In 1985, I was introduced to a young man who would prove to be my only best friend in high school. I was enrolled in an intro to geometry course (since it gave me the same math credit as a regular, ol' geometry course but was faaaaaar easier), sequestered in a dark, corner room in the C wing of Proviso, taught by the single-most nerdolicious teacher I think I've ever had the pleasure of ditching on, Mr. Joe Thorn. The class itself was filled with people like myself: Trying to slide by on an easier credit. I guess you could say "a bunch of dipshits" and not be too far off. One said dipshit (and I mean that in the bestest way) was Mike Kasper. I'd known about Mike Freshman year, that he was a "ladies man", really funny, kind of irresponsible, but in that affable Eddie Haskel way. He lived up to each one of those labels and many many more.

We were pretty much inseperable throughout the remaining years, mostly only hanging out together, cracking wise, trying to befriend every student and teacher in the place. We actually got away with murder: Heading off-campus for lunch even though it was strictly forbidden because the Truant Officers thought we were hilarious, sitting in on classes we didn't belong to while skipping our own. This was made possible by my working in the attendance center, where students' parents would call in sick for them. Once that call was made, a pink IBM card was printed for them as an "excused absence" (you were only allowed 10 non-excused before you were automatically flunked), and I'd file it for the teachers. Well, wouldn't you know it, but Mike and I managed to never not have an excused absence. Hm, what are the odds?

Mostly, we farted around, got drunk, hung with my theater friends, winged around Chicago on his Honda scooter, attended pro-life meetings to meet girls, appeared on a local public access show for teens, skipped school, and basically improv comedied 99% of the day and night together, always putting on a show, for others, or just us. I look back at it that I was Cameron to Mike's Ferris Bueller. He later was my best man at our wedding ceremony and is getting hitched himself next month.

Here's a shot of me from '85 - it was taken after a performance of a children's show where I played a Russian prince. Sweet shirt, ehn? And it's weird for me to see myself without chest hair and with eye makeup. I could have been David Bowie. Oh, and if you look closely enough, you can see lipstick marks on my right cheek. Oh yeah, I was hot shit all right.