(December 2008) We've just had a historic election in America, and no matter who you voted for or where you're at politically, you know one thing for sure: we live in a country with divided opinions on the issues; social, moral, economic, environmental. And we're in another unpopular war.

MMM, shades the sixties? We can relate....

The Sensational Sixties, the Swinging Sixties, the Psychadelic Sixties....we were there. In early 1966, most Americans thought that "turning on" was what you did to your television, that "taking a trip" was what you did in your family car. By years' end, both phrases meant something very different. "Turn on, tune in, drop out." 

Some of us missed society's change or weathered it; others of us got swept up in it and grew out of it. But we all knew one thing; the world, as we knew it, was radically changing. (Not unlike now)

As we look back we can know we were part of a time of great social and technological change. We experienced a shocking assassination, unforgettable fashions, crazy new musical styles, a modern Camelot, civil rights, women's lib, and the first manned landing on the moon.

Some called the Sixties the "decade of discontent" but if you're anything like me (Jan) you didn't sense it at SLHS. Somehow, we baby boomers (most of us) were too busy growing up to ponder becoming radicals back then. Maybe later. It was not until after we graduated that it all began to change....with the Summer of Love and flower children. And it heated up when 1968 found young people saying "no" to the establishment, and counter-culture was born.

In 1966 we were in our heyday, enjoying (or tolerating) high school. Our dreams were big and hopes ran high that we had what it takes to make them come true.

And as teenagers in the Bay Area we spent the decade being just teenagers, shocking our parents as we embraced rock and roll, from Elvis to the Beatles and a thousand voices in between.

We collected 45's and LP's that some of us wish we'd kept.  (One of the reunion committee traded Elvis' first gold album for Pat Boone...) We had Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkle, the Righteous Brothers singing Unchained Melody. We had Motown, the Supremes, the Four Seasons, Sonny & Cher, and the Mamas and Papas. And we tuned into American Bandstand to see the new rock 'n roll stars and their latest hits. Some of us even trekked to San Francisco for the West Coast version called Dance Party and found ourselves on TV. Anybody recall that experience?
 
Remember the Twist? It became our newest dance craze. We knew the Cha cha, the Pony, the Mashed Potato, the Jerk and who couldn't slide into a good Stroll?. We carried around our transistor radios. When we needed a beach fix we had Santa Cruz and the Boardwalk. We plastered out bodies with baby oil, and some of us are paying for it now with visits to the dematologist for treatments.

We drank Coke from bottles the cost a dime. We bought hamburgers for a quarter and a gallon of gas for less than that. 

We bought mood rings to see how we were feeling at any given moment.

We invented slang, some of which is still used today. Like "bad," "a blast," and "bitchen," translated to mean totally awesome in the sixties. 

Remember some of these?

Outta Sight: Beyond great
Far out: excellent
Square: So not cool
Spaz: someone acting rlike a retard
Right on: Ditto, I agree
Pad: someone's house
Groady: grotesque
Cooties: Someone not very cool had them
Cherry: pristine, totally clean
Stacked: well-endowed girls

Anybody have some favorites to add?