We almost never had soda (pop for you Midwesterners, Coke for you Southerners) in our house, not because my parents thought it was bad for you, but because they deemed it a waste of money. I told myself when I grew up and got a full-time job, I was going to buy entire cases of 2L bottles of Coke from a beverage distributor so I could drink as much as I wanted whenever I wanted. Needless to say, by the time I reached even my early twenties, such a prospect was no longer appealing.
I was also a computer nerd–my dad had bought an IBM PC Jr., and I got into computers through that, but then he didn’t wind up doing well financially in the ensuing years and thus all through the late 80’s and early 90’s, we could never afford to upgrade the computer. So I would pore over these computer magazine with ads for new PCs with hard disks, multi-megabytes of RAM, CPU speeds in the tens of megahertz range (!!!), EGA graphics, and dream of having one. That was the heyday of Moore’s law, and I imagined that if I were an adult with a good job, every 18 months I’d buy the biggest, fastest, most powerful computer money could buy at that time. Well, I last bought a desktop in 2012, and I haven’t even begun to think about upgrading.
You know “shock absorbers”? 2-horses don’t. Bloody uncomfortable to get into as well, even as a child, much more now that I can sit at the table without a riser.
Always wanted to play the guitar. Bought my first about 20 years ago, a cheap Fender Strat. Couldn’t play worth a lick. Had a chance to try a really nice Rickenbacher about 10 years ago. Found it much easier to play. I ended up buying it. I have since added a '62 Fender Telecaster and '88 Gibson Flying V. Haven’t spent much time playing them recently. Going to invest in some lessons when I retire at the end of this year.
I always thought when I was a grown up lady I would have a dressing table and work downtown.
Never had either, although I interviewed and was offered a full time job “downtown”, where I worked already also offered me a full time job, had free parking, and a better schedule.
I’ve had opportunities to own dressing tables but never really had the space for one. Also, obso seldom wear makeup. … its in one small case stashed under the bathroom sink.
Me too! Although I’m not sure that the indoor waterslide/missile launcher technology has caught up with my childhood plans yet. Probably never going to be a reality, but it would be fun to have individual rooms dedicated to each one of my hobbies, all connected by turbolifts.
There was a guy in our neighborhood that had a white Corvette with red and blue stripes with white stars. (Hey, here’s a picture of one just like it!)
I thought the guy that owned was Captain America and I vowed I would have a Captain America car when I grew up.
I was just revisiting this vow last week when we bought a new vehicle for my wife. It’ll be my turn for something new to drive when it’s paid off. I don’t think the Porsche is worth it, but my twelve-year-old self is kicking my ass over it. Of course, my twelve-year-old self also wants silver tinted windows on it, so his judgment is suspect.
Guitars and more guitars! I have over a dozen of them including a starburst '73 Les Paul Custom, a cream Fender Strat, a BC Rich Mockingbird, and a Fender EVH Wolfgang.
Drumkit - Check
A Chevy Bronco, I had a 2003 GMC Jimmy for about 10 years but now I’ve moved up to a Yukon XL.
My kids have more Lego and/or Star Wars toys than I ever dreamed I’d have, including Light Sabre of every colour, the Millenium Falcon, X-Wing Fighters, Tie Fighters, etc.
Funny—I’d always dreamed of having a house with a basement and a pool table in it.
Last year, we bought a house and it CAME with a pool table in the basement. We used it a few times, but it took up too much damn room in the theater/gaming space. So now it has been shoved (with a great deal of effort) into a corner, and unless we end up finishing more of the basement at some point, it’s probably going to be given away.
I wanted all the things advertised in the back pages of comic books: Sea Monkeys, X-ray specs, a “lifesize” ghost, and the hovercraft. Somehow I couldn’t get it together to send in $3.75 + S&P (allow 18 months for delivery).
I was 22 or so, just out on my own (with my young son) for the first time ever, and I had an epiphany, right in the middle of the frozen food section of the supermarket. I had my own apartment. My own oven. I COULD MAKE TATER TOTS ANY TIME I WANT!!!
When I was a young teen my ambition was to live on a houseboat. My 46 year old self still thinks it would be so cool but there are so many reasons why it’s impractical.
I knew about 3D printers in the late 80’s/early 90’s (from reading Scientific American where they are used for archeology/paleontology research or some such).
