The Word for the Day is...

T-TOPS.

Yes, as in mid to late 70's Pontiac Firebird T-Tops. Does anyone remember those cars? The ones with the giant bird on the hood. They were hot. Even hotter after Burt Reynolds pulled up in one in "Smokey and the Bandit." That was prior to his plastic surgery escapades and doing a movie where he was lathered in Vaseline...ok, I disturbingly digressed there. I won't even start in on what happened to Mickey Rourke.

Back when things were old school there was a Firebird in every neighborhood and at least one on every block. It was usually a black or red one with oversized back tires tires, the perky tail fin, a modified muffler...and of course the removable T-Tops were critical to the cool factor.

Unless they were broken in an unfortunate accident which when explained usually involved a story that started with "well me and my buddies were drinking and..."

The typical driver of a Firebird during the 70's in San Diego County was a male between 18 and 28, had some form of a feathered hairstyle, a cool dude shag or the more extreme owner rocked a white boy afro in a further effort to seduce the ladies into the passenger seat (or backseat, lol). This was the 70's mind you. Giant super-tight bell bottom jeans and flashy belt buckles. Why was everything so tight anyways? Plaid, checkered suede and platform shoes...PATCHWORK JEANS...and that was just for the guys! Ah, the Seventies fashions...so carefree, so chic...so traumatizing when going through the family photo albums.

From the aforementioned disco types, surfers with a surfboard sticking out precariously from the back seat to the heavy metal crowd that transformed the Firebird into the ultimate rocker party mobile. Even the Cowboys out in East County had Firebirds...you knew which ones they were because of their cowboy hats glimmering under the T-Tops and the sticks of hay floating out of the window.

Interesting enough, not too many guys older than 30 had one (probably because their wives wouldn't let them) but if they did, they were primarily the types that were at best screaming for some swinging sexy attention....which to the younger crowd just made us giggle uncontrollably. Yes, we were undeniably vicious beasts in our youth.

This proves the Pontiac Firebird was a very cross-stylistic vehicle.

Back then when Firebirds were all the rage, my icons were The Six Million Dollar Man and his counterpart The Bionic Woman and of course, Farrah Fawcett. I really wanted to be Lindsay Wagner much more than Farrah Fawcett...weird, I know...although I had my moments of Farrah-Envy while emulating the hairstyle. I still think I'd rather be Lindsay Wagner. At least I'd always be able to hear things from miles away...welI I guess already do: I have a toddler.

I had both of the BIONIC DUO action figures and brought them to the play yard daily. I tag teamed against GI Joe and his cronies...and won just about every time. I remember I got really pissed one afternoon when some little boy got sand in Steve Austin's Super Eyeball. Nobody messed with the Super Eyeball. (I can still hear the "dut-dut-dut-dut-dut-dut" sound he made while specking out the bad guys - so cool) Anyways, that incident constituted me throwing little Steve like a bionic missle at him while yelling and crying that he'd never be the same again. What drama. Lee survived the accident after I blew out his eyeball so he could see clearly - and things were kosher again in my little world.

I blocked out the boys name but remember he always left the area when he saw me coming. Funny, but that stuff still happens to me today in some places...and I don't throw things at people anymore. lol

Ok, had a brief flashback. Thanks for hanging in there with me. You rock.

Ah yes, the glorious and incomparably sexy T-Tops. Gone are the classics. Now we have sunroofs, moonroofs and pseudo-roofs that disappear seemingly into nowhere. Ya, it's all good...change is good...but I say bring back the Firebird and the T-Tops one more time.

Still some hot stuff.