Code Red '80s Show with Adam Rich

ABC show, Code Red in 1981

As a little girl, I was a big fan of shows about cops and doctors. I'd often tune in to adult-focused shows like Quincy, CHiPs and Code Red, a show about a family of LA  firefighters staring Lorne Greene and foxy Andrew Stevens. I was only about 9 at the time, so my personal crush was on early '80s child actor Adam Rich (of Eight is Enough fame) who had a small role on the show. According to Wikipedia, only 19 original episodes aired on ABC between 1981-1982, however for whatever reason I still remember watching this show. Because of its short run, I doubt we'll ever see it in reruns.

Adam Rich from Code Red

Anyone remember this show, Code Red?

Remember Tootsie Roll Banks?

Tootsie Roll Bank

The other day, I had a weird random flashback. I remembered having a Tootsie Roll bank as a kid. Did you? Typically, I would receive them as gifts for Christmas or Easter and they'd come filled with small bite- sized individually wrapped Tootsie Rolls. Once you were done eating the Tootsie Rolls candies, you had a cool bank to save up for more Tootsie Rolls. 

Did you know you can still purchase these? Although the art has changed, they still exist at dollar stores and on Amazon. 

Changing Your Name & Handwriting Makes You Cooler

Ever change your handwriting or name as a kid?
As if it would make you any cooler...

Every time I visit Starbucks, I give them a different name. Sometimes I give them my middle name, other times I give them my husband's name (if he's with me) ... There's just something I don't like about them yelling out my name when my nonfat Latte is ready. Plus, they often get my name wrong, so why give them my real name if they'll just call me Sally, Amy or Haley instead?

So today, I told the Starbucks chick that my name was "A.J." and it brought me back to 7th grade. No, not because of A.J. Slater from Saved By The Bell, but because I was a nerd who spent a week trying to become a different person. I thought "A.J." sounded better than my real name. I figured if I took my first initial and middle name initial, it would make me some super cool chick. It obviously never stuck and looking back, it's silly.

I posted today's Starbucks incident on my personal Facebook page adding that it brought me back to junior high. People agreed that as kids, there's usually a time when we want to become someone different. Many said they tried using different handwriting. I totally did that!  

Did you try to get a new nickname to stick or alter your handwriting in anyway? Post it below. It'll be nice to know I wasn't that strange of a kid.