80's Night -- Again!

Yes, it was 80's Night once again. You might remember another 80's Night about this time last year, not to mention this one last spring. Now I don't want you to think I have any sort of great nostalgia for the 80's, though I was a teenager at the time. But the music was and is certainly fun, and more importantly this event was also about getting out and seeing our friend Tom's band's annual reunion gig, for which Jess and our friend Lisa came down from Seattle.

That's Lisa on the left; you've actually seen her once before, but she was cleverly disguised as a Mexican wrestling hero. Actually she's still sort of in disguise here, come to think of it. One of these days we'll get her on the blog as herself, I promise!
















As you can see, we all rocked a different 80's vibe, Lisa as Paula Abdul, Jess going goth, me as Pat Benatar, and Mark as Billy Idol.


My rhinestone-trimmed blazer was a Goodwill find, and what a find it was. It's actually a really good quality jacket and has barely been worn. The buttons are solid metal with enamel inlays and rhinestone accents; I may salvage them to use for trimming some hats; they would look beautiful with a spray of feathers coming out from behind.


By the way, you can click on any of these pictures and then click anywhere in the frame to zoom in and see the details of our outfits (as you can with any of my blog photos). We were authentic down to the last detail, I tell you! Oh, and in case you're wondering, I made Jess's headband/fascinator just for the event. She wore it home on the plane so as not to smash it.

Having grown up during the 80's I can assure you that 4 people dressed like us would NEVER have hung out with each other back then. The group you associated with was important business! I mean, just look at the difference in the partying vibe between Paula Abdul and a goth....




Our friend Tom, who of plays keyboards and sings, went all out, beginning the evening as George Michael...


...and shaving off his beard between sets for his change into a Devo costume. That is dedication!


Note: Tom is single, ladies of the Bay Area!

On a final and more serious note, I'd like to send out a public service announcement to college-age girls who go out drinking together. If your girlfriend is getting too drunk, it is your DUTY as a friend to sober up and take care of her. Sure it's a buzz-kill, and it may even put an early end to your night, but you do it for your friends because you can bet that one day you'll need them to do it for you. In the many years since I've been of age, I've been the one pouring my drunk friend into a cab, and I've been the one that my friends quietly ordered water for when I wanted another drink. It's called karma.

So please ladies, take your girlfriend home BEFORE she jumps up on stage, does a backbend, and flashes her crotch to the entire bar, okay? Nothing is sadder than seeing a group of attractive young women who all checked their dignity at the door and will surely wake up the next morning, none of them able to remember the humiliating things they did, and lucky if the worst thing that happened was that the whole incident got posted on YouTube. Party safe ladies, and party smart.