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Saturday Night Retro

On this 93RD edition of my ‘Saturday Night Retro’ I take you back to a wild and crazy life that I like to refer to as the Fall of 1986. I was a young 19-year-old USAF Airman (one-stripe) at the time living and working in the United Kingdom at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. During the work week I analyzed KC-135A Stratotanker aircraft maintenance data for the 11TH Strategic Group. After work during the week I took in the British radio and television pop culture via the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4. During the weekends I enjoyed discovering the free nation. Cirencester, Swindon, Oxford, and London were frequent getaways. Shopping and music were common themes. Music concerts were frequent at The Apollo in Oxford and London’s famed Hammersmith Odeon.

This week I continue ‘The Awesome ’80s In August International Dance Party’ with a memorable act from the Fall of 1986. Celebrating their 30TH anniversary in existence it’s the English HI-NRG dance act known as Dead Or Alive. Fronted by Pete Burns (who celebrates his 51ST birthday next week) they scored their biggest smash ever 25 years ago this Summer in 1985. You may remember “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’. They followed-up that anthem with a second hit that was nearly as huge and memorable – “Brand New Lover”. It’s a track that I memorized all of the words to way back then, and even today I could sing it Karaoke style at the drop of a glowstick. It’s one of the greatest dance songs of its style ever made in my lifetime. Let’s kick this thing into HI-NRG ! 

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Animals Blogging Career Driving Food Health History Holidays Home Life Music Philosophy Travel Weather

The Major’s Weekend Blast-Off

WEEKEND GRAB BAG O’ THOUGHT:
TODAY – the 30TH of July – would have been my Dad’s 69TH birthday. He moved on to Heaven 12 nights ago. I’ve got wonderful pictures of him on display atop my living room entertainment center. They span four decades from the early-1970s through the late-2000s. He’s smiling in each and every one of them. One of my favourite family portraits on display was from 1985. I was 18, and proudly wearing my USAF service dress uniform. My Dad was 44 – just a single year older than I am right now. We had that picture taken during the first week of November of 1985 during my short leave after I graduated from 12 weeks of technical school in Illinois and before I moved on to my first duty station over in the U.K. I think my Dad is still smiling today as he looks down at his family that he left behind. I think that he’s proud of each of us. I’m proud of his life.

BEST LUNCH OF THE WEEK AWARD:
Longhorn Steakhouse – Renegade Top Sirloin (8-ounce / Medium-Well), Baked Sweet Potato, Bread, Sprite.

THE FORTUNE COOKIE MESSAGE OF THE WEEK CLUB:
– You will surround yourself with warmth and riches.
– Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.

15 WEEKEND MINI THOUGHTS:
– Only one more day to go and then July 2010 is in the history books.
– I kicked-off this month on the First by flying to Dallas Texas to visit my family.
– It was a nice 4-day 4TH Of July holiday weekend out west.
– 10 days after returning from Texas I took another short vacation in seclusion.
– About 4 hours after I returned home from that trip my Dad moved on.
– It’s been a long and crazy month, and it’ll surely be a memorable one forever.
– I’ve got no vacations or trips of any kind planned for August.
– After that I’m booked solid with at least one trip every month through January.
– I plan to enjoy ‘Home Sweet Homestead‘ all month long in August.
– I just want to do normal things in August – like work and relax.
– Memo To Self: I’m long overdue for an annual eye exam.
– I look like a dude half two-thirds my age, but I’ve got the eyes of an old man.
– That reminds me I need to get my car washed, so maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.
– I know it’s dirty, but I just can’t see the dirt (because of my bad eyesight).
– This has been more of a ‘dusty season’ rather than a ‘rainy season’.

THOSE CRAZY CRAZY CATS:

BLATANT PROMOTION:
’The Awesome ’80s In August International Dance Party’ continues this weekend on the 93RD edition of the ‘Saturday Night Retro’. I’ll share a tiny bit of my life with you as I knew it from the Fall of 1986 when I was a wild 19-year-old kid hangin’ out in the smoky concert halls of London and Oxford England. On Sunday it’s another day on ‘My Fantastic Journey’. Check back in with this blog later this weekend, and in the meantime have a wonderful time in whatever you do tonight, tomorrow, and the next day. Stay safe. Look out for one another. Spread Love. Believe.

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The Major’s Weekend Blast-Off

WEEKEND GRAB BAG O’ THOUGHT:
The weekend has arrived, and for me it arrived 24 hours early this week due to Tropical Storm Bonnie. Looking ahead yesterday afternoon I had a feeling that this would be an unscheduled day off once the air base (where I work) drifted into panic mode. We always prepare for a worst case scenario on base, so if a Tropical Depression or a weak Tropical Storm is approaching our general region of the world then we prepare for a Category 1 Hurricane. If it’s a strong Tropical Storm then we react as if it’s a Category 2 Hurricane – and so forth – and so on. It may seem like overreacting – and it generally is – but we do so in a sincere effort to protect millions of dollars of military and government equipment and resources. We have an urgent responsibility to minimize any damage that Mother Nature could throw at us, and I think that we do a very good job at it.

