(Me, myself, and I actually, but what’s the difference?)
(Thank god their union never resulted in kids!)
(Or knowing I wouldn’t see them but hoping better?)
(I realize now that just because he was old wouldn’t necessarily mean he was handicapped, but that was the first thought that came to mind at the time. Ageism isn’t a quality I’m proud of, but unfortunately it’s there.)
(I was at 158, he at 161)
(And considering my lack of employment, a lot of good that did me.)
(I don’t even know what that means)
(or lack thereof)
(from an acoustic set my roommate had done on my college radio show)
(give or take)
(Driving math and bowling math are closely related.)
(let alone fire)
(The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, The Clash, and The Ramones)
(meeting Huey on the street in 1986)
(Bowlingus and his 270 game)
(Not surprisingly, as I had just walked through yet another wall.)
(Juice boxes? What’s wrong with juice boxes?)
(Including the similar shades of mediocrity post Vs….)
(and to fuel my internal Mr. Fusion)
(Well, obviously I could, but you know what I’m trying to say.)
(finalized on the second leg of the drive, from Eugene to Seattle)
(I should have figured, since that could have been any day.)
(or more accurately not taking control)
(If a tree falls…)
(and the world, for that matter)
(and wanting to verify I still had the power)
(days)
(a known fact counting the old man)
(maybe even me, I still wasn’t certain on the history)
(no effort at all in this case)
(for lack of a better term)
(the elusive better term)
(I admit I’d often try to wear the same outfit each time I visited just to prove my point about the lunacy of taking the same exact photo 8,000,000 times.)
(and most obviously)
(If this theory is true, I’ve got absolutely no one but myself to blame for not having her start chanting a mantra of “Nelson, Nelson, Nelson, Nelson, Nelson, Nelson, Nelson” a long, long time ago.)
(Too bad I hadn’t thought of this in Seattle.)
(real, here and now me)
(Maybe they aren’t all happy memories.)
(not technically a lie)
(and perpetually unmade)
(or more officially, “administrative assistant”)
(as I used to joke in those days, “Call me Edgar Allan, ’cause I’m so Po'”)
(This version of us wouldn’t own a cellphone for another year or so.)
(Well, almost never. And never on purpose. But those brownies are a completely different story for another time.)
(It was closer to five miles, but it certainly felt like more.)
(What the fuck was this world coming to? She didn’t leave a message? At least I could have heard her voice one last time.)
(or wanted)
(and the walls)
(Rather easy when you can just walk in one direction, passing through walls until the structure ends rather than have to navigate the maze of corridors for a proper exit.)
(or from my current perspective, later)
(I should have known better about the taxi, as I don’t think I’d ever taken one before.)
(of the day)
(though not quite out of mind)
(and through)
(almost three years from my perspective)
(but not all)
(I know my younger self was technically attached to the redheaded girl at this point, but she was so far removed from my modern brain that I was free to consider rekindling other possibilities. Besides, your mind gets dirty as you get closer to thirty.)
(And when I say jackass, that’s just a euphemism for fuckhead.)
(Of course, most weren’t coming over for the tournament…)
(dangling the roommate as bait didn’t hurt)
(presumably)
(in this case me)
(The drinks didn’t hurt this process any.)
(The format doesn’t make much sense to me now either, but it seemed to be an excellent idea at the time.)
(actually under)
(Not that it mattered, as I’d be insane to complain about it.)
(or, future thirty-three)
(conversation, reading, sleeping, music, overanalyzing some little thing that I don’t really know enough about to really do so, etc)
(to October 19 if you’re keeping track)
(or justifying)
(no danger of being hit by a ball for me)
(ok, song titling)
(Great solo here. duh doo doo doo doo doo, di doo doo…)
(and even bad originals)
(our ‘known’ cover)
(Roommate)
(Oasis)
(The Wonder Stuff)
(Nirvana)
(Anthrax)
(Carter USM)
(Billy Joel)
(Mary’s Danish)
(The Mr. T Experience)
(Jonathan Edwards)
(Harry Chapin)
(Pearl Jam)
(Huey Lewis & The News)
(Bryan Adams)
(John Waite)
(Dinosaur Jr)
(The Moody Blues)
(Billy Idol)
(Paula Abdul)
(Britney Spears)
(Afghan Whigs)
(which was quickly moving from remote possibility to forgone conclusion based on the buzz he was generating)
(Ok, maybe not our songs.)
(who may have actually been his cousin)
(though it shouldn’t have taken this long, as she didn’t seem to have a bra to replace)
(a bit more literally than the traditional Betty and Veronica sharing of Archie)
(I hadn’t climbed stairs in so long I had taken for granted how much effort they really took)
(For example, maybe his idiot son set him up with an extra partner somewhere along the way, and possibly even eliminated other lovers during the same period.)
(whomever that may be)
(s)
(he was on the cover of Newsweek and on the cover of the Rolling Stone)
(unless that was my creation)
(blink)
(blink blink)
(and a funny song to hear my father sing)
(a sad little bit of history repeating)
(now my cute redheaded girlfriend; how I loved the sound of that)
(if you could still call me that)
(Don’t worry; I didn’t know what fatuous meant either, but from the context I had an idea.)
(or time)
(I know, I did it again. Shame on me. I just can’t help it sometimes.)
(and the exclusion of the letters)
(aka: Live Video Poker)
(yes, I was that bored)
(all regular and honeymoon style)
(Gin and Classic)
(though short lived, as it gave me flashbacks to that day…)
(What is it good for? Nothing)
(or Ratfuck, depending on whether you learned it from a parent or a friend)
(boardless)
(spoonless)
(I realize that a lack of money didn’t stop me from trying my hand at the gambling games, but this was a different matter altogether.)
(for example, the cute little redheaded girl)
(Jacks, Queens, Kings)
(it was now almost seven in the morning, and I had little more than a power nap before starting this exercise)
(Nod, smile.)
(or actually, my)
(and dangerous)
(or at this point, wanted)
(not to mention hopefully)
(albeit briefly)
(Ok, I really lost her. But I couldn’t resist the lyrical allusion.)
(and future)
(hopefully)
(or what once was)
(REPRISE)