You Might Be A Child of '80's If..............

You might be a child of the 80's if...

This timeline appropriately describes actual events in your life:

STAR WARS opens, you are still in the single digit years, and you think the creatures are WAY cool.

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK opens, you are now in early double digit years, and you are convinced that the special effects are much better, the characters are cool, and you want one of every collectible out there.

RETURN OF THE JEDI hits the theaters...you are now a teenager, and you cannot get your eyes off Princess Leia's breasts or Han Solo's butt. You fantasize about it, and send off to join every fan club for them on the planet, hanging posters, photos, and "teen"-type magazine spreads all over your walls and lockers at school.

; you have deep, personal relationships via computers with people you've never met in real life before

the phrase "going courting", to you, means fighting an unjust traffic ticket or playing tennis

you know, by heart, the words to any "Weird" Al Yankovic song

not that you'd do it personally, but body piercing captivates your attention

you remember the days when cocaine was just fine in powder form, thankyouverymuch

the Brady Bunch movie brought back cool memories

you remember the first time "Space: Above and Beyond" aired it was called "Battlestar Galactica"

songs by Debbie Gibson still haunt you to this day

3 words: "Atari" "IntelliVision" and "Coleco". Sound familiar?

you remember the days that hooking your computer into your tv wasn't an expensive option that required gadgets - it was the ONLY WAY to use your computer!

you remember the days when "safe sex" meant "my parents are gone for the weekend"

you remember "Friday Night Videos" before the days of MTV

you ever owned a pair of "Pop-Wheels" - that handy little combination of shoe and roller skate that lasted about a year on the open market

a predominant color in your childhood photos is "plaid" you see teenagers today wearing clothes that show up in those childhood photos, and they still look bad

you're pissed that you couldn't really participate in the 60's, pissed that you were a part of the 70's, think you wasted too much time doing stupid, meaningless things in the 80's, and still have no clue what the 90's are all about

while in high school, you and all your friends discussed elaborate plans to get together again at the end of the century and play "1999" by Prince over and over again

you remember when music that was labeled "alternative" really was

one of the top five questions you've always wanted answered was to Robert Smith of the Cure - "What WAS that head on the door thing anyway?"

you were shocked and horrified at the Challenger explosion (which you were probably watching in school at the time), and yet, when someone mentions the name "JFK", the first thing you think of is "Oliver Stone"

you, yes you, sat down and memorized the entire lyric sheet to "It's the end of the world as we know it"

you can't remember when the word "networking" didn't have a computer connotation to it as well

you took family trips BEFORE the invention of the mini-van. You rode in the back of the station wagon and you faced the cars behind you.

you knew all the words to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire", but it really didn't hold any meaning for you until about the third verse

you've ever conversationally used the phrase "Jane, you ignorant slut"

you watched HR Puffenstuff as a child, but now that you're older, you really understand that it would have been much better had you known about drugs at the time

you've recently horrified yourself by using any one of the following phrases:
- "When I was younger"
- "When I was your age"
- "You know, back when..."
- "Because I SAID so, that's why"
- "What the HELL is this noise on the radio?"
- "Just can't (fill in the blank) like I used to"

you can't remember a time when "going out for coffee" DIDN'T involve 49,000 selections to choose from

Schoolhouse Rock played a HUGE part in how you actually learned the English language

Kids that work in restaurants and supermarkets are starting to piss you off by calling you "sir" or "ma'am"

you're starting to view getting carded to buy alcohol as a GOOD thing, and you're ready to marry the next person who cards you when you want to buy cigarettes.

flashback: it was your first chance to vote in a presidential election, and you were SO disappointed because, just for laughs, you really wanted to vote for Gary Hart

the first time you heard the candidates names, you were pumped because you thought MICHAEL Jackson was running for President, not this Jesse character.

you ever dressed to emulate a person you saw in either a Duran Duran, Madonna, or Cyndi Lauper video

at one point during your teenage years, you walked with a noticeable tilt to one side due to the number of plastic rings on that arm

"Celebration" by Kool & the Gang was one of the hot new songs when you first heard it at a school dance

the first time you ever kissed someone at a dance fell during "Crazy for You" by Madonna

there were at least three people in your school that voluntarily went by the names of "Skip" "Buffy" "Muffy" or "Dexter"

you ever owned one of those embarrassing crimping irons

you used to hold in your head the thought that all those gold chains on Mr. T actually looked kinda cool and the thought that Mr. T made millions seemed rational to you at the time

you remember with pain the sad day when the Green Machine hit the streets and made your old big wheel quite obsolete

the phrase "Where's the beef?" still doubles you over with laughter

you read the "Hot Video Games Player's Secrets" guide for Mortal Kombat just so you could find the hidden screen, and play Pong again for old time's sake

you were convinced for years that Batman was a mildly overweight man with a moderate beer belly who wore his underwear outside of his clothes and talked strangely

you're still occasionally suffering flashbacks from your 21st birthday party

you're starting to dread your 30th birthday, and have even begun going into denial about it's possibility

you've ever said "I'm a vegetarian" and immediately had someone call you a hypocrite by saying "Nice leather jacket you have there...and gee, is that a suede bag...those shoes leather, too?"

