I agree with Atrios that it won’t be any great loss to see less kids driving around wasting gas in some dysfunctional attempt to socialize. But it beats breaking into unoccupied homes and getting arrested. Yes, it’s been one of those evenings.
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
I was too busy working at my job when I was that age in order to pay for my car. The whole idea of “cruising” seemed stupid to me, but alot of people my age did it. I managed to get into a bit of trouble myself at that age, but that all involved doing certain hallucinogenic substances with groups of friends and making asses of ourselves in public places… but not driving around in cars. That’s just silly.
What happened, Booman?
Yeah. What’s “one of those evenings” mean?
um. stupid kids got arrested.
Well, there’s a bit of a surplus of unoccupied homes, and it is Philly after all. I hear it’s a lot like Baghdad.
<duck>
Well, fine. Just drop something like that in a front page post, and refuse further comment.
It’s not like our imaginations will run wild with that. No sir-ee, not us.
I guess it sounds like things are under control. Take care.
Off to bed now.
(Where I definitely won’t be dreaming up crazy stories to fill in the blanks about those stupid kids.)
there’s not a whole lot more to describe. Vacant homes are not open to the public. A bunch of 16 years olds found that out the hard way.
You have kids?
Get off my lawn!
Heh – Mrs. Dem & I were just discussing an episode that occurred when I was in Junior High involving that very phrase. There were some somewhat nasty escalations between my friends and I and the crotchety old homeowner over a couple of weeks. At the end, we were all removed from school by the county sheriff for questioning and eventual assignment of guilt.
Mrs, Dem, of course, advocates for the crotchety homeowner.
I didn’t know that we had such a hellraiser in our midst. 😉
That was one of the milder exploits.
See the final frame of this comic strip from a couple weeks ago…
Ha Ha! I love Tom Tomorrow.
Great minds and all.
when I started driving:
gas: .26 a gal.
foot long hot dog/chips/shake: $1.75
drive in movie: $1.00
1947 Hudson (car for you youners) $150.00
wage on the farm I worked: $0.25 pr hr (no minimum wage then)
hours worked pr week: (besides school) 30-40
paper route: $12-15 pr wk (from 5am-7am) after milking on the farm, 3:30am-5am, then again at 4:pm – 6pm
cruising to the drive in restaurant: (still with the smell of the dairy farm, oil, gas, grease, from working on the equipment/old car)
PRICELESS ; )
(and yes, I still had time to get into some trouble, I tipped over an out house, the trouble was, the old lady who owned it…..WAS IN IT …. ; )
got an ass-whoop’n I still remember, from HER….
PEACE
All that and you managed to turn out alright, I mean, judging by what you say :o)
When I started driving if I ran out of gas I could turn in a six pack of coke bottles and have enough gas to get my 72 Firebird to the beach and back one more time :o) Or use the more time honored practice of just happening to have a piece of garden hose in my trunk to, uh, borrow gas from someone else’s car :o)
Just about every kid I knew got into some kind of trouble or other, so I think it was more or less a part of growing up. It was the one’s who were goody goody that no one really trusted.
I’d be worried about my own kids if they never tested the limits of their parent’s or society’s rules and (low) expectations :o)
So far they haven’t disappointed me in that regard :o)
One question. Was your Hudson a Hornet? Almost bought on of those road tanks myself when I was young(er) :o)
yeppers, had a Hornet, and the big cruis’n straight 8 ; )
yes, If our kids don’t test the limits, they’ll never know how fast they can go….LOL
that same ol’ farm also gave me my first lesson in “moon-shine” ouch, that one left a mark, and I had to work and extra week to replace the fence posts I knocked out with that ol’ Hudson as well….nut’n worse than replac’n fence post in July, with your first hang-over…
I remember cashing in the bottles, sometimes that got you to the swimm’n hole, or the trusty section of garden hose….LMAO…if I could remember which tractor that gas came from, I would put it back, but the tractors are’nt there anymore..LOL
good hearing from ya super….peace man
“good hearing from ya super….peace man “
Same to you, friend :o)