Sadly, I must admit today was my first visit to the reunion blog. But, it has been wonderful to read what everyone has been up to. It’s been a welcome source of procrastination from revising my dissertation. Thank you for the distraction. Since all of you have shared a bit about your lives over the past 20 years, I felt impelled to do the same. In the words of my best friend, Jimmy, I will try to “précis”. Although his attempts to keep my account of events short and to the point have failed miserably, I will try my best and give you a “newspaper” version of the last 20 years.
I’ve been in school for most of the past 20 years; 14 years to be exact. I find it quite fitting that 20 years after graduating high school I will finally be graduating from college. I will receive my Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from UC Santa Cruz this fall and will be moving back to the Los Angeles area in January to open a new chapter in my life as an Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Development at CSU Dominguez Hills. I am currently single, but look forward to sharing my life with someone when the right person comes along.
The road from Cheviot Hills to Dominguez Hills has been an adventure. New experiences, friends who have come and gone and some who will always remain, shared laughter and tears, found love, lost love, learned lessons, but most importantly shared moments. After graduating from Chaminade, I attended Moorpark College for two years. On my first day of college, I met my friend Megan “from Montana” and before I knew it I was transferring to Montana State University in Bozeman. Exhausted from the “material world” of the 80s, the fresh air, mountains, and slower-paced lifestyle were a welcome retreat. Mountain bike trails right outside my door, skiing class on Friday afternoons, hiking the Grand Tetons, Thursday quarter beers nights at the Cat’s Paw. I worked as a server at Frontier Pies and managed to graduate after 3 years with a Bachelor’s degree in Business-Marketing. The end of my undergraduate career also marked the end of a year long relationship to my college boyfriend, whom at the time I thought I would marry. Thankfully, I did not.
Heartbroken and convinced life would end at 22 before it even began, I returned to California and worked as an Administrative Assistant at Vista Ford for two years before beginning a career with Enterprise Rent-A-Car as an management assistant and eventually a corporate account representative. Aside from gaining excellent training in sales and marketing, my days in Corporate America were rather unremarkable except for the handful of amazing friends I met and still continue to have in my life. Most important among these, my friend, Jimmy. We met, became friends, were in a relationship for three years, and then broke up and both left the company on the same day to pursue our life’s passions; Jimmy, a photographer; myself, a college professor. We dated off and on for the next few years, but, in the end, being close friends was the best option. I am still privileged to have him in my life as one of my closest and dearest friends.
After Enterprise, I attended CSU Northridge for three years and graduated with a Master’s degree in Psychology. I’ve been working on my Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at UC Santa Cruz ever since. I began teaching psychology at CSUN as part of their teaching intern program, a passion that has grown despite the occasional bump in the road. Teaching is still one of my favorite “hobbies” as my friend Julie and I call it. I have been teaching Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Adolescent Development at UCSC and Cabrillo Community College for the past three years. I have reluctantly grown to enjoy research and writing as well. My research and teaching focuses broadly on adolescents’ and young adults’ social and emotional development as well as how social class and poverty influences their opportunities and outcomes. Currently, I have been focusing on identity development, or how adolescents and young adults come to understand who they are as a person and whether and how their social identities (e.g., ethnicity or social class) play a role in defining who they are. Although adolescence is typically the age when a more comprehensive sense of who we are begins to develop, reflecting on my own life and reading your blogs reminds me that our “identities” are always growing and changing as we encountered new experiences and people throughout our lives or revisit and rethink the past.
As I start my career as a professor, I’m still a bit uncertain of the whole publish or perish mentality. CSUs tend to be more focused on teaching than research; but time will tell. While I have sacrificed time with family, friends, and myself over the past nine years of graduate school, I have known for some time, that there are more important things in life than my career and am vigorously attempting to not let it gain the upper hand. Although sometimes, I still fail miserably.
