1981

1981

State College, PA (January- August)

   And then

Williamsport, PA (August- on)

My age: 25- 26

School: I graduated from Penn State University with a Master's in Education (MEd) in Secondary School Counseling.

Work: I started working at Loyalsock High School in Williamsport, PA for the 81-82 school year.  I was a high school guidance counselor. I loved this job. I was paid $17,000 and I thought I had won the lottery.

Home:  I moved in to an old, dilapidated house in Williamsport.  I loved it but when my co-workers saw it, they said they would help me find a lawyer so I could get out of the lease. The house may have been haunted as I had two unexplainable incidents there.

Music

• "Bette Davis Eyes" Kim Carnes
• "Endless Love" Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
• "Lady" Kenny Rogers
• "(Just Like) Starting Over" John Lennon- it was hard to listen to his songs since he had just died.
• "Jessie's Girl" Rick Springfield
• "Celebration" Kool & the Gang- I never liked anything this group sang.
• "Kiss on My List" Hall & Oates
• "I Love a Rainy Night" Eddie Rabbitt
• "9 to 5" Dolly Parton- This song was a great theme song for her movie.
• "Being with You" Smokey Robinson
• "Queen of Hearts" Juice Newton
• "Rapture" Blondie
• "A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)" Raydio
• "The Tide Is High" Blondie
• "Slow Hand" The Pointer Sisters- I like all of their music.
• "I Love You" Climax Blues Band
• "Woman" John Lennon
• "Angel of the Morning" Juice Newton- a good remake.
• "Love on the Rocks" Neil Diamond
• "Guilty" Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb- I usually like her duets.
• "The Best of Times" Styx
• "Elvira" The Oak Ridge Boys- no thanks.
• "Take It on the Run" REO Speedwagon
• "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me" Ronnie Milsap
• "Woman in Love" Barbra Streisand
• "The Boy from New York City" The Manhattan Transfer- This is a quirky group.
• "Urgent" Foreigner
• "Passion" Rod Stewart
• "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" Pat Benatar- she had lots of hits off this album.
• "Time" The Alan Parsons Project
• "Hungry Heart" Bruce Springsteen
• "Too Much Time on My Hands" Styx
• "This Little Girl" Gary U.S. Bonds
• "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty
• "America" Neil Diamond- 
• "Ain't Even Done With The Night" John Cougar
• "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen- I was never a Queen fan.
• "Hello Again" Neil Diamond
• "Don't Stand So Close to Me" The Police
• "Same Old Lang Syne" Dan Fogelberg
• "Cool Love" Pablo Cruise
• "What Kind of Fool" Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb
• "Watching the Wheels" John Lennon- John Lennon was dead at this time.
• "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" Hall & Oates
• "Suddenly" Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard
• "Whip It" Devo- this was a strange song.

Movies

• Raiders of the Lost Ark- this movie was very entertaining
• On Golden Pond- I liked it then but probably wouldn't like it now.
• Absence of Malice- a good story
• Das Boot- this was a difficult movie to watch
• French Lieutenant Wife- a good story
• Four Seasons- sweet
• Arthur- entertaining
• Chariots of Fire- a good story and something I had never thought about
• Mommie Dearest- that woman was a bitch.

Books- I only read textbooks but I was an avid reader of People Magazine and the Smithsonian Magazine.

Travels- I went nowhere this year.  I had NO damn money.  Every penny I had went to living three cents above the poverty level. Life as a graduate student is dull, dull, dull.

News events

• Lady Diana Spencer married Charles, Prince of Wales. I got my sorry ass up at 430AM to watch this event.
• Ronald Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor to the US Supreme Court. It was about time.Pope John Paul II, was shot but not killed in Vatican City. The whole world panicked
• An unknown piece of music written by Mozart is discovered at the Bavarian State Library. And I haven't listened to it yet.

Family

• I had surgery on my vocal cords.  For the last several months, the doctor had been treating me for some non-cancerous growths on my cords.  I went to see him on a Friday and he seemed concerned.  "You have to have surgery soon," he told me.  I suggested I wait until I finish school in a few months.  But my situation was more urgent.  I had surgery the first thing Monday morning.
• Sharon, my sister, got married.  We had the wedding at our home on Long Beach Island, NJ.
• Patricia graduated from PSU with an BS degree.
• Sharon graduated from Temple University with an MBA.
• Jim graduated from Widener with an MBA
• I moved to a new area for a new job and lived alone for the first time.
• I don't have a car so I have to bum rides from friends, hitchhike or take the bus through life.