you're starting to believe that maybe 30 isn't so old after all, and it's those people over 40 you have to look out for

you freaked out when you found that you now fall into the "26 - 50" age category on most questionnaires

you have begun to lust after women (or men) that it would be socially inappropriate for you to date due to their age

your hair, at some point in time in the 80's, became something which can only be described by the phrase "I was experimenting"

you've ever shopped at a Banana Republic or Benetton, but not in the last five years, okay?

you can't remember a time when "hitting the outlet stores" didn't mean going to an electrical warehouse

you're starting to believe (now that it wouldn't affect YOU) that maybe having the kids go to school year-round wouldn't be such a bad idea after all

you're doing absolutely nothing with anything pertaining to your major degree

you won't walk into the place where you once knew every bartender on a first name basis because "there's too many kids there"

going to keg parties no longer involves hiding out in the woods when the cops show up

you want to go out dancing, you really, REALLY do, but your back hurts, sorry

you're starting to get that "why aren't you married yet" shpiel, not just from parents, but now from friends that are married

you've recently horrified yourself by groaning as you get out of bed, not because of a hangover, but because it genuinely just hurt to do so

you're finding that you just don't understand more than half the lingo used on MTV any more

(mostly guys on this one) sex is still as much fun as it used to be, and you're still really interested in it, but you just want to make sure there's nothing really good on cable that you'd be missing first

you ever wanted to be gagged with a spoon

U2 is too "popular" and "mainstream" for you now

you ever used the phrase "kiss mah grits" in conversation

When somone mentions two consecutive days of the week, the Happy Days theme is stuck in your head for hours on end

you remember trying to guess the episode of the Brady Bunch from the first scene.

you ever used the phrase "don't make me angry...you wouldn't LIKE me when I'm angry" when trying to frighten someone off.

you spent endless nights dreaming about being the Bionic Woman or Wonder Woman or the Six Million Dollar Man

you had ringside seats for Luke and Laura's wedding (on General Hospital)

you remember "Hey, let's be careful out there"

you're parents wanted you to attend medical school, but you decided it was pointless since Quincy got all the babes, anyway.

you know who shot J.R.

this rings a bell: "and my name, is Charlie. They work for me."

You owned a Jordache anything, or you remember when Jordache jeans were cool.

You remember when Madonna was just hitting the scene.

The Brady Bunch movie brought back cool memories.

"The Reflex" was a cool song.

You remember the original version of Windows: Macintosh.

You thought "Weird Science" was a masterpiece.

You remember any or all of the following: Echo & the Bunnymen, Cutting Crew, Scritti Politti, or Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark.

Chevy Chase was really funny in those vacation movies.

You actually know who Rick Springfield is

You remember when film critics raved that no movie could ever possibly get better special effects than those in the movie TRON.

You jammed to the Miami Vice theme and thought Jan Hammer was cool.

For the girl crazy bunch: Your first sexual dream occurred to thoughts of Jeannie, Marsha Brady, Samantha from Bewitched or, for those hardcore comic fans out there, Daphne from Scooby Doo, Josie or any one of her Pussycats.

And for the boy crazy bunch: You thought Sean Cassidy was "dreamy", lusted after "Ted, your ship's photographer" on the Love Boat and Chachi, or, to keep it fair to the comically interested, thought Fred was just a hunk on Scooby Doo.

Guys: You remember when a guy piercing his ear was radical to the max, but did it anyhow.

You've ever shopped at a Banana Republic or Benetton, but not in the last five years, okay?

You actually remember Benetton.

You're starting to believe (now that it wouldn't affect YOU) that maybe having the kids go to school year-round wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

You remember when there was only "G, PG and R", none of this PG-13 crap.

You learned to swim about the same time Jaws came out and still carry the emotional scars to this day.

Hip-Hop and The Elderly

This weekend, Future Mama and I spent a lot of time hanging out in downtown Asheville, The Greek Festival, and watching the Chimney Swifts bed down for the night at The Grove Arcade.

At various times this weekend I observed something strange. Hopefully, my blog friends can help me understand this strange phenomenon!

