Things I Miss About Growing Up

Do you remember Saturday morning cartoons, Friday nights at Blockbuster, midnight game releases, or the excitement of seeing a movie at midnight with a packed theater?

In this episode of Mostly Me, Occasionally Wise, Brian takes a nostalgic trip back to some of the experiences that made growing up in the '80s and '90s unforgettable. From sugary cereal and cartoons before the rest of the house woke up, to wandering the aisles of Blockbuster hoping the new release was still available, this episode is all about the memories that made those moments special.

It isn't about wishing life was the way it used to be—it's about remembering the anticipation, excitement, and shared experiences that brought us together.

Whether you grew up rewinding VHS tapes, reading game manuals on the ride home, or cheering alongside a packed movie theater, this episode is sure to bring back a few memories—and maybe even a smile.

In this episode:

•  📺 Saturday Morning Cartoons 
•  🎥 Blockbuster Friday Nights 
•  🎮 Midnight Game Releases 
•  🍿 Midnight Movie Premieres 
•  ❤️ Why anticipation made memories unforgettable 

We'd love to hear from you!
What's one thing you miss about growing up?

This episode is brought to you by Opus Clip.

If you're a podcaster, content creator, or small business owner looking to turn long-form videos into engaging social media clips in minutes, check out the AI editing tool I use every week.

👉 https://opus.pro/?via=MostlyMe

Using my affiliate link helps support Mostly Me, Occasionally Wise at no additional cost to you.

Thanks for listening to Mostly Me, Occasionally Wise.

If this episode meant something to you, take a second to follow the show, leave a rating, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. That’s how this podcast grows.

Join the group on Facebook by clicking the link below!

https://www.facebook.com/me/

Have a question, story, or topic idea?
 Email the show at mostlymecontact@gmail.com

(By emailing the show, you agree your message may be read on a future episode unless you request otherwise.)

