Comparing Past Novembers
Amidst my one-minded obsession with devouring election return data following November 4, I forgot all about my monthly ritual of comparing the months a decade apart. Now that I'm finally near an end with my election data collection, it's time to right the ship and retroactively rate previous months of November, which all too often were also defined by elections.
November 1983 vs. November 1993 vs. November 2003
Winner: 1993--The afterglow of my being asked out by a girl in my high school--and the flirtation that followed--really brought some sizzle in my life at a time when I had really been treading water otherwise. I was past peak with her but didn't realize it at the time and it was a good feeling to be "wanted" by a girl who I felt the same about, a feeling I hadn't really experienced before. I was also increasingly getting into country music at the time with the genre right at the apex of its creative renaissance, cranking out a lot of very interesting music that vastly exceeds the country music of today.
November 1984 vs. November 1994 vs. November 2004
Winner: 1994--There's no question that November 8, 1994--the night Newt Gingrich and his right-wing forces captured the U.S. Congress--was an ugly night, but if we're just going based on election outcomes neither 1984 nor 2004 was any better. So setting elections aside, 1994 was by far the most exciting as I was in my best semester ever in high school, with an extended creative spurt that had me cranking out new action-adventure scripts for my would-be "Alex Burrows" series at a dizzying pace. Beyond that I was immersed in a study hall where I found myself in the unusual role of alpha male and a flurry of young lasses vying for my affections. It was extremely gratifying and coupled with my early purchases of country music CDs and the excitement (and ultimate bust) of the second "MacGyver" telefilm airing, November 1994 was one of my final spurts of enjoyment before I languished into an extended period of stagnation.
November 1985 vs. November 1995 vs. November 2005
Winner: 1985--There are no clear winners here but my growing obsession with the new TV series "MacGyver", which never ceased to be more awesome than anything I ever imagined could be on television, puts 1985 over the top. Holdover TV favorites towards the end of their run--like "The Fall Guy" and "Hardcastle and McCormick"--overlapped with this era and made this one of my favorite TV periods. Not really much else noteworthy going on at this time though, especially with baseball season now over.
November 1986 vs. November 1996 vs. November 2006
Winner: 2006--A fairly weak trio of choices here as none of these three set my world ablaze. 1996 will never be an option in any of these series as, month after month, it was one of the most miserable times of my life. But 2006 at least started out with genuine excitement as Democrats were on the cusp of having a wave midterm election, taking out the Senate and House with a decisive sweep based on anti-Bush backlash. But for the months of excitement leading up to the win, after it happened it was amazing how quickly the thrill dissipated....and for good reason as American politics is increasingly just an exercise in painful disappointment.
November 1987 vs. November 1997 vs. November 2007
Winner: 1987--Kind of surprising looking back at how many Novembers were mediocre at best, and that certainly applies to my choices here. But November 1987 was easily the pick of the litter as I was still enjoying the afterglow of the Minnesota Twins' World Series win, had a bunch of new "MacGyver" episodes to enjoy during the series' peak period, and have general fun memories of pinball machines and Godfather's Pizza Sunday mornings after church in the hometown, along with my weekly snack purchase that usually included either Good 'N' Fruity or Skinny Dippers at the downtown Sterling Drug. Lingering good feelings about my fourth grade elementary crush also made November 1987 a generally good place in time in my life despite a general lack of marquee moments.
November 1988 vs. November 1998 vs. November 2008
Winner: 1988--There were high points and low points to all three of these, but in 1998 and 2008 the low points (grandfather's death, my mom's temporary serious leg injury) clouded out the upsides. 1988 was also a mixed bag as I got my first gut punch of a bad election night when George H.W. Bush walloped Michael Dukakis in the Presidential election, an outcome I didn't necessarily see coming, at least to the extent that the glowing red electoral map suggested. On the bright side, the writers' strike-delayed TV season finally re-emerged, and of course I was most excited with the late November return of "MacGyver" in the season that would be its best. Going without my usual fall TV ritual made its ultimate return that much more satisfying. Fifth grade was my best year in school as well and I was really starting to find my footing by this time in the school year.