Why do young, black guys who listen to hip-hop so loud that their trunk lids reverberate and old white people (60-80 year olds) who enjoy listening to NPR both enjoy driving the same types of cars?

Example:

Chrysler 300 , Cadillacs, Buicks, etc.

Will someone please try and explain this one for me?

Quote 4 Edgy Mama

My friend, Edgy Mama, has a collection of some of her favorite quotations. I thought this would be a great addition.

Last night, I attended a candidate forum for the City of Asheville mayor-hopefuls. The following question was asked.

Moderator: "Who is your major contributor?"


Candidate Bill Branyon ,after deep thought, pulled the microphone closer to him, leaned forward into the microphone with his right index finger pressed firmly against his forehead as if contemplating; and replied, "Uhhhh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ME!"

Then, after all the other candidates had replied with more intelligible answers, Branyon used his 30 sec. rebuttal and advised all members of the audience, "It only costs $100 to run for mayor and they give ya a bunch of money to use for advertising, plus you get to know all the candidates real well. I encourage all ya'll to give this a try at least once in your life!"

This guy was great! Throughout the forum he had me laughing so hard that I was in tears. His response to one question was "I don't know anything about that, but once I'm mayor and ya'll are paying me for it, I'll learn it! I'm a quick study!" At one point he even said that Asheville was much like the Greenwich Village.

He sat between Terry Bellamy and Joe Dunn. While Terry tried to remain all professional (she would roll her eyes at him every now and then), everytime he said something Dr. Dunn would laugh and pat him on the back. Branyon smiled real big and said, "Dr. Dunn used to be my Dentist. He's real gentle. See I don't have any cavities. He'd make a good mayor."

What's A 710?

Borrowed from a friend:

A few days ago I was having some work done at the local Ford Dealership. A blonde came in and asked for a seven-hundred-ten.

We all looked at each other and another customer asked, "What is a seven-hundred-ten?"

She replied, "You know, the little piece in the middle of the engine, I have lost it and need a new one." She said that she did not know what it was but this piece had always been there.

He gave her a piece of paper and a pen and asked her to draw what the piece looked like. She drew a circle and in the middle of it wrote 710. He then took her over to another car, which had its hood up and asked, "Is there a 710 on this car?"

She pointed and said, "Of course, it's right there

Sept. 19: Talk Like A Pirate Day

Don't have a clue what it means but here's the link if your interested!

Sept. 19 = International Talk Like A Pirate Day

Hopefully; my buddy Car can provide some positive feedback?

Future Daddy Job Description?

JOB DESCRIPTION

• share the work load
• learn how to be an active father
• keep Mama happy
• read this post at Milk & Honey
  
• if Mama's breastfeeding; then your job is

1. middle of the night; bring baby to Mama
2. caress and talk to baby and Mama during feeding
3. burp the baby
4. middle of the night; tuck baby back in bed

Looking 4 Poetry

Then head on over to my friend's blog!

1000 Black Lines

Asheville Primary

I hope all my Asheville/Buncombe County neighbors have registered because today was the deadline for voter registration.

Election Schedule
Officials to be elected

Here's a list of the Asheville candidates!

From Mountain Xpress and Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce

Candidates for mayor

The following four individuals (in alphabetical order) are running for mayor.

• Terry M. Bellamy: A member of City Council since 1999, Bellamy still has two years remaining in her second term, but she's decided to run for mayor. If she wins, the new Council members will select who fills her seat. If she loses, she'll keep the seat. This is her second run for mayor, having missed the primary cut in 2001. Bellamy works as director of marketing and development for Mountain Housing Opportunities.
Official Website(under construction)
Q and A

• Bill Branyon: A local author, Branyon is making his first run for mayor. But he's no newcomer to the campaign trail, having made two unsuccessful runs for City Council. Branyon, a former reporter for Green Line (Xpress's predecessor publication), recently issued a press release describing his politics as progressive and quoting local literary icon Thomas Wolfe – an appropriate enough reference for a 2,700-word press release. In addition to having published three books, Branyon works at a local hotel.
Q and A

• Joe Dunn: A retired dentist, Dunn was first elected to Council in 2001, when he netted the highest number of votes in that race. With his Council term drawing to a close, the rumor mill has been spinning at top speed, with some speculating that he'd had enough of the local political scene. Dunn ended the speculation when he became the last candidate to file for the mayoral race.
Q and A

• Charles R. Worley: The incumbent mayor, Worley is seeking to hold onto his gavel. He was elected to the city's top post in 2001 in his third bid for the position. A lawyer by trade, he has also served three terms as a member of City Council, beginning in 1991.
Official Website

Candidates for City Council

The following 10 individuals (in alphabetical order) are running for City Council.

