Dear Friends,
First off, I can’t believe I forgot to with the Q-man a happy birthday yesterday. A thousand pardons, my (hopefully forgiving) friend. All I can say is that it did occur to me last night and I sent you some messages. It’s not every day a truly old soul can celebrate completing thirteen trips around the sun.
It made me think of my own thirteenth birthday, which was in 1982. I was in my 8th grade year, just as the Q-man is right now, and I was so stoked to be a teenager. I don’t remember exactly what I did to celebrate. I probably was hanging out with my friend, Matt, or more likely, doing something with Ben. We probably went to a movie or something like that.
Like Q, I was sporting some hardware in my mouth in those days. I remember being so jealous of my friends at school who had braces before I got my own. They got to drink milkshakes at school a couple days a month. That seemed worth it to me before I understood why you had to drink shakes for a few days. That shit sucked. I got mine off within a couple weeks of starting high school. That was a glorious day.
Thirteen felt like it should be something more than it was in many ways. I wanted a girlfriend so badly. I had no idea yet how to talk to a girl, though, except those ones that I counted as friends. Even most of them, though, I had crushes on at one point or another. Any time an opportunity came to maybe get a kiss, though, I ran away and quick.
*****
Hobie shirt: Yellow.
You know the one. Quicksilver shirt: blue.
7th street and Glendale: Schwinn for the win.
Do they even know that I am worth knowing?
Do they know?
Pizza Hut after the party.
Long walks in the dark. Honking cars. Alarmed me.
Bad haircut. Braces. Freckles.
No luck with the ladies.
It was the early 80s.
It was 13.
It was in between and feeling unseen.
Fifteen miles and a new identity.
Last hurrahs and not-so-hidden flaws.
Innocence.
Deliverance.
If I only would’ve took a chance.
Junior high dance.
Those blue eyes couldn’t be bluer.
I wished I knew her.
Sometimes…
*****
We had a band practice last night. We are still working on some songs we are going to record in a couple of weeks. Two covers that we would have never picked ourselves, but we are owning them. Well, almost. It’s getting close.
*****
I get to interview the main dude from The Church today. That should be sweet.
*****
See you tomorrow.

This is where the magic happened, a lot. The little windows on the left were the windows to the first practice room I ever was part of renting. Hillbilly practiced in that room from 1993 to 1997 or so. The Father Figures had it for a while, too.
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