In my spare time, I enjoy sharing moments with family and friends. My parents moved from Simi Valley to Sutherlin, Oregon, three years ago. So, I typically spend a week or so with them in Oregon: hiking, river rafting/tubing, wine tasting, going to Beaver football games, or just hanging out doing nothing. My sister, Christin (she graduated in ’85; some of you may remember her from softball or as a retreat leader), lives in Simi Valley, is married, and has 3 wonderful children, Nicole, Brianne, and Jeff. Nicole and Brianne both attend Simi High (I can’t believe they are in high school already) and Jeff just started middle school. I’m excited that I will soon be living much closer to them so that I can spend more time before they are off to college themselves. I also enjoy experimenting with cooking for/with friends. Although not all my experiments turn out as fabulous as I’d like, my friends are usually forgiving. I’ve taken some drawing and painting classes and pick up my camera from time to time and my guitar at least once a week (when I meet with my friend, Bob, for lessons). I am currently working on writing my second song. I typically engage in the local sports wherever I live. In Santa Cruz, that has meant Yoga and sailing. I haven’t embarked upon belly dancing yet, but I may try a few classes before I leave. This past year, one of my students, who is our age, invited me to join her softball team. I have been inspired by playing with women of all ages, who still get out and play just for the love of the game. It also doesn’t hurt that we’ve taken 1st place in the last two seasons (spring and summer). So, that’s the short version of my life since Chaminade.
I look forward to catching up with all of you at the reunion and meeting your families at the picnic on Sunday. Ciao!
Monday, September 17, 2007
A message to share with our kids
Thought this was cute and since this is the 20 yrs out of high school thought i would post it
THE SPOILED UNDER-30 CROWD!!!
If you are 30 or older you will think this is hilarious!!!!
When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning ... uphill BOTH ways. Yadda, yadda, yadda..........
And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it! But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.
You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia! And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it! I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!! There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!
There were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!
We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it! And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!
We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids' and the graphics sucked ass! Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination! And there were no multiple levels or screens it was just one screen forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!
When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were just screwed!
Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no onscreen menu and no remote control! You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel and there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning.
Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards! And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up.We had to use the stove or go build a frigging fire... imagine that! If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing and shake it over the stove forever like an idiot. That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980!
Regards, The over 30 Crowd
THE SPOILED UNDER-30 CROWD!!!
If you are 30 or older you will think this is hilarious!!!!
When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning ... uphill BOTH ways. Yadda, yadda, yadda..........
And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it! But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.
You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia! And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it! I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!! There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!
There were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!
We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it! And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!
We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids' and the graphics sucked ass! Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination! And there were no multiple levels or screens it was just one screen forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!
When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were just screwed!
Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no onscreen menu and no remote control! You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel and there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning.
Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards! And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up.We had to use the stove or go build a frigging fire... imagine that! If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing and shake it over the stove forever like an idiot. That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980!
Regards, The over 30 Crowd
One Last Harass
Harass. Hector. Bug. Wheedle. Needle. Annoy. Bother. Pester. Badger. Coax. Cajole. Persuade. Entice. Flirt. Flatter. Fondle. Fuck.
I'll do whatever it takes. But this is the last time! I'm getting sore and I have a reputation to protect. (well, not really)
To those of you who have not joined the blog, I sent your invite out one last time before the big day! If you have lost, thrown away, or a firewall stopped your directions on how to join, please email me and I will send them again.
To those of you who HAVE joined and have yet to blog, what are you waitng for? You figured out how to sign up, so get on it! I know you're reading the blog. People have admitted to becoming blog-addicts. So just continue sitting on your ass at your computer, but instead of reading about others, start writing about yourself. Most of us took Mrs. Valentine's typing class (which I must say has served me quite well), so I know you can do it!
Okay, that's it. I look forward to reading even more about everyone!
Amy
I'll do whatever it takes. But this is the last time! I'm getting sore and I have a reputation to protect. (well, not really)
To those of you who have not joined the blog, I sent your invite out one last time before the big day! If you have lost, thrown away, or a firewall stopped your directions on how to join, please email me and I will send them again.
To those of you who HAVE joined and have yet to blog, what are you waitng for? You figured out how to sign up, so get on it! I know you're reading the blog. People have admitted to becoming blog-addicts. So just continue sitting on your ass at your computer, but instead of reading about others, start writing about yourself. Most of us took Mrs. Valentine's typing class (which I must say has served me quite well), so I know you can do it!
Okay, that's it. I look forward to reading even more about everyone!
Amy
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Better Late Than Never. Greetings from Lynn Coyle Darrow.
