories come from the 70s. I, and my brothers, did see Star Wars at least eight times. I'm actually thinking it was more like twelve times. I, too, have seen the stuff they put inside Stretch Armstrong. During one memorable battle between Stretch and his evil nemesis Stretch Monster, the "stuff" came leaking out. It was a red gooey liquid that looked like melted strawberry jello. I can personally attest that it is not easy to get out of carpet. This proved to be a negative to my mother. However, it turned into a positive as this forensic evidence allowed for the prosecution and conviction of the much more durable Stretch Monster. He would never threaten society again.

Some of the most enduring memories I have from the 70s are of Evel Knievel and his many appearances on ABC's Wide World of Sports. It is hard to get kids today to understand just how big Evel was back in the day. His motorcycle jumps seem tame compared to many of the X-Game type stunts performed today. However, nobody had seen anything like it in the 70s. You also have to remember that this was back before cable television. We were pretty much limited to the three main networks. There was a rumor of a public television station in our area but we couldn't get it. Much of the programming on the networks left a lot to be desired (a lot like now). So, when Evel was scheduled to make a

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