Phendrana Drifts

VH1 has published a list of things that might indicate that you are indeed a child of the 80's. Born in 1978, I think that might apply to me... and looking at the list it appears that is correct.

1. You consider Ocean Pacific a designer label.
I remember Ocean Pacific, but didn't own anything by them. But lots of people in my class certainly did.

2. You thought the Stray Cats were bringing guitars back to rock 'n' roll.
Nope, not me.

3. You thought the lead singer of Poison was hot ... until you realized she was a he.
Poison made it big just before I hit puberty so I knew Michaels was a boy by the time I fell in love with girls.

4. You still get the shakes when you remember Apple Macintosh's 1984 advertisement.
I don't remember the commercial when it originally aired, but of course I've seen it since. But no shakes.

5. You preferred Van Hagar to Van Halen.
I'm not sure what is exactly being said by this statement, but I very much preferred Van Halen with Sammy Hagar than David Lee Roth. But I got more of the reference than some, so I guess I count.

6. You thought George Michael was straight.
It didn't matter a lot to me, but yup, I so thought George Michael was straight.

7. You had just discovered this great new singer called Tina Turner.
No, I don't think I am that old... Tina Turner was certainly big by the time I noticed she existed.

8. You owned a home Beta video recorder.
My family made the wise choice of VHS over Beta. But I know lots who didn't.

9. The Day After gave you nightmares.
The day after what?

10. Your favorite G.I. Joe figure was Snake Eyes.
Yup. That guy was so cool.

11. You wondered what Lisa Bonet was doing married to that loser Lenny Kravitz.
I am embarrassed to say it now, given that Kravitz is a staple in my listening habits and the rest of the world has said Lisa who? but at the time I thought she was slumming it.

12. You never figured out who the crooks were on Murder She Wrote.
Even as a kid, I was never that stupid. I knew who did it by the second commercial break.

13. You believed The Last Temptation of Christ was going to send Martin Scorsese to hell.
No, but I know the reference. And I love the Last Temptation of Christ.

14. You regard Look Who's Talking as a turning point in John Travolta's career.
Sigh, I don't anymore, but Look Who's Talking was a movie I saw and enjoyed at the time (I was what, eight?) But we all know now that it was Pulp Fiction that did it.

15. You admired Bill Cosby's taste in sweaters in The Cosby Show.
Guilty.

16. You didn't realize The Official Preppy Handbook was a gag.
What's the Offical Preppy Handbook?

17. You rolled up the sleeves on your sports jacket for the Sonny Crockett look.
No, I never did that.

18. You had no problems thinking members of the Miami police department drove Lamborghinis.
Guilty again.

19. You thought Burt and Loni were a fairytale romance.
Fairy tale might be stretching it.

20. You thought Clint Eastwood would one day be president.
Why? No, I never thought that.

21. Michael Jackson's fondness for Emmanuel Lewis seemed perfectly innocent.
You mean it wasn't?

22. You weren't sick of Robin Williams yet.
No, I am sick of him.

23. L'Oreal mousse changed your life overnight.
No it hasn't.

24. You stuck around after the commercial break to see if the General Lee on The Dukes of Hazzard really made it over that dried-out gulch when the bridge was down.
And it always did! That car was amazing! I want a '69 Dodge Charger!

25. David Byrne seemed like the strangest guy ever.
Who?

26. You watched The Tracey Ullman Show for the funny cartoon segments about the yellow people.
Yup, I can proudly say that I saw the Simpsons (regularly too, on CBC) before they had their own series.

27. You thought acid wash jeans were as important an evolutionary step as the wheel.
I did at the time.

28. You believed Liberace really died from eating nothing but watermelon.
No, he died of AIDS. But I remember it.

29. You got your medical knowledge from watching TV movies.
Well, not all of it.

30. You wondered who those old guys were in the Run-D.M.C. "Walk This Way" video.
No, I knew that they were Aerosmith.

31. You threw out your Atari console after buying an Intellivision.
A tiny bit before my time.

32. You were 99.9% sure Sue Ellen shot J.R.
I still haven't seen Dallas.

33. You can watch Scarface without once thinking of rap music.
Not even a little bit. What is the connection between Scarface and rap?

34. You remember Ronald Reagan making that "We begin bombing Russia in five minutes" joke.
Yes, I do.

35. The notion of a roller-skating musical starring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly with music from ELO seemed like a good idea.
It kind of did at the time.

