Sunday, January 24, 2010

It's Like That One Thing...

Photo credit: www.xanafan.com

Sometimes living with Neal is like playing a perpetual game of $10,000 Pyramid.

Neal: What was that one restaurant we went to?
Me: Can you be more specific?
Neal: The one in Chicago.
Me: Again, we've eaten at fine dining establishments all over that city...I'm going to need more.
Neal: Really loud.,.
Me: Uh-huh...and?
Neal: Wine.
Me: Quartino's?
Neal: That's it.

or....

Neal: What was the name of that play we saw that they made into a movie?
Me: Um...well, we've seen a lot of plays.
Neal: We saw the play first and then the movie...
Me: The Vampire Lestat?
Neal: No...
Me: Phantom of the Opera?
Neal: No...There were jail bars...
Me: Chicago.
Neal: That's it.

or....

Me: I found a picture today of you at a concert. What concert was it?
Neal: Hmm...I don't know. Where was I?
Me: I don't know. In some non-descript hallway of an auditorium.
Neal: Not sure.
Me: Have you really been to so many concerts in your life that you can't narrow it down and decide on one?
Neal: No...I just can't remember them all.
Me: Well, you had Gary and Deb with you.
Neal: Hmm...yeah...no clue.

And for the record, when I "need" the answer to something, that's when he plays the "no clue" card. When I ask him about why England's Parliament is so rowdy, that's when he tosses 17 different ideas into the ring, silently hoping I will believe one. This happens a lot. (Tomorrow, I'll tell you about how I learned of the origin of honey. Last night. In bed. While watching Keith Olbermann...who, I admit, is a left-wing wackjob, but I didn't learn it from Keith so it's OK).

Well, now I'm asking nicely for your help. If you don't know, it's quite OK to say "I don't know." And even if you don't know and throw 17 theories at me, hoping one will stick, that's OK, too. But I'm a child of the 80's...I grew up on Kool-Aid and Fraggle Rock and kulats. I honestly have no idea what Neal is referring to and while I'm sure this conversation has slid right out the back door of his brain, it's vexing me. And do you know what you get when you Google "liquid in a pouch?" Well, nothing you can show your Mama, that's for sure. So, here's how it all went down...

Setting: Watching TV as we're getting ready for bed. Some commercial about children's medicine in a to-go packet initiates the whole discussion.

Neal: Huh. It's like those little packets of liquid they used to have.
Me: What little packets?
Neal: Y'know...liquid...in a packet...you'd open it up and suck the liquid out....
Me: Capri Suns?
Neal: No...
Me: Flav R Ice?
Neal: No...y'know...liquid in a packet...
Tip of the day: if you are trying to describe something to someone in hopes of remembering the name, you should use more than just the same 2 words over and over again.

So...I ask you all...what liquid in a packet? Neal was born in the late 60's so I'm assuming it was something very popular in the mid-70's. If you answer correctly, I promise not to automatically assume that you, too, were born in the late 60's. Or earlier. I will simply guess that you have mastered keyword searches. Because as everyone knows, we are all 25.

19 comments:

  1. Is he talking about those little wax things that looked like bottles and you would bite the end off of and then suck the juice out of them?

    They were called Nik-L-Nips.

    http://www.nostalgiccandy.com/ProductImages/nik-l-nip_wax_bottles_pkg2.jpg

    They weren't really a packet, but they were little things you sucked liquid out of.

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  3. Dustin never went to prom either! He said it was an "overrated waste of money."

    Wait. I think the guys might be onto something...

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  4. No clue you said Capri Sun and thought for sure then it was game over. That's the only package I sucked liquid out of (safe for Flavor Ice).

    I have this issue a lot with M but it's more of him asking me where something in the house is and for the life of me my brain doesn't work fast enough. I picture the item where it is but all that come out of my mouth is "It's in the thing, in the other room with the stuff in it"... helpful right? Then I stop... "In the bathroom... on the shelf" (there's only one cabinet in the bathroom - and one linen closet... he always goes to the wrong spot but it's because I don't explain myself. I've started to just walk and get things for him. It's to the point where I always put stuff in the same place to make this easier and then HE moves them!! WTH?

    Good luck with the liquid pouch search if Salt isn't right I don't know who will be because that's a great guess!

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  5. I have no clue....hmmm...liquid in a packet? Capri Sun is the only thing I can think of. Maybe try this website: http://www.retrojunk.com/content/commercial.php?view=list&era=1970&step=3&type=food&sort=new

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  6. What about that energy stuff? My brother and i used to suck on those like the were going out of style. Alas! They went out of style- but i just saw them at the sporting goods store the other day...
    google, google, google......
    GU ENERGY.

    please tell me i won something.

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  7. I would've said Capri Sun, too. I've never had those Nickle Nips or whatever they're called...

    p.s. I came over from Foxy's place and wanted to say hi! I'm your newest follower!

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  8. I have these exact same conversations with my 7 year old son. I have to put on my detective cap to figure out what the hell he wants to tell me.

    Otter Pops? Sir Alexander the Grape.

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  9. hahahaha this is such a cute post!
    And nope..no idea.

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  10. Wow - how descriptive and helpful Neal is!! Huh, "liquid in a packet"... soy sauce is the only thing that's coming to mind. So, I really have no clue either. But Salt's guess was pretty dang good. I'll be interested to see what it is.

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  11. Hehe. This made me giggle! I totally sympathize. This is my husband too. Liquid in a packet? I'm confused.

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  12. I think he was talking about the wax bottles filled with colored sugar water. Niklnips (a creepy name for a child's candy if ever I heard one).

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  13. Great Post...first time here! Thanks for the chuckle!

    Shane

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  14. You guys sound exactly like my husband and I. Lately it sounds a lot like us and our son too. The only thing I could think of are those Ice Pops. I'm not sure what those Flav R Ice things are, it could be the same thing I'm talking about.

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  15. I'm with Salt and DG, that was what I immediately thought of too. They were really gross, but we all loved 'em anyway. Then chewed on the wax afterwords - they were mildly sweetened.

    Born January 4, 1967, and no shame in my game! I'm old and proud to have made it this far, lol!!

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  16. Salt had the same idea I had about the little wax bottles full of liquid. And they DID taste like medicine!

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  17. There is one other thing, besides CapriSun and wax bottles, that I can think of. They were these little plastic containers...kind of like the half and half containers at diners...they were clear plastic and had different colored liquid in them. You peeled the top back and sucked out the inside...which was sort of a liquidy jello like substance. I just called my brother to ask him about these things and he said he thinks I'm making this up, as he remembers no such thing. But I swear they are a real thing.

    Please let us know what Neal is talking about if you ever figure it out...it's driving me crazy.

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  18. I was thinking of those wax bottles too, I can't think of anything else. This is usually my domain, too. I'll have to think about it. I grew up on those Flav R Ice things, those were amazing.

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That's it, let it all out....