A few weeks ago I received a "save the date" card in the mail. Save the date for my 30th high school reunion next summer. Like, oh my God! Totally awesome!
The "girl" heading the reunion committee is doing a great job of herding us cats. In this electronic age, reconnecting with people is easier than ever. The Class of 1982 is on Facebook, has a Web site, a blog and message board. And, of course, there's snail mail.
So, this got me tripping on the '80s. No, I didn't pull out my satin pants and add-a-bead necklace. My husband is very thankful for this! But as I look through the high school annuals, the '80s are like totally back in style! The boys have pre-Zac Effron or Justin Bieber haircuts. The girls have loose curls, platform shoes and tight jeans. Preppy clothes rule with Izod and oxford shirts. Many young ladies have names like Mary, Ann, Lisa, Karen and Becky. Common guy names are Mark, Mike, Joe, David, and Jim. Not a one Taylor, Austin, Tyler, Mattie, Harper or Kennedy in the bunch.
In my box of '80s stuff, I found old record albums from The Kinks, The Joe Jackson Band, The B-52's, Adam Ant, and Prince. Remember buying these and then ripping off the plastic to see the inside record jackets? Photos of the band, cool artwork, and sometimes, a poster were neatly tucked inside. I need to download some of these classics since we don't have a record player anymore.
And read on. I found some old high school newspapers. You'll love this. A coupon for three games of Putt Putt for $2 per person. An advertisement for Western Savings & Loan Association to open a bank account with only $5. There's a "now hiring" ad for a restaurant paying $3 per hour. Or how about a Mexican lunch for $1.50 with student ID back in October 1978.
Nationally, the Class of 1982 is kind of a lost group, I think. Born in late 1963 and 1964, technically I think we are the last year of Baby Boomers. However, many of us weren't born when Kennedy was assassinated. We didn't go crazy over the Beatles. We barely remember Vietnam and it wasn't really talked about in school. Watergate is a faint memory. So, it's kind of hard to relate.
Generation X doesn't really claim us either.
We watched MTV launch and sang to Duran, Duran; Madonna; and Prince, and raced down the boulevard in Cutlasses. We are, figuratively, Ronald Reagan's children. He ran in our first presidential election. And we had some great movies: The Breakfast Club; Raiders of the Lost Ark; Raging Bull; Raising Arizona; Terms of Endearment; Sixteen Candles; When Harry Met Sally; The Big Chill; and a personal favorite, Say Anything. Who can forget John Cusack and the boom box scene?
As I'm flipping through my old scrapbook with its now yellow pages, I see a letter (yes, a real letter) from a friend writing from Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, in 1978. She says, "I wore my Andy Gibb shirt the first day of camp and everyone loved it...Sunday night they showed a movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with R. Redford and P. Newman! My friend Marianne had to peel my face off of the screen!" Ah, don't you just miss teen crushes?
Well, I'd better go and put up all of this stuff before my husband has me committed.
Wondering if I can find my add-a-bead necklace and start wearing it again.
The Wondering Texan
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| Love the Risky Business glasses. Circa: 1984. |
So, this got me tripping on the '80s. No, I didn't pull out my satin pants and add-a-bead necklace. My husband is very thankful for this! But as I look through the high school annuals, the '80s are like totally back in style! The boys have pre-Zac Effron or Justin Bieber haircuts. The girls have loose curls, platform shoes and tight jeans. Preppy clothes rule with Izod and oxford shirts. Many young ladies have names like Mary, Ann, Lisa, Karen and Becky. Common guy names are Mark, Mike, Joe, David, and Jim. Not a one Taylor, Austin, Tyler, Mattie, Harper or Kennedy in the bunch.
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| Don't you just love the colors and graphics! |
And read on. I found some old high school newspapers. You'll love this. A coupon for three games of Putt Putt for $2 per person. An advertisement for Western Savings & Loan Association to open a bank account with only $5. There's a "now hiring" ad for a restaurant paying $3 per hour. Or how about a Mexican lunch for $1.50 with student ID back in October 1978.
Nationally, the Class of 1982 is kind of a lost group, I think. Born in late 1963 and 1964, technically I think we are the last year of Baby Boomers. However, many of us weren't born when Kennedy was assassinated. We didn't go crazy over the Beatles. We barely remember Vietnam and it wasn't really talked about in school. Watergate is a faint memory. So, it's kind of hard to relate.
Generation X doesn't really claim us either.
We watched MTV launch and sang to Duran, Duran; Madonna; and Prince, and raced down the boulevard in Cutlasses. We are, figuratively, Ronald Reagan's children. He ran in our first presidential election. And we had some great movies: The Breakfast Club; Raiders of the Lost Ark; Raging Bull; Raising Arizona; Terms of Endearment; Sixteen Candles; When Harry Met Sally; The Big Chill; and a personal favorite, Say Anything. Who can forget John Cusack and the boom box scene?
As I'm flipping through my old scrapbook with its now yellow pages, I see a letter (yes, a real letter) from a friend writing from Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, in 1978. She says, "I wore my Andy Gibb shirt the first day of camp and everyone loved it...Sunday night they showed a movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with R. Redford and P. Newman! My friend Marianne had to peel my face off of the screen!" Ah, don't you just miss teen crushes?
Well, I'd better go and put up all of this stuff before my husband has me committed.
Wondering if I can find my add-a-bead necklace and start wearing it again.
The Wondering Texan
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