If you are a fan of satellite radio, like myself, you will be excited to know that Sirius and XM are merging in about a month.  That will give you access to more stations!  I also like listening to online satellite radio, gotta have my 80’s rock (hairnation) station!  There is a lot of good stuff on satellite radio, and you can drive all over the states and not lose the song you are listening to.  Cool.  Check out details of the merger at www.siriusmerger.com  or www.xmmerger.com 

We are just about to unveil our new Dad of the Month.  Todd Harris is a professional racecar driver and a good friend.  I have known Todd since 1999 when I went to his Prodrive Road Racing School.  We became friends and I have worked with Todd at Portland International Raceway for several years now.  I enjoy spending time with him because he is talented, genuine, intelligent and has a wide variety of interests. 

Todd was in a band, called The Vacant many years ago, plays the guitar and has an incredible knowledge of music.  If I ever hear a song and don’t know who the artist is, I ask Todd.  He is an incredibly gifted racecar driver as well.  Not only is he one of the fastest drivers in the country, he has the gift to be able to instruct and guide others.  A rare combination.

Todd also has a great family, very loving and supportive.  He and his wife have 2 beautiful boys who enjoy watching their Dad win most all of the races he competes in.  Last year Todd won the Rose Cup Trophy race, and will be defending his title again this year.  He dominates the SRF (Spec Racer Ford) SCCA series just about everywhere he goes.  He has raced in many different classes and types of cars, excelling in every one.

We are pleased to have Todd as our Dad of the Month!  Stay tuned for more promotions that include him and his company.   If you have seen our website, then you know that I have a passion for exotic cars.  Todd is the man to ask about your favorite supercar, as he has probably driven it extensively! 

His company, Prodrive, is one of our Dadsworld vendors.  Go to our members area and take advantage of his generous offer.  Visit his website at www.prodrive.net  Be sure to click on the top picture of the Ferrari 430 Challenge car, that will take you to an in-car video of Todd driving 3 laps at PIR.  Cool stuff!

Have a great April!

I was thinking earlier about the 1980’s and what a fun decade that was for me.  I was 10 in 1980, so it was a decade filled with life-change and high emotion for me.  Those years from 10-20 are some of the most turbulant of your life and you really remember what was going on during those times.  To this day certain songs and movies bring me right back to the emotional state I was in back then.  Some of the number one songs for the month of March in the 80’s were:  1987- Livin’ On a Prayer by Bon Jovi, 1983- Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, 1986- Sara by Starship, 1982- I Love Rock n’ Roll by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, 1981- 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton. 

I vividly remember the movie Back to the Future starring Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd.  It is still one of my favorite feel-good movies.  The Olympics were a big deal to me, as I was really into Hockey, Track and Field and Cycling.  The Coors Light Water Ski Tour was a big deal for me as well, the sport has never regained that success it had in the late 1980’s.  The Chicago Bears Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49er’s were great NFL teams that I remember watching a lot of. 

Who can forget the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers NBA teams back then?  Michael Jordan was just getting ready to Dominate the NBA.  Really the glory years of the NBA to me.  I also remember watching the World series in 1989 when the LA Dodgers won, thanks in large part to Kirk Gibson.  That was the very first World Series that I had actually watched every game.  It was also the last.  I figured it would be hard to top that, and I never really liked watching baseball much.  I loved playing it though.

The 80’s was a decade of blockbuster movies.  Unbelievable decade for the silver screen.  Here are some of the top movies from the 80’s:  The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Stripes, E.T, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Rainman, Top Gun, St. Elmo’s Fire, The Breakfast Club, Terminator, Rambo, Silverado, Footloose, Nightmare on Elm Street, Batman, Lethal Weapon, Star Trek-the Wrath of Khan, An Officer and a Gentleman, Ghostbusters, National Lampoon’s Vacation and Christmas Vacation, Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, Fatal Attraction, Goonies, Weird Science, Airplane, Superman, War Games, The Right Stuff, Beverly Hills Cop, Flashdance, Porky’s, Sixteen Candles,  and The Karate Kid.  Wow.  That’s just a small list of movies that came out in the 80’s.  Their influence is still very strong today.  The country seemed to be very creative in the 80’s.

I graduated from High School and moved away from home to attend College in 1988.  What a year that was.  Talk about life-change.  I’ll never forget being on the campus of the University of Oregon and thinking that everyone else had it all figured out.  Everyone else but me.  I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, or be when I graduated.  It always seemed like everyone else had a plan and a clear direction.  Of course I found out later that most people were like me, uncertain and somewhat overwhelmed, not the other way around.  But the stress of new surroundings, new responsibilities and uncertain life goals really imprints on your mind.  I still get a little twinge of nervousness whenever I go to the campus, those old memories come bubbling up to the surface when I see the busy college kids rushing around.  It’s a good stress now, motivating.  But back then it wasn’t always fun.

It’s those feelings of stress that make the decade so memorable to me.  I can remember several years of the 10 very vividly.  I remember what I was doing, what was important to me, etc.  The 90’s are not nearly so clear to me.  Neither is 2002-2005.  Those years just melted together somehow.

I guess I’m not alone, judging by the continued popularity of 80’s music and movies.  There are a lot of other 30 somethings that feel the same way I bet.

We are over halfway through March already.  We are compiling the information for the April Newsletter and the Dad of the Month.  We will also be unveiling some new car reviews and products.  Thanks for all of your support, and keep helping us grow.

I will reminisce some more later.