One Nine Eight Three...

  I'm seeing 1987s, 1996s, 1993s, late-80s, early-90s, late-90s, early-00s but no love for the early eighties, s-o-o-o-o...

  One fine year, now that I think about it, at least until I've woken-up.  Thinking about it because it's 4 in the am, Cargo is on the CD player, it's otherwise calm and quiet, everyone's asleep and I'm alone with my thoughts.  I've just awoken from a ten hour sleep that has me feeling like I could go out and conquer the universe in flip-flops, sweats and mussed hair.  In the groove between being asleep and awake and you just feel like a million bucks for no apparent reason...

  "Overkill" stands out in my mind as a song someone was playing on their portable stereo as we were exiting the school building for the summer (as memories go, the song I heard probably wasn't even Overkill, but that's the one I've settled on).  I elected not to board the bus, as usual, but rather walked a couple of blocks up the street to Rocky's Diner for a bite to eat and to get in a little Pac Man before I went home.  My classmates shouted and waved as they passed-by in their parent's cars, "See ya next year!" they shouted even though I'd probably see many of them next week, if not that evening.  My grandfather was at the barber shop across the street...

  Graduated from the 8th grade after having passed "the Constitution".  The Constitution was the Southern Illinois school's equivalent of the exit exam.  It was a short test (maybe 20 questions) on the US Constitution that, if one failed, would require one to repeat the entire 8th grade (or so went the rumor).  I had crammed for it the entire previous night...

  Graduated that evening, according to an old Hallmark card, which someone had the foresight to date - May 13th, 1983 - from my aunt and uncle, that has no earthly right to still be in my possession.  I've lost far more important things.  They should pass a law which requires all photographs to be dated.  In Fonzerelli style, I drove my Honda XR80 to the graduation ceremony and drove it home afterwards, around 2-3 miles one way.  Had been offered a ride to graduation, but insisted on riding my motorcycle.  Riotous debauch followed commencement, in Joe's garage...

  There's more but I'll spare ya.  Time for another cup of joe.  Now make with your 1983 stuff, please...

You were street legal and owned a car and a motorcycle in the 8th grade  :o

You were street legal and owned a car and a motorcycle in the 8th grade   :o


  No, I wasn't licensed or driving in the 8th grade.  My grandfather, who's in the barber shop, is my ride home from school.  I told him I'd be at Rocky's playing video games after class let-out.  Usually I took the bus.  An XR80 is a small motorcycle, kid-sized, and is not street legal.  Never stopped me from riding on the streets even though I was chewed-out by a cop once, in town, and warned about it...

 

   No, I wasn't licensed or driving in the 8th grade.  My grandfather, who's in the barber shop, is my ride home from school.  I told him I'd be at Rocky's playing video games after class let-out.  Usually I took the bus.  An XR80 is a small motorcycle, kid-sized, and is not street legal.  Never stopped me from riding on the streets even though I was chewed-out by a cop once, in town, and warned about it...

   


Exactly.  I wasn't always so much worried about a little thing called a driver's license  http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/15/toothy11.gif

It was a bit too early for me in the decade, to remember everything, however Airplane! is one of the best films, from that year.

1983...transitioned from 5th to 6th grade.  In the first part of the year, before we had cable, we had a UHF channel 60 (or 61) that played videos for the majority of the day.  First videos I remember seeing were Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" and "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant.

Got cable around October '83.  We had all the basic (about 35-40 channels) and two premium channels: The Disney Channel and Showtime.  Word got around town that the model of cable box we were supplied was discovered to have had a code to get premium channels for free by pressing the 3, 9 and # keys on the keypad at the same time then punching in the premium channel number.  By next summer I'd seen the Porky's films and worse (better?). :D

I usually watched MTV ad nauseum and other video shows like Night Flight.  Enjoyed Starcade on TBS.  Played a lot of Atari 2600.  There was a dark, dingy hole-in-the-wall arcade within 1/2 mile of my house...spent a lot of time there and at the 7-Eleven in the same shopping center.  The old lady clerk that worked Saturday mornings at 7-Eleven would sometimes give us quarters to try the new games that were rotated in.  Watched someone beat a published high score in Electronic Games magazine on the game Mouse Trap.  Fave arcade games were Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Tempest, Pole Position, M.A.C.H. 3, Galaga, Xevious, Crystal Castles, Zoo Keeper...

Christmas 1983 I got my first boom box...a small GE one, along with some blank tapes and the Thriller and Pyromania albums on cassette.  Groove on...

1983 was the year of one of my all-time favourite songs when I was a kid:  'I.O.U.' by Freeez

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ-1DYwaxrE


My mom bought this compilation tape called 'Rock Sizzzlers' when it came out in 1984 and that was one of the songs on it.  I wore that tape out, it was so awesome.  I have since acquired another cassette copy and a vinyl copy!

Always found it funny why it appeared on that album.  IF you know the song, you know, it's not a rock song lol

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/5/8/2/5/4/5/webimg/271563478_o.jpg

In brief, left school, started work and...(ahem!) 'became a man' that year (allegedly!)...

In brief, left school, started work and...(ahem!) 'became a man' that year (allegedly!)...


started shaving?    ;)

Exactly.  I wasn't always so much worried about a little thing called a driver's license  http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/15/toothy11.gif


  That's the spirit..!

started shaving?    ;)


Started drinking! (hic!)  :P

I heard hair started to become big this year. 1980-1982's hair was still straight!

The CBS Early Show this week is doing a "time machine" series, and so far they have done 1954, 1979, 1983, and 1990.

Here are some links from their homepage.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/04/earlyshow/series/main5522381.shtml- Cool Gear Of 1983

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/04/earlyshow/series/main5521903.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody- Year of Toys for Children and Adults

http://www.cbsnews.com/elements/2009/11/03/earlyshow/photoessay5511297.shtml- Photos: Bring Back 1983!

There's more links from on The Early Show, but here is a sample.

My brother was born then and many thought the Video Game System would be dead.