I wrote my blog over a week ago and was too embarrassed to post what seemed like a novel. Thanks to the recent posts, I feel much better about opting out of drafting a shorter version!
We then left Ireland for England followed by Scotland. If anyone ever gets the chance, I highly recommend Scotland during The Edinburgh Festival. We were able to see Howard Jones in an acoustic concert w/ only 40 people in a restaurant basement for about $40. That was just one of thousands of venues available during the 4 week long Festival event in Edinburgh.
I feel a lifetime older from our high school days. So much has transpired in this time. I feel so fortunate to have enjoyed the ride a majority of the time over last 20 years. For me there have been a lot more ups than downs and as I get older I feel like I’m winning the game at this point.
I couldn’t wait for high school to end. Don’t get me wrong, I walked away with some of my dearest friends that will be a part of my life forever, but I knew there was so much more life ahead of us. For me, going away to college wasn’t in the realm of possibilities. I am the youngest of 7 children so having the privilege of attending school away from home wasn’t really an option. I received a great education from CSUN and finished with a degree in Engineering. Engineering school was honestly one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life but the investment has been good to me over the years.
Before I left CSUN I was hired as a product engineer for Teradyne in Agoura Hills. Since I had worked almost full time while going to college, I treated myself to a 6 week European vacation before I entered the professional workforce. I have very fond memories of taking in the European culture, skiing in Zee Lam See, Austria, doing endless pub crawls in England and Germany and getting the worst sunburn of my life in Italy (ok, that memory is not so fond).
Once I settled into work at Teradyne, they quickly unsettled me and sent me to support the Texas region for an average of 60% of my time. I installed and repaired many test systems over several years. What do you ask was I doing? Well the testing equipment that Teradyne builds is wickedly complex machinery. Just about every electronic part behind your everyday electronic devices (cell phones, computers, printers, cameras, etc…) is tested on equipment Teradyne manufactures. As technology gets faster and more complex, this equipment has to take a leading edge and be faster while allowing software engineers to customize the equipment to test a very large array of electronic components. Now, don’t get the wrong idea, I didn’t have near the smarts of the architects who engineered this equipment, but I did have a raging tool box that even my brothers would have envied. I did have the advantage of being smaller framed than someone in my life. Let’s just say the Grandfatherly-like gents in the field regularly enjoyed happy hour at the local saloon in Texas and could barely bend or crawl inside this equipment to perform installations and/or repairs. I was the lucky one who was all too willing to do the grunt work. After a few years of this labor intensive job, it was time to move on for me. I settled into marketing as a product manager after spending a few years in software engineering coordinating software updates and software license distribution to customers. Learning the software release process has been an invaluable experience for me. As a product manager I supported the European territory. These were self-inflicted tough years for me as not only was I traveling to Europe frequently, I married my husband of 12 years during my intensely time consuming promotion. To top in off, I decided to take advantage of a full-ride tuition program at Teradyne and get my MBA in Marketing (at the same time as my husband Chris) from California Lutheran University. I did enjoy getting to visit with Mark Grondin and JVS on repeated occasions in Germany (so much fun in Amsterdam!), but the strain of so much responsibility almost destroyed my marriage. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, which was the case for us.
Although the town home in Westlake I had purchased in 1994 seemed huge when I bought it, we were ready to purchase a larger house. Thank goodness! We sold our stock at what seemed too low, but we then thanked our lucky stars a couple years later when stock prices came tumbling down. We moved to our suburbia lifestyle in Moorpark in 1999, where we still live today. My career took a different direction at Teradyne when as a product manager they repeatedly asked me to run special projects. For the next 7 years I would evolve to a certified Project Manager and was responsible for Program Management of Teradyne’s business applications used to custom quote/configure the testing equipment I once used to install and fix. Although I thoroughly enjoyed what I was doing, someone moved my cheese. The company restructured umpteen times and essentially merged the East and West Coast design/manufacturing centers. Needless to say, I spent about 30% of my time traveling between Agoura Hills and Boston over the next few years while my husband was left behind to care for 2 small children. I did get to enjoy visits w/ Daniella Carusi on several occasions during my visits. Although I definitely enjoyed Boston culture, the weather blows! I admit it, I’m a SoCal girl and just don’t know if I could ever permanently leave what I consider to be one of the best climates in the world. The last couple years at Teradyne were disheartening for me. Teradyne took what seemed like a never ending downturn and simply couldn’t get the restructuring to the point where expenses were in alignment with revenue. I was laid off from Teradyne in my 13th year of service after dozens of layoffs had impacted so many of my coworkers before me. At first you feel lucky to be spared in a layoff, but at some point, I’m not sure who is better off, the person getting laid off or the person left holding the bag. I still remember the day of my departure. People were so amazed at how overjoyed I was. The environment had taken its toll, the once entrepreneurial nature had been squelched, the novelty of traveling had long since worn off and as I put it, I was ready for that chapter of my life to close.
