Through the Past Dorkily: Rock Out, Roll On

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. This is the final installment.

Saturday, December 22, 1984

Song of the day: U Got It - Ratt

Didn't do much of anything today. Later.

- The Barbarian

Sunday, December 23, 1984

Song of the day: 2000 Miles - The Pretenders

Well, I did it: I got confirmed. I was wicked nervous but it went off without a hitch. The rest of the day I didn't do much of anything. I won in Trivial Pursuit tonight, too.

- The Barbarian

Monday, December 24, 1984

Song of the day: Vices - Kick Axe

Top 5 at Five
1. Santa Claus and His Old Lady - Cheech and Chong
2. The 12 Days of Christmas - Bob and Doug McKenzie
3. Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
4. Happy Christmas - John Lennon
5. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Bruce Springsteen

We spent all day getting ready for the big party. So what happens? One person shows up, at 9 o'clock no less! Actually it was Dad's friend and his girlfriend. She was pretty good looking. They left at 12.

Ho ho ho.

- The Barbarian

Tuesday, December 25, 1984

Song of the day: The End of the World - Gary Moore



Top 5 at Five
1. Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
2. Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You - Billy Squier
3. Happy Christmas - John Lennon
4. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Bruce Springsteen
5. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer - Elmo and Patsy

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas.

Stocking: lotsa candy, a blank Maxell 90-min, 4 AA Duracells

Presents: "Corridors of Power" - Gary Moore, shirts, PJs, aftershave, keychain, camera, $40. Not a bad haul considering we already got a computer.

I just sat around all day. I stuffed my face like a pig at lunch and dinner, too.

We had a mungo game of Monopoly. Dad won. I was the last one left with him.

-  The Barbarian

Wednesday, December 26, 1984

Song of the day: Just Got Lucky - Dokken

Top 5 at Five
1. Perfect Strangers - Deep Purple
2. The Boys of Summer - Don Henley
3. Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
4. Naughty Naughty - John Parr
5. If I Had a Rocket Launcher - Bruce Cockburn

Cold. Very cold. We're talking 20-degree stuff here.

Mom left the car at home so we all went to Methuen Mall. Uncle Peter gave me $10 and I bought the new Hit Parader, Comics Feature, FF 271, ROM 62, Jack of Hearts 4, Kazar 29 and 4 Marvel Ages. I dug all these up at Waldenbooks. Pretty good, eh?

The car didn't give us any trouble. I drove. We got back at 5.

Uncle Peter and Auntie Jini are leaving at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Time flies when you're havin' fun.

- The Barbarian

Thursday, December 27, 1984

Song of the day: California Girls - David Lee Roth

Top 5 at Five
1. California Girls - David Lee Roth
2. Perfect Strangers - Deep Purple
3 Naughty Naughty - John Parr
4. If I Had a Rocket Launcher - Bruce Cockburn
5. It's Only Love - Bryan Adams

I got up at 8:30 to say goodbye to Peter and Jini. They left at 9. I went back to bed and didn't get up till 12:30.

Later on I moved my bed back into my room and then I just read comics. I also taped Thunder Seven and Tooth and Nail on that Maxell I got in my stocking.

- The Barbarian

Friday, December 28, 1984

Song of the day: Wire - U2

I was awakened at 8 by the doorbell. It was that cleaning chick. I told her I didn't know about it (the job) so she said she'd check. And she never came back. Oh well.

I finally finished that UNH application.

Jeremy said he wasn't going to the movies tonight because he was broke. Maybe next week. He did say we could stay over at his uncle's place on Sunday. I got it OK'd by Mom, but I hadda tell her it was at his place. I hate lying to her. But once I move out, I won't ever have to again.

[Buddy from Washington state] sent me a Christmas card. That guy's awesome!

- The Barbarian

Saturday, December 29, 1984

Song of the day: It's Only Love - Bryan Adams

Today sucked. Massive bore. Mom and me went to Peabody to the Northshore Mall. I thought it was beat, but she liked it. It was pretty big.

- The Barbarian

Sunday, December 30, 1984

Song of the day: Naughty Naughty - John Parr

I slept in. At 3, we went to [mom's friend]'s house. We got back at 6. Jeremy picked me up at 7. First we went to his uncle's house. We stayed there till 10 or so. I checked out a couple of Playboys, the Suzanne Somers one was good. We stopped by Westville where I picked up Daredevil 217. Good.

So I wouldn't get in trouble, we decided to sleep over at Jeremy's house like my mom thought. It was a little more boring but at least I saved my hide.

- The Barbarian

Monday, December 31, 1984

Song of the day: 1984 - David Bowie

Top 5 at Five
1. Naughty Naughty - John Parr
2. California Girls - David Lee Roth
3. Rock Out, Roll On - Triumph
4. It's Only Love - Bryan Adams
5. Dream On - Aerosmith

We got up at 10. We had some waffles and watched a little tube and then Jeremy dropped me off at home around 12 or so.

At 3, I went to put my money in the bank and pick up some stuff from the PGA. I got the new Guitar Player with Rik Emmett on the cover. I met [classmate] there, too. Man, she looked great! What a babe! She's hot! Who knows?

[Another female classmate] was working, too. She was luscious as ever.

[Dad's friend] came at 7. He left at 1:30.

Hello 1985, goodbye 1984!

- The Barbarian

P.S. I toldja I could keep up a diary for a whole year!

Postscript: And thusly, a year in the life of a high school dork ends as boringly as it began. What can I say? I was a good kid who didn't take a lot of chances. I got worried about telling a lie to my mom about where I was staying and ended up not even doing it. Oh, well. By the following fall, I was boozing it up at college on the regular. All that good son stuff pretty much went out the window the minute I got to UNH.

Speaking of which, interesting that I got my application to UNH done this week. I had no expectations of going there. It was literally a last-minute application; I was hoping to go to Yale or Dartmouth, but my grades didn't stand out enough to make a difference. Too much screwing around senior year, I guess. It's just as well. My UNH education has served me well. I certainly don't have any regrets.

There's no 1985 diary. It was a one-year exercise. As for the girl situation, I asked a few girls to the senior prom who were already going with other guys before a cute sophomore in my typing class (which given my eventual career was a great choice for more than one reason) asked me. We dated for a little bit but I had grand designs for my college dating life and basically let the relationship fizzle out over the summer. Little did I know that my romantic adventures in college would be even more futile than in high school for the most part. But that's a story for another day. Rock on, rockers. Happy New Year!