I'm pretty sure we were given information that, after the rest of the DEA believed Fring's explanations in questioning, Hank's further investigations (e.g. the GPS) were outside the system.  I think I remember Mike saying that he'd looked into the matter and that it would be "career suicide" of Hank to even bring…

Of course Rain Dogs is better, but that's neither here nor there.

I reacted to her very negatively at first, but it's true, she'll grow on ya.

Yes, Hank's boss was fired over it.

Regarding Fring, my impression is that the department considered the matter settled after they called him in for some questioning.  So then, Hank essentially went rogue.

Looking at those songs, well, The Safety Dance, She Blinded Me With Science, Down Under…  they're fun pop songs.  They're better than a lot of what's usually popular. 
The Michael Jackson songs are good of course; I just would classify them as 1982 songs.
The question of the quality of the songs that were popular…

Mike made it clear that he knew he was being tailed—but he was bound to "do something" eventually.  Hank knew Mike was a major criminal, and a major criminal can't just instantly disentangle himself from everything he's involved in as soon as some heat comes down.  They were in a cat-and-mouse game, and both sides…

I wouldn't want to lay down money on it.

That first category does have some good highlights, though…  the first Butthole Surfers album, "Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks", "Speaking in Tongues", the first Violent Femmes album, "Hootenany", "Synchronicity", R.E.M.'s b-side cover of "There She Goes Again", "Rainbow in the Dark", "Sharp Dressed Man"…  Not a…

Music-wise, I'd mostly divide 1983 into "a bunch of other stuff that happened" and "Tom Waits put out Swordfishtrombones."

Shaving is all tied up in our society's ideas of being a respectable or serious person.  I've always felt like people should just accept that some guys choose to wear facial hair.

Why are people so against facial hair?

I know, but they later went on to put the kaibosh on his "crazy idea" to keep trying to nab Mike Ehrmantrout.  The best his department gives him is "Oh wow, great police work, Hank!  Sorry we doubted you.  But your new ideas are just too crazy to be true."

Or an interesting one could be, what was good on TV in 1983? 

For a 1983 book I'd choose Prometheus Rising.

I think going year-by-year is interesting.  And they had to start somewhere.

Kind of a toss up…  when I first saw it, I really liked it.  In retrospect, I think of it as a very hit-and-miss movie.  And I do reckon that Vacation is a more consistent comedy flick.

No, not for me.

I won't just put this one at the top of my list before I've even seen it.

I like this, because I can't think of a 1983 movie I like more than National Lampoon's Vacation.  And…  maybe there is a better one than that.