Saturday, March 8, 2008

The seventies



For me, the sixties merged into the seventies and with it I left the bosom of my parent's home and entered the exciting Fallopian canal called college. Dick Cavett said that college teaches a man to drink. On that point he was correct. College was four years filled with booze, co-eds, cutting classes, bull sessions and other diversions. What with one thing or another, the idealism of the sixties descended into the cynicism of the seventies. Graduation came but with it, no job prospects emerged. I graduated into an uncertain and somewhat unpleasant world.


The first foreboding that the economy was turning sour started with the great energy crisis. Then came the great recession of the seventies.




Oh where oh where were we going to get jobs as art therapists, dance therapists, cabinet makers and pottery school directors? Where would I be able to use the many skills I acquired doing a show on college radio?



The sixties were over. College days were over. I was a college graduate selling hot dogs at Two Guys. It was Saturday night and I was sitting in my parent's living room watching Lawrence Welk. The sixties were not supposed to end like this! My father is making popcorn. I'm drinking his Schmidt's. Oh wo is me!
The story of the ending of the sixties is repeated in the life stories of many baby boomers. The grasshoppers were wrong. The world hadn't changed that much. Just that there were no jobs and things were more expensive.
Editor's note: I will be taking a short hiatus to help build a church in Tanganyika. After that, I'm open for suggestions on what to do for the last of my blog trilogy. Possibilities include "the seventies" (an obvious choice) "what the doctor said" an ironic blog about the world of medicine as it applies to aging baby boomers, and "modern times" a blog about life in the 00's. Put your suggestions in the comment box. I'll inform you of my decision right here. I can assure you I will keep Mr Mustache in the title of the blog (it is a trilogy after all).
ps if you are new to the blog, start from the oldest and work your way forward for best results. So long.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good Luck with the church.