Why you ask did I stay at Teradyne during such turmoil? Believe me; I don’t think my husband will ever quite understand! Quite simply, I was a young Mom. Jimmy was born on 02/02/02 (what a cool Bday) and Chelsea Rose was born in 2004. In high school I was certain that I’d never have kids, but the rockiness of professional life wasn’t leaving me fulfilled. My time clock kicked in and well, the rest is history. I stayed at Teradyne because I was able to telecommute and work out of my home office 3 days a week for several years. I was the project manager and could set my schedule to suit my needs. I do not know how I could have pulled of raising two young children without that flexibility Teradyne gave me. So for me, Teradyne was a worthy experience. They invested in my training, allowed me to make mistakes on their dime, sent me to many destinations, supported a flexible working schedule, and gave me the opportunity to grow in areas that interested me. Going through the pain of continuous downsizing was hard at the time, but has left me with a better understanding of the process that is inevitable in the working environment.
We then left Ireland for England followed by Scotland. If anyone ever gets the chance, I highly recommend Scotland during The Edinburgh Festival. We were able to see Howard Jones in an acoustic concert w/ only 40 people in a restaurant basement for about $40. That was just one of thousands of venues available during the 4 week long Festival event in Edinburgh.
Needless to say, having time off from work for more than just a few weeks since I was 16 was terrific. The timing was perfect to allow me to try my hand at being a full-time Mom. However, all good things must come to an end. In 2003 we had decided to invest in rental property to diversify our portfolio. Although we’ve done great in terms of equity in the property, equity doesn’t pay the bills. We had dipped into our savings during my time off and it was finally time to increase our reserves. I rejoined the workforce in Jan. of 2007. Although I was expecting the process of finding work to be lengthy, my educational background, experience and PMP certification (project management) paid off. I found employment within weeks of seeking work. I am now contracting as a Business Consultant and my current client is the Safety Net Foundation, which is funded entirely by Amgen. The Safety Net Foundation distributes Amgen products to qualifying patients who meet program guidelines free of cost. I work on Amgen’s main campus in Thousand Oaks. As a business consultant my responsibilities have run the gamut. My latest title is Project Visionary. Didn’t know such a name existed but the work is satisfying and I’m happy because I get to work 30 hours a week, which lessens the stress of having to go back to work and yet juggle family life too. Thank goodness my husband’s work covers our benefits which will allow me to take time off between contracts. I’m just hoping one of those breaks will be sooner vs. later….
So, 20 years in a nutshell? Can’t believe 20 years has come and gone? Well for me, I feel like I’ve relished every minute of it. I have satiated my travel bug, completed my formal education plan, have 2 adorable and healthy kids, a loving husband with a happy marriage, and am surrounded by family and friends. I’ve sadly experienced the death of both of my parents who are no longer suffering and have ridden the thrilling yet challenging waves of my professional career. I look forward to the next 20 years with the same anticipation of the last. I can’t hold back my sense of positive things for the future. Now that our 20 year reunion is fast approaching, I look forward to getting reacquainted with some old friends. I love to see the walls created by youth crumble as we all grow older. I’ve loved reading about everyone’s adventures and life antidotes. I can’t believe it has taken me weeks to finally write this blog and then how hard it was to stop writing once I finally started. Thanks Amy once again for launching this great communication vehicle. Lisa and Carol, you are awesome for taking on the challenge of spearheading our reunion.
