The REAL Life of a '70s Teen

Editor's note: I’ve been amazed over the last 16 years at the interest shown in my Web site, Stuck in the ’70s. In particular, people seem to enjoy my real-life, no lie, here’s-what-I-actually wrote diary.

I received my first diary at my first birthday party, at my house in Brookview -- a real live slumber party. The only guests I recall coming were Jennie Pickford and Paula Weigensberg (sp), both from Lake of the Woods, a neighborhood considered one step better than ours. I loved them both dearly. One of the presents was a diary. It came from my mom, of course. Mom always wrote things down. She had multiple calendars going. She came by it easily. The attic is full of Grandma Biddison’s diaries I have yet to read.

I realized on March 3, 1972, I would never be anything other than a writer.

The entries started out slow, then started to grow. (Apologies to Dr. Seuss … and a happy birthday, belated.) As the years went on, I spent more and more time in my room. Hours of  watching the little portable black and white TV I carried back and forth between the kitchen (where it sat atop the fridge so Dad could watch the news while we ate) and my room. I had select few friends, and the “others” just thought I was weird. Today, they’d call it bullying, and it’d be all over the news.

If I wasn’t staying up past my bedtime, with the earplug in (under the blanket), watching Richard Hatch (the REAL Richard Hatch) on “Streets of San Francisco” on CBS or Johnny Carson on NBC or “Mary Harper” or “Soap” on ABC, I was listening to the radio, writing in my diary and reading Tiger Beat or 16. It was something special when we got our “licenses” and could meet up at the mall.

So, here it is. You asked for it, you got it Toyota. The rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say. I hope you enjoy it. And … I hope you let me know what you think in the comment section right here on Fidler Forum. My entries will depend on your feedback.

Remember: All spelling and grammar remain original, and what you see is actually what appears in my original diaries. No names have been changed, because, after all, who really is innocent? I’ll say “I’m sorry” right now if I hurt anyone’s feelings because I sure as heck know what that’s like. That’s right. You know who you are. Called me “Frog Dog” and “Sasquatch,” among many other colorful terms.

If we are on Facebook and/or Twitter together, I will be sure to “tag” you when your name comes up. I very much look forward to Friday, July 22, in Chilli! Go Grey Ghosts. “We party hearty and have lots of fun cuz we’re the class of ’81!” (’Cept I was never invited. Boo hoo.)

Thanks for sticking around. It’s fixin’ to get a lot better, man!

Julie M. Fidler
20:31 3.10.11
39 degrees on the porch, 72 in here

Saturday, March 10, 1973
Watched cartoons. had fun. Went to Conveinent. Bought sunflower seeds & bubble gum. Played with new basketball, lost Mike 3 out of 3 games.
Argued with Cathy finally talked her into staying all night. Watched Carol Burnett. Went to bed.

Tuesday, March 9, 1976

hi. Nothing happened today at all. You see this pic. This here is Jim Stafford. I've seen him in concert & on TV. I have all his records & everything. Ain't he cute. I really like him!

Wednesday, March 10, 1976
hi. tony O. was good.

Friday, March 10, 1978
Today was pretty neat!
Got 1 letter in the mail. There was the stinkiest assembly at school. Some college choir. It was gross!!!!!
Called Buz. Gonna meet him tomarrow. Should be grand. I’m kinda worried, though. What if he’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen in my life? The answer lies in the pages of tomarrow! (hey! That was pretty good!) Check out my horoscope & Wishing Well for today! Could they be talking about the meeting of “Julie of IVC” & “Buster Bradley of KZ-93”?
Put a note into Joe’s locker! It was a cute poem Stacey showed me!

Saturday March 10, 1979
hi:25, low: 7
Today was good enough. I got to solo all the way into Chilli & back. No problems at all. I did just great! Me, mom & Aunt Dot went shopping. I got a few things. Including this 10 color pen. I got one letter. The girl said she saw D&T on a show and Pooh has a perm! Oh brother! Can this be? Yuck! I didn't think he was that type! Ma & dad went to the Brem's. I decided to stay home. I'm watching Chips. Then I watched B.J. & the Bear. I found Gomez wandering around loose so, I put him in the garage. I did a gob of business math homework. I'll finish it tomarrow. We're gonna have one hell of a flood around the beginning of the week! Time for "De Plane." I'm gonna work on my rug a bit.

