How could I let my last column of the year go by without discussing an issue we’ll all be extremely sick of January 1—the end of the 1980s.

Yes, it’s my annual End of the Decade address, complete with a nostalgic peek at the past ten years, which began when most students were in grade school in pigtails and Wranglers.

Our fast-paced society is so ahead of itself that we began the 80s retrospective last year, when up-and-coming cars/people/issues were heralded as “The _blank_ of the 90s.”

Trivial Pursuit even came out with a box of questions on the 80s. In keeping with the times and trends, I’ve devised my own trivia quiz and list of Remember Whens for the decade.

Matching:

The “Oh-my-God-I-forgot-about-those-songs” category.

1. “Our House” a. Men Without Hats

2. “The One That You Love” b. Quarterflash

(and other mush) c. Eddie Grant

3. “99 Red Balloons” d. Devo

4. “Harden My Heart” e. Air Supply

5. “Bette Davis Eyes” f. Madness

6. “Safety Dance” g. Nena

7. “Whip It” h. Rick Springfield

8. “Electric Avenue” i. Quiet Riot

9. “Jesse’s Girl” j. Kim Carnes

10. “Down Under” k. Men at Work (not related to “a”)

People Who Gained Fame in Our Lovely Decade

Michael “The Gloved One” Jackson Baby Jessica

Eddie Murphy Ronald Reagan

Donna Rice Tom Selleck

Menudo Jim and Tammy

Geraldo/Oprah Geraldine Ferraro

Crockett and Tubbs Corozon Aquino

Mikhail Gorbechev Steve Dahl

Fergie Sly Stallone as Rambo

Trends: Do You Remember…

Rubiks cubes, Day-glo neon, Valley girls, Reeboks, PacMan, Members Only jackets, breakdancing, hair mousse, Spuds McKenzie, Cabbage Patch kids, Guess jeans, walkmans, microwaves, disk cameras, carphones/faxes/camrecorders, Swatches, MTV, “The Official Preppy Handbook,” frozen yogurt, CD’s, the return of stirrup pants, tye-dye, and miniskirts.

Events:

Freeing of hostages in Iran space shuttles

AIDS natural disasters

Hands Across America Live/Farm Aid

global terrorism Beijing massacre

communism crumbling assasination attempts

You may have O.D.‘d on the 80’s (remember “Just Say No”), but it was a distinctive time in our history. After all, those of us in college now pretty much grew up in this age. Ultimately, the decade is a product of its people and the people a product of its years.

Happy New Year.