• Dwight A. Butner: An Asheville restaurant owner, Butner is making his first foray into electoral politics. An active member of the Asheville Downtown Association, Butner has served as a volunteer on the Council-appointed Downtown Social Issues Task Force, helping draft a number of plans to address issues such as panhandling, homelessness and graffiti.
Official Website
Q and A

• Robin Cape: This is the first time Cape has appeared on a ballot, but she has been elected to public office – having become the first person in Buncombe County to win an election as a write-in candidate. The north Asheville resident was elected to the Woodfin Water Board after helping to organize a grassroots movement opposing the board's plan to log the Woodfin watershed.
Official Website
Q and A

• Bryan Freeborn: Freeborn made his first run for Council in the last election, and although he lost the race, he remained active on a number of fronts. He was appointed by Council as a member of the Asheville Transit Commission and he's been a vocal advocate for issues such as traffic calming and minimizing the impact of the I-26 widening on West Asheville.
Official Website
Q and A

• Matthew Hebb: The first person to throw his hat in the ring for the Council race, Hebb's been a visible presence around town ever since – even parading around Bele Chere with a cadre of sign-carrying supporters. Hebb works in the food-service industry, and this is his first run for public office.
Official Website
Q and A

• Jan Howard: A veteran of the 2001 Council race, Howard is back for run number two. Howard serves as a Guardian ad Litem (a court-appointed advocate for children). A former vice president of the Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods, she's been been an active member of the Kennilworth Neighborhood Association.
Q and A

• Holly Jones: Jones is completing her first term on Council, and her candidacy implies she's ready for more. By day, she serves as the executive director of the YWCA.
Official Website
Q and A

• Carl Mumpower: Council's current vice mayor, Mumpower is finishing his first term in elected office. In the past, the practicing psychologist served as a member of the Asheville Civic Center Commission.
Official Website
Q and A

• Chris Pelly: A local real-estate professional, Pelly made his first run for office in the last Council race and survived the primary. In the general election, however, he wasn't able to squeak out a win. His strong fourth-place showing (the runner-up in a race for three seats) left many of his supporters looking to 2005. Pelly currently serves as the president of the Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods.
Q and A

• Selina D. Sullivan: Newcomer Sullivan is entering the political fray for the first time. She works as a public relations/community development director for a local radio station and has served on the Asheville Planning and Zoning Commission.
Official Website
Q and A

• Keith Thomson: A systems engineer, Thomson has been no stranger to the Council chamber, frequently attending meetings and voicing his opinion on a wide range of issues. Recently, he sought but did not obtain an appointment to the Asheville City School Board. He has also served as a member of Citizens for Safe Drinking Water and Air.
Official Website
Q and A

Become an active member in our community! Don't just voice your opinion by blogging; get out and vote!

Week 15

How's The Baby?

• 4 inches long
• about 2.5 ounces
• inhales/exhales amniotic fluid (develops air sacs in the lungs)
• legs longer than arms
• can move all joints and limbs
• can sense light (although eyelids are fused shut)
  
• taste buds are forming
• during ultrasound maybe able to distinguish gender

How's Mama?

• Future Mama is doing great
• still craves Ben & Jerry's and Buffalo Wings
  
• however; she's maintained a total weight gain of only 4 pounds
• morning sickness gone!!!
• Future Daddy getting tired because Future Mama's libido is very high now! Future Mama says these late night romps will help get me get prepared for when the little one will wake me up in the middle of the night! LOL
  

What's A Tarheel?

As per Official State Symbols of North Carolina

In 1629, King Charles I of England "erected into a province," all the land from Albemarle Sound on the north to the St. John's River on the south, which he directed should be called Carolina. The word Carolina is from the word Carolus, the Latin form of Charles.

When Carolina was divided in 1710, the southern part was called South Carolina and the northern, or older settlement, North Carolina. From this came the nickname the "Old North State." Historians have recorded that the principal products during the early history of North Carolina were "tar, pitch, and turpentine." It was during one of the fiercest battles of the War Between the States, so the story goes, that the column supporting the North Carolina troops was driven from the field. After the battle the North Carolinians, who had successfully fought it out alone, were greeted from the passing derelict regiment with the question: "Any more tar down in the Old North State, boys?" Quick as a flash came the answer: "No, not a bit, old Jeff's bought it all up." "Is that so; what is he going to do with it?" was asked. "He's going to put on you-un's heels to make you stick better in the next fight." Creecy relates that General Lee, upon hearing of the incident, said: "God bless the Tar Heel boys," and from that they took the name (Adapted from Grandfather Tales of North Carolina by R.B. Creecy and Histories of North Carolina Regiments, Vol. III, by Walter Clark).