is that "jungle boogie" i hear?

in fargo-moorhead, "skateland" was the roller skating venue of choice (and only one for miles around).  i've probably been there a half a dozen times, although the only two i can recall were the end of fifth grade, when we feebly tried to impress the girls to the hits of "c+c music factory", and for a youth conference a few years later, when rollerblades were infinitely cooler than skates, and when it took all the courage i had to skate next to tami niswander, a nice girl who had openly acknowledged that she liked me (and whose name is now appearing for the fourth time on "sheep go to heaven.")  i haven't been there since, in part because skateland looked like, well, probably like just about every other roller skatery around: still stuck in 1982, with the owners taking full economic advantage of the fact that it's ok to look outdated.

provo-orem's very on "classic skating" isn't much different, except that it's quite popular with the locals, something i attribute to the lds/byu crowd.  which, by generalized definition, pretty much makes me a fan.  i don't remember the first time i went, but disco skating was one of my favorite entertainment staples of the 104 era.  last night was the first time i'd been in over a year.  the crowd was great, wendee and i had a blast, and i came home with the requisite "right-foot-inner-ankle" blister.  and yes, jack, your shirt is still getting used.

walking across byu last week, i found it hard to believe that i graduated almost four years ago.  that's as long as i was in college.  and, thanks to simple math, that's nearly eight years since i started college.  the thing is, all of that feels clumped together in my past, so that it's hard to remember what happened, and when.  last night's super sounds of the seventies did pull out a random handful of associated memories:

* "funky town" reminded me of the chris, of his black hat, white shirt, and suspenders that he would don, and how he got homer's comment, "i haven't felt this way about a song since 'funky town'," because he knew the song before i did.

* of the times when we'd browse d.i. in seach of good disco clothes, which was extremely difficult, since, in downtown byu territory, anything good there gets sold fast.  still, the scort found an excellent white suit for his orange shirt.  he always looked great out on the floor, and "jungle boogie" will always be his.

* watching carrie clark and her brand new pro-skates during "dancing queen."

* of that time we brought my sister and her roommates.  they weren't really the disco skating type.

* but ange, maren, and michelle were indeed disco skaters, as was the great sarah baer, and how they would all be at church the next day with several band-aids on their feet, showing through their sandals.

* how i used to wear my pseudo-sailor shirt that i found at d.i., and of the blue polyester pants with melted holes in the knees from the friction of falling against the floor.  (turning corners used to be a great challenge for me)

* of the time tim and i crashed head-on to one another and helped each other up, laughing.  what he was doing going the opposite direction, we still can't remember.

* the joy we felt when jack found that amazing sequined shirt at "savers."  (actually, i think the scort found his aforementioned white suit there.)  over the years, i think i've worn jack's shirt more, but he looked the best in it.  happily, they played our song last night- hallelujah!