We've spent the afternoon out on the verandah listenin' to music from the '80s, which is to say we're wallowing in nostalgia. We've defined a Thompson Twins station on Pandora which gives us a lotta tunes from that duo trio, in addition to stuff from Spandau Ballet, The Psychedelic Furs, Wham!, Depeche Mode, and others... including The Fixx. About which, this:
There's nostalgia and then there's Nostalgia, with a capital "N." I can be somewhat nostalgic about the '60s but the truth o' the matter is I couldn't find my ass with both hands during that time, seein' as how I was still growin' up. The high point(s) of that decade were the birth of SNs One (1966) and Two (1968) and the rest of it was eminently forgettable, characterized as it was by near-poverty (read as: having to work two jobs simply to put food on the table), and a marriage that was notable mainly for the conflicts we endured. Not the best o' times, as it were.
The '70s were pretty much more of the same... more poverty (read as: paying off all the freakin' bills The First Mrs. Pennington ran up on our way to divorce and living off of per diem checks from my travels around the Pacific Rim), leavened only by the fact that I met and fell in love with The Second Mrs. Pennington at mid-decade. And the fact TSMP and I married towards the end of that ten-year period. Other than that? Forgettable.
The '90s were mostly good, except for the end when the cataclysm hit in the form of yet another divorce.
We're still too close to the Oughties to form an opinion but I cannot point to any one single thing that makes that decade memorable... in any way, shape or, form. I spent that decade just gettin' by. That said, the "gettin' by" was pretty good, from a strictly financial perspective. The rest of it? Not so much.
Ah... but the '80s? It was the BEST of times, beginning when TSMP and I sold our first house in 1980 (and pocketed a good chunk o' change in the process), and were subsequently posted to London for three years. It was there that I achieved senior NCO status and the money finally got good, allowing us to indulge in long weekends in Paris and take delivery of a spanking new Beemer in Munich... among other things. We came back to the States in '83 whereupon I wrapped up my USAF career in 1985 and we moved to Dee-troit to begin my civilian career... which went famously. We bought our third house in Dee-troit and were about as happy as any two individuals have a right to be. In other other words: it was the best o' times and there simply weren't any worst o' times. It's just too bad the rest of life couldn't have been as good as that decade.
So, yeah: "Nostalgia Я Us" today. With good reason.
There's nostalgia and then there's Nostalgia, with a capital "N." I can be somewhat nostalgic about the '60s but the truth o' the matter is I couldn't find my ass with both hands during that time, seein' as how I was still growin' up. The high point(s) of that decade were the birth of SNs One (1966) and Two (1968) and the rest of it was eminently forgettable, characterized as it was by near-poverty (read as: having to work two jobs simply to put food on the table), and a marriage that was notable mainly for the conflicts we endured. Not the best o' times, as it were.
The '70s were pretty much more of the same... more poverty (read as: paying off all the freakin' bills The First Mrs. Pennington ran up on our way to divorce and living off of per diem checks from my travels around the Pacific Rim), leavened only by the fact that I met and fell in love with The Second Mrs. Pennington at mid-decade. And the fact TSMP and I married towards the end of that ten-year period. Other than that? Forgettable.
The '90s were mostly good, except for the end when the cataclysm hit in the form of yet another divorce.
We're still too close to the Oughties to form an opinion but I cannot point to any one single thing that makes that decade memorable... in any way, shape or, form. I spent that decade just gettin' by. That said, the "gettin' by" was pretty good, from a strictly financial perspective. The rest of it? Not so much.
Ah... but the '80s? It was the BEST of times, beginning when TSMP and I sold our first house in 1980 (and pocketed a good chunk o' change in the process), and were subsequently posted to London for three years. It was there that I achieved senior NCO status and the money finally got good, allowing us to indulge in long weekends in Paris and take delivery of a spanking new Beemer in Munich... among other things. We came back to the States in '83 whereupon I wrapped up my USAF career in 1985 and we moved to Dee-troit to begin my civilian career... which went famously. We bought our third house in Dee-troit and were about as happy as any two individuals have a right to be. In other other words: it was the best o' times and there simply weren't any worst o' times. It's just too bad the rest of life couldn't have been as good as that decade.
So, yeah: "Nostalgia Я Us" today. With good reason.
I'm way behind in my blog reading/comments.
ReplyDeleteThe optimist in me always looks for the best of things in the past. The early days - the poor days - even they were good in certain ways - the crazy things we did, working, school, having babies, etc. We always had fun. It's the worrying about money and bills and jobs that I would not want to do again. But that is life - the good and the bad. Life in OK is so different than the NM days, and I miss those NM days - they were wild. It is a new season, a settled season now. I think I love all the changes life brings - certainly never dull.
Yep... life has been ANYTHING but dull.
DeleteNostalgia's okay as long as ya don't get into the shoulda mode
ReplyDeleteI never go there. Well, mebbe occasionally, but only privately. ;-)
DeleteAh the 80s - marked by seriously bad fashion and some pretty great music - most named above. Add in Tears for Fears and INXS and it would be perfect.
ReplyDeleteMy 80s were pretty damn good as well - newly married in 1983 we discovered each other and cut the path of our marriage. They were, indeed, good times. Not rich but not poverty either...good times.
The '80s DID have some great music, even though the era is much-maligned. I'm glad your '80s were great, too.
Delete