Until next time — stay mostly you, and occasionally wise.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Do you remember Saturday morning cartoons? Walking the aisles of Blockbuster hoping the movie you wanted was still in stock? Standing outside of GameStop at midnight waiting for the biggest game of the year, or sitting in a pack theater where everyone cheered the moment the movie started. This week I'm talking about four things I really miss about growing up. Not because life was better, but because some memories are simply impossible to replace. So grab your favorite bowl of cereal and let's rewind. You know, every generation has those moments, the things that instantly take you back. The smell, the music, the excitement. You hear one word and you're suddenly 12 years old again. For me, there are a handful of experiences I really, really miss. Not because technology today is bad. I mean, actually, technology today is just incredible. I can watch almost any movie whenever I want. I can download games without leaving the house. I can watch cartoons on demand. It's really convenient. But convenience has a funny way of replacing experiences. And today I want to talk about four things I honestly miss. And I have a feeling some of you are going to be saying, Oh man, I forgot all about that. But first, let's get into Dad Life Debrief. So if you're new to the show, Dad Life Debrief is an opportunity for you as the listener to join me throughout the week leading up to recording a new episode of Most Let Me Occasionally Wives. And this week it's hot. It's really hot here in the South. It's the hottest time of the year for us. And the way heat works in the South is yes, we get the hot, hot heat, but on top of that, we get humidity. And that makes things 10 times worse. It doesn't make you want to go outside. I mean, we have a pool in the backyard. We don't even want to go out there because the pool is not cold at all. It's like bath water. And that sucks because there are days when it's 103 with a heat index of 110, and you really just want to jump in the pool and cool off. But there's really no point because you're technically, like I said, just taking a bath at that point. So if you live in the south and you're listening to the show, please be safe. Bring your pets indoors. Don't go outside unless you just have to. So we're a busy family, and I've mentioned that multiple times throughout all my episodes, pretty much. And there's a lot that goes on. There are there are a lot of magical moments that happen throughout the week, but there are four that really stood out this week. And I want to start off by congratulating my 19-year-old daughter. She just recently got a job, and we got a call yesterday that they offered her a full-time position because she started out part-time, which was fine with her, because she's like at this point, she's like, money is money. I have bills to pay. She's living on her own. And she got offered a full-time position. And I am so proud of her, and I wanted to give her the kudos and the flowers, everything. She deserves it all. She's really been busting her butt. And Becca and I are just so proud of the 19-year-old. Let's move on to the 13-year-old. So we have started a summer tradition with the 13-year-old that when he gets out of school for the summer, he gets to do an all-nighter where he just gets to hang out, play video games, things like that. And then we do it again, we do it again at the end of the summer to get ready for school. And last night was his all-nighter before school started. Because he's got soccer practice coming up, too, so we need to kind of get his sleep pattern uh readjusted and you know back on a consistent schedule. But for those listening that have teenagers, do your teenagers sweat a lot when they play video games? Like, you know, I play video games and I play scary games, and sometimes they can get pretty scary, but I don't think I have ever seen this amount of sweat coming from someone, especially at 13 years old, that's not really doing a whole lot of physical activities, honestly, just playing Minecraft online. But like after he's done with the PC, sometimes I'll jump on and work on the show or just kind of do some research and or things like that. And my keyboard's got sweaty fingerprints on it, my mouse is kind of sweaty, and the seat that he sits in is sweaty. And I'm like, dude, what did you do? Like, you didn't get up, you didn't go outside, there was no sort, you know, you didn't do any physical activities, but man, he was sweating like he had been running, you know, a mile. And I've asked him about that. I'm like, dude, are you feeling okay? You know, and it's not hot in the house where the office is located. We've got one big vent in the ceiling, and it blows really hard. I mean, there are times at night when I'm putting on a hoodie because I'm cool. And I just I don't understand it. And it makes me laugh, and he laughs about it. So we've kind of gotten to a habit where he's got like a he we get this bottle of Clark's wipes and he just wipes everything down because I don't want to be marinating in his sweat and just thinking about that is kind of gross. But if you have a teenager and you're listening to the show and they sweat a lot, just let me know that I'm not the only one. Otherwise, my son may have some sort of condition, maybe, or he's just a kid that sweats a lot. But the point is with the traditions, and I'll ask this question on TikTok and on social media. You know, what kind of traditions, you know, during the summer did you do or do you that you do with your kids, or you know, that you did when you were growing up? I it's it's it's really cool to hear some of the traditions. So yeah, with with the 13-year-old, he did his all-nighter last night, and apparently he was sweating as if he was competing in a triathlon. And I don't I don't get that. Let's see, what else is on the agenda? We have a 1 30 a.m. wake-up call for my four-year-old. So my four-year-old is he he we expect the unexpected with him. We never know daily what we're gonna get with him. And so when Becca and I are asleep, he'll come into our room almost nightly, and sometimes he'll want to sleep on the floor because our room is the coolest room in the house. And not that he's hot, but it's just he sleeps better when he's cold, and I'm the same way. And he'll come in, and sometimes he needs help, and sometimes he doesn't. But he came in, was it