For a quick update on the reunion, we now have 77 people confirmed for Saturday's event at the White House. We have at least 10-15 more people who've verbally committed but I've yet to receive their registration. If you are one of those people, get to it and send in your registration. If it is easier for you, send an instant funds transfer via paypal to 87eagles@pacbell.net. We'll be hard pressed to have another reunion with such a great turnout, so don't miss out on this opportunity to get reacquainted with some old friends. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone!
Air Miles
Hey Everyone,
Are any of you frequent flyers? Do you have miles to share? If so, can you please email Amy Keating or me at lisieflav@sbcglobal.net. We have a classmate who needs help flying in from out of state. Thank you!
Are any of you frequent flyers? Do you have miles to share? If so, can you please email Amy Keating or me at lisieflav@sbcglobal.net. We have a classmate who needs help flying in from out of state. Thank you!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
4 weeks to go...
To all my fellow 'nads...
The response this first couple of days has been amazing...nearly 400 songs. THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!!! However it has become clear that it might be worth communicating a few things:
1. If we ever had a class, extra-curricular, retreat or hung-out together trick-or-treating or something in 10th grade...I REMEMBER YOU...I was generally lucid in HS, no need to ask in the e-mail, though it is rather charming when you do.
2. If you don't fall into category 1 and we DIDN'T know each other at all (which is a possibility)...don't worry about it. No time like the present to get acquainted. If not now, when?
3. If you belong to category 1 or 2 and just thought I was an a-hole or whatever in high school, GET OVER IT...it's been 20 years. This isn't about me...IT IS ABOUT US AS A CLASS.
4. PARTICIPATE FOR YOURSELF, I'm just putting it all together. I am not going to add songs to the list because I think they "should" be there or I remember YOU liking them...for example, if Def Leppard, Madonna, Dick Smith, Jack, or the Red Hot Chili Peppers were your thing, get your thumb out, because NONE OF THEM are in the first 400 (Billboard top 100 or not...BTW, thanks Heshire).
4. 87 songs might not be enough to cover the full 6 years, so this might get broken up into two lists, one for the Chatsworth years and one for the West Hills years...we'll just have to see about that.
5. Don't get complacent thinking that "since there are already almost 400 songs, mine are probably there"...there have been VERY FEW repeats so far.
6. I am not going to trawl the Blog reading your posts to see what you would like to hear, you have to e-mail me. In return, you have my word that I will not add you to any mailing lists, send you spam or other BS like that, OK? As a matter of courtesy, I will probably send you a short e-mail thank you...nothing more (or add a "DO NOT REPLY" in the subject line if you would prefer it this way).
7. This is NOT about what will be played at the reunion or a play list to hand over to Richard Blade. He's been doing what he does for a long time, and no doubt he gets paid handsomely for it...if you don't like the way he does his job, or what he plays next month, you can always TP his car or something (though I am not, in any way, encouraging or recommending this).
Looking forward to hearing from more of you,
T
P.S. If nachos, margaritas, & reminiscing at the Sagebrush Cantina the evening of the 12th aren't giving you that full charge of 80's bliss, and the relocation of the football game has got you down, BERLIN is playing that night just up the road at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills...
The response this first couple of days has been amazing...nearly 400 songs. THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!!! However it has become clear that it might be worth communicating a few things:
1. If we ever had a class, extra-curricular, retreat or hung-out together trick-or-treating or something in 10th grade...I REMEMBER YOU...I was generally lucid in HS, no need to ask in the e-mail, though it is rather charming when you do.
2. If you don't fall into category 1 and we DIDN'T know each other at all (which is a possibility)...don't worry about it. No time like the present to get acquainted. If not now, when?
3. If you belong to category 1 or 2 and just thought I was an a-hole or whatever in high school, GET OVER IT...it's been 20 years. This isn't about me...IT IS ABOUT US AS A CLASS.
4. PARTICIPATE FOR YOURSELF, I'm just putting it all together. I am not going to add songs to the list because I think they "should" be there or I remember YOU liking them...for example, if Def Leppard, Madonna, Dick Smith, Jack, or the Red Hot Chili Peppers were your thing, get your thumb out, because NONE OF THEM are in the first 400 (Billboard top 100 or not...BTW, thanks Heshire).
4. 87 songs might not be enough to cover the full 6 years, so this might get broken up into two lists, one for the Chatsworth years and one for the West Hills years...we'll just have to see about that.
