Comments on: The 6 Childhood Facts Meme http://www.sharani.org/2008/06/22/the-6-childhood-facts-meme/ girl on a road Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:35:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Sharani http://www.sharani.org/2008/06/22/the-6-childhood-facts-meme/#comment-488 Sharani Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:58:41 +0000 http://www.sharani.org/2008/06/22/the-6-childhood-facts-meme/#comment-488 Hi Niriha, Adventure was the order of the day, yes? Did you let out a Tarzan-like whoop during those jumps? What John, Pavitrata and Sumangali wrote on the same subject are links within the beginning of my post. Typically a meme is kind of like an electronic chain letter where you tag 5 other people to blog on the same subject. When John started this one, he made joining in optional - very courteous of him, yes? That way it was purely voluntary whether or not to hike down that memory lane. Hi Niriha,
Adventure was the order of the day, yes? Did you let out a Tarzan-like whoop during those jumps? What John, Pavitrata and Sumangali wrote on the same subject are links within the beginning of my post. Typically a meme is kind of like an electronic chain letter where you tag 5 other people to blog on the same subject. When John started this one, he made joining in optional - very courteous of him, yes? That way it was purely voluntary whether or not to hike down that memory lane.

]]> By: Niriha http://www.sharani.org/2008/06/22/the-6-childhood-facts-meme/#comment-487 Niriha Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:47:30 +0000 http://www.sharani.org/2008/06/22/the-6-childhood-facts-meme/#comment-487 Enjoyed seeing the photos and reading snippets of your childhood Sharani. Your mention of "...a session of high flying swinging, occasionally with a jump into the air off the swing for good measure" brought back vivid memories of contests as we called them, with my brothers and sisters: who could swing the highest and leap off the swing when it was at the highest point in the arc. Because we used no reliable form of measure, many a 'discussion' ensued as to who had won. We graduated from our swing set in the backyard and went a few blocks away to an abandoned Army fort. In one tree there was a platform with a rope knotted at the end. We would climb the tree, stand on the platform, grab hold of the rope and push off, swinging over the swamp. When the rope was at the highest point in the arc, we had to drop - if you hesitated for a second, you landed at the edge of the swamp - yes, swamp - and landed on the protruding roots of trees. Ouch! I can say for sure that it was an ouch. I so much liked reading your six memes (is that a word?!) so much that I am searching for the link to John's original invitation hoping to read more from others. Enjoyed seeing the photos and reading snippets of your childhood Sharani.

Your mention of “…a session of high flying swinging, occasionally with a jump into the air off the swing for good measure” brought back vivid memories of contests as we called them, with my brothers and sisters: who could swing the highest and leap off the swing when it was at the highest point in the arc. Because we used no reliable form of measure, many a ‘discussion’ ensued as to who had won.

We graduated from our swing set in the backyard and went a few blocks away to an abandoned Army fort. In one tree there was a platform with a rope knotted at the end. We would climb the tree, stand on the platform, grab hold of the rope and push off, swinging over the swamp. When the rope was at the highest point in the arc, we had to drop - if you hesitated for a second, you landed at the edge of the swamp - yes, swamp - and landed on the protruding roots of trees. Ouch! I can say for sure that it was an ouch.

I so much liked reading your six memes (is that a word?!) so much that I am searching for the link to John’s original invitation hoping to read more from others.

]]> By: Sharani http://www.sharani.org/2008/06/22/the-6-childhood-facts-meme/#comment-481 Sharani Mon, 23 Jun 2008 02:11:38 +0000 http://www.sharani.org/2008/06/22/the-6-childhood-facts-meme/#comment-481 Hi John, You have enlightened me on the passing fashions of patent leather shoes. I did not know they were a craze in the 80's. I was merely 15 years ahead of the curve on that trend. Canada would be the place "de rigeur" to ice skate for the first time! sad it is that at the tender age of 5, the color of one's skates should carry such import. Good thing you weren't my younger brother - mine had such a sweet angelic face that I often insisted as the oldest of the two of us that he dress up like a girl when we played make believe. Consider yourself saved with a whole hemisphere and a decade or two between us. :-) Hi John,
You have enlightened me on the passing fashions of patent leather shoes. I did not know they were a craze in the 80’s. I was merely 15 years ahead of the curve on that trend.

