Old friends

One week of my life has some of the most vivid memories I have ever experienced. In May of 1987, my parents bought the house in Somonauk, Illinois. I was just finishing up my eighth grade year at Hubert H. Humphrey Middle School. Their closing date was during that last week of school. I didn't want to miss the last week of my eighth grade year! Luckily, my best friend at the time, Eric Reeb, and his family offered me the opportunity to stay at his house for that last week.

I remember that I had received a boom box for a graduation present. It was my first one. I had that boom box a good four years too. It had a dual cassette deck and I was starting my music collection by taping everything that Eric had. My first dubbed cassette had The Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill album. We must have played that 800 times that week. Eric knew every single lyric and I was just learning. I remember that we had movie night with a bunch of the guys, watching ones like David Byrne's True Stories, and we took some time to use the dual cassette feature to record ourselves rapping to the Beastie Boys' songs. We played the tape on the top deck and recorded on the bottom. Good times.

I remember staying in the guest room. I remember that it was cool to wear your tennis shoes or boat shoes without socks and I vividly remember mine stinking so bad that I used up a whole can of deodorant spray trying to stop the smell.

I remember having a sandwich with Eric and his mom and she put out sprouts to put on top. I was not used to sprouts. When I grabbed some, I think I accidentally swiped half of them and put them on my sandwich before I realized that you only needed a little bit. I ate a sandwich of mostly sprouts.

I remember falling in love with Buddy Holly at this time. Eric got the six record set that had everything he ever did. I wonder if he still has that set?