A Half-Generation Later
Patty and I are in the process of selling a condo that we have owned in the San Diego area for over twelve years. It is a nice property and it has been a big part of our lives, but it is time to make a change. We have accepted an offer and if the transaction works out, this will be our last visit until we come back in August to remove all of our belongings. Considering all of the crazy things that have been going on with lenders lately, there is still a good chance that the deal will fall apart, but for now we are proceeding as if the property has been sold.
This week I am writing a few articles about some of the things that have happened to us along the way. Today I am going to focus on some of the things that were "different" when we bought the property a half-generation ago, in 1997. See how many you remember.
Bill Clinton had just been reelected; then we all met Monica Lewinsky
Scientists cloned a sheep named Dolly
Relatively few people had cell phones and they were very expensive
There were no iPods
Princess Diana was killed in a car crash
The attack of the World Trade Center would not happen for another four years
England’s Tony Blair was elected
American Idol was not around
Frank Sinatra and Mother Theresa passed away
The top 3 movies were Titanic, Contact and Boogie Nights.
The top 3 TV programs were ER, Seinfeld and Suddenly Susan
The most popular song for the year was Don’t Speak by No Doubt (I don’t even remember that one). The next two were both by Jewel
The Superbowl was won by Green Bay and that was the 13th consecutive year that the NFC beat the AFC
The Florida Marlins grabbed the World Series
The NBA Championship went to Chicago for the 4th time. Michael Jordan was MVP again.
Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup
Silver Charm won the Kentucky Derby
That was an interesting time indeed. Each year thereafter has equally interesting facts, but the point is not to identify all of the special moments; rather it is to observe that life is full of wonder. Buying the condo was certainly part of the wonder in our lives in 1997 and for more than a decade thereafter. What about you? What special moments did you have in that time?
Tomorrow: Patty’s very favorite experience at the condo.
See you then.
1 comment:
Many of those things seem like they happened yesterday, not 12 years ago. 1997 was the year before I met Matthew. I had graduated from high school the year prior (1996), tried my hand at college, decided I was too immature to handle it and got a full time job working in an insurance brokerage. My boss there was my mentor and she, along with Matt (eventually) encouraged me to go back to school. At the time, I wanted to be just like her, I really looked up to her. Sadly, she has since passed away (she was the one who died in an Aspen cabin last winter when she and her family suffered carbon monoxide poisoning). The economy was wonderful, jobs were everywhere and I was a blissfully ignorant 18 year old girl just starting out on her own. I had my first "real" place, my first "real" job, had my very own car and my very own car payment :) I really had no concept of "how things really are" back then. It is a bit of a blur though, and honestly my very fondest memories don't start until 1998 when I met my wonderful husband :)
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