5. Don't get complacent thinking that "since there are already almost 400 songs, mine are probably there"...there have been VERY FEW repeats so far.
6. I am not going to trawl the Blog reading your posts to see what you would like to hear, you have to e-mail me. In return, you have my word that I will not add you to any mailing lists, send you spam or other BS like that, OK? As a matter of courtesy, I will probably send you a short e-mail thank you...nothing more (or add a "DO NOT REPLY" in the subject line if you would prefer it this way).
7. This is NOT about what will be played at the reunion or a play list to hand over to Richard Blade. He's been doing what he does for a long time, and no doubt he gets paid handsomely for it...if you don't like the way he does his job, or what he plays next month, you can always TP his car or something (though I am not, in any way, encouraging or recommending this).
Looking forward to hearing from more of you,
T
P.S. If nachos, margaritas, & reminiscing at the Sagebrush Cantina the evening of the 12th aren't giving you that full charge of 80's bliss, and the relocation of the football game has got you down, BERLIN is playing that night just up the road at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills...
Heshire's Playlist........
As others have said, this blog can be quite addiciting. Obviously since this will be my 3rd post.
I took Mr. Lopatka's idea of a soundtrack to our 'Nade days a little too seriously. I have spent way too much time the past couple of days going through the Billboard Top 100 charts for our Chami' years. I am a big fan of Napster (same as I-tunes if your an Ipod person) and have a bunch of songs downloaded from Heavy Metal to Disco (no really, its for my wife.....).
Putting together a group of songs from those days reminded me of a few things........
#1 - Dave Skaggs - 8th Grade Little Campus - got me hooked on heavy metal. My first exposure to Iron Maiden was a tape he leant me. That led to the whole Heshire bit. Even my XBOX Live username is Heshire. (Than he started dating Sharon Broughton and went new wave on us a year later.) Also the same year Matt Dalsing introduced me to the evils of Copenhagen.....
#2 - Dances in the Little Campus Cafeteria - Adam Ant / Journey /Pat Benetar / et al. Everyone sitting around the room when the slow songs came on, and trying to get up the nerve to dance with THAT girl (or any girl).
#3 - First Concert - Van Halen 1984 - The Forum - I think it was Grondin, Bratkovich, & maybe Bochiccio or Dave Chemelka - but I might be wrong..... Driving the Blue '73 Pontiac Ventura back from the show setting land-speed records on the 101....
#4 - White Lines by Grandmaster Flash- just about everywhere...... but usually at the park behind the big campus discovering the wonders of fermented beverages.
#5 - Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill album - Who remembers the Red Van I had with the table in the back - cramming to get homework done in the morning before the bell rang. Better yet, who remembers the van Troy Kirk used to drive?
#6 - Dokken & Krokus & Rush - Me & Bruce Roberts on a 6 hour drive to San Diego one Friday afternoon to party, ...eerrrrr "visit" with his bro at SDSU. Saturday Morning - worst hangover of all time.......
#7 - Iron Maiden - My senior quote was from one of their songs...... Oh man what was I thinking.....
#8 - RATT & Van Halen - vague memories of a crazy vacant house party in West Hills followed by rash of tee-pee attacks through the valley.... Kathy Hayes made us do it.....
#9 - 105.5 KNAC - Pure Rock!! - more concerts: Rush, Triumph, Deep Purple, Dio, Oingo Boingo, Accept, and more Rush.....
#10 - Senior Year - Post-Kairos - Bon Jovi - driving in the red van with a bunch of people on the way to Santa Paula (or somewhere) singing Living on a Prayer.........
I could go on forever.....
Well here's a playlist in case you forgot some of the stuff we use to (and may still) listen to....... If you want the Napster Playlist let me know........ The first song is not from that decade, BUT it is related..... If you haven't heard it before, give it a shot...pretty darn relevant to this blog...
This is not my OFFICIAL music submission, as many of these songs are not on my regular rotation. Nor is it a complete list of our era at the nade. I just thought it would help get something started......
Enjoy.
