Eating nachos covered in god-knows-what-cheese-product, freedom from parental supervision, & nervously clearing the floor when it was time to couple skate...

Is there anything as sexy as a Friday night at the roller rink?

I didn’t think so.

The amount of excitement I felt in elementary school around 3pm at the end of the school week was true ecstasy.

I just had to get home, clean my room, and beg my parents to let me hang out with my friends. There was a subtle art of asking mom first and getting a predictable, “maybe, but go ask your father.” 

Next to go see dad, armed with a slightly embellished truth, “Mom said I could go if it’s ok with you...”

In middle school, Friday nights at the roller rink morphed into sleepovers with friends. 

In high school it changed shape again into coffee shops, movies, and dances.

This song holds a special place in my heart... maybe it will in yours too?

Click here to download the audio file

In college it became bars, shows, and jam sessions.

In adulthood, it has become writing, travel and still all of the other things from my youth...

But the feeling I remember most viscerally, was what it felt like when I couldn't go out for some reason. 

Maybe I was grounded, or poor, or nothing was going on that night.

In the grand scheme of things it's not that big of a deal, but in the moment, I felt a deep sense of missing out and a yearning to experience the magical Friday night I imagined everyone else was having.