Like Tiffany says

The heart forgives, the heart forgets
But what will I do now with all this time?

Getting laid off is kind of like a breakup. You had a relationship, and it's been severed. You need to find a new relationship (i.e., job) but you need to process the loss of the old one. And that's basically what I am doing. I have my resume together. I've applied for at least 10 jobs in the last week. I've made a networking call as well as to the outplacement firm my company is working with. I've filed for unemployment.

And so while I am trying to keep busy, I always feel like there's something I ought to be doing but aren't. On a more fruitful level, I am helping M out with his business, but there's only so much I can do there. It's frustrating. It's exhilarating and exciting. It's terrifying. All this time. To do what I want.

But what do I want?

George Michael still rocks

The first concert I ever went to was George Michael's Faith tour 20 years ago at what was then called Great Woods. (Damn, I'm old.) This is one of my favorite songs from Faith. It still rocks, and although I know he's not into girls, he's still hawt. Listen Without Prejudice is a very underrated album and one of my favorites. Listen to Cowboys and Angels and tell me it's not an amazing song. And check out the recent video for Freek -- great stuff. I've been thinking I might want to see him on tour, a sort of then and now experience.

UPDATED TO ADD: Looks like I missed the tour. Balls.

One of the seminal moments of the '80s

M and I were watching VH1's list of the top 100 songs of the '80s last night. Billie Jean was up there, and they mentioned Michael Jackson's performance complete with moonwalk. Found it on YouTube. Amazing, even now.

Waiter, there's a fly in my soup!

M found this classic -- a transcript of some of the Grover-as-waiter sketches on Sesame Street. Favorite lines:

• Broil the biggie!
• Why do I keep coming here?
• Round and tasty on a bun...

Ah, memory lane.

So bad it's good, '80s style

I am a shameless lover of everything '80s. Especially the music. M, who's a classic rock man, likes to say he wishes that era never happened musically. But even he, closet Duran Duran lover that he is (sorry to out you, honey) would find something to like on this list from Yahoo! Music of '80s songs you're embarrassed to admit you like. Says the author:

When I was in grade school during the late 1970's classic rock bands like The Rolling Stones, AC/DC and Led Zeppelin ruled the hallways. Tough guys wore black concert t-shirts looking to pick a fight with anyone who had the slightest propensity toward disco -- another major pop genre of the time.

Disco was eventually slayed by rock & roll and no one dared admit owning a Village People or Gloria Gaynor album, although almost everyone did.

Then the 80's came and with them came "new wave", a genre that was neither outright ridiculed by the rock & roll set, nor embraced. But a new invention called cable television gave MTV an opportunity to bypass previous methods of getting music out to the masses and new wave took off.

However, many of us who were raised on the classic rock or first wave punk of the 1970's had trouble admitting that we were attracted to the music of Culture Club, Kajagoogoo or Wham!

But we were...

Check it out -- not a (really) bad one in the bunch. But I'm not embarrassed. Hell, I'll say it loud and proud: My favorite band is still INXS. And I love me some Pet Shop Boys. So there.

Test to see if you're a child of the '80s

Watch this video. I DARE YOU to not sing along and/or dance. I remember constructing elaborate dance routines to this at Camp Madaca.

And if that doesn't get you, this one will. Guaranteed. Otherwise, you are not human.

The sounds of summer

I'm a huge music lover. I'll listen to anything, from hardcore gangsta rap to classical to disco. There are a bunch of songs, however, that just remind me of growing up on Boston's North Shore in the '80s. Here's a list and my memories. What are yours?

Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison: One of the first songs I slow-danced with a boy to (the first was Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven -- it was a weird dance). Such a mournful, overwrought song.

Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi: Said boy took me to the double-bill show of Bon Jovi and Skid Row, 1989. I still remember everyone singing along: "Whoooo, we're halfway theah, wooo-ooh, livin' on a prayah..."

All Cried Out by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam: This one edged out Lost in Emotion, but just barely. I remember singing this at summer camp (yes, Camp Madaca) and thinking it was the saddest song EVA.

It Takes Two by Rob Base and DJ Ez-Rock: Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo. Sounds like my family and I having breakfast on the porch while our neighbor blasted this by the pool.

Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams: The Madaca camp counselors used to play this song over and over and over and over on the bus on the way up to Wenham. I could probably sing this one in my sleep: "Got my first real six string, bought it at the five and dime..."

A new way to waste time

I discovered this site yesterday: RetroJunk.com. I'm talking Saturday-morning PSAs, old commercials, TV shows, movies, you name it. Go nuts!

Those damn commie Smurfs

I just saw this article about conspiracy theories that the Smurfs were Communists. What kind of time do people have on their hands? I will say, being of short stature, I enjoyed watching them on Saturday morning growing up, and Smurfette was my favorite. Even though she was a ho.

Howard Jones, you prophet, you

I was listening to the Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion soundtrack, which includes that '80s chestnut, No One Is to Blame. It's full of weird lyrics of frustration, but one of them stuck out for me today:

Doctor says you're cured, but you still feel the pain.

Man, do I. My tooth is killing me, and I feel warm and tired. I called the doc yesterday, and he said to give it another day or so and call back. I hope I don't have an infection. I need to go to another doc today for something unrelated, and I wonder if they can tell me what the hell is going on.