Stuck in the past. And loving it.

My day job is anything but boring. Whether attributed to my co-workers or the various writing assignments -- usually both -- I genuinely look forward to coming to work every day. That being said, having something even MORE fun to look forward to is the icing on the cake.

I recently became acquainted with online radio on my computer at work. Specifically, a selection of streams playing nothing but hits from the 80s.

Ahhh. My people.

I have been treating myself to some pretty fabulous ear candy -- The Cure, Depeche Mode, the occasional musical styling from Morrisey/The Smiths. It's brilliant. Of course, there are THOSE songs from the Big 80s that make you cringe, but you love them anyway. George Michael (extra bonus points if it's a Wham! song), Madonna, Terence Trent D'Arby... even one-hit wonders like Scritti Politti, Matthew Wilder or Charlie Sexton. Then there are the songs you hear, may not particularly care for, but they bring back such a rush of bittersweet teen memories, you just have to keep listening. Case in point, I just sat through Billy Idol's rendition of "Mony, Mony." Never been a big fan of that one, but it was played at each and every Friday night sock hop we had in high school. (Of course it was a crowd favorite, given the ad libbed lyrics everyone shouted. Everyone but me, that is. Not that I considered myself too prudish to join in; but it was a fairly crass statement.) But I digress... I cannot hear that song without pausing to remember dancing with my friends for two solid hours in the gym, glad the week was over and having the entire weekend before us.

Not long ago, I was radio channel surfing in my car, and paused upon hearing one of my favorite songs from the 80s. Imagine my surprise when the station ID followed the song, and I realized it was playing on the local "oldies" station. Apparently, they had refreshed their playlist to cover said "oldies" spanning the 70s and 80s, rather than the 50s, 60s and 70s as they had before. Oldies were ... well, ... OLD. Surely the favorite music from my teenage years cannot be considered old ... ? Then I remembered how each and every week when I read the entertainment section of the Sunday paper, and glance through the top 10 hits I rarely recognize any song, let alone the artists themselves.

So, I've come to accept the fact that I have become desperately out of touch, and it's perfectly fine with me. I guess my musical growth period topped out somewhere around the late 80s/early 90s. Maybe I just figured the music couldn't get any better, so I decided to stay put.

That's OK. Bring on the 389 different "Hits of the 70s, 80s and 90s" streams online. I'm all ears.

Hi! Remember me?!

For the four or so people who actually read this blog, HELLO THERE! IT'S ME! REMEMBER ME? THE PERSON WHO USED TO WRITE THIS BLOG??

It's been so long. Too long. I'm guilty of letting life get in the way of, ... well, everything.

So, I'm using February 4 as something of a "turn over a new leaf" day. Which is sort of sad when you consider some people haven't even abandoned their New Year's resolutions yet. I wish I could say I've had some marvelously interesting, exciting new "something" that's been keeping me from writing. Nope. Just staying afloat between work and home -- trying to stay one step ahead of things. Maybe I'm simply anticipating being out of commission for a few weeks after 03/14 (which is officially "BABY DAY 2009," unless he has another plan in mind to make an early debut). I know I will be doing nothing except healing, nursing, sleeping, eating, ... healing, nursing, sleeping, eating,... and so on. Perhaps I'm trying to both mentally and physically prepare for the required "down time." Who knows. All I know is that my intentions have been fully-geared to writing every day, even if it doesn't actually get done.

It's difficult to keep a firm grasp on the bigger picture when some days the small details start to obscure the view. I'm guilty of getting mired down with small worries (and some big ones) when this is supposed to be one of the happiest times to experience. I need to remember to focus on the facts: I have a wonderful husband who is there for me in so many ways with his love and support ... we have a beautiful family of five wonderful kids and we're ready to welcome one more ... we (along with our extended family) are healthy and happy ... we live within our means, making every attempt to find a way to enjoy perks within our financial boundaries ... I am blessed to have a few very close friends -- women who have shown me what true friendship is, and I hope I am returning the same to them.

Yes,... focus on the facts. See the big picture. Know that it's all good, and don't dwell on the problems. They will be resolved without the benefit of worrying.