It is with extreme displeasure that I inform you all the the first Midwestrocker blog series, "Reasons Why I Wish I Experienced the 80's and Reasons I'm Glad I Missed the 70's," has been canceled.

The primary reason for this decision is a complete lack of creativity on the part of the series' creator. It turns out that it's difficult to write about two periods of time without actually having experienced them, and even more difficult to have an absolute, definitive opinion on something that you only have vague knowledge of. I don't know how politicians do it.

Another part of the cancelation is the profile view count. It hasn't increased by very much, and it's May Sweeps, people! We have to keep those eyeballs glued!

We will not be showing the remaining episodes.

Now, on to other things. Tomorrow I'm going to Florida for my cousin's sweet-sixteen. It should be a nice trip, but it'll be a rough drive. See, my part of the country is under siege. Georgia hasn't seen this much fire since Sherman. Foggy smoke has been visible on and off throughout the state for two weeks, and the scent of burning leaves and pine cones fills the air. More troublesome, contact lens wearers (including myself) have had to get special prescriptions to deal with the irritation and red eye. But so far I haven't been directly confronted by these fires, until now. Tomorrow I will be driving right through the mess. The portion of 1-75 that's been blocked off for the past couple of days is exactly the portion that I use to get myself to Mickeyland. So I'm not sure how this is going to work; am I going to be rerouted somehow through back roads and swamps, or should I go out to Interstate 95 and go down that way? But wait, if I went to I-95 I'd have to go through the Okefenokee swamp, which is also going up in smoke. Oh, I guess I can go to 1-95 via I-10, which would actually be a nice drive. Wait, that's on fire too? Hmmm. I guess this is an appropriate depiction of the current situation. Also, next month I'll be heading up to Duluth, Minnesota to see family and, apparently, it's on fire too. Great. I'm beginning to feel singled out. Just wish me luck, I guess.

Speaking of cancelations, tomorrow they air the last episode of the Gilmore Girls. We just recently started watching that show, thus proving that my affection is the kiss of death for a TV show. Apparently, Battlestar Galactica's getting canned too. You better watch your back, Heroes, because in the last month I've gotten two shows canceled and I've ensured that Lost has an end date! Alias only survived 8 months of my fandom before it was dumped. And you're about to be my favorite show, so that = doom. But back to the Gabmore Girls: Will Luke and Lorelai end up together? Will Rory ride off into the sunset with a special someone? Surprisingly, I don't really care. It was a funny show, and it's run its course. Goodbye, fast-talking pop-culture referencers. You shall be missed a little bit.

That's all for today. I hope you guys all have a great week and don't bombard my house with eggs because of the cancelation. That is, if you could get to my house without going through an inferno.

This series returns from a short hiatus with "Part Three - Politics."

The 80's

The political situation of the 1980s was not ideal, but what it lacked in quality it made up for in charisma.  There were so many political giants in that era; George Bush, Tip O'Neal, Dan Quayle.  And of course, the big one.  The president of the US when I was born was Ronald Reagan, our nation's first ideologue Commander-in-Chief.  His excellent quotes and TV moments are more noticeable in our lives than even JFK's, but more importantly his effect on the country today is incredible.  He was the earthquake that started the Tsunami of conservatism that's dominated the U.S. in the 21st century.  He gave money and weapons to the people we're currently at war with.  He fought the Soviet Union relentlessly (as evidenced by that linked article), culminating in one of the great events of the 80's, the collapse of the Berlin Wall.  In so many ways the world we're living in now was shaped in the 80's.  So basically, I wish I had experienced the political 80's so I'd be less shocked by the political 2000's.

The 70's

Watergate.  Nixon.  Vietnam.  Hostages.  OPEC.  Pinochet.  Inflation.  Mao.  Every time I think things have never been as bad as they are right now, I say these words over and over.  It really helps.