36. Porky's seemed like a new low.
It wasn't? There was a previous low that was lower?

37. You'd stay up late to watch The Hitchhiker on HBO, because of the dirty bits.
Puberty is rough on us, you know. Wanting sex but being far too awkward to attract anyone.

38. You could only complete two sides of Rubik's Cube.
I can complete a Rubik's Cube.

39. Simon Le Bon's lyrics made sense to you.
Who?

40. War Games had you wondering if you could really start Armageddon using your crummy TRS-80.
Yup, that was me.

So funny... so we all know, my mother owned number five and number three. Go visit the Worst Car of the Millennium!

I remember today thinking that a lot has happened, from a historical perspective, in the last while. Michele, my most excellent friend in Boston, reminds me about her first compact disc player (mine was a high school graduation present in 1996) and first microwave (Allie, where on earth do we keep our microwave? We don't have one? Oh.) I'm not sure I agree right away that the next thirty years will be as amazing, but as I can't get over how much my life has changed as a direct result of technology - the internet! I mean I can find out almost anything in a matter of seconds (my boss asked me the other day how many barrels of oil Norway produced and I had the answer thanks to the CIA World Factbook in seconds) - how much effort would that have taken, say at the beginning of the Chretien era / Clinton era in 1993?

By the way Toby, I still stand by my assertion that I shouldn't blog when drunk. I haven't used the backspace key so much in my life. But you should blog when drunk. So should Barb.

I am drunk. Happy 5th birthday Zoe! supposedly that is 36 in cat years. She is the oldest person in our house. But Allie says she isn't a person. I say she lacks imagination. Zoe is indifferent, trying to catch a fly. Go Zoe go!

When I sit down for awhile and download music I usually tell myself it is legal (well, beyond my fervent belief that it should be legal) because there is a decent chance that I do own what I am downloading...

Regardless, spending a morning downloading music. Haven't done it in awhile. Suggestions, as always, are welcome.

I am stuck in a quandry... I want to go to Toronto and watch the Rolling Stones. Now, to some this may sound outlandish, after all Mick Jagger is old enough to be my Dad (or even a much older uncle, but not quite a grandfather). And to the fine folks at Visa, that would be down right dangerous, as they look at my recent decision to return to school with downright disdain. But I am an adult, meaning there is a theory that would allow me to just go - screw the consequences and go. I wonder if there is a happy medium, like pay-per-view (you would need cable Mr. Wojtaszek...) or having SARS break out here in Calgary (that wasn't even a little bit funny). Hmmm...

I love the Rolling Stones. Sigh...

Need to find a home and a new job. Stop goofing off. Oh, and I know my site looks goofy with the ad at the top but Blogger won't let me take it off. Must be the new Blogger (which is so very good, so I will be patient).

Imagine the life of Strom Thurmond... I mean the guy entered American politics in the 1920's, which is long before even my Grandma was born. Heck, it was before Social Credit took office in Alberta. It was before the Depression. Nevertheless, when looking at Thurmond's career we are struck by the inevitable question is if someone in public life repents for their past sins (like Turmond did for his rampant racism and pro-segregationist stance) can they then become a great (or at least decent) politician? And if so, does that repenting have to occur before it becomes almost an impossibility to be elected while holding these views. Interesting to think about as we watch the current debate about homosexual rights occur in this country.

So it is all but official (meaning I don't have a new address yet, but the inevitability of going is now certain) I am off to the University of Alberta and the lovely city of Edmonton. Lots to do - pack, arrange transportation, find a place to live, register in classes, find a new job - but there is also a lot of excitment. I know Zoe is excited.

As you can see, to commemorate this move I have redone the look of the site a bit - exciting huh?

I am more than a little apprehensive about the move not to mention the turmoil my family is going through to keep up with my random decisions made on the walk to work. Severing the ties (albeit temporarily) of one person is so much less traumatic than that of a whole family. A new school must be found, income-generating employment in a place with no contacts must be secured, a new Electronics Boutique must be made to feel like home. Not to mention a new campus. But I will be a stone's throw away from the world's largest indoor rollercoaster (also rated with the highest g-forces for a rollercoaster!) and a team that has made the playoffs from time to time. Don't get me wrong, I will still cheer for the Calgary Flames - but it will be neat to be in a town that believes their team will make the Stanley Cup playoffs.

So... off I go, to do the things that will make this as relatively pain-free as possible.

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