The 80's

The 80’s are alive and well here in Slovakia, and most of Eastern Europe, and I’m sure if we looked close enough, we could even find Elvis around here somewhere. When the weather was warmer, you would see the women in their trendy off the one-shoulder sweatshirts, and with little effort the songs from Flash Dance and Fame come flooding back. There are even leg warmers in some of the shops. The music in most of the pubs, on the radio and TV (including VH1), are also 25 years old. It’s common to hear the Thompson Twins, Boy George or Michael Jackson, daily, though Madonna is mysteriously vacant from the airwaves…

I try to avoid becoming an 80’s wanna-be, but sometimes I really can’t help it. The other morning I found myself walking to school in a stone washed denim jacket, white lip gloss, which is actually just SPF 15 chap stick but looks oddly similar, singing the Bangels, “Manic Monday”, even though it was Tuesday. I was actually enjoying myself.

It was one of those cold mornings where the puddles were all frozen, the leaves and grass sparkled from ice crystals, but the sun, just coming up over the hills, was that warm orange color that makes you think its summer again.

The snow we had the week before had already melted and the city took advantage of the clear weather to pick up the piles of leaves. A month ago, each apartment block seemed to have a work party, and everyone grabbed their brooms, rakes and snow shovels, and piled the fallen leaves next to the road. Now, the city was picking them up, using large bull dozers, dump trucks and tractors, which seems a little over kill, but I guess it makes the job seem a little more “manly”.

Which was more important, being manly or wasting fossil fuels?