STEPH DEROSA: DROP THE HIGH SCHOOL GUARD >>>

KAke and I ventured into Club Silverstone last week with hopes of beer-lubricating ourselves into a joyous buzz. We wished to relish in the anonymity, and for once have a drink without running into someone we knew. Not only did we achieve our goal, but also we had a downright amazing time on the way.

The random tunes blaring from the walls had us up and dancing to songs we hadn't heard in such a long time. The stuff that made you gasp and say,I remember this song! The huge dance floor in the back room invited us to cut a rug like only KAke and Steph can do. The night was grand, and we made every minute of it worthwhile.

Of course, eventually the inevitable happened: I had to go pee. I walked behind a wall to search for the ladies room, yet what I found was a small predicament and a difficult choice. There were two bathroom doors to enter, but neither one had a gender specific sign anywhere near them. It took me a few seconds to feel good about making a decision, but the feeling of freedom overshadowed any bit of anxiety that might've entered my head. I loved it! I suppose the separation of the men's and women's restrooms in a gay bar is pretty much pointless.

While enjoying the simple, yet revolutionary, non-sexist Silverstone restroom" I began to ponder something that KAke had mentioned right before my pee break: Her 20th year high school reunion was this summer. (Damn, she's old.)

I began to wonder how many people had changed in 20 years, and what they had changed into, or out of. You remember the cliques, right? Do you feel as though everyone fit into a specific group? If you could put yourself into one stereotypical high school genus, what would you classify yourself as? Geek? Jock? Partier? Dopehead?

What if there came a time, that just like Club Silverstone bathrooms, you didn't have types  of people? What if for once, we were an all-accepting society? And it didn't matter what we dressed like, what bar we frequented, or who our friends were¬" we only looked at people for who they were inside.

I brought this up to KAke upon returning to my butt-print in the barstool, and she confessed that she was just wondering the same exact thing. We tried to reverse the contemplation and began thinking of people we knew here locally¬" guessing what they were like in high school.

We used one of our mutual acquaintances, a girl known to be very un-approving of strangers. She snubs her nose at anyone new to her scene and acts as though it is in your highest duty to befriend her. (Au, contraire, attitudes like this make KAke and me shudder with disgust.)

We then had a sudden revelation that this girl was probably the inept, anti-social, nerd¬" if you will, of her high school class. She's never had the opportunity to develop social skills, and has no idea what it's like to simply be accepted.Unfortunately, she still has her metaphoric, defensive, high school guard up, and in her adult life is unable to accept people wanting to be her friend.

Call it catty, or call it brilliant, but I think we're pretty much dead-on. The truth is: It's about time we all let go of high school. Who gives a fuck what you were, or what you thought you'd be? Live in the here and now¬" and enjoy every moment, and every new friend life has to offer. I know I do.

LINK: High school forum on the Volcano's Web site.