Sunday night, Sunday, Monday morning, 1.30 in the morning, and he pokes my face, and he's like, Hey daddy, and I'm like, Yes, bud, what's up? I need you to get up and fix my pallet on the floor right now. And I'm like, okay. And I had to process the fact that he was demanding me to do something at 1.30 in the morning when I'm half asleep. And once I process it, I looked at him, I said, Hey, bud. I said, first off, you're not my boss. You don't, you don't come in here at 1.30 in the morning in the morning demanding things because I will send you right back to your room. And I said, Second of all, I said, You see that woman sleeping behind me? He's like, Yeah, I said, her and my mom are the only two that really get to boss me around. And he started smiling and we shared a moment. Of course, I got up and we s we we set up his pallet on the floor, and he was asleep within 10 minutes. So another magical moment where my four-year-old was just being himself, and just uh, it's it's crazy. I I I love all my kids, and it it's great that they all have different types of personalities because it really is an adventure, and it's an adventure I enjoy being a part of. So was it Sunday night? Yeah, Sunday night. My days run together. I apologize. I work night shift, and for those who work night shift can relate, you kind of forget sometimes what day it is, and there are a lot of times your days run together. But Sunday night before Becca and I went to sleep, we were taking a few minutes to just kind of catch up on things. You know, she got to talk about work, I talked about work, and we were just enjoying each other's company, and so and I posted this question on TikTok as far as who has the most expensive collection or hobby out of you know, out of the couple, out of a husband, wife, just whatever. And so I had mentioned to her about wanting to card collect again, trading card collecting, because I've seen a lot of videos on YouTube, and when I was younger in the 90s, car collecting was a really big thing, and it has really spiked again, you know, nowadays, and I I really miss it. Like it's just a piece of nostalgia. And I was talking to her a little bit about the cost and things like that, and she she said, you know, men in general, it seems like have the most expensive hobbies in a relationship, and it really stopped me dead on my track because I was like, you know, when you think about it, you're not wrong. And so when we talked about that, you know, I I kind of did it kind of stuck with me the next day, and I did some research. And statistically, yes, men have the more expensive hobbies in a relationship because it could be requi, you know, equipment relating to that hobby, it could just be the fact that the hobby they're wanting to do is just a piece of nostalgia, something they did from you know, when they were kids, or something that they're doing with their friends. So, yes, statistically, out of a relationship, men do have the more expensive hobbies. Second of all, we were talking about the podcast a little bit because I like to pick her brain and I like to pick Uncle Rob's brain. And she, you know, Becca finally caught up on all the episodes, and she pointed something out that I had honestly never really, you know, just thought about. When I started this podcast, I wanted to talk about anything and everything. And over the last few episodes, it's all about being a parent and things like that. And and that's nothing wrong with that. I love talking about being a dad and just the joys of it, the trials and tribulations, so on and so forth. But I also want to talk about other things that are gonna bring in a variety of listeners because my listeners, not everybody is a parent, not everybody has kids, not everybody has gone through the struggles of just you know being husband, father, fam, or man. And it's not that I lost sight of that, it's just I sometimes when I get focused on certain topics, I tend to, you know, just run with it. And not that I lost sight, but in in hindsight, yes, I did lose sight of that. So I'm gonna try to do a better job, and I'm not apologizing for my past episodes because I've really enjoyed them, they've been really insightful, and I've I've heard a lot of uh positive feedback, but I do want to start bringing in more of the pop culture and things that I love because I know you guys love talking about them too, and nostalgia is a really big thing with me. I love everything about it, so that's obviously this is what this episode's about. Before we jump into today's episode, I'd like to thank today's sponsor, Opus Clips. If you've ever wanted to create content for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube, but didn't want to spend the hours editing, you need to check out Opus Clips. It's the AI editing software I use to create clips from every episode of Mostly Me Occasionally Wise. It automatically finds the best moments, adds captions, and save me hours every week. So if you're a creator or thinking about becoming one, you can support the show by signing up using my affiliate link, which is over on the Mostly Me Occasionally Wise Facebook page, and it will also be in the show description wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. So, with that said, let's get on with the show. Can we all agree Saturday mornings as a kid just hit differently? I mean, it was there was just something magical about it. You know, the house of quiet, it was still dark outside, you tiptoed into the living room, you grabbed the biggest bowl you could find in the kitchen, you poured enough sugary cereal to make your parents question their life choices, and you settled in for hours of cartoons. And back then for me, I had Garfield and Friends, I had X-Men, I had Dennis the Menace, Spider-Man, Batman the Animated Series, just to name a few. But the crazy thing was, is you didn't binge watch anything. You got one episode, maybe two if you were lucky. And if you missed it, too bad. See you next Saturday. There was no rewind, there was no streaming, there was no, I'll just watch it later. Saturday mornings became an event because obviously it happened once a week. And somehow that's what made them so so special. I remember even checking the TV guide during the week, planning exactly what I was gonna watch, figuring out what time it came on. I mean, Saturday mornings was a coordinated event. I mean, think about it. Imagine explaining a TV guide to kids today. It's let's see, it's