I dislike it greatly when the “N” word is used.  I ESPECIALLY  dislike it when it is used by a  certain segment of the African-American population.  Why is it okay for them (you know, the hip hop rap crowd) to use that word, but if someone else (i.e., not of color) uses it, they are crucified as a racist?  An ugly word is an ugly word and I don’t think it should be okay for one group of people to use it and others to be criticized for using the same word. 

On the same front, I do not mind the “B” word when it is used as a verb (meaning to complain about something), but I do not like it when used as an insult (duh!) … Why do some teenagers think it’s so cute to call each other that?  “She’s my b****!”  So crude. 

P.S. — Hey, Gill – I refrained from using the “H” word while answering this question!  LOL

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Wow.  This one is tough, as I listened to so much music back then, it’s difficult to remember everything … I think I have the years and songs matched pretty closely … let’s give it a try, shall we?

1980:  “The Renegade” by Styx  (I first heard this when we lived in St. Croix … my best friend and I would play backgammon, drink orange Lipton tea, and listen to “Pieces of Eight” … we were 15 and didn’t have wheels, and we were pretty good kids, so this was entertainment enough for us.)

1981:  “Red Barchetta” by Rush  (This is an incredible piece of poetry put to music that makes me FEEL the car through the stereo speakers.  I love this song, and hearing it when I’m behind the wheel is a bad, bad thing …)

1982:  “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey  (My senior class’s theme song.)

1983:   “Africa” by Toto (I workd at the community college radio station my freshman year and this was on the top ten list when I was spinning albums … YES, SPINNING albums … made of black vinyl … a few years later, when CD’s came out, we were just certain they were a fad.  SHUT UP!)

1984:  “Pride (In the Name of Love)” by U2  (Probably the first song by U2 that I have a conscious memory of … what incredible musicians!)

1985:  “Boys of Summer” by Don Henley  (My roomie in college was a spoiled little rich girl with a Z28 and more money than sense.  We would go riding the main drag with this song blasting, singing at the top of our lungs … I find it amusing that the lines “Yesterday I saw a deadhead sticker on a Cadillac … a little voice inside my head said “Don’t look back, you can never go back …” from one of our favorite songs fits so perfectly.  We had fun, but it was shallow fun … we had no true friendship and while I think “that was a blast,” I’d never want to go back there again.)

1986:  “Pretty in Pink” by The Psychedelic Furs  (When my college boyfriend and I broke up and then got back together a few weeks later, we went to see this movie and I liked the song.  We ended up breaking up again and didn’t see each other for four years.  We celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary this past February.  Some happy endings just have a few bumps in the road. 

1987:  “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel  (This song haunts me … the music and the words make my heart ache … and I don’t really know why.)

1988: 

1989: 

At the moment I’m drawing a blank on 1988 and 1989 …. I’ll have to think about those two years and get back to you.  I think that may have been about the time that I started listening more to talk radio and kind of lost touch with current music.  In all honesty, there’s been very little come out since the 90’s that I’ve been tempted to listen to.  I like the songs of my youth, I guess. LOL
 

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I worked in a jewelry store the summer after I graduated from high school.  I spent the days wiping down the glass jewelry cases, dusting all the gift items, and learning to engrave items like money clips and cigarette lighters, silver trays and baby cups.  It was an old family owned store that carried tons of stuff … I remember buying my mom the prettiest crystal box for her birthday in June.  Little did I know it was a cigarette box.  When you flipped the lid over, it made a little ashtray.  I felt so silly.  I don’t know what happened to that little box.

When the summer ended, a position opened up for me at a local pharmacy.  Better hours and a little more challenging than the jewelry store.  I worked behind the counter, typing prescription labels and keeping track of drug inventory.  I think they require you to have a certification to do that nowadays. 

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