My introduction to the 80s was a McDonalds calendar that we got in December of 1978. For each month it had a coded phrase that you could read if you used the decoder tool. For December, with the year coming to a close, it included a message that said "See you in 1980". I might be confusing this with a different calendar because looking at pictures online of the McDonalds calendar I don't see it on the December page. Or perhaps it was on a different page of it.

My last memory in the 80s was approximately November 20th, 1989.  As we sat in chemistry class waiting for the professor to arrive, I began talking to Arash, a classmate from high school and an equally passionate soccer fan. We went over the games that were scheduled the day before and discussed possible outcomes and the subsequent impact on World Cup qualification. He asked me if the US had made it and I told him they had had a game with Trinidad and Tobago that would determine their fate. I also (incorrectly) added that even a tie would be sufficient for them to advance. We ended the conversation with Arash stating, “I think last night was the end of the qualification games.”