In previous blog entries, I shared memories from the 70s, 80s and 2010s. In this post, I wanted to capture the essence of the 1990s. If you were young in the 90s, your treasurers are now considered vintage by some and retro by others, depending on who you ask.
The fashion industry claims that trends repeat on a twenty-year cycle. I would have guessed it to be longer than that. The 90s was a decade that introduced exciting technology, great music, movies and television, and some unique fashion trends. This was the last cellphone-less generation, the last teenagers to pass notes in class. Today’s would-be note passers simply text each other from two feet away.
The Hubs and I had a five-year-old and a newborn by 1991, so we were full-on into the throes of parenting. Like many moms, I had a job outside the home. We were fortunate to have my parents and The Hub’s mom to help us with childcare.
When I think back to the pace we kept then; working, kids’ homework and activities and socializing with friends every weekend, I feel far removed from that now.
While we do not realize how great a period of time is while we live it, nostalgia can draw us back to that era's memorable moments. Depending on our age, each of us will have different memories.
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We were sports fans and saw new sports stars emerge and the completion of some illustrious careers.
- Peter Forsberg
- Wayne Gretzky
- Jaromir Jagr
- Joe Sakic
- Steve Yzerman
- Mike Madano
- Mark Messier
- Patrick Roy
- Grant Fuhr
- Mario Lemieux
- Brett Hull
- Theo Fleury
- Curtis Joseph
In the late 1990s, The Hubs and myself were given a night's stay at a hotel in Edmonton. Relatives kept our kids, and we spent the night at the hotel. In the morning, when we were coming down in the elevator, The Hubs kept elbowing me and giving me this weird look. Of course, I got annoyed and ignored him. I didn’t notice the man standing in the elevator with us.
When we got off the elevator, The Hubs smugly informed me that the guy I had ignored was Patrick Roy, the Colorado Avalanche goalie. I was flabbergasted. I couldn’t believe I had missed that. As we waited in the lobby for the family to pick us up, I noticed many nice-looking, well-built men, some in expensive suits pacing around. It dawned on me that the team had stayed at the hotel and were about to board the bus to the arena. The Hubs had a little conversation with Forsberg and GM, Brian Trottier, and I just stood there gawking.
Our son was eight or nine at the time and was a huge hockey fan. As he was coming into the hotel, he saw Joe Sakic walk past him. His little head whipped around 360°, and then he looked at us in amazement.
My son and I rushed out to watch the team get on the bus. We spied Joe Sakic again, and I called out to him, trying to get his attention but to no avail. We caught up to Sakic, and I left him with no choice but to take a picture with my son and sign an autograph. That was the only NHL player I ever chased down. It was an exciting day.In the 90s, directors, writers and producers such as Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron created amazing entertainment. Actors and musicians are tricky to pin down to a particular time as the good ones continue working throughout several decades. We rented a lot of VHS movies to watch on the VCR. The good old VCR was put out in the cold by the DVD player in 1996. It was a treat on the weekend to rent a couple of movies to watch. Which ones to choose was a big decision. Do you remember the "be kind, rewind” message at the end of every VHS movie and the dreaded late return fee? Grunge, hip hop, rap, rock ‘n’ roll, heavy metal and country music were all popular. It is a rite of passage in every generation for the elders to be appalled by what the younger ones are listening to, and the young to think that what the older ones are listening to is outdated. Many of us are still trying to block out the memory of doing The Macarena repeatedly (in our defence, it was the number one pop song in 1996).
When we got off the elevator, The Hubs smugly informed me that the guy I had ignored was Patrick Roy, the Colorado Avalanche goalie. I was flabbergasted. I couldn’t believe I had missed that. As we waited in the lobby for the family to pick us up, I noticed many nice-looking, well-built men, some in expensive suits pacing around. It dawned on me that the team had stayed at the hotel and were about to board the bus to the arena. The Hubs had a little conversation with Forsberg and GM, Brian Trottier, and I just stood there gawking.
Our son was eight or nine at the time and was a huge hockey fan. As he was coming into the hotel, he saw Joe Sakic walk past him. His little head whipped around 360°, and then he looked at us in amazement.
My son and I rushed out to watch the team get on the bus. We spied Joe Sakic again, and I called out to him, trying to get his attention but to no avail. We caught up to Sakic, and I left him with no choice but to take a picture with my son and sign an autograph. That was the only NHL player I ever chased down. It was an exciting day.In the 90s, directors, writers and producers such as Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron created amazing entertainment. Actors and musicians are tricky to pin down to a particular time as the good ones continue working throughout several decades. We rented a lot of VHS movies to watch on the VCR. The good old VCR was put out in the cold by the DVD player in 1996. It was a treat on the weekend to rent a couple of movies to watch. Which ones to choose was a big decision. Do you remember the "be kind, rewind” message at the end of every VHS movie and the dreaded late return fee? Grunge, hip hop, rap, rock ‘n’ roll, heavy metal and country music were all popular. It is a rite of passage in every generation for the elders to be appalled by what the younger ones are listening to, and the young to think that what the older ones are listening to is outdated. Many of us are still trying to block out the memory of doing The Macarena repeatedly (in our defence, it was the number one pop song in 1996).
The 90s were known for boy bands and girl groups. New artists burst onto the music scene while others faded into the background. MTV brought music videos to the front and center of the industry. The music scene influenced movies and fashion.
Having young kids at the time meant I was home more. I watched Oprah, soap operas, sitcoms and action-adventure or nature shows when The Hubs chose the show.
I was never the first to get whatever new gadget was on the market; when I finally made my mind up, something else was the new in thing. The tech advances of the 1990s had a considerable impact on society as a whole. The next group of kids coming up is always more tech-savvy than their predecessors. The way we communicated, entertained ourselves and did business changed significantly.Every generation plays with the same toys that have stood the test of time: Lite Brite, Easy-Bake Ovens, dolls, toy cars, blocks and bikes. Fashion is all about accessories as they help emphasize our personal style. New accessories can be used to update a wardrobe. The simplest outfit with the right accessories can look great.
Bottom left - my purple wind suit 
- Charles and Diana failed love story
- OJ
- John Jr.’s hunted life and tragic end
- Michael Jackson's child molestation investigation
- the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan rivalry before the Norway Olympics, the skates hit the fan when Kerrigan was assaulted by Harding's ex-husband
- the affair between President Bill Clinton and Intern, Monica Lewinsky
- Wayne Gretzky traded by the Edmonton Oilers
- Magic Johnson retiring from the NBA after testing positive for HIV
- Mike Tyson going from being the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world to criminal convictions and biting part of Evander Holyfield’s ear off during a match
- Graham James, WHL hockey coach, charged and convicted of sexual assault
- Brad Pitt left Jennifer Aniston for Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman split, and Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears’ young love faded away
Sayings coined in the 90s: As If, Bling, Don’t Go There, My Bad, Not!, ‘Sup?, Talk to the Hand and Whatever.
My puffy shirt ended up in a garage sale while Jerry Seinfeld's shirt from that iconic Seinfeld episode is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History....
I saved the best for last; wipe that smirk off your face. The puffy shirt is back in style!
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