like Netflix, except it was made out of paper and you couldn't actually play anything. And that's what was crazy. I miss that anticipation. I miss pouring the bowl of cereal before this dun came up. I miss the cartoons feeling like the event instead of just another option. Because yeah, if I wanted to, I could go get on Netflix right now, pour a bowl of cook, you know, cookie crisp that we have in the pantry, and just try to relive that that nostalgia. But it was just something about being there and being present back then in that moment that just Saturday mornings are just just not what they used to be. And and I and I totally, totally miss it. But eventually, cartoons gave way into something else Friday nights, a family trip and one of the greatest places to ever exist. I'm talking about Blockbuster video. Raise your hand if Friday nights meant one thing. Let's go to Blockbuster. Man, I really, really miss Blockbuster. Like, it's an understatement when I say that. Like, I really miss it. I miss just the video stores in general. And it's not because renting movies was more convenient, because it definitely wasn't. But like I said, I just miss the experience walking through the automatic doors and the and the smell of popcorn just hitting you. The walls covered with movie posters, the new releases section that was either the greatest thing ever or the biggest disappointment. Because if someone beat you to the last copy, you were just out of luck. I mean, honestly, you would stare that you would stare at the empty shelf and just hoping maybe, just maybe, someone would would return the the new release while you're standing there. And spoiler alert, they never did. So you start negotiating. You know, you start looking at other movies, you'd be like, well, this one looks okay. Then it became family debate. My dad was really big into action and horror. My mom either wanted comedy or romantics. For for my brother and I, it was either a scary movie or video game. And as a kid, Blackbuster had one of the greatest video game selections in the entire world. But the thing was, nobody agreed. And somehow you're always left with something everyone complained about until the movie started. But let's circle back around to the video games. You honestly, as a kid, would stand there looking at the video game sections forever, reading the back of almost every game box, trying to decide which game would be worth your entire your entire weekend. Now there were hit and misses, but the thing was you took your time with it because once you picked, that was it. You were committed. Then you you'd go grab a box of movie theater candy from the checkout counter, you'd pay and you head home. And and there was just something magical about carrying that the the blue, white, and yellow box blockbuster case out to the car. It felt like it really did. It felt like the weekend had officially started. And and of course, you had one mission after that. After everything was said and done, you enjoyed the videotapes and the video games. You had to make sure to return it, but you also needed to be kind and rewind. And the thing was, is they would get you for it. They would they would charge you a fee for it. And let's be honest, most of us paid that that fine a few times. As I got older, Friday nights at Blockbuster slowly turned into something else. Instead of renting video games every Friday night, I started to wait in line to own them. There was a time when getting a new game wasn't as simple as pressing a download button. I know that's a lot to take in, but seriously, it wasn't that easy. You really had to earn it, so to speak. Midnight game releases were an event. You'd pull into the GameStop parking lot, and they'd already be a line. People had lawn chairs, energy drinks, pizza. Some were playing handheld games while they waited. Others were arguing over which console was better: Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo. Those debates honestly they could have lasted all night. The best part about all of it all is nobody cared that you didn't know each other. For one night, everyone was there for the same reason. Then somebody would come out, GameStop, and would you know check your receipt, and you would you would essentially once you checked your receipt with the the employee, you were good to go. That was your spot in the line. Now, if you got out, you were you were screwed. But once your receipt had like a mark on it or whatever, you were good to go. And then the countdown would begin. And everybody would get into it. And then the doors opened, everyone cheered, you grabbed your copy, you held it like you just won the lottery, and you jumped in the car, and on your way home, you know, whether you were in the front seat or back seat, you would open the instruction manual. Remember, yeah, I mean, those listening, do you remember those the instruction manuals? Games used to come with these amazing little booklets, character art, story backgrounds, controller layouts, sometimes little secrets hidden in the pages, but by the time you got home, yeah, you already felt like you knew the game. And now you download it, you wait for it to install, you wait for the update, you wait for another update, and then and then you put the disc in and and you played immediately. My biggest update growing up was honestly hearing my mom yell, Brian, it's it it it's one in the morning, go to bed. And of course, I always responded with just one more level, and of course, we know how that all ended. GameStop, yeah, it's not as big as it used to be, and of course, you know, there's the whole fiasco with Sony getting rid of physical copies of games, you know, we won't get into that, but downloading it is the future, and it sucks because it's uh there's a piece of nostalgia going away, you know. But I remember Fallout 4. I love the Fallout franchise, I've always been a big fan of it. Fallout 4 was being released, and I remember standing in line with Becca, who was my girlfriend at the time, and my best friend Robbie. And we stood in line, we were there maybe an hour, hour and a half early, and the GameStop we always went to always had ways to entertain the crowd while we were, you know, in line. They would give out little keychains or they do little trivias, stuff like that for prizes and things like that. And I really miss it. I don't have very many physical copies of my games, they kind of just gone away over time or. I've