Yesterday kinda sucked. That’s why I didn’t blog.

I was somewhat busy doing some “freelancing” and then making dinner for sugar-mama. I really wanted to get done by 8:13 p.m. (or whatever time Eastern translates into 5:30 p.m. Central) so I could listen to the Huskers’ basketball game on the Internet. That’s what sucked.

No, the broadcast didn’t suck (it was fine, Kent) and the game didn’t suck (although it sounded like the play the first 10 minutes was brutal… or as I prefer to say, like an exhibition). It sucked because I wasn’t there.

It’s been difficult being away from football this fall considering how good they are, but honestly, I’ve dealt with enough shitty teams that I don’t even worry about that. Winning is just a bonus because I really loved that job. And I thought that would be the toughest part about yesterday.

You won’t here this often, but… I was wrong.

Missing out on the games is one thing. I loved the adrenaline (wow, I can’t spell for shit; that took me three times trying to Google it before I got the right spelling there) rush that came with a game day. It’s not like that of a player, but just the energy of doing stuff under deadline. It was not brain surgery and it’s just a game in the grand scheme, but I loved the feeling of doing my job. And doing it well. I know I did it well, even if I fucked up my fair share.

No, the thing I really missed wasn’t the game. It was the people. Texting back and forth last night with some of the coaches and staff, it just reminded me how good the people there are and why we stayed there so long. I really had no intention of being there more than five years when I first went there.

Sure, I was not able to land a better job (seems familiar lately). But, I also came to terms with the fact that I liked who I was working with, what I was doing and there was no reason to not be satisfied. And the biggest thing was the people were good people. Good friends.

So, it kinda blew yesterday.

But I’m over it. I’m still excited for the future and love where we are now and I know I’ll make sugar-mama less anxious and things will be even better all around when I get off my ass and con someone into hiring me. I don’t know how many of you have noticed, but I’m not Mr. Positive all the time. Sometimes, I have a little negativity in me, but this time I’m not letting that come out. Some days are better than others (see Tuesday vs. yesterday), but it’s all good in the long run.

To keep that in perspective, all I have to do is think about this debate that they had on the radio station here in town late last week.

I went to the store to do my chores, er, get groceries, and they were debating what songs elicit the biggest response for certain things. The point was specifically, which song(s) elicit a response of “Oh, that’s so ’80s?”

Um, hello. This is the kind of shit I live for. I wish I knew the call-in number because I would have totally been the best caller of the day.

Other people calling in said some good ones, but I’m sure I have a better list. And in this space, it says right here, that I’m always right. (I thought I was wrong 11 paragraphs ago when I said I was wrong, but I was just mistaken).

So, here are my top 10 songs that define the ’80s. Agree with them or not. Just don’t tell me I’m wrong. It’s been a tough week.

10) Billie Jean — I don’t know that I was a huge Michael Jackson fan, but I do know that I’ve never seen anything like the mania that surrounded everything he did, said and sang during that decade. It’s amazing, and really pretty tragic, how much he must have been taken advantage of during his life when he didn’t (comparatively) have shit to show for it when he died. Because the man was pure gold in the ’80s.

9) Don’t Stop Believing — This is one that still won’t go away today, nearly 30 years later. When Journey came out with it in 1981, there was little chance they thought it’d become some kind of iconic melody that people would want to use over and over and over and over again. It gets a little old, but the fact that it’s so remembered makes it a definite ’80s must-listen.

8 ) Walk This Way — I’m obviously partial to another Run-DMC song that made me popular in seventh grade, but this one was what really got things kicked off for the cross over to mainstream for rap. While I am getting to the age where I actually have to start admitting I don’t totally understand the shit they’re talking about, I still think it’s a good thing we have rap and what it offers. I just wish there was more like this.

7) Jump — Van Halen didn’t care if you were born 40 days ago or 40 years ago, they just wanted to get you, um, jumping and more importantly buying their records. It worked. And it has lasting power like few others. Admit it, even before you watch this, you remembered the video on MTV and the genius of its simplicity. Is there any wonder it’s used as a primary song for ’80s workout classes?

6) Sunday, Bloody Sunday — No, it’s not a rebel song. It’s a song that kick-started a phenomenon. I don’t claim to be the biggest U2 fan, so I’m probably right in line with so many other people that think this is quintessential ’80s despite not really knowing why, although it makes me want to contemplate the existentialism of that statement.

5) Like a Virgin — Lucky Star is by far my favorite Madonna song, but when you’re talking about things that scream ’80s, Like a Virgin has to be in the mix. She may have went further out-of-bounds later in her career, but this was a ballsy start, one that put her in a class of her own, just like the ’80s was a decade of its own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI-LFxf9oB0

4) Living on a Prayer — Bon Fucking Jovi. Seriously. All you women out there with husbands in their 30s and early 40s take note: You wonder why some guys like “whiny rock” as sugar-mama calls it? It’s because girls in the ’80s liked these guys. They had long hair, liked heavy guitar chords in their love ballads and occasional acoustic sets. And that’s just the guys. So, since we wanted to be like anything those chicks liked, we liked Bon Fucking Jovi. The music was alright, but continued repercussions is all your fault.

3) When Doves Cry — This one about slipped by me, but when a guy like Prince becomes so popular that he changes his name to a symbol, he had to epitomize the decade of me. Even though he also made this into a bad movie that became a cult classic (Honest answer from anyone born between 1970 and 1975: Did you see the movie in the theater and/or did you even like it back then? Didn’t think so), his music did not suck. And he deserves to be on this list just for making Darling Nikki as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucZRore0-EE

2) Girls, Girls, Girls  — If there’s one band out there that can make every day feel like it’s 1988 all over again, it’s Motley Crue. That is not a bad thing. Neither is the video. Plus, I like the part at the beginning when they walk in and take over the table at the strip club. Reminds me of when I commandeered that table at Past Times (or whatever the hell that bar on State street was called). Rush, Carlson and Boo know what I’m talking about.

1) Welcome to the Jungle — Hands down, there is no question this was the anthem of the ’80s as far as I remember. It may have been toward the end of the decade, but even if it debuted on Dec. 30, 1989, it would have been the most memorable song of the decade. From the different sound, the edge and the overall feel, it jumped right out at people. And if you didn’t like it, well, they’d tell you what you could do with your thoughts. Just like I feel about my list here.