The 80's

Mario
Of course the 80's played host to the Atari, the Intellevision, and the ColecoVision, but unfortunately none of these could survive the video game crash of 1983.  That's why we all owe the current success of video games to one little red plumber.  Super Mario Bros. came out for the NES in 1985 and sold 41 million copies.  That makes it the best selling video game of all time, and it's quite understandable.  I've played it throught my life at different points, and it never really seems dated.  It's a truly remarkable game, but I probably would have enjoyed the mario games more if I was actually a part of the 80's.  That's why this is an important part of why I wish I'd experienced the 80's.

The 70's

Pong
Pong.  Pong was a game in which you used a blocker on your TV screen to try and bounce a ball back to your opponent.  Simple.  Pong wouldn't have been so bad if it were a cheap video game for a console, but instead Pong was a console.  And it cost $100.  In the 70s.  During the gas shortage.  Insanity.

Okay, that's all for today.  Thanks for reading and I hope you'll show up for the next installment.

The 80's

New Wave
Oh to live in the time of Devo. A time when Gary Numan, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Dave Gahan were turning punk rock into a catchy, commercialized shadow of its raucous beginnings. A time when acoustic guitars, the weapons of preachy and dull singer-songwriters, were thrown out in exchange for the techy sound of a synthesizer. Indeed, it's emblematic of what was happening throughout the 80s: goodbye analog, hello digital. Although there aren't many goldies from this bunch that will be played throughout the century, their effect is still quite obvious. Entire genres have been spawned to mimic the sound of "Far Away" and Indie Rock is peppered with synthesizers and upbeat lyrics. Even some mainstream bands, such as the Killers, are reminiscent of New Wave's golden age. To conclude, if I had experienced the 1980s, I totally would have been sporting a Flock-of-seagulls hairdo.

The 70's

Disco, Simon and Garfunkel
Let's start with disco and one simple fact: the world needs dance music. There will always be dance music. But hopefully, it will be contained the way it is now. Disco marked a complete overrunning of mainstream music by something that should have stayed in the clubs. I forgive the 70s for this, I'm just glad that the demons of disco have been pushed back to their proper place.

Simon and Garfunkel: terrible.  And if it weren't for them, I might not have to hear John Mayer everytime I turn on the radio. That alone is enough reason to put them here.

That's it for today's music feature. You're invited to offer a counterpoint and maybe share some of your favorite/least favorite music from these years. See you tomorrow with the next installment.

If there was a Middleton, Nevada, I would be very freaked out right now. For some reason my mouse wandered over to the Wikipedia search box and my hands typed in "Middleton Nevada." I can't really explain how this happened, I'm just glad that's not a real place because I don't have time to go to Nevada. Which is what I would have done; I've watched Battlestar Galactica enough to know that prophesies cannot be ignored.

I'm thinking about doing a series of blogs. Maybe 5 or so blogs on one particular issue. I have a few ideas, but I'm not quite sure which one I should use. So I'm invoking the old and might tool of Democracy once more. Vote for one of these topics to be first Midwestrocker Blog Series:

1. Foreign Nations: I'll do a blog on five different countries based on my opinions of them, various interesting facts, and things about them that scare me. The only nation I know for sure would be in this is Germany, and the "scary" part shouldn't be difficult to imagine.
   
2. On the bubble TV shows: I'll write four blogs about shows that could be canceled and why I think they should, or shouldn't be.
3. The five best Radiohead songs: This is a gag option. Do not vote for this.
4. Hot-button Issues: I'll blog on things like Don Imus and... hmmm, whatever hot button issue comes up between now and then.
5. Learning about things: I'll write five blogs in which I pick a subject I know nothing about and research it silly trying to understand. The first thing would be "Currency." I just don't quite get how these little pieces of paper work. Do they represent gold? Does this mean I could trade in my dollars for a little piece of Fort Knox?
   
6. Reasons why I wish I'd experienced the 80s and reasons why I'm glad I missed the 70s: I'd write five blogs about things I wish I could have seen in the 80s, and things I'm glad I didn't see in the 70s.
   

Okay, I think that's plenty of options. Votes are appreciated either in the comments or in PM. And for the apathetic non-voters, here's the question of the day.

QotD: When did you get your first computer, and what was that like?

That's all for now. TTYL and thanks for reading.