donated because downloading is a lot easier. It's not as big of a mess. I have one physical copy of the game left, and that's Fallout 4. And that was because I got I just so happened to get lucky with my brother getting me the Pit Boy edition of it, where I actually have a Pit Boy and the Pit Boy case, and it came with a physical steelbook copy. So it I haven't parted ways with it. I'll probably never part ways with it just because it's just a piece of nostalgia. It's it's a piece of gaming history. So for those listening and you can relate to the GameStop, I know you guys miss it as much as I do. I just I wish sometimes I could just experience that with my kids. So this next one, as fun as midnight game releases were, and of course this is just my opinion, there was one thing that topped the video game releases. One place where a hundred complete strangers could become one giant audience. And I am talking about the midnight releases at a movie theater. Don't get me wrong, I loved the midnight video game releases. But a midnight movie premiere, I really don't think younger generations will ever understand what those nights felt like. You'd buy your tickets weeks in advance. You you'd avoid spoilers like your life depended on it. You you you get to the theater hours early because everyone wanted the best seats. And the line. The line was half the fun. People showed up dressed as Batman, Spider-Man, Jedi Rogues, Harry Potter scarves. People you had never met before were suddenly your best friends for the next couple of hours. You would spend time talking about theories, you know, you what do you think is gonna happen? Do you think they'll introduce a new character? Who's gonna make it out alive? Everyone had opinions. Then the theater doors would open, everyone rushed in, the lights dimmed, the preview started, and the second the movie studio logo appeared, the crowd exploded. People clapped, people laughed together, people, you know, gasped together. When the hero was finally on the screen, the entire theater erupted. It wasn't rude, it wasn't distracting, you know, it it was part of the experience. You could actually feel the excitement. Then the movie ended, and nobody wanted to go home. You honestly would go out to the parking lot and spend another 30 to 45 minutes talking about your your your favorite scenes, arguing over the ending, and then planning to see it again the following weekend. Don't get me wrong, streaming movies it's amazing. I love being able to watch almost anything from my couch. But let's be real, every now and then I miss being part of a crowd that was experiencing the same story together. And yes, we do get some of that now. You know, movies release on Thursdays. And it's really big with Marvel movies, like you got the Spider-Man movie coming out this weekend. And if you're seeing it open night opening night, you're gonna get to experience that. You know, growing up, we didn't have the Thursday night, you know, releases. Like you literally at midnight there were theaters showing movies, and it's just and you know, along with going to that midnight showing, you really enjoyed being out, depending on the type of movie. You were up watching a movie in a theater until 1.32, 2.30 in the morning, and then yeah, you would come back outside and you would talk about, you know, the movie and everything like that. And sometimes you would go to Denny's and continue the conversation, but yeah, there's there's a little bit of that magic now, but to me, it's just it's just not the same. And I know some of you are like, but it kind of is, but it, but it it's not, it's not, it really isn't. You just had to you just had to be there. You know, as I thought about the four memories in doing this episode this week, I realized something. It's not actually the cartoons or blockbuster or the video games or even the movies that I that I miss the most. I mean, who who who who miss who misses rewinding the VHS tapes? I mean, I don't miss dial-up internet, I don't miss the late feeds at Blockbuster. I definitely don't miss trying to explain to my parents why I needed to stay up until midnight for a video game. But what I do miss is that anticipation. Waiting all week for Saturday morning cartoons, walking into Blockbuster with no idea what kind of movie we'd be bringing home, counting down the hours until a midnight game release, standing shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers who love the same stories that I did. Those moments slowed life down a little bit. They gave us something to look forward to, and and maybe maybe that's what I missed the most. Not the things, but the feeling, the excitement, the memories. I mean, the technology has made life so much easier. And honestly, I wouldn't go back, but I do hope we never lose the joy of looking forward to something. Because sometimes the anticipation alone becomes the memory. Now it's your turn. What's one thing you miss about growing up? Was it the Saturday morning cartoons, blockbuster, arcade, riding your bike until the streetlights came on, the mall, or maybe it's just something I didn't talk about today. I'd honestly love to hear your story. Send me an email at mostlymecontact at gmail.com or join the conversation on the Mostly Me Occasionally Wise Facebook page. Who knows? Maybe your memory will inspire a future episode. And if you've enjoyed today's episode, do me a favor. Share with a friend, a sibling, someone who grew up in the 80s or 90s. Honestly, nostalgia is always better when it's shared. Before we wrap up, a huge thank you to Opus Clips for supporting Mostly Me Occasionally Wise. If you're a creator, podcaster, or small business owner looking to turn long videos into engaging social media clips, check them out by using my affiliate link that will be listed in the Mostly Me Occasionally Wise Facebook page or in the podcast episode description, wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. Your support helps me continue creating this podcast, and I truly, truly appreciate it. So thank you so much for spending part of your day with me. I mean, life has a funny way of moving faster than we realize. So every now and then slow down, make a memory, watch a movie with your family, play a game with your kids, take the long way home and laugh a little louder because years from now, those ordinary moments might become the stories you tell over and over and over again. Thank you for listening and until next time.