November 1989 vs. November 1999 vs. November 2009
Winner: 1989--A couple of solid choices here but 1989 wins in a slam-dunk. We finally got the VCR working and I began to videotape my earliest "MacGyver" episodes. I was watching the classic cartoon "Laff-a-Lympics" several mornings a week on the USA Cartoon Express. I was at peak Nintendo obsession and playing it regularly at my grandma's place a month ahead of getting a system of my own. But far and away the best memories of 1989 came from Thanksgiving weekend, the best Thanksgiving of my life that included a visit from my cousin from northern Minnesota, playing Super Mario Bros. 2 for the first time, enough snow to sled down, and a trip to the Burnsville Mall on Black Friday in its earliest incarnation.
November 1990 vs. November 2000 vs. November 2010
Winner: 2000--The same old conundrum when it comes to my best months of all time competing with each other in months ending with "0". November 1990 was a fantastic month where I came of age in many ways and discovered or reconnected with long-standing passions. But it paled in comparison to November 2000, the month where the closest and most exciting Presidential election in history played out at my most formative early adult years and sent my excitement for elections--already high--soaring to an entirely different level. Even though I didn't like the election outcome, the thrill of an election that close--complete with access to results on the Internet to pick apart in the immediate aftermath for the first election of my life--had a profound effect on me then and now.
November 1991 vs. November 2001 vs. November 2011
Winner: 1991--Another grouping where the participants have hits and misses, but far and away the most memorable of my months was 1991 with the months starting out with the worst ice storm of my life followed by seven days of darkness when my family's power went out. Although I hated (and would still hate today) the extended loss of electricity, there was a certain charm to those days of roughing it like the pioneers with nothing but flashlights and kerosene heaters. When the lights came back on, I got some rough news that "MacGyver" was ending early amidst an abbreviated seventh season. I knew it was the last season but didn't realize it would only be 13 episodes. The month ended nicely though with my cousin visiting once again over Thanksgiving and us playing Super Nintendo for the first and only time over Thanksgiving weekend.
November 1992 vs. November 2002 vs. November 2012
Winner: 1992--There were two exciting things going on in November 1992. Foremost was the Presidential election, the first election in my life where the Democrat (Bill Clinton) won. Secondly, I was still binge-consuming MacGyver reruns from the USA cable network that my aunt was videotaping for me several per week. It was a thrill revisiting all those classics, many of which I hadn't seen in several years. I got most of those MacGyver shows recorded by the end of the month though and with the Presidential election over, I was about to run out of diversions to keep life interesting for me.
It's already December as I write this meaning I'll be back sooner than usual to review past Decembers, most likely a couple of weeks from now during Christmas weekend.
November 1983 vs. November 1993 vs. November 2003
Winner: 1993--The afterglow of my being asked out by a girl in my high school--and the flirtation that followed--really brought some sizzle in my life at a time when I had really been treading water otherwise. I was past peak with her but didn't realize it at the time and it was a good feeling to be "wanted" by a girl who I felt the same about, a feeling I hadn't really experienced before. I was also increasingly getting into country music at the time with the genre right at the apex of its creative renaissance, cranking out a lot of very interesting music that vastly exceeds the country music of today.
November 1984 vs. November 1994 vs. November 2004
Winner: 1994--There's no question that November 8, 1994--the night Newt Gingrich and his right-wing forces captured the U.S. Congress--was an ugly night, but if we're just going based on election outcomes neither 1984 nor 2004 was any better. So setting elections aside, 1994 was by far the most exciting as I was in my best semester ever in high school, with an extended creative spurt that had me cranking out new action-adventure scripts for my would-be "Alex Burrows" series at a dizzying pace. Beyond that I was immersed in a study hall where I found myself in the unusual role of alpha male and a flurry of young lasses vying for my affections. It was extremely gratifying and coupled with my early purchases of country music CDs and the excitement (and ultimate bust) of the second "MacGyver" telefilm airing, November 1994 was one of my final spurts of enjoyment before I languished into an extended period of stagnation.
November 1985 vs. November 1995 vs. November 2005
Winner: 1985--There are no clear winners here but my growing obsession with the new TV series "MacGyver", which never ceased to be more awesome than anything I ever imagined could be on television, puts 1985 over the top. Holdover TV favorites towards the end of their run--like "The Fall Guy" and "Hardcastle and McCormick"--overlapped with this era and made this one of my favorite TV periods. Not really much else noteworthy going on at this time though, especially with baseball season now over.
November 1986 vs. November 1996 vs. November 2006
Winner: 2006--A fairly weak trio of choices here as none of these three set my world ablaze. 1996 will never be an option in any of these series as, month after month, it was one of the most miserable times of my life. But 2006 at least started out with genuine excitement as Democrats were on the cusp of having a wave midterm election, taking out the Senate and House with a decisive sweep based on anti-Bush backlash. But for the months of excitement leading up to the win, after it happened it was amazing how quickly the thrill dissipated....and for good reason as American politics is increasingly just an exercise in painful disappointment.
