1. The Lone Ranger left behind a silver bullet.
2. The Ed Sullivan Show.
3. On Route 66.
4. To protect the innocent.
5. The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
6. The limbo.
7. Chocolate (Bonus opportunity: Who was pictured along side that question?)
8. Louis Armstrong.
9. The Timex watch.
10. Freddy The Freeloader, and "Good Night and may God Bless."
11. Draft cards (bras also were burned).
12. Beetle or Bug.
13. Buddy Holly.
14. Sputnik.
15. Hoola-hoop.
And here it is.
Most questions are easy; some not so much.
Click 'Comments' at the bottom of the post to list your guesses/answers or to comment about someone else's comments. The full list of correct answers will be posted later in the week.
(And thanks to Mark, a loyal BoomVista-ista, for the contribution.
------------------ A TEST FOR OLDER KIDS ---------------
1. After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset, the grateful citizens would ask, "Who was that masked man?" Invariably, someone would answer, "I don't know, but he left this behind..." What did he leave behind?
2. When the Beatles first came to the U.S. in early 1964, we all watched them on The _______ Show.
3. "Get your kicks, ________."
4. "The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed __________."
5. "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, ___."
6. After the Twist, The Mashed Potato, and the Watusi, we "danced" under a stick that was lowered as low as we could go in a dance called the "_______."
7. "N_E_S_T_L_E_S", Nestle's makes the very best___."
8. Satchmo was America's "Ambassador of Goodwill." This great jazz trumpeter's name was ___.
9. What takes a licking and keeps on ticking?
10. Red Skelton's hobo character was named _____ and Red always ended his television show by saying, "Good Night, and "___ ___."
11. Some Americans who protested the Vietnam War did so by burning their ______.
12. The cute little car with the engine in the back and the trunk in the front was called the VW ___? What two other names did it go by?
13. In 1971, singer Don MacLean sang a song about, "The day the music died." This was a tribute to _______.
14. We can remember the first satellite placed into orbit. The Russians did it. It was called _____.
15. One of the big fads of the late 50s and 60s was a large plastic ring that we twirled around our waist. It was called the _______.
We're always looking for bargains to share. So, here's a travel tip contributed by John, a loyal BoomVista-ista:
Google Maps is awesome for making travel plans ... follow the steps below to find the cheapest route to London.
1. Go to Google
2. Click on "maps"
3. Click on "get directions"
4. Type "New York" in the first box (the "from" box)
5. Type "London" in the second box (the "to" box)
6. Hit 'Get Directions'
7. Be sure to see step #24
BoomVista has a rigidly applied rule that every post somehow must be related to Baby Boomers. But this one...wait...I have it! Baby Boomers have senses of humor, right?
Allrighty then, here we go (and thanks to Rick, a BoomVista-ista, for this contribution).
--
These are from a book called Disorder in the Court: Great Fractured Moments in Courtroom History and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.
ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS: Forty-five years.
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan.
ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Would you repeat the question?
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.
Offered for your enjoyment simply because we're old enough to remember Abbott and Costello (and thanks to Jack, a BoomVista-ista, for the contribution).
--
If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their famous sketch, "Who's on First?" might have turned out something like this:
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.
ABBOTT: Your computer?
COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.
ABBOTT: What about Windows?
COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?
ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?
ABBOTT: Wallpaper.
COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.
ABBOTT: Software for Windows?
COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO:! Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?
ABBOTT: I just did.
COSTELLO: You just did what?
ABBOTT: Recommend something.
COSTELLO: You recommended something?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: For my office?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!
ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.
COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my omputer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?
ABBOTT: Word.
COSTELLO: What word?
ABBOTT: Word in Office.
COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.
ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?
ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue "W."
COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "W" if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?
ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?
ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?
ABBOTT: One copy.
COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?
ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.
COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?
ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!
(A few days later)
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?
ABBOTT: Click on "START"
So, David The Blogging Head Coach (yes, BoomVista has its own coaching staff, including a few people whose assistance was actually sought) brought to my attention a "formula" that's sort of...scary...for Boomers to consider, in a purely theoretical way, of course.
It goes a little something like this:
If you were a man considering the acquisition of a mistress or a woman considering the acquisition of a ... hmm, there seems to be no mirror-image word for "mistress" -- lover, this formula supposedly produces the perfect age for your "friend."
Variously attributed to several groups, including our personal favorite, the French, the guideline suggests that you divide your age in half and add seven years. That would be the perfect age for your...friend.
So, now hang on to your keyboard here, if you are turning 60 this year, your mistress or whatever should be 37 years old.
Also, and here's where the Zoloft could come in handy, if someone were seeking you out as the chronologically ideal...friend, that person would have to be about 105 years old.
(And a good time was had by...no one.)
Anyway, if you need a little help doing the calculation, you can find a handy-dandy "Half Your Age Plus 7 Calculator" right here. There's also a somewhat over-the-top commentary attached to that site.
We promise to work diligently to avoid depressing items like this in the future and to think carefully before we take any more calls from David the Head Blogging Coach.
(Also please join me in hoping that Mrs. BoomVista has a busy day at work today and doesn't have time to check out the blog.)
Wretched Excess would be a great name for a rock band (apologies to Dave Barry), but in this case it's part of the headline for a review in the Chicago Sun-Times of a new book called Boomsday.
Written by Christopher Buckley, the book is said to sizzle with the same rollicking brand of satire on display in his Thank You for Smoking and Florence of Arabia: A Novel. Both of which were terrific.
Anyway, here is what we newspeople call the "nut graf" of the review, which approvingly calls the the plot "...as convoluted as Social Security financing and as outrageous as mass suicide."
Indeed, the central character, 29-year-old Cassandra (Cass) Devine, suggests the latter as a solution to the former. Angry over the government's fiscal irresponsibility in taking "food off my generation's table in order to feather the nests of aging, self-indulgent, pampered Baby Boomers," she proposes in a blog that, in exchange for certain incentives, boomers be encouraged to commit suicide -- or, as she calls it, Voluntary Transitioning -- at age 65 or 70 to prevent Social Security's financial meltdown.
And so, our first question: Do these incentives include complimentary FloMax (our current all-time favorite prescription drug) during the pre-transitional period?
The book comes from Twelve, a relatively new, impressively exclusive and rather interesting publishing house. Read more from the review here.
This email is making the rounds (contributed by Sandy):
----
BABY BOOMER HIT PARADE!
It's been fun being a baby boomer ... Until now. Some of the artists
Of the '50s and'60s are revising their hits with new lyrics to accommodate aging baby boomers. They include:
1. Herman's Hermits--- Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Walker.
2. The Bee Gees--- How Can You Mend a Broken Hip.
3. Bobby Darin--- Splish, Splash, I Was Havin' a Flash.
4. Ringo Starr--- I Get By With a Little Help From Depends.
5. Roberta Flack--- The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face.
6. Johnny Nash--- I Can't See Clearly Now.
7. Paul Simon--- Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver.
8. The Commodores--- Once, Twice, Three Times to the Bathroom.
9. Marvin Gaye--- Heard It Through the Grape Nuts.
10. Procol Harum--- A Whiter Shade Of Hair.
11. Leo Sayer--- You Make Me Feel Like Napping.
12. The Temptations --- Papa's Got a Kidney Stone.
13. Abba--- Denture Queen.
14. Tony Orlando--- Knock 3 Times On The Ceiling If You Hear Me Fall.
15. Helen Reddy--- I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore.
16. Leslie Gore--- It's My Procedure, and I'll Cry If I Want To.
17. Willie Nelson--- On the Commode Again.
