Last night was fun. We had vegetarian dinner, and Brian and I shared a vanilla bean sorbet dessert with pomegranate juice. Joshua’s mom was there too, and she was just as funny as she is. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that she also drives a Prius, in spite of living in a tiny central Oregon town.

It’s incredible what my friend Joshua can remember about things we did thirteen years ago. The guy has the mind of a steel trap. We were looking at my old photo album last night, pictures of our old crummy apartment on Quince Street, and he actually remembered most of the people, and moreover, could tell me what they were all up to now.

“Remember when Destroy stayed with us?” he asked. It took a minute, but I kind of did, another crusty punk band that stayed on our couch. Or Furley, a band no one remembers. Or most memorably, the time I put on a show at the Capitol Theater starring Rancid, and they stayed at our place and Lars tried to mack on me but I wasn’t having it.

There was a picture of his band, the Mukilteo Fairies, taken right after yet another Lucky Seven House basement show, and he actually remembered which show it was and who else played that night. There was a picture of me and Jon Reed and Derek and Janelle standing on the side of I-5 on the way to Portland because the van got a flat tire.

Joshua remembered the name of the band I was in with Alison and Joaquin and Ian, and I didn’t even remember it. Dig Your Grave! We never played a show, but we did have a tape.

I have a couple photos of two dead boys from that time: Kai, who developed a taste for heroin and barely lived to see 21, and Scott, who perished in an accident a few years ago that I still don’t know all the details about. He’s captured on a polaroid, sharing a hand-rolled cigarette in a Tri-Cities tacqueria with Ian Svenonius and Vern Rumsey.

I am really glad I have all those photos. In August I am going to see many of these people again, those who still live in Olympia. Summers in the Pacific Northwest really can’t be beat. There is no humidity, just greenery and blue skies.