Monday March 10, 1980
High: 45 Low:
Hi Nicole!
Today was a good day! Tomarrow’ll be better tho! Tell ya in a sec. 1st hour we reviewed for the big test we’re gonna have & I’m gonna flunk tomarrow. In PE we played a stupid game. In 3rd hour SH I read & got winked at by Mr. Childs. Hell stunk. Mr. Childs’ class was great. I love talking to that guy! We talked about all kinds of stuff today. I heard that in one of his classes he showed them the drawing of a runner I did for him & said “Julie Fidler drew this for me.” Once I got him talking I thought he’d never shut up! But he’s fun. In 6th hour Independent Living I learned about the other side of Legs. My (one of them) cooking partner goes to the Marina Motel a lot & it’s Wendy’s proverbial hang-out! Well, it seems that he’s quite a ladies man there & that he can charm the socks right off any broad who walks in the joint & apparently he does. Tony said that his marriages never stoped him, he’s a real swinger! In Tony’s words “You should’ve seen the fox he picked up there last week!” And Jill Reed, my other partner, says she saw his name on the sign up sheet for the Sweetheart Swing! There’s one thing that’s certain -- he’s one hell of a heart breaker! Now that I’ve wasted an entire page on Legs -- on with my day. In Indep Liv. We made bisquits. In 7th hour SH we played Uno, & I got 2 winks from Legs. I came home. Now the great news - we get our cable tv tomarrow! Hip-hip-hooray!! This will be gr-8! We ate supper. I forgot to bring my Amer. Lit. home to study so Pa drove me up to school & I got it. We came home. Cousin Gordon’s on a break from college & came by & talked. We watched a new show called “That’s Incredible.” I tried studying. Then Dad helped me try to figger out what the hell Legs is “TAWKING” about in that Study Sheet!

Wednesday March 10, 1982
Well, the photo place lost my pictures! She put a tracer on them. I’ll call back Sat. I didn’t see Leroy yesterday. Today I played raquetball w/out walls on the basketball court for a few hours. I did a little runing around w/Leroy tonight. He has a nervous problem that he was sick with yesterday. Poor guy. I’m gonna learn how to take the motor out of a car tomorrow. I want to play some more raquetball too. Weather is great!! Leroy wants me to sketch him. I like him a whole lot.

Sunday, March 10, 1985
Worked from 6 a.m. to noon

Thursday, March 10, 1988
Work didn’t go by quickly enough in the morn. Mom met me at lunch. We ate at Subway & she brought us a box & packing materials to mail in our non-functioning answering machine. I’m in the mood for a hair-do change - not short though. I made an appointment for tomorrow at 5 p.m. w/Dorothy & I plan to get a straight bob. Hope it works the way I want. Usually doesn’t. Mark brought in more info for Mr. P. on the taxes. We’ll probably have to pay a lot. Once off work, I packed up the Phone-Mate to be mailed. I also wrote to Carolyn & watched “Probe.”
Andy Gibb died today in London. They haven’t released the cause of death. He apparently complained of stomach pains, but was involved in drugs. Such a shame. He was 30. I was madly in love with him 10 & 11 years ago. It really bums me out. Part of my teen memories dead.

Friday, March 10, 1989
Mark had to work a 12 hour shift, so wasn’t able to get up & come to the doctor with me. It was a great visit though. I weighed in at 195. The baby’s heartbeat was 140. I told the nurse I thought Baby has dropped down & when the doctor checked, he said it sure has! He said the head is behind my pelvis! He also said that when the baby wedges in like that it usually means I’ll have it within 2 ½ weeks! He said it’ll be toward the end of the month!
When I got home I was so excited I wanted to wake Mark up & tell him, but I didn’t. So I called Mom, but she doesn’t seem to understand any of this or at least she doesn’t get excited.

Sun. March 10, 1991
I got up at 4:30 am, actually 3:30 am Arkansas time & John drove us to the airport. It was snowing. When we arrived in LR (sunny & warm) Rob was not at the airport, which came to me as no surprise. Luckily Anne had called & woke her up. I drove home as fast as I could with my car pulling itself all over the hiway. That night Mark & I went to Wal-Mart & I used some of my tax $ to buy a 26”, stereo color television. It’s great!

Friday, March 10, 1995
At lunch worked out on weights & walked a mile.
Got a copy of the final, unsigned property settlement. Drank a little too much in the evening.
Called (crush at the time) to ask him about a T-ball glove. He suggested a used sporting goods store by McCain mall. We talked just briefly around 9:30 p.m.