-Heshire
Bowling for Soup - 1985
Van Halen - Hot For Teacher
Adam Ant - GOODY TWO SHOES
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five - White Lines
Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right
The Outfield - Since You've Been Gone
Robert Palmer - I Didn't Mean To Turn You On
Simple Minds - Alive And Kicking
Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
Ozzy Osbourne - Shot In The Dark
John Mellencamp - Small Town
Oingo Boingo - Just Another Day
Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days
Depeche Mode - People Are People
Bryan Adams - Summer Of '69
Journey - Only The Young
Autograph - Turn Up The Radio
Bananarama - Cruel Summer
The Fixx - Are We Ourselves
Sammy Hagar - I Can't Drive 55
Deep Purple - Knocking At Your Back Door
Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock
Ratt - Round And Round
Dokken - Alone Again
Eurythmics - Would I Lie To You?
Tears for Fears - Shout
INXS - Listen Like Thieves
The Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
Run-D.M.C. - Walk This Way
The Fabulous Thunderbirds - Tuff Enuff
Triumph - Follow Your Heart
David Lee Roth - Yankee Rose
Peter Gabriel - Big Time
The Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian
Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer
Mötley Crüe - Girls, Girls, Girls
Whitesnake - Still Of The Night
Cinderella - Somebody Save Me
Great White - Rock Me
U2 - Pride (In The Name Of Love)
ZZ Top - Legs
Wang Chung - Dance Hall Days
Scorpions - Rock You Like A Hurricane
Yes - Owner Of A Lonely Heart
The Romantics - Talking In Your Sleep
The Police - Synchronicity II
Big Country - In A Big Country
UB40 - Red Red Wine
Night Ranger - (You Can Still) Rock In America
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
Kiss - Lick It Up
Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noize
Talking Heads - Burning Down The House
The Fixx - Stand Or Fall [Live (Canada)]
David Bowie - China Girl
The Tubes - She's A Beauty
Berlin - The Metro
The Plimsouls - A Million Miles Away
R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe
After the Fire - Der Kommissar
Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science
The Pretenders - Back On The Chain Gang
Pat Benatar - Little Too Late
Thompson Twins - Lies
The Clash - Rock The Casbah
Modern English - I Melt With You
Duran Duran - Hungry Like The Wolf
Billy Squier - Everybody Wants You
Judas Priest - You've Got Another Thing Comin'
Rush - New World Man
A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away)
The Go-Go's - We Got The Beat
Cheap Trick - She's Tight
Soft Cell - Tainted Love
Talk Talk - Talk Talk
Missing Persons - Words
Van Halen - (Oh) Pretty Woman
J. Geils Band - Centerfold
The Human League - Don't You Want Me
Olivia Newton-John - Physical
The Cars - Since You're Gone
The B-52's - Private Idaho
Tommy Tutone - 867-5309/Jenny
The Tubes - She's A Beauty
Iron Maiden - Wasted Years
Krokus - Screaming In The Night
I took Mr. Lopatka's idea of a soundtrack to our 'Nade days a little too seriously. I have spent way too much time the past couple of days going through the Billboard Top 100 charts for our Chami' years. I am a big fan of Napster (same as I-tunes if your an Ipod person) and have a bunch of songs downloaded from Heavy Metal to Disco (no really, its for my wife.....).
Putting together a group of songs from those days reminded me of a few things........
#1 - Dave Skaggs - 8th Grade Little Campus - got me hooked on heavy metal. My first exposure to Iron Maiden was a tape he leant me. That led to the whole Heshire bit. Even my XBOX Live username is Heshire. (Than he started dating Sharon Broughton and went new wave on us a year later.) Also the same year Matt Dalsing introduced me to the evils of Copenhagen.....
#2 - Dances in the Little Campus Cafeteria - Adam Ant / Journey /Pat Benetar / et al. Everyone sitting around the room when the slow songs came on, and trying to get up the nerve to dance with THAT girl (or any girl).
#3 - First Concert - Van Halen 1984 - The Forum - I think it was Grondin, Bratkovich, & maybe Bochiccio or Dave Chemelka - but I might be wrong..... Driving the Blue '73 Pontiac Ventura back from the show setting land-speed records on the 101....
#4 - White Lines by Grandmaster Flash- just about everywhere...... but usually at the park behind the big campus discovering the wonders of fermented beverages.
#5 - Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill album - Who remembers the Red Van I had with the table in the back - cramming to get homework done in the morning before the bell rang. Better yet, who remembers the van Troy Kirk used to drive?
