I came across these in a basement cleanup this weekend.

This one features the ultra-setup. There is the reel-to-reel, equalizer, CD player, double cassette deck, receiver AND record player! There is my alligator skin (and saved from the garbage) case full of bootleg tapes on the right speaker and my double-sided case of blues tapes on top of the record player. The diminutive TV has a classic front loading VCR on top and if you could open the cabinet above it, you would find the other VCR that I used to tape movies with.

This was as much media and devices this space could handle.

Don’t look in the drawers or cabinets. They were full of my stuff too. This was basically my office. I spent as much time standing in front of this rig as I did anything else. Ah my friends, I miss you all, BUT, I still will never buy another entertainment center. Ugh.

It looks like this was Abbey’s b-day with Max helping. Hi guys!

This one features the record player and both VCR’s are out.

Abbey with headphones. I subjected her to a lot of music. She survived.

Then we have the dueling boom box shots. For a moment I thought they were the same, and maybe they are, but for the life of me I can’t recall having 2 boomboxes with TV’s in them. So for historical accuracy, and since each shot features a parent, I include them both.

With mom, no idea what year, but you can see the boombox behind me.

Clearly we were watching Wheel of Fortune for some reason. Looks like a good hug. Good times. I think this was Brown Deer Wisconsin.

Then dad’s picture.

This was his Mishawaka Indiana apartment. The date on the back of the photo says 01 87. The boombox is on the table where I spent a lot of time listening to my tapes and writing and making my own mix tapes.

Dad had a small stereo in the cabinet you see behind our heads. Of course he had Neil Diamond, but he also had some Paul Horn that I would play in a pinch. I think he thought I was crazy to bring all my stereo stuff when I stayed with him.

I don’t think he realized that he was 50% to blame.