back in the day...

back in the day

so often I hear people say...
"back in the day"

today is the day
and well
tomorrow is the day

I do not believe that things were ever better because
it was
back in the day

in a few years I suspect people will look back and view this day as being
back in the day
and they will be correct
which only backs my point
today is the day
so treat it as such

life is good
I love life
and
I love my life
I am blessed
must say that I am pleased with how things are going
again... not perfect... but not bad just the same
could be better but yes... you guessed it... things could be worse

if I craved something different
I would make it happen

yes, I do enjoy tripping down memory lane
that book PUNKLOVE and the gathering at the gallery
well... all that stuff is pretty cool
it amuses me
I mentioned to Jeff Nelson that I thought it must be humorous for people to still be talking about what he and his friends were doing in high school some 20 plus years ago

a glance at BertQ's Flickr page makes the same mention way people hold onto this moment in time
some great shots
some great history
a great guy

some comments from Alex brought up some of these ideas
alex and I went to the same high school
alex was in a band called bmo
they were a colorful cast of characters

there were advantages to not being in the in crowd
there were advantages to not being cool
in so many ways I was not accountable for my actions

early on I tried to make friends and I tried to fit in
but it did not work
so I found myself not joining a single group/clicks
instead to be floating in and out of many clicks and taking what I needed and moving on

alex mentioned being too "punk rock" to go to some of the clubs downtown
sure I had my hang ups
even the name poseurs gave hesitation
sure I had my issues
but I tried to be me
I tried to be no trend
I tried to be all trends
I tried to have fun

I lettered in sports I went to the high school dances I went to the new wave clubs I went to the punk shows
I dated cheer leaders I dated punk chicks I had friends who were stoners with frisbees and friends headed towards the ivy league
I was either cool or very very uncool
that depends on who you ask

these issues still dictate my actions now
still not a joiner
as much as I would love to be an eagle scout
I do not want to do all it takes to get that merit badge
especially if that keeps me from doing the other things I want to be doing

with my kids I see them and I wonder
will they be popular
will they be cool
of course I want their path to be easy
then I realize
mainstream means watching american idol and line dancing
well... I am just fine with my kids not fitting in and going mainstream
but I still want to make it as easy for them as possible
if I can only help them realize that the popular kids are dealing with the same shit as everyone else
they are just better at hiding it

today is the day
yesterday was the day
and well, the day before that
that was back in the day

in these days my wife and I took our boys ice skating, sledding, backhill style snowboarding, and cross country skiing
there were countless games of uno
lots of grilled cheese sandwiches
and of course many cups of hot chocolate with those little marshmellows
definitely some good days

my back hurts
my knee is killing me
there were some moments of serious tension and frustration
but... I know that in a few years we will look back on these days as being one of those back in the day moment
that is why I appreciate it now
as today is the day

for years there was no question as to where I wanted to spend my thursday nights
tracks of course
sand volleyball pit
cheap pitchers of nasty beer
free popcorn
pinball machines
and three dance floors