November 1987 vs. November 1997 vs. November 2007
Winner: 1987--Kind of surprising looking back at how many Novembers were mediocre at best, and that certainly applies to my choices here. But November 1987 was easily the pick of the litter as I was still enjoying the afterglow of the Minnesota Twins' World Series win, had a bunch of new "MacGyver" episodes to enjoy during the series' peak period, and have general fun memories of pinball machines and Godfather's Pizza Sunday mornings after church in the hometown, along with my weekly snack purchase that usually included either Good 'N' Fruity or Skinny Dippers at the downtown Sterling Drug. Lingering good feelings about my fourth grade elementary crush also made November 1987 a generally good place in time in my life despite a general lack of marquee moments.
November 1988 vs. November 1998 vs. November 2008
Winner: 1988--There were high points and low points to all three of these, but in 1998 and 2008 the low points (grandfather's death, my mom's temporary serious leg injury) clouded out the upsides. 1988 was also a mixed bag as I got my first gut punch of a bad election night when George H.W. Bush walloped Michael Dukakis in the Presidential election, an outcome I didn't necessarily see coming, at least to the extent that the glowing red electoral map suggested. On the bright side, the writers' strike-delayed TV season finally re-emerged, and of course I was most excited with the late November return of "MacGyver" in the season that would be its best. Going without my usual fall TV ritual made its ultimate return that much more satisfying. Fifth grade was my best year in school as well and I was really starting to find my footing by this time in the school year.
November 1989 vs. November 1999 vs. November 2009
Winner: 1989--A couple of solid choices here but 1989 wins in a slam-dunk. We finally got the VCR working and I began to videotape my earliest "MacGyver" episodes. I was watching the classic cartoon "Laff-a-Lympics" several mornings a week on the USA Cartoon Express. I was at peak Nintendo obsession and playing it regularly at my grandma's place a month ahead of getting a system of my own. But far and away the best memories of 1989 came from Thanksgiving weekend, the best Thanksgiving of my life that included a visit from my cousin from northern Minnesota, playing Super Mario Bros. 2 for the first time, enough snow to sled down, and a trip to the Burnsville Mall on Black Friday in its earliest incarnation.
November 1990 vs. November 2000 vs. November 2010
Winner: 2000--The same old conundrum when it comes to my best months of all time competing with each other in months ending with "0". November 1990 was a fantastic month where I came of age in many ways and discovered or reconnected with long-standing passions. But it paled in comparison to November 2000, the month where the closest and most exciting Presidential election in history played out at my most formative early adult years and sent my excitement for elections--already high--soaring to an entirely different level. Even though I didn't like the election outcome, the thrill of an election that close--complete with access to results on the Internet to pick apart in the immediate aftermath for the first election of my life--had a profound effect on me then and now.
November 1991 vs. November 2001 vs. November 2011
Winner: 1991--Another grouping where the participants have hits and misses, but far and away the most memorable of my months was 1991 with the months starting out with the worst ice storm of my life followed by seven days of darkness when my family's power went out. Although I hated (and would still hate today) the extended loss of electricity, there was a certain charm to those days of roughing it like the pioneers with nothing but flashlights and kerosene heaters. When the lights came back on, I got some rough news that "MacGyver" was ending early amidst an abbreviated seventh season. I knew it was the last season but didn't realize it would only be 13 episodes. The month ended nicely though with my cousin visiting once again over Thanksgiving and us playing Super Nintendo for the first and only time over Thanksgiving weekend.
November 1992 vs. November 2002 vs. November 2012
Winner: 1992--There were two exciting things going on in November 1992. Foremost was the Presidential election, the first election in my life where the Democrat (Bill Clinton) won. Secondly, I was still binge-consuming MacGyver reruns from the USA cable network that my aunt was videotaping for me several per week. It was a thrill revisiting all those classics, many of which I hadn't seen in several years. I got most of those MacGyver shows recorded by the end of the month though and with the Presidential election over, I was about to run out of diversions to keep life interesting for me.
It's already December as I write this meaning I'll be back sooner than usual to review past Decembers, most likely a couple of weeks from now during Christmas weekend.
posted by Mark at 9:27 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home