Today was the last day of my introduction to C++ programming class at Foothill College. This was something that I hope would help me on my quest for employment. Of course starting this class threw a wrench in my unemployment benefits, as they want to interview you to make sure you’re still willing to go to work when the call comes. Of course I’m still willing to go to work, it’s just that I know I’m lacking in many areas that might help me secure a new job. That, and the fact that after five months I was getting a bit stir crazy and a bit bored. Having somewhere to go everyday, at a time designated by someone else (whether a job or school) helps you get through the day. Well that’s now over, and it’s back to being bored out of my skull.
I have some video editing that I need to work on for use at the beginning of October, which will take some of my mind off the lack of employment – as well as putting in for the odd job, here and there. In fact, the job hunt went on a bit of a slow down while I was taking my class, but I still put in for a couple more positions during those six weeks – with a very promising one in the mix. Even though it’s a promising prospect, I’m not going to count on it – well, one shouldn’t count on it. I should be composing a cover letter for another position that I may be qualified for at the “fruit company,” but I’m just wanting to relax a bit. I have a lot of television to catch up on – since I wasn’t watching much during my six-week course work, as I wanted to be able to concentrate on the computer programming and not the video programming.
But the bomb-shell for today has to be the fact that the decade known as the ’80s if now officially dead. It died when John Hughes succumbed to a heart attack, in New York, at 59. When I think of John Hughes, I think of a prolific writer-director – but that’s only half true. Hughes only directed eight films – and one of them was in the ’90s, so knock that down to seven films. But those films spoke for the decade, they made stars out of the “Brat Pack” and he made a star out of Chicago and it’s suburbs. And when you look at his CV, which is what you do when someone passes on, he has a pretty hefty list of writing credits. He started out as a writer with the National Lampoon magazine, and – though he wasn’t involved with Animal House – he did write for the spin-off television series Delta House (which I watched before seeing it’s predecessor…) and pretty much all of Lampoon’s big movie output in the ’80s. He, of course, wrote all the movies that he directed – 16 Candles, Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller Day Off, Planes Trains & Automobiles, She’s Having a Baby and Uncle Buck – and, well, Curly Sue but that was in the ’90s. In fact, Hughes’ output in the ’90s – while doing “boffo B.O.” – were not quite the same. He was responsible for the Home Alone and Beethoven series’; remakes of Miracle on 34th Street, 101 Dalmatians and Flubber. He went from films about an life to, well, just films. Soulless, meaningless, films. I suppose that’s why he started to work under the psudonymn Edmond Dantès.
I think that John Hughes will be fondly remembered, but for me it will soley be his work in the ’80s.