1Dec/05Off
15 Things I Thought Were Cool When I Was 12 And I Really Should Be Over By Now But I Totally Am Not
- The movie Red Dawn
- Songs about fighting authority
- Ninja Stars
- Gummi Candy
- Super Sour Candy
- Play Fighting
- Hovercraft kits from the back of Popular Science
- Fire
- Sarcasm
- Monkeys
- Robots
- Machine Guns
- Sharks
- Kung Fu
- Forts
Update: Joe emailed me and pointed out a glaring omission in my list. Spies! I am a fool. Spies are officially number 16 (no value judgement is implied by the numbering).
The text of Joe's persuasive email follows:
- Do spies keep several fake passports and cash in a safe house in Andorra?
- Do spies have little one man submarines they pilot up the Rhine?
- Do spies leave a hair on the light switch so they know if you searched their room?
- Do spies hike over the Alps in lederhosen posing as shepherds?
- Do spies keep microfilm in a fake tooth?
- Do spies leave a folded newspaper on a bench to call of a secret rendezvous?
- Do spies vacation in Argentina and return with a Nazi in their steamer trunk?
I think you know the answer to all of these questions.
December 1st, 2005 - 07:38
Ha! Red Dawn. Man I loved that movie. One of my best childhood memories is first seeing it at my brother’s birthday sleepover. I was at an age where there was nothing cooler than hanging out with your older brother and his friends.
The highlight for me of course was the fact that the lead character’s name was Jed.
WOLVERINES!!!
December 1st, 2005 - 08:34
Play guns that shoot plastic discs. The guns that shot small rubber pellets were cool to, but not as cool as the plastic discs.
Lawn darts are also cool.
December 1st, 2005 - 08:42
Sounds like we had the same childhood. I am not over them either. Long live the movie Red Dawn.
December 1st, 2005 - 11:11
You totally need lightsabers on this list. When camping with my Boy Scout troop, at least one lightsaber fight with tree branches breaks out, complete with force powers and sound effects.
December 1st, 2005 - 12:07
I couldn’t agree more Josh. I’d have D&D on there too (embarassingly enough).
December 1st, 2005 - 18:41
I’d tell you that Atari was one of my favorites at 12, but then you would know exactly how old I really am.
Other things that could be added:
Ten pieces of Hubba Bubba in your mouth at the same time.
Blue Darts (if you don’t know–don’t ask)
Napalm
BMX
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka
Belching the alphabet.
Going places with no shirt on.
Catching skipper bugs in the irrigation canal. (If you are from Idaho like me)
Placing pennies on the railroad track.
Oh…the places we could go!
December 1st, 2005 - 23:08
Men always remain kids at heart. Great list.
December 2nd, 2005 - 09:44
You totally left off ninjas and snipers. And, the only thing cooler than a ninja or sniper; a ninja-sniper! Also, facial hair.
December 2nd, 2005 - 10:38
This is the list of all lists. Love it. We used to roll up newspaper pages tight, tape them, and throw them around the yard. They were sticks of super-dynamite that could pretty much blow up bad guys, tanks, armies…
December 2nd, 2005 - 10:50
I remember multiple attempts at making bombs with diesel and fertilizer with Adam and his friends. I also remember wasted afternoons out by the railroad tracks too afraid to relight the fuse but still hopeful for a sweet splosion.
December 2nd, 2005 - 11:06
I agree with Joe, ninja-snipers with sweet beards should totally be on the list.
December 2nd, 2005 - 12:19
You should definitely be so totally over Super Sour Candy, especially after “Angst in My Pants” http://www.amishrobot.com/2003/07/angst_in_my_pants.html
December 2nd, 2005 - 13:34
Dry Ice bombs
Electric gutairs
Ferrari’s
cleavage
body sufing
Angel’s baseball
high scores – any video game
fried cheese
climbing things
And most of all: having other people say you came up with a great list of things.
December 2nd, 2005 - 16:18
a bearded ninja-sniper would pretty much encapsulate all my hopes and dreams for my future when I was 12.
December 2nd, 2005 - 21:21
ya also
Holly Hobby
Walking around the house in your sister’s ballet shoes and tutu
Wonder Woman Under-Roos
Princess Leia’s Jabba the Hut outfit
collecting stamps (not postal stamps but ones that you put in ink to decorate papers with.)
great times, great freakin times!
December 4th, 2005 - 23:57
i’m so with you on all those things. i still half wish the commies would invade so i can try out my ninja stars on them while escaping to my fort on a hovercraft with my robot.
December 5th, 2005 - 20:56
One note to Joe about ninja-snipers and beard — ninja-snipers ALL have sweet beards, you just don’t know it because of their ninja masks.
December 7th, 2005 - 16:57
John- that sounds like info only a bearded ninja-sniper would know! Didn’t you live in Japan for a couple of years?
December 8th, 2005 - 16:38
On #7 are you sure you don’t mean “Hovercraft or personal submarine kits…”?
December 9th, 2005 - 18:58
oh, wait…why isn’t Big Jim on the list? I hear his ninja code name is “Brawny”.
December 12th, 2005 - 08:50
I know you didn’t leave spies off this list!
January 10th, 2006 - 10:50
Where are the pirates!?
You might like the following link, because about half your list is crammed into this one flash animation/song (if you stretch definitions a bit):
Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny.
It appeals to the 12yo in me with catchy lyrical references like: “Godzilla took a bite out of Optimus Prime like Scruff McGruff took a bite out of crime.”