Head Tale

[Edit: A wonderful story I came across detailing the relationship between John Hughes and a teenaged pen pal.]

When I'm forced to choose, “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” is one of the movies I often pick as my favourite movie of all-time.  “Breakfast Club” pretty much defined my high school days with its perfect delineation of the main high school cliques (as well as being a script which is the rare example of not having a wasted line or scene) and “Some Kind of Wonderful”…well, I'll just say that one reminds me of high school a lot too!  

So first it was Michael Jackson and now it's John Hughes and it feels like a lot of MAJOR 1980's-defining icons are dying WAY earlier than they should.  I mean, obviously, we're all going to feel older as we get older.  But it's like that game that you sometimes play – “how old do you feel?” and for me, the answer is usually much younger than I am. 

Except that lately, I'm feeling my age.  Not numerically but in the sense that I no longer feel like a young person.  I feel like a…well, not a middle-aged person either but whatever the step is between the two. 

I don't fit into the 18-25 demographic anymore, let alone the 26-35 one.  I have a kid.  And a mortgage.  (I think) I've finally accepted that there's no way I could ever join a rock band (which was always a possibility in my 20's – lack of talent notwithstanding!  I'll do a blog post about my “folk punk” band, The Banned, someday! )  Or pick up and move to Europe for a few months like I did at 22.  Or the fact that I'm generally going to bed by 10pm (if not earlier) and getting up at 7am (if not earlier) every morning. 

Shea and I had a backyard fire the other night which we stayed up quite late for, enjoying one of the few nice evenings we've had this summer.  It made me wonder when the last time I stayed up all night was.  And it had been so long, that I couldn't even remember when this was something that used to be a regular occurrence.  Similarly, I can't remember the last time I was rip-roaring drunk (er, but that would be expected now, wouldn't it? ).   

Anyhow, RIP John Hughes – you helped to define my adolescence.  Thanks!  (via MetaFilter)