The 80's Part 3

The 80’s Part 3

Continued

One thing that I find interesting when I write is that quite often I go in a different direction than what I initially intended.  I originally intended on just saying why I liked the ’80s culture.  Instead, I have gone down an introspective path, talking more about how the 80’s made me the person I am today.  There is no reason to change at this point.  I ended the last entry in Santa Barbara California and then realized that I was no longer the scared teenager that had so many issues in college.

At the end of the 1984 Presidential Campaign, Ronald Reagan went to his ranch, Rancho Del Cielo, to spend an extended vacation.  I volunteered to stay for the entire period. That allowed those who had spent a big part of the year away from their family to return home after a couple of weeks.  For me, it was like a vacation.  I worked about an hour each day and had the rest of the time to myself. Something had changed in me.  First, I was older.  My looks had changed.  My dress had changed. Probably the biggest change was in how I interacted with people.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but the campaign had given me confidence in myself. Quite often during that time, I would have to catch flights in and out of cities by myself.  I would have to deal with White House Staff and local dignitaries at event sites. Early on it was mostly in press filing centers but by the midpoint of the campaign, I had proven myself enough that more often than not, I would work other events on the stops.   As I look back it is very apparent on that Santa Barbara visit. 

During the first couple of weeks, I was with coworkers who didn’t want to do much of anything except get home. I understood but I was here to enjoy myself when I could. I went to the beach by myself.  I had dinner with workers from other sections or went by myself. I would go to clubs at night to dance or listen to bands.  I was not afraid to ask someone to dance or just to chat with them. For the most part, it was positive also.  I met a few people that I would see frequently on later trips to Santa Barbara.  Ok.  I admit.  They were all females but what is more fun for a single 22-year-old? This also carried over when I returned to Virginia, where I lived for most of my time in the Washington DC area.

When I got home it all carried over.  I started wearing contact lenses 90% of the time(Sometimes the air in the White House was too dry).  I was reading GQ magazine picking clothes to match a certain style and buying cologne from their ads.  I even bought new suits for work as I realized I needed to look better on the job.  My sense of humor and how I treated people had changed.  I could still be a bit of a wise ass but I know knew there was a time and place for it.  White House staff was now calling me Ralph when they greeted me instead of just giving me polite nods. Some would even stop to chat.  I think the first time that I truly realized how different I had become was on a trip to my parents with a coworker. We went to a bar with a couple high school friends during the visit.  We had a very pretty waitress who I quickly found out lived in the DC area but was going to college in New York. We sort of hit it off and she kept coming over to chat.  My high school friends were acting just like they did in high school. They made crude comments.  If she said something to me they had a smart remark. Finally, after an especially crude remark, I told them flat out to knock it off.  I said they were being asses.  It got so bad that when the waitress didn’t come around for a bit I walked up to the bar.  She said my friends were jerks.  When I got back to the table the high school friends told me I wasn’t fun anymore and asked my coworker if I was always so stuck up.  I wasn’t stuck up.  I had just grown up.  

Well, here I go again.  I rambled enough that I am going to end here and continue on in the very near future.  There is a lot more to say, There are relationships, moving, marriage, and even the birth of my oldest son to cover.  Hopefully, I am not boring everyone.  I will resume with my move to the “Animal House”. Until then, God Bless all of you.