#6 - Dokken & Krokus & Rush - Me & Bruce Roberts on a 6 hour drive to San Diego one Friday afternoon to party, ...eerrrrr "visit" with his bro at SDSU. Saturday Morning - worst hangover of all time.......
#7 - Iron Maiden - My senior quote was from one of their songs...... Oh man what was I thinking.....
#8 - RATT & Van Halen - vague memories of a crazy vacant house party in West Hills followed by rash of tee-pee attacks through the valley.... Kathy Hayes made us do it.....
#9 - 105.5 KNAC - Pure Rock!! - more concerts: Rush, Triumph, Deep Purple, Dio, Oingo Boingo, Accept, and more Rush.....
#10 - Senior Year - Post-Kairos - Bon Jovi - driving in the red van with a bunch of people on the way to Santa Paula (or somewhere) singing Living on a Prayer.........
I could go on forever.....
Well here's a playlist in case you forgot some of the stuff we use to (and may still) listen to....... If you want the Napster Playlist let me know........ The first song is not from that decade, BUT it is related..... If you haven't heard it before, give it a shot...pretty darn relevant to this blog...
This is not my OFFICIAL music submission, as many of these songs are not on my regular rotation. Nor is it a complete list of our era at the nade. I just thought it would help get something started......
Enjoy.
-Heshire
Bowling for Soup - 1985
Van Halen - Hot For Teacher
Adam Ant - GOODY TWO SHOES
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five - White Lines
Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right
The Outfield - Since You've Been Gone
Robert Palmer - I Didn't Mean To Turn You On
Simple Minds - Alive And Kicking
Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
Ozzy Osbourne - Shot In The Dark
John Mellencamp - Small Town
Oingo Boingo - Just Another Day
Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days
Depeche Mode - People Are People
Bryan Adams - Summer Of '69
Journey - Only The Young
Autograph - Turn Up The Radio
Bananarama - Cruel Summer
The Fixx - Are We Ourselves
Sammy Hagar - I Can't Drive 55
Deep Purple - Knocking At Your Back Door
Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock
Ratt - Round And Round
Dokken - Alone Again
Eurythmics - Would I Lie To You?
Tears for Fears - Shout
INXS - Listen Like Thieves
The Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
Run-D.M.C. - Walk This Way
The Fabulous Thunderbirds - Tuff Enuff
Triumph - Follow Your Heart
David Lee Roth - Yankee Rose
Peter Gabriel - Big Time
The Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian
Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer
Mötley Crüe - Girls, Girls, Girls
Whitesnake - Still Of The Night
Cinderella - Somebody Save Me
Great White - Rock Me
U2 - Pride (In The Name Of Love)
ZZ Top - Legs
Wang Chung - Dance Hall Days
Scorpions - Rock You Like A Hurricane
Yes - Owner Of A Lonely Heart
The Romantics - Talking In Your Sleep
The Police - Synchronicity II
Big Country - In A Big Country
UB40 - Red Red Wine
Night Ranger - (You Can Still) Rock In America
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
Kiss - Lick It Up
Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noize
Talking Heads - Burning Down The House
The Fixx - Stand Or Fall [Live (Canada)]
David Bowie - China Girl
The Tubes - She's A Beauty
Berlin - The Metro
The Plimsouls - A Million Miles Away
R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe
After the Fire - Der Kommissar
Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science
The Pretenders - Back On The Chain Gang
Pat Benatar - Little Too Late
Thompson Twins - Lies
The Clash - Rock The Casbah
Modern English - I Melt With You
Duran Duran - Hungry Like The Wolf
Billy Squier - Everybody Wants You
Judas Priest - You've Got Another Thing Comin'
Rush - New World Man
A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away)
The Go-Go's - We Got The Beat
Cheap Trick - She's Tight
Soft Cell - Tainted Love
Talk Talk - Talk Talk
Missing Persons - Words
Van Halen - (Oh) Pretty Woman
J. Geils Band - Centerfold
The Human League - Don't You Want Me
Olivia Newton-John - Physical
The Cars - Since You're Gone
The B-52's - Private Idaho
Tommy Tutone - 867-5309/Jenny
The Tubes - She's A Beauty
Iron Maiden - Wasted Years
Krokus - Screaming In The Night
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