ON YOUTH:

One of the most fun nights of my life came while I was in college. Five of us piled into a Merkur, then proceeded to drive around Peoria, IL, where our college was located. I don't remember what prompted us to drive aimlessly that night, or what was said during the trip, but I remember breaking five laws:

1) Speeding
2) Trespassing (to look at some cool cars through the window of a large garage)
3) Running a traffic light
4) Illegal lane changes
5) Stealing a construction cone

We came home, flush with the triumph of stealing a giant orange construction cone. The plan was for it to mark the Merkur's parking spot when the driver left, so the parking spot would be available when he/we got back. In actuality, the cone served as a coat tree for me that night (we had a fire alarm, and I knew just where my jacket was), then the cone simply took up space in the Merkur's trunk for another few months.

As I said, I don't remember what was said or done that night. I remember the euphoria of being young, of uncontrollable laughter. Those days are gone, and my fun nights are different now. Not worse, or better. Just different.