Back in our carefree and childless days, I used to tease Lynn by asking her conspiratorially "Hey! You know what?"

"What?" she'd ask innocently.

"Poop!" I'd say gleefully in my best imitation of a little kid.

Yep, I thought that was great fun, back in the day.

I guess I'm a little past that now.

Time to retreat to my happy place.

It was a gorgeous day today, so the fambly (urchins & wife & I) trundled up in one of the minivans and took a drive off to see this juvenile T. Rex out by my (& the wife's) collegial stomping grounds in So. Central Wisconsin, which, of course, led to memories.

Zooming the interstate on the clear sunshiny day brought me back to the days of yore, when most of my quality time was spent in the car, driving around, running to or from something/anything. Making plans, writing masterful long letters and brilliant short stories while behind the wheel that would always be forgotten at the next stop. I forget how much I love driving, and I wonder if my kids will get the same kick of freedom or if $50/gallon gas will keep them from the magic I've found. Hopefully, there will be other kicks for them, if not these.

I used to spend a lot of time driving to and from Minneapolis for my continuing and fruitless quest for punk-rock stardom with my old band, so they were in my head a lot. My old co-guitarist emailed me the other day to ask me why he remembered a certain band. We had played with them once, in a cavernous roadhouse in rural Illinois, back in the day. I sort of drove by there today.

Then, for an unknown reason, I remembered a college gurl I had known, one who I had a weird reverse-crush on (it worked like this: she indicated an interest in smooching, but I had never even kissed a girl before, so I was frightened - but now I had a weird crush on her - or at least the idea that we might, one day, smooch. We never did, but I remember playing "Pale Blue Eyes" on my radio show every week for a long time after that, hoping she'd get the murky brainwaves I attached to the song each time I played it.)

Oh yeah! And then there was another college crush-subject, from much later in my college days, after I had kissed a few girls (including my now-wife), so I wasn't as scared, but still scared enough that when we played that gig in Caledonia and she, to my amazement, came out to see us, I could only manage to sit awkwardly alone with her in the front seat of her battered Jeep for a few minutes before I made some lame excuse and shepherded us back to the party-at-large.

Maybe that's why I thought of Pale-Blue-Eyes girl. Anyway, it's kind of weird.