Through the Past Dorkily: Out of My Hands

Editor's note: Through the Past Dorkily is a recurring feature that looks back at the embarrassingly dorky diary I kept as a 16-year-old in 1984.


Friday, March 30, 1984

Song of the day: Red Barchetta - Rush


Top 5 at Five
1. Oh Sherri - Steve Perry
2. The Sultans of Swing (live) - Dire Straits
3. I'll Wait - Van Halen
4. Heaven - Bryan Adams
5. Violet and Blue - Stevie Nicks

I got up at 5:30 but we still had no power. I went back to bed. I got up again and it was so cold in the house that you could blow smoke! Then at 11:45 a.m., the power came on. I quickly took a shower and shave and I tried to get in touch with Jeremy about [his girlfriend's] place tonight. I couldn't get ahold of him.


Then Mom and me tried to go shopping and got stuck in a snow bank on our driveway. We had to take Dad's car and when we got back, the car was still stuck. Then me and Dad had to push the car back onto the driveway. Phew!


I called Jeremy about a zillion times but I couldn't get him. So it turns out I was stuck at home. I'm pissed! Maybe I can see [Jeremy's girlfriend's friend] tomorrow night. We'll see.


- The Barbarian


Saturday, March 31, 1984

Song of the day: I Think I'm Going Bald - Rush


Pretty uneventful day. Cathy decided to move our music lessons to Mondays, 4:30-5:30. She said she needed a day off. Hey, I can dig it.


After guitar lessons, I shoveled the top of the driveway so Mom won't get stuck anymore. I called Jeremy and got through. He said he tried to call me but he only got home at 9 last night. He said his girlfriend didn't want to get together on Friday. Her friend agreed to next weekend and so did I.


It was a nice day, weather-wise. I retaped "Caress of Steel" and "2112."


- The Barbarian


Monday, April 2, 1984

Song of the day: Violet and Blue - Stevie Nicks


Top 5 at Five
1. Against All Odds - Phil Collins
2. I'll Wait - Van Halen
3. Oh Sherri - Steve Perry
4. Heaven - Bryan Adams
5. Killer - Pat Travers

Yer typical Monday. The day started off OK. On the Rock Report [on WAAF], Lippy said Rush's new album, "Grace Under Pressure" is so guitar-heavy that it's being called "Alex Lifeson's Revenge"!! Awesome! It's gonna kick butt!


Some lousy grades at school today: 58 on a Civics test, 80 on a Geometry quiz, 72 on that French thingie. I did get a 629 on a Verbal control test in College Prep.


At dog lessons, I met [a buddy] who had his dog there. [Classmate's] sister was there (she's a babe, too) and [a buddy's] mom was there.


Georgetown won the NCAA championship, 84-75 over Houston.


- The Barbarian


Tuesday, April 3, 1984

Song of the day: Too Young to Fall in Love - Motley Crue


Top 5 at Five
1. Oh Sherri - Steve Perry
2. Heaven - Bryan Adams
3. Jump - Van Halen
4. Against All Odds - Phil Collins
5. Violet and Blue - Stevie Nicks

Today was a total bummer. I just woke up feeling bummed out. In College Prep, [teacher] nailed me [and two classmates] for copying homework. Ugh. And that asshole who keeps insulting me with racial slurs met in the can today. Stupid dick! That guy needs to get his butt kicked!

Just a total loser of a day. I feel lousy. And I don't even know why.

- The Barbarian

Wednesday, April 4, 1984

 Song of the day: Vital Signs - Rush

Top 5 at Five 
1. Oh Sherri - Steve Perry
2. Rock You Like a Hurricane - Scorpions
3. Out of My Hands - Face to Face
4. Magic - The Cars
5. Murder - David Gilmour

Now that's more like it. A semi-normal day. It didn't start off that way, though. This morning  I didn't eat breakfast until 6:40 because I hadda take Sammy out. As a result, I was in a hurry and forgot my wallet, keys and lunch money. Good, huh?

At school we saw this Shakespearean actor named Duncan Inches (no lie). We had an assembly from 8-9 while he did Shakespeare stuff. He had these tights on that were a laugh and a half, but he was pretty good. Later on, he was talking to our Prep for College class and Media class. He started by asking us what we wanted to talk about and I said, "Sex!" That got some laughs! He was pretty cool.

- The Barbarian

Thursday, April 5, 1984

Song of the day: Poor Tom - Led Zeppelin

Top 5 at Five
1. Oh Sherri - Steve Perry
2. Magic - The Cars
3. Heaven - Bryan Adams
4. Some Heads Are Gonna Roll - Judas Priest
5. Up the Creek - Cheap Trick

Today was alright. The weather sucked (it rained all day), though. [Teacher] wasn't there so that alone made my day. On the Geometry quiz, I did wicked good. All in all, a pretty good day.

Jeremy said [girlfriend's friend] wanted to talk to me but only if he and [girlfriend] were there. You explain it to me. Anyhoo, he said he'd try and see if she wanted to go to the movies this weekend. Hope she says yes.

- The Barbarian

Friday, April 6, 1984

Song of the day: Communication Breakdown - Led Zeppelin

Today was bearable. I got a 100 on that Geometry quiz, like I thought. The Algebra quiz was easy, too. I start Weight Training on Monday.

[Jeremy's girlfriend's friend] couldn't go to the movies tonight. Damn!

I went to Jeremy's house after school and watched part of "Trading Places." I had to go home at 4 because I decided to go with JP and his bozo friends to see "Splash." "Splash" was awesome! John Candy was hilarious! All around a great movie!

Those kids are driving me nuts! JP is ultra-hyper and he's got a voice like a friggin' bullhorn!

- The Barbarian

Saturday, April 7, 1984

Song of the day: Dirty Movies - Van Halen

Today wasn't so hot. I fell asleep during "Friday Night Videos" and woke up at 5 this morning with my TV still on! I went back to sleep and got up around 10. Mom got me a money order for $10.48 for Guitar magazine. We went to the dump, then Salem and got back around 2. I think Jeremy called while I was gone. I called him when I got back, but he wasn't home (as usual).

The Bruins got eliminated by Montreal tonight. So did Buffalo, Philly and Winnipeg.

- The Barbarian

Postscript: Lots of stuff to comment on here. Let's get the racism thing on the table right off the bat. This guy was a senior, a pretty big dude who for some reason right off the bat when I arrived at this school decided he would pick on me by calling me a "nigger." Of course, he only did it when we were the only ones around, like in the bathroom in this instance. The funniest part was the moron couldn't even get his racial slurs straight. I was a tiny pipsqueak so I just never said anything back because I didn't want to get my ass kicked. But he was the only kid who ever said anything like that to me pretty much the entire time I've lived in the U.S. Well, to my face, anyway.

This whole thing with Jeremy's girlfriend's friend was simultaneously tantalizing and annoying. It didn't help that we went to different schools so I never actually saw her on a regular basis. And apparently I didn't think to get her phone number. So all communication took place with go-betweens.

The Shakespearean actor is still making those types of appearances. I'll give him credit for helping foster my interest in Shakespeare. I've always dug those plays.

I used to watch "Friday Night Videos," which took the Friday night spot on NBC after the network bumped SCTV in 1983. We still didn't get MTV in our town at this point, so this was one way to see music videos. Of course, it was on at 12:30 a.m., so often I fell asleep in the middle of the 90-minute show. I remember having a fever dream about weird dwarves and people dancing and then realized it was Men Without Hats' "Safety Dance" video, which I was watching while drifting in and out of sleep. I never realized that the show continued until 2002; I probably stopped watching it when I went to college. And then we got MTV, which to me made this show irrelevant.