BEST LUNCH OF THE WEEK AWARD:
Sometimes it’s not about the food. It’s about the company. This week my good friend Travis invited me out to Lunch at Chili’s, and I gladly accepted. We talked about a wide variety of great topics of interest big and small. I like hanging out with Trav. I also enjoyed my messy meal which consisted of – Bottomless Tostada Chips Served With House-Made Salsa, Shiner Bock BBQ Big Mouth Burger, Hot Homestyle Fries, Sprite. I dig.

15 WEEKEND MINI THOUGHTS:
– I’m really looking forward to this weekend safe and sound in my home.
– I hope to get a lot of work done – like filing piles of paperwork and such.
– I’m well known for my organizational skills, so I need to get there.
– Last weekend I was hidden in the woods and hills of Northwest Florida.
– I had to walk to the top of a hill just to get a hint of a data signal to my phone.
– I’m happy to be here at home where ‘3G’ and lightning fast wireless rules.
– It’s been a long time since I’ve been vacation-free in a single month.
– I have no plans to go anywhere exotic or otherwise during the month of Aug.
– 7 weeks – 49 days in a row of home life began last Sunday night.
– Last night I paid the first of my two annual home insurance premiums.
– It’s the one that covers everything except for wind.
– It went up 16% (outrageous) over the previous year.
– My other premium that covers everything for wind went up 4.4% (reasonable).
– Collectively I’ll be paying an average of $5.15 per day to insure my home.
– When I look at it that way it doesn’t look so bad at all.

THOSE CRAZY CRAZY CATS:

BLATANT PROMOTION:
It’s a full weekend of blogging for me. I’m kicking-off a former tradition from the massivesmash.com years this weekend on the ‘Saturday Night Retro’. That’s right – it’s ‘The Awesome ’80s In August International Dance Party’, and it all starts with an electronic dance smash that was the absolute biz while I was a Senior in High School in 1985. Then on Sunday join me as I share my Life with you on ‘My Fantastic Journey: It’s In The Lyrics’. In the meantime enjoy your weekend, and play it safe my friends. Love one another.

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Blogging Career Driving Food History Holidays Life Music Philosophy Shopping Travel Weather

The Major’s Weekend Blast-Off

PREFACE:
It’s the dawn of a brand new weekly series here on my personal web log. Following in the storied tradition of the surprisingly successful and long-running ‘Friday Night Blogroll Review’ (81 editions) and ‘The Major’s Friday Night Disco Party’ (36 editions) I proudly present to you my newest creation – the sensational summer series debut of ‘The Major’s Weekend Blast-Off’. This fresh new weekly series brings blogging back to Fridays – where it belongs. It also serves as the de facto replacement series for two now defunct weekly series – ‘Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts’ and ‘Thursday Night Mini Thoughts’. I’ve ended the run of both series after a combined 200+ weekly editions dating back to this blog’s infancy in 2007.

THE FORTUNE COOKIE MESSAGE OF THE WEEK CLUB:
“The best angle from which to approach any problem is the TRYangle.”

BEST LUNCH OF THE WEEK AWARD:
Red Lobster – Caesar Salad, Cheddar Bay Biscuits (4 of them), Wood-Fire Grilled Grouper, Mashed Potatoes, Fresh Broccoli, Sprite

15 WEEKEND MINI THOUGHTS:
– It may be Friday night, but it’s NOT the end of the work week for me.
– I actually have to work tomorrow for much of the day.
– I took the morning off today, and I got my car serviced at Firestone.
– They did the oil and filter change, tire rotation, wheel alignment, and A.C.
– I was in and out in just about two hours flat.
– After that I ventured up to Target in the Cutler Bay area.
– I went on a spontaneous shopping spree.
– Target is my favourite place to buy clothes.
– Tomorrow is actually the 7TH anniversary of the purchase of my current car.
– It’s my 2ND longest-owned car.
– I drove a 1989 Geo Spectrum for over 8 years before I bought my first Saturn.
– Next weekend I’ll be hanging out in Texas with my family.
– That’s become an annual 4TH Of July Weekend tradition.
– I’ll be prepping for 100°F heat next weekend.
– But it’s a dry heat (compared to South Florida anyway).

BLATANT PROMOTION:
TOMORROW on the ‘Retro’ I’ll be remembering the first rock concert that I ever attended in my life. It was exactly 24 years ago this weekend in London England. Coming up in 5 weeks on the ‘Retro’ it’s the ‘Awesome ’80s In August HI-NRG Dance Party’ – a month-long celebration of the decade that was. Be sure not to miss that my friends. You won’t regret it pal !