I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now

When I was in college, I knew a girl named Heather, though she called herself Tait. Tait was cool; Tait had a mohawk. Mind you, this was in Denton, Texas, in the late 80s, where appearance was everything.

Now, secretly, Tait was a big goof. You didn't really have to look very far to figure this out. One afternoon, I was in her room hanging out--do not ask what the social coordinator of the dorm was doing hanging out with Mohawk Girl, I do not remember--and I saw something posted to her closet door; I investigated. It read:

Reasons Why I Am Cool.
1. My hair is over a foot tall.
2. I have a cool car.
3. I have blue Docs.

All these things were true. Her hair was magnificent, often dyed several shades at once, it changed almost weekly; her car was a VW Quantum, which I believe was the forerunner of the Passat; and the blue Doc Marten 8-hole boots were nothing if not unique.

I always figured that somebody who had to have a list posted to her closet door so that she knew why she was cool was probably trying too hard. On the other hand, it's good to know what your strengths are.

In those days, mine included things like the ability to talk my way out of just about any jam, and an early "whatever" attitude. In other words, I lived by my wits and I was invincible.

I miss that feeling.

before - after