We have known each other for 25 years. I was one of the young ones of the group. I was 14 when I met Steve and Levi, 15 when I really started to hang out with them and Malcolm and Groble and Joy and James and a whole slew of others. Except for one or two other kids my age, everyone else was in college. (Now that 4 year age different means little, but then…it was huge.)

I grew up with these people. We grew up together. I had trouble at home, and this group became my family. They still are. After all these years. We are lucky. Not everyone gets to have such a close-ness with a group people they knew for those few tumultuous years of the late-teens and early twenties. It is a uniquely kind-hearted, giving, bunch. And most of them would just as soon punch you as hug you for saying such a thing. My good nights at basement shows at Lost Cross were measured by how many bruises I ended up with. It was hardcore and I was an angry teen.

Holy shit am I tired. It is 3:30am on Saturday night/Sunday morning. I didn’t want the evening to end. I still don’t. I hang on to a thread of consciousness in order to write this.

I didn’t know what to expect. I reconciled with my past many years ago and had trepidations to revisit it. I was worried that it would be too surreal, too awkward, too weird.  I thought it would be difficult to see people, that I would be surrounded by familiar strangers and a room full of nostalgia.

Instead, I found my family waiting for me.

We are punk rock.
To me this has always meant hard, fast music, drinking and smoking, and a tight-knit bond of intelligent, thoughtful people.

These are my people.

….

I wrote that last night, but wanted to include photos but was too tired. This morning I thought “maybe I’ll edit it first.” But I’ve decided to leave it be.

It is almost 12 hours later – 2:30pm on Sunday – and my head hurts. I met more friends for breakfast/lunch today and now I’m ready for a nap.

So, that said, ya’ll are on your own for photo-viewing this time. I haven’t the energy to chose and embed. Here are pics I took yesterday and last night. (I did motivate enough to put some captions on these photos.)