Canada would be the place “de rigeur” to ice skate for the first time! sad it is that at the tender age of 5, the color of one’s skates should carry such import. Good thing you weren’t my younger brother - mine had such a sweet angelic face that I often insisted as the oldest of the two of us that he dress up like a girl when we played make believe. Consider yourself saved with a whole hemisphere and a decade or two between us. :-)

]]> By: Sharani http://www.sharani.org/2008/06/22/the-6-childhood-facts-meme/#comment-480 Sharani Mon, 23 Jun 2008 02:06:25 +0000 http://www.sharani.org/2008/06/22/the-6-childhood-facts-meme/#comment-480 Sumangali, the world of ballerinas was hardly frill and pink cotton candy as you rightly recollect. In our case, the leotard HAD to be black and the tights had to be pink. When you graduated from slippers to toe shoes, it was as if getting a black belt in karate. Never mind that the shoes were a peculiar form of torture that lambs wool only went so far to dissipate. I promise I wouldn't have mistook you for a boy ring curls or not. :-) Sumangali, the world of ballerinas was hardly frill and pink cotton candy as you rightly recollect. In our case, the leotard HAD to be black and the tights had to be pink. When you graduated from slippers to toe shoes, it was as if getting a black belt in karate. Never mind that the shoes were a peculiar form of torture that lambs wool only went so far to dissipate. I promise I wouldn’t have mistook you for a boy ring curls or not. :-)

]]> By: John http://www.sharani.org/2008/06/22/the-6-childhood-facts-meme/#comment-479 John Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:33:39 +0000 http://www.sharani.org/2008/06/22/the-6-childhood-facts-meme/#comment-479 Well done on dredging the depths of your childhood to find these choice pearls Sharani! I myself thought my life was over rather than beginning when I was forced to wear patent leather shoes—it was the height of the sneaker craze in the early 80s you see—and did my best to scratch and otherwise wear them out, as quickly as possible. On the other hand, the first time I went ice-skating, aged 5 and in Canada, I insisted on a pair of white skates, and had a less than happy time, like Sumangali in her blue leotard the only little boy of hundreds not wearing black. Well done on dredging the depths of your childhood to find these choice pearls Sharani!

I myself thought my life was over rather than beginning when I was forced to wear patent leather shoes—it was the height of the sneaker craze in the early 80s you see—and did my best to scratch and otherwise wear them out, as quickly as possible.

On the other hand, the first time I went ice-skating, aged 5 and in Canada, I insisted on a pair of white skates, and had a less than happy time, like Sumangali in her blue leotard the only little boy of hundreds not wearing black.

]]> By: Sumangali Morhall http://www.sharani.org/2008/06/22/the-6-childhood-facts-meme/#comment-477 Sumangali Morhall Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:44:28 +0000 http://www.sharani.org/2008/06/22/the-6-childhood-facts-meme/#comment-477 Sharani, may I be the first to say you're a fantastically good sport for taking part in John's meme, especially with an illustrated contribution! I had <em>exactly</em> the outfit you're wearing in the first shot, (except, alas, my socks were white instead of red). I saved it only for dancing in our living room at home. I so wanted to learn ballet but — ever the pacifist — allowed myself to be bullied out of class. The other girls insisted I was a boy because I had a blue leotard (instead of pink like the others), and short hair (instead of Goldilocks style as they did). I thus never got near the heady heights you reached, tutu and all! Respect is due :-) Sharani, may I be the first to say you’re a fantastically good sport for taking part in John’s meme, especially with an illustrated contribution!

I had exactly the outfit you’re wearing in the first shot, (except, alas, my socks were white instead of red). I saved it only for dancing in our living room at home.

I so wanted to learn ballet but — ever the pacifist — allowed myself to be bullied out of class. The other girls insisted I was a boy because I had a blue leotard (instead of pink like the others), and short hair (instead of Goldilocks style as they did). I thus never got near the heady heights you